Loyola with Debt or Free Ride at Chapman or Higher Ranked Boulder???

[erin0807]

modified: i will figure this money issue out. 

but loyola vs chapman...which would u pick???  Chapman has no ranking , Loyola is ranked 66, and Boulder is 36 in USN ranking.

How much of a difference does 30 places in the rankings matter to law firms in Los Angeles (Loyola vs. UoC, Boulder)  I couldn't really see myself going to Colorado or practicing law there. I actually can see myself living it up in Orange County in the future.

[undecided07]

Unless you had a really high EFC on your FAFSA, those economics from Loyola make little sense.  But you don't have to worry.

Most students should be able to cover most of their education with loans.  $10k per semester for Loyola sounds like $20k each year... which in my experience is generally a combination of an $8500 subsidized stafford loan and a $11,500 unsubsidized loan from the government.  Perhaps in their package to you they only mentioned these government loans, either because like I said your EFC was high or there was the assumption that you could take out alternative loans.

The alternative loan option may be the way for you to go.  Generally, there are only limits placed on how much you can receive from the government Stafford loans (subsidized and unsubsidized as described above).  There are additional outside agencies that offer loans, including those that specialize in student loans.  These generally allow you to take out the difference between what those Stafford loans give you and what the full cost of attendance is.  The interest rate is set due to your credit score.  You can find out about these places online just by Googling, but two of the most popular are Citibank and Access Group.  I suggest contacting them if you want to know if you can pull out money.  Similar loans are also useful to increase funds so that you don't have to work through school, and to ensure that you can pay insurance and car payments etc.

If you really want to go to Loyola, then it is possible.  There is just more investigative work to do on your part, but sometimes it really ends up being worth it. 

Otherwise, you can always go to Chapman and not have to worry about this financial piece.

Don't let this overwhelm you!  Very honestly, either way you can't lose.  You have a choice between two good schools located in amazing Southern California, and will very likely graduate with a J.D. (unless you get burned out and say F*** it!).

Hope this was somewhat helpful.

[payley]

modified: i will figure this money issue out. 

but loyola vs chapman...which would u pick???  Chapman has no ranking , Loyola is ranked 66, and Boulder is 36 in USN ranking.

How much of a difference does 30 places in the rankings matter to law firms in Los Angeles (Loyola vs. UoC, Boulder)  I couldn't really see myself going to Colorado or practicing law there. I actually can see myself living it up in Orange County in the future.

I decided on Loyola over Chapman, even though Chapman offered me a full ride.  I know a few alumni who complain about job/internship placement and overall quality of education.  There is no Entertainment Law or Sports Law program at Chapman and I've heard the teachers are generally less established.  I'm sure you'll find new teachers at every school, though.

Also, keep in mind that to renew your scholarship at Chapman you need to maintain a 3.0; it's a 2.6 at Loyola (based on my experiences).  Although the GPA requirement clearly doesn't constitute a problem for everyone, I would hate to be in a position of losing my scholarship and paying full tuition at a lower-ranked school.  Maybe you can do some research on each school's curve and make the decision for yourself.

Good luck, though - I hope to see you at Loyola!! *wink wink*

[fall07]

modified: i will figure this money issue out. 

but loyola vs chapman...which would u pick???  Chapman has no ranking , Loyola is ranked 66, and Boulder is 36 in USN ranking.

How much of a difference does 30 places in the rankings matter to law firms in Los Angeles (Loyola vs. UoC, Boulder)  I couldn't really see myself going to Colorado or practicing law there. I actually can see myself living it up in Orange County in the future.

Also considering money from Chapman.  Have a couple of tidbits you may like.

Their maximum median for a first year course is 2.8..."maximum median", I have no idea what it usually looks like in practice, I would wager it would generally be pretty close to that, just read it in the handbook.

I took a look at a lot of the big law firms in LA, and Chapman is seldom represented.  In fact, most of the firms I checked didn't have Chapman acknowledged.  Only 2 out of about 14 firms I checked had a couple Chapman alumni associates.  If the firms I saw are moderately representative and relevant and that is what you're looking for afterwards, it may be something to consider.

Good luck.

[erin0807]

modified: i will figure this money issue out. 

but loyola vs chapman...which would u pick???  Chapman has no ranking , Loyola is ranked 66, and Boulder is 36 in USN ranking.

How much of a difference does 30 places in the rankings matter to law firms in Los Angeles (Loyola vs. UoC, Boulder)  I couldn't really see myself going to Colorado or practicing law there. I actually can see myself living it up in Orange County in the future.

Also considering money from Chapman.  Have a couple of tidbits you may like.

Their maximum median for a first year course is 2.8..."maximum median", I have no idea what it usually looks like in practice, I would wager it would generally be pretty close to that, just read it in the handbook.

I took a look at a lot of the big law firms in LA, and Chapman is seldom represented.  In fact, most of the firms I checked didn't have Chapman acknowledged.  Only 2 out of about 14 firms I checked had a couple Chapman alumni associates.  If the firms I saw are moderately representative and relevant and that is what you're looking for afterwards, it may be something to consider.

Good luck.

oh i know! i did the same thing, they never have chapman.  anyway i deposited to loyola.

[fall07]

modified: i will figure this money issue out. 

but loyola vs chapman...which would u pick???  Chapman has no ranking , Loyola is ranked 66, and Boulder is 36 in USN ranking.

How much of a difference does 30 places in the rankings matter to law firms in Los Angeles (Loyola vs. UoC, Boulder)  I couldn't really see myself going to Colorado or practicing law there. I actually can see myself living it up in Orange County in the future.

Also considering money from Chapman.  Have a couple of tidbits you may like.

Their maximum median for a first year course is 2.8..."maximum median", I have no idea what it usually looks like in practice, I would wager it would generally be pretty close to that, just read it in the handbook.

I took a look at a lot of the big law firms in LA, and Chapman is seldom represented.  In fact, most of the firms I checked didn't have Chapman acknowledged.  Only 2 out of about 14 firms I checked had a couple Chapman alumni associates.  If the firms I saw are moderately representative and relevant and that is what you're looking for afterwards, it may be something to consider.

Good luck.

oh i know! i did the same thing, they never have chapman.  anyway i deposited to loyola.

It may be a good idea, although...I have been talking to as many postgraduate students I can about big debt, and it doesn't seem to be very fun at all, after the interest you're looking at a nice sum of money.  It may be worthwhile to do so if the school is extremely more prestigious, and the chapman-loyola gap is moderate but still contestable with 100k debt factored in. 

One thing that I assume you've considered but I'll mention it anyway, there are schools in LA that have similar entry standards to that of Chapman, thus generally speaking, those who can go to Chapman can have school choices in LA.  The fact that Chapman is under-represented in the big LA market could merely be testimony to graduating student's disconcern with LA and their big law firms.  Southwestern has similar entrance standards to Chapman, and is right in Hollywood.  I am waiting to hear from them concerning potential scholarship, but if you applied, I would presume you can get a nice amount if you obtained a free ride at Chapman as well.  Then you're in the LA market, Southwestern isn't too bad, you'd have to do well but you'd have to do well most places anyway, and the debt is taken care of.

You've probably already made your decision and everything just sharing my thought processes with you since we're pretty much in the same boat, I got into Loyola too, but the debt would definately not be something to take lightly.

Good luck.