choosing BU over Harvard...crazy?

[go.ph.]

Oh Ted...I know you have good intentions but that post was just wrong.  Assuming her kids won't be eating out of dumpsters if she does PI with a free BU degree (and I think this is a safe assumption), the more money = better parenting argument just does not fly.  

SilentSwirl, the OP answered at least 2 of those questions in her OP, and the other has been answered since.  Harvard = at least 100,000 dollars more in debt (add interest to that and it's way more).  If the OP wants public interest, she will not be making the Harvard bucks to pay that back quickly which = a delay in things like buying a house, setting up college funds, etc...

[SilentSwirl]

Um, okay. I'm dumb. I just re-read the original post. Thanks Johnny. Ooops!

Ignore me please.

[Jets]

For me, and this ONLY applies to me, I would pick BU/GW etc. w/ full $$$ over GULC/Cornell and a few other "better" schools. I think Harvard is in a class of its own, though, and while I don't think you'd be "crazy" to take BU w/ that money over it, I can definitely understand why people would make that argument.

[Ted Buckland, ESQ]

Oh Ted...I know you have good intentions but that post was just wrong.  Assuming her kids won't be eating out of dumpsters if she does PI with a free BU degree (and I think this is a safe assumption), the more money = better parenting argument just does not fly. 

SilentSwirl, the OP answered at least 2 of those questions in her OP, and the other has been answered since.  Harvard = at least 100,000 dollars more in debt (add interest to that and it's way more).  If the OP wants public interest, she will not be making the Harvard bucks to pay that back quickly which = a delay in things like buying a house, setting up college funds, etc...

I don't think I made the more money = better parenting argument. I was more trying to imply that it's a safe assumption to say that the average HLS grad, over a 20-30 year career, will make money than the average BU grad, so much more so that the 120K saved in the next 3 years won't make that big a difference. No lawyer's children will be eating out of the dumpsters, but I think there is a significant possibilty that the quality of life for a child with a parent with a Harvard degree will be better than a BU grad, otherwise why even care about going to the best school if it doesn't equate to having the most success down the line for the average student? Why even spend 3 grueling years in law school if it doesn't lead to a better financial situation for one's family? I just think the HLS degree will be worth its weight far more than the 120K BU offer down the line, invariably leading to a better quality of life for the OP and her family.

[go.ph.]

That sounds better...

But still, I think you're ignoring the OPs intentions when you say "...which could lead to tremendous wealth as an amazing attorney, whether it's in biglaw or private practice"

The OP doesn't want biglaw or private practice, that's the point of the whole thread.  I'm not saying which one will leave her better off for her particular goals/desires...it's a tough one.  I think she's being pretty realistic to consider the free ride at BU if she wants PI.  With few exceptions, those jobs start low whether you come from BU or Harvard, and seeing as she has already stated that she won't qualify for Harvard's LRAP, it's a tough decision.  Yes, PI jobs are also competitive, but that does not change how much they pay, not generally (yes there are exceptions)...the OP might also not be interested in the "prestigious" PI jobs anyways...

[Kittyl30]

okay granted im biased b /c i go to BU, but if you are SURE you want to do public interst WHY go to harvard.  even doing public interest from harvard the average starting salary is still less then 50k.  it doestn seem to make senes to me to chose paying 150k more when ull be paying it back your whole life just to have some prestige when you're not going to go into biglaw where that prestige matters

yes it may be EASIER to get a good job from harvard, of COURSE it is but BU is a great t25 school. you will get a great job from there.  liek someone else said in this thread, BU is not some tier4 *&^% hole. its a great law school

[sprite]

hey all...i'll give a little more info to help clear things up, although it'll probably just make this more confusing...

so the family/relationship situation is this: my boyfriend and i recently got engaged. he is also headed to law school next year, and both of us are coming straight from undergrad. he is deciding between harvard and yale, which is an added conundrum...put off marriage for a few years given the opportunity of yale? at any rate, though, he is interested in a biglaw career that will pretty much guarantee our family a comfortable life.

so back to me. i do not plan on being the breadwinner in the family...in fact i know i want to stay home with the kids while they are young.  i want to do law school because i feel passionate about the law and would like to have a public interest law career following graduation and later in life when i go back to work. however, the debt problem comes into play because it will push back the time that we can start our family (we'd rather do it soon after we graduate), buy a house, start saving, etc.

i know all of this is pretty much just my own "motherhood vs career" problem...but yeah, there it is.

[SilentSwirl]

How old are y'all and how many kids do you want?  (22 vs 32 and 2 vs 5 makes a huge difference)

My mother's advice (she's an MD who let her career slide in order to take care of the kids) has always been to take care of your career and make sure you always have it to fall back on, regardless of your marriage situation. I know you are in love and of course you have to plan on building a life together. But what about the "what ifs"?  What if he dies? What if he has an accident and can no longer work? What if he leaves you? What if you need to leave him?

I know 3 years seems like a long time. If y'all both went to Harvard, you could still get married and then live together and focus on school. Once you're done your husband's Big Law job can help pay back your loans. You can do PI work and have more time with the kids (which I completely commend! I'd love to have this set-up possible, too!). But if the worst should happen, a Harvard Law degree is always something you'd have to fall back on. Of COURSE not that you'd have a pity party with one from BU, I just can't get over the "But it's HARVARD!" feeling.

Anyway, that's what I would do.

[Iceslip]

Sometimes I read posts like this, and am just dumbfounded at the fact that the people smart enough to get into the Harvards, etc., actually contemplate these scenarios.

Full ride to BU vs. $0 to Harvard.

As many, MANY people have already stated, this is a silly, "no-brainer" question.  Even graduating at the TOP of your class at BU is NOTHING compared to Harvard. 

I mean, I don't think you really understand the prestige and scope of Harvard...and it is all the more surprising considered you are one of the hallowed few to gain admission here.  A Harvard Law degree is SUCH a badge, such a scarily effective professional tool, that you can literally do WHATEVER you want with regard to ANY aspect of your legal career (and even outside of legal jobs, you could probably still do whatever the hell you want).

You honestly earn the privilege of getting ANY interview for hte rest of your life for ANY position.  Seriously.

Now, of course debt sucks...however, with Harvard, you have the ability to make over $200,000 total STARTING ok in BigLaw.  At that rate, and the increasing rate of pay raises at BigLaw, you can EASILY pay off 3 years of law school.  And don't even listen to people talking about "cost of living of NYC;" that money combined with a potential mate's income is ridiculous high and vast enough to ensure quick loan repayment, comfortable saving, AND a nice Manhattan eat at Babbo, roam around Tribeca, lifestyle.

The degree is so prestigious that at ANY point, whether you do public interest or whatever, like a switch you can gain entry into high-level paying options, be it in academia, corp. law, etc.

Harvard.

Ummmm, Harvard.

[SanchoPanzo]

...
the truth is that those jobs are extremely hard to come by, even for harvard graduates, and you don't get them without alumni relationships and an amazing resume.
...

This is VERY true and is something you should consider. As a BU grad going into public interest, you will be competing against the top HLS students. If you're looking nationally, you'll be competing against top students from other t14s like Yale, Columbia, etc. I'm not suggesting that you don't pick BU. But just keep in mind that it's more difficult to get a great PI job than a great BigLaw job coming form BU or HLS.