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UVA or George Mason

DCGirl107DCGirl107 Free Trial Member
in Law School Admissions 24 karma

Hi everyone! I need some guidance on choosing between the two. I'm from D.C. and when applying to schools, I chose to only apply to schools around the VA/DC/MD area. After receiving all of my offers and narrowing it down to two, I'm still having a hard time deciding. I was admitted to UVA(#9) with no scholarship and George Mason (#41) with a full ride. I would like to stay in the D.C. area, but I am also very open to looking at jobs anywhere in the U.S. post-graduation. My biggest fear is the debt I will go into if I were to go to UVA. Does anyone know if I were to go into BigLaw, how long it would approximately take to pay off $180K in loans? Do you all think it's worth it? I don't know any lawyers or law students who I could ask that wouldn't have a biased opinion. Even with a biased opinion, I would just like to hear some real honest opinions. Thanks for the help!

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  • 1000001910000019 Alum Member
    3279 karma

    I'd go with UVA. Now if it was between UVA and GW on a full ride I might consider GW.

    " how long it would approximately take to pay off $180K in loans?"
    Depends on what your other expenses will be. BTW if you're going to be paying for everything yourself, your debt will be well over 180K.

    I'll be graduating with between 200K and 250K of debt. If I live at home, it's going to take me roughly four years.

  • TexAgAaronTexAgAaron Alum Member
    1723 karma

    UVA by far is the better school (obvious I know haha). The questions you have to answer for yourself are how debt adverse are you and what kind of legal career path are planning on taking. If Big Law, then the debt may be justifiable. If a lower paying legal career, then you may want to consider your other options more heavily.

    I think by wanting to stay in DC and attending UVA, you'll be fine finding a job. If your okay taking on that kind of debt, then I'd say go for it. Not many schools can compete with UVA job wise.

  • JPJ July2021JPJ July2021 Core Member
    1532 karma

    @DCGirl107 I would choose UVA without question, especially if you want biglaw or any other similarly competitive job. I'm also really interested in working in DC and from what I've heard, besides HYS, UVA is the best school to attend. The connections UVA has to DC are insane. Also, DC is by far the most competitive legal market and most firms hire students exclusively from the top schools. So, I would choose UVA not only for the prestige and the connections, but also because you're not likely to end up in DC if you choose the other school. I totally understand your concern about the debt but I think it will be worth it in the end. I've heard nothing but amazing things about UVA.

  • Paul CaintPaul Caint Alum Member ⭐
    3521 karma

    UVA

  • acsimonacsimon Alum Member
    1269 karma

    @"Paul Caint" said:
    UVA

    Ditto.

  • westcoastbestcoastwestcoastbestcoast Alum Member
    3788 karma

    Depends on your debt tolerance. Most people say that they underestimated how much a six figure loan impacted their lives. Especially with compound interest, a six figure loan can increase out of control. That being said, i also believe that a good argument can be made foe t14 sticker. Presuming that you dont burn out and remain a lawyer, a t14 degree has the best ROI in the long term. Assuming that LRAPs dont get cut, doing LRAP with UVA and working PI wouldnt be bad either. If you really want big law, stick with UVA.

  • Seeking PerfectionSeeking Perfection Alum Member
    4423 karma

    I would consider reapplying to more intermediate options if you are really debt adverse. I would not recommend going to George Mason with an app that can get you into Virginia.

    Go to Virginia or reapply to a place ranked somewhere in between where you can still get a scholarship like the one you got from George Mason even if its farther from DC.

  • _oshun1__oshun1_ Alum Member
    edited March 2018 3652 karma

    UVA UVA UVA! Congrats on the acceptance. Making 200k a year you'll pay that off in no time. Or retake and reapply next year.
    I second the first comment -- living expenses + rent + full tuition + books + health insurance and everything else is gonna be way over 180k. You're not gonna live off like 20k over 3 years. Really think about your budget and do the math before deciding.

  • PearsonSpecterLittUpPearsonSpecterLittUp Alum Member
    588 karma

    Just wondering, how come not Georgetown or even GW?
    Because if for example you got a partial scholarship at Georgetown, you MIGHT be able to leverage UVA for a bit of money, and even if not, I would probably take some money at Georgetown over full ride at George Mason :)
    Good luck and CONGRATULATIONS !!

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