GW JD - Worth $180,000?

[colforbin]

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Blatant NDLS trolling. Borderline flame.
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I concur.

[last light]

Not flame at all. I don't go to ND, nor would I (not a fan of its program).

I'm just offering the opinions of the attorneys I work with, and the research I've done. You don't realize it here, but most law school students do not end up at Biglaw in a top legal market. And for those who don't, 180K is a retarded debt load to take on.

Eh, call me flame if you like. I'll just call you naive.

[GW2L]

If you guys have any questions for me let me know ...

[colforbin]

My comment was strictly a response to your claim that ND is the only school outside the Top 6 with a national rep, which is flat out wrong.

[Ralphie Sweetheart]

When I grow up I'm going to Bovine University.

[sk]

What advice would you give me with regards to a top 25 school & 100K debt, which is my best option right now... Is it worth it?

[1LMan]

I find it amusing that 0L's are telling me how it is in law school lol.  Nonetheless, do what you want to do.  It ultimately is your decision.  I turned down a full ride at a high T1 school to go to GW and work while attending school, also to have it paid for.

I will say that GW does have better job opportunities than ND and they definitely have more opportunities than a state school.  The main reason I turned down the ride I had was because the career office flat out told me they couldn't offer the same job opportunities that GW could.  GW is in that elusive category of "semi-national" schools.  If you are in the top 1/3-top 1/2 (sometimes) you can land a Biglaw job.  I know it from seeing it  My friend is outside of the top 1/3 and will be working biglaw as an SA this summer, that would NEVER happen coming out of a high T1, T2, etc... school.

In the end you have to look at what is important to you.  If you have a huge scholarship at W & L I say take it.  However, if you are not in scholarship land then you go with the best option for YOU.  Law school isn't cheap, it is competitive, and the legal market is just as bad.  People on these forums seem to think everyone is going to land that market rate job in NYC when its just not going to happen.  Plus, you will soon see how your $190k dwindles when you have $1500-2000 in loans to pay a month, $1500 for a studio apartment in NYC, plus other expenses.

[.....]

Their opinion was that outside of the top 5 or 6, no school would be more national than Notre Dame..

I would place this in the "just a little bit hyperbolic" category.

Just what they said. Name another law school outside the top 6 that has the "name" that Notre Dame has (except for Princeton, of course). The bottom line is that, outside of the top handful of law firms in the major legal markets, most firms could give a sh-t about what US News has to say ranking wise. There's a ballpark of tiered schools, there's the local schools, and there's the national schools (top 6 or so, ND, and maybe a few more).

I personally don't think any law school is worth 180,000, even if you're 100 percent sure you'll end up in NYC working at a top paying firm.

Well unless you go to a state school, and not considering financial aid (which we can't discuss in the OP's context), law school aint gonna be that much cheaper wherever you go.

Look for the best deal you can. Most places have cheaper state schools that you could consider. But if dude's getting into GW, he could probably pull $$$ from most other schools.
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HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA HA!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[.....]

Not flame at all. I don't go to ND, nor would I (not a fan of its program).

I'm just offering the opinions of the attorneys I work with, and the research I've done. You don't realize it here, but most law school students do not end up at Biglaw in a top legal market. And for those who don't, 180K is a retarded debt load to take on.

Eh, call me flame if you like. I'll just call you naive.

Yeah, most lay people and low-level lawyers in the Boston area are utterly convinced that Suffolk is a GREAT law school.

Just because ND is a big fish in the little pond you're swimming in doesn;t mean they get that sort of regard outside of it.

[Einstein]

even if you made $80k for the rest of your life in law it still would be a decent investment, if you love the job.

80k taxed at 30% you take home 56K/year.

suppose you pay 10K/year to the loan.

with the interest on the loan over 30 years you would end up paying around 300K.

That would take you 30 years to pay off... But you will have a take home of $3,800/month.  Not too bad.. but now, think about your spouse.. they will be making 30K/year minimum.. so really, you wouldn't be hurting that bad.. with a total of 6K per month take home..


And that is if you never get any raises or bonuses...