Subscription pricing
Hi all,
I turned to this community after hitting a hard plateau upon taking a rushed 2-month Blueprint course. I started off with 154 and could not get beyond early 160s. Realizing that I wasn't where I wanted to be, I delayed my LSAT and studied on this platform for 2 more months and took the November LSAT, ending up with a 168. Since then, I've somewhat unexpectedly gotten into incredible school including NYU, Berkeley, Michigan, Duke, Cornell, GULC, UCLA, and USC but I'm heavily leaning towards UCLA because: 1) I want to eventually settle and practice in SoCal 2) my boyfriend is skeptical of LDRs. By the way, I cannot recommend the 7Sage unlimited edit package enough, the editors helped me through the whole process from brainstorming to polishing the final draft. UCLA is an incredible law school, and was definitely my target, but I'm reluctant to let go of these incredible opportunities at T-14. Am I making a smart decision by foregoing T-14, and will this decision impact my marketability as a lawyer in the long-run? I'm desperately trying to be rational, but am being pulled in million directions. What would you guys do in my shoes?
1
29 comments
Aw I'm so happy for you! You're gonna do amazing :smiley:
Congratulations and good luck.
@sc1293486 said:
Hi all! Again, thank you so much for your kinds words. I just heard back from Berkeley, and it looks like I'll be going to Berkeley with a full ride (BLOS). That seals the deal for me. My boyfriend and I will give it our best shot with long distance. Again, thank you so, so much for all your help and a HUGE thanks to 7sage.
OMG that is amazing. Literally the best possible outcome in this scenario. CONGRATULATIONS!
Congrats on the great outcome!
Hi all! Again, thank you so much for your kinds words. I just heard back from Berkeley, and it looks like I'll be going to Berkeley with a full ride (BLOS). That seals the deal for me. My boyfriend and I will give it our best shot with long distance. Again, thank you so, so much for all your help and a HUGE thanks to 7sage.
Congratulations!!! Please be the smart lawyer that you are and secure your bag for your legal education. Best of luck to you in whatever you decide! #UCS(Fullride)
Hi SC1293,
Congrats on your LSAT performance and offers of admission from so many great schools. I voted for USC because it is hard to beat a full-ride offer. (If one of the T14 offers you anything close to a full-ride, all else equal, I would pick the T14 school.)
Having said that, you should consider the following in making your decision:
location and campus community/atmosphere: is this a place you'd want to spend three years of your life? A visit would help.
academic and other offerings: is there a particular concentration that interests you? If so, which school has the strongest program? Are you looking to study abroad, etc?
how important is prestige to you? While UCLA and UCS are nearly identical, NYU, Michigan, and even Berkeley, are in a different league.
Given that you want to practice in SoCal and have a SO who appears to be unable/unwanting to move, and given that median earnings are nearly the same at UCLA and UCS, I would pick UCS and take the full-ride. Nothing better than graduating with $0. in debt. (That's money that can go toward a mortgage.)
Best of luck, and congrats again!
@sc1293486 said:
@shaw5563 said:
OP, I will probably be going (short, 2 hours away) long-distance on the East Coast. We've done it before for one year, two different continents. A lot of people here are talking about how everyone they knew broke up doing distance and law school. Which is very possible! But it's also true that for many people, distance during law school is unavoidable and can even work. I found this thread on Reddit super heartening.
https://www.reddit.com/r/lawschooladmissions/comments/ajj1up/people_who_currently_are_dating_someone_but_are/
Hawaiihi, this is too funny. I follow r/lawschooladmissions religiously and saw that post too. You're very luck to be with someone who is willing to make it work through the distance.
Agreed. I think it really requires both people to be fully on the same page. But I also know it doesn't work for everyone. Good luck!
@shaw5563 said:
OP, I will probably be going (short, 2 hours away) long-distance on the East Coast. We've done it before for one year, two different continents. A lot of people here are talking about how everyone they knew broke up doing distance and law school. Which is very possible! But it's also true that for many people, distance during law school is unavoidable and can even work. I found this thread on Reddit super heartening.
https://www.reddit.com/r/lawschooladmissions/comments/ajj1up/people_who_currently_are_dating_someone_but_are/
Hawaiihi, this is too funny. I follow r/lawschooladmissions religiously and saw that post too. You're very lucky to be with someone who is willing to make it work through the distance.
Do you mind sharing your gpa? Waiting on responses from a couple of those schools. I have the same LSAT score and I wanted to use 7sage editors but they told me I didn’t have much of a chance at getting into the same schools you got into.
If you’re debt averse and comfortable with staying in LA for your career, then take one of the LA schools.
OP, I will probably be going (short, 2 hours away) long-distance on the East Coast. We've done it before for one year, two different continents. A lot of people here are talking about how everyone they knew broke up doing distance and law school. Which is very possible! But it's also true that for many people, distance during law school is unavoidable and can even work. I found this thread on Reddit super heartening.
https://www.reddit.com/r/lawschooladmissions/comments/ajj1up/people_who_currently_are_dating_someone_but_are/
@rn6zj35 said:
Wow! Congratulations on getting accepted to those colleges. I know you didn't include Michigan in the votes, but even that is a great school to consider. I've heard from people it is the more "friendlier" than other T14. Of course I'm not sure if that is true or not, but that's just one thing I've heard. Also, the campus is so beautiful! I think you should go ahead and visit some of the schools. Don't just settle. As bad as this sounds, you don't want to be putting your dreams behind for your boyfriend. If something happens or it doesn't work out, you're always gonna feel that "WOW, I left NYU or Top 14 for this dude." Even if you don't want it to be in your head, the thought might creep in.
Agree! It would definitely come up during arguments.
A full-ride in the area that you plan to practice seems like the perfect choice (I voted for USC)
I am sooooooo freakin jealoussssss
If you get the BLOS, then you should absolutely do that and it’s not even close at that point in my opinion. You should still go and visit a your top choices, but a full ride at Berk is an insanely good deal. The difference between NYU and Berk is almost negligible in comparison to the difference between NYU and UCLA/USC. UCLA and USC are excellent schools, but Berk was #6 in the USNWR rankings less than a decade ago. Plus, just by being in Cali you’ll be able to network in that area better. So yeah, if you get the BLOS and anything less than maybe $100k from NYU, then it’s no contest.
@sc1293486 said:
I'm also a Berkeley BLOS final candidate, so we'll see how that goes. If there's anything I could do to help out (reading personal statements, why x's, application process for any of the schools that I mentioned) I'd be more than happy to help out--please feel free to message me.
Oh wow, you are in the running for some great things. Keep your head up. None of your choices will be bad.
Thanks everyone so much for your kind words & thoughtful advices. You guys are the reason of voice that I needed. I know I need to prioritize my career ambitions before my young relationship, but it's easier said than done. One of the reasons I'm hesitant to venture to NYU is because I'm not exactly sure what kind of law I want to practice--leaning towards Big Law to pay off debt but still unsure. I'm going to wait on my scholarship packages to really start weighing my options since NYU sticker price is hefty even for its great reputation. I'm also a Berkeley BLOS finalist candidate, so we'll see how that goes. If there's anything I could do to help out (reading personal statements, why x's, application process for any of the schools that I mentioned) I'd be more than happy to help out--please feel free to message me.
Depends what kind of job you want.
PS
Don't jump the gun. See if you can get some money out of the other schools.
Alright then, everyone has a different sense of humor. Can't be serious all the time 🤷♀️🙊
@yifeiwang926 said:
@rn6zj35 said:
Haha you have to admit, it was a little funny 😂 😂
Not really, no.
@rn6zj35 said:
Haha you have to admit, it was a little funny 😂 😂
Not really, no.
Hahaha I love it. Have to shoot your shot, right? 😂
@harveylou1239 said:
Empower your personal self, a healthy, understandable boyfriend would support your dreams!!
Such as a person like myself. ;) (oof self promo, I'lll get to a t14 somehow right..? jk)
Haha you have to admit, it was a little funny 😂 😂
@yifeiwang926 said:
@harveylou1239 said:
Empower your personal self, a healthy, understandable boyfriend would support your dreams!!
Such as a person like myself. ;) (oof self promo, I'lll get to a t14 somehow right..? jk)
You've got the wrong website. Tinder is two blocks down.
@harveylou1239 said:
Empower your personal self, a healthy, understandable boyfriend would support your dreams!!
Such as a person like myself. ;) (oof self promo, I'lll get to a t14 somehow right..? jk)
You've got the wrong website. Tinder is two blocks down.
Empower your personal self, a healthy, understandable boyfriend would support your dreams!!
Such as a person like myself. ;) (oof self promo, I'lll get to a t14 somehow right..? jk)
As others have said, you obviously have some awesome choices in front of you. I think there's not quite enough info here for me to say what I would do in your shoes. At least to me, cost of attendance is a huge variable, as well as what your career goals are. Do you want a biglaw job? And do you know what your ballpark COA would be for each of these schools?
In my personal opinion, if you got no scholarship to NYU, I would rarely vote for that one over a full tuition scholarship at UCLA or USC. That COA is just astronomical, even if you got biglaw it would take quite a while to pay off.
If your main goal (boyfriend aside) is working in CA, I would really lean Berkeley. But again, cost of attendance and your specific career goals are also important to know here. Full tuition at USC is not something to ignore.
I'm in agreement with a few of the others here when it comes to the relationship aspect, though. Your boyfriend is obviously very important to you, which is wonderful. But I think it is wise to also know for sure what your personal goals are if he wasn't a factor. I think it's smart to consider that if for any reason your relationship doesn't work out, are you going to have regrets about your choice? I would encourage you to think about what you really want for yourself.
(didn't vote)
If you are dead-set on Cali, I would go with one of the California schools. Your personal goals and debt aversion should be the major factors into which school you take. However, I would definitely visit all of the schools (Cali and otherwise) if you can (most will provide some travel stipend) and see for yourself their culture.
Echoing what others have said in the most gentle and supportive manner, please please please do not let your BF be the deciding factor in this decision. Go to the school that best supports your goals, regardless where that is. If your relationship is meant to survive, then you will both do what it takes to make it happen. FWIW, I lived on the opposite side of the planet (literally) from my wife for two years. It sucked, but we made it work.
Good luck! You definitely have a suitcase full of first-world problems.
@rn6zj35: "WOW, I left NYU or Top 14 for this dude." Even if you don't want it to be in your head, the thought might creep in.
This is such good advice. Very insightful and logical. Our minds can work in weird and hidden ways.
@yifeiwang926: I'm not a believer in relationships where one party undertakes graduate education and the other does not
This is anecdotal, but very reasonable. The academic, social, and emotional pressure is a lot to handle. My relationship and most of my friends' who went into Law/Med with a relationship, broke off the relationship during the program. Sure, you might be the exception, but be prepared and know what you care about more between this relationship and your career.
I believe you can get just about any job out of UCLA that you could get out of NYU if you have good enough grades, and work hard enough, but the reputation and respect you get out of a T6 school is a realistic difference. I felt it extensively during my time at UCLA, when two friends with similar or lower stats at Stanford would receive way greater preference in recruiting.
Lastly, to answer your question, as a graduate of UCLA, I have to say that USC is very comparable in most ways to UCLA in its ability to teach and provide opportunities in SoCal. So considering a full ride and assuming UCLA can't give you anything after negotiations, I have to recommend USC over UCLA (I believe UCLA may be willing to offer you something though, if you ask). This gap is bridged mostly by it's strong, smaller, tighter alumni network. The difference gets bigger as the distance increases from LA though.