Seeking Some Advice on a Decision

[thomas33]

Hello! I am making this post to in the hopes of getting some advice for a situation I'm in but others may also be in.

About me: I got a 160 on the LSAT, 3.9 GPA, 2 years work experience, live in DC. I'm interested in public interest law, specifically immigration law. I'm fairly open minded on location but preferably need to be somewhere with immigrant populations. The decision I'm faced with is basically 1) $40-60k in debt, 2) going to a lower-ranked regional school, or 3) re-applying next cycle.

1) I was accepted into GW but got no merit money (will keep asking for as long as possible). This was my dream school and was shocked that I got in. I also got into U of Maryland with a small award. I could see myself going there as well. I'm still waiting to hear back from American but not optimistic I'll get significant money. With these schools, I'm looking at around $40-60k of debt after family support and my own savings.
2) I got a 3/4 tuition at U of Pittsburgh and a full ride at Drexel law (provided I maintain a 2.20 GPA). These schools seem to be solid PI schools but also seem to be very regional and do not have as strong of alumni/career networks. I am visiting them soon, but part of me really does not want to be in Pittsburgh long term.
3) I don't think re-applying is all that practical considering I got into several schools; however, I just did not get much merit money at my target schools.

Open to any advice and many thanks!

[Jeff Wren]

Hi thomas,

First, congratulations on getting into your dream school! While there is a lot to consider when deciding on which law school to attend, personally I'd recommend going to your dream school if that's feasible, but others may disagree. While price is certainly a very important factor, I feel that many students don't always fully weigh certain hard to measure, but still important factors, such as where you would like to live for the next three years, possibly longer.

Since you're interested in public interest law, you should carefully research Loan Repayment Assistant Programs (LRAPs) for individual law schools in addition to PSLF as many private law schools do offer these programs to help their students who wish to work in public interest pay back their loans.

One other point in deciding which law school to attend is to really research the career prospects of the law school graduates, and don't simply rely on the "% employed after graduation" figure on a law school's website, as these can be misleading. Instead, research specific organizations that you may want to work for and see who they hired and which law schools those employees attended. Of course, researching the law school's overall reputation in the legal field is also important, because you may end up changing your mind on what type of law you want to practice and having a degree from a well-regarded law school can be useful in that case.

Because your situation is quite common for many students, we have several resources that discuss these choices in more detail. Below is a blog post on this very topic. It's from 2016, but still is relevant. We also have two podcast episodes on this topic (Episodes 5 and 53). They are linked at the top of the blog post.

https://blog.powerscore.com/lsat/schola ... y-and-run/

While you didn't specifically ask about this, I'd be remiss if I didn't ask you about your LSAT score and studying so far.

Based on your LSAT score and GPA, you would be classified as a "reverse splitter" applicant. A reverse splitter has a high GPA, but a lower LSAT score (relative to most other applicants at your target schools).

Here is a blog post with more information on this topic.

https://blog.powerscore.com/lsat/what-a ... splitters/

Your best option to receiving additional merit aid would be to improve your LSAT score if at all possible. You mentioned that you received a 160 but didn't provide any other information. Was this score the highest score that you have received after multiple attempts and significant (for example, 4+ months) LSAT studying? Do you feel that you've tried everything (within reason) to improve your LSAT score (self-studying, taking a course, private tutoring, etc.)?

If you think that you could improve your LSAT score with additional studying, then you may want to consider doing so, possibly even holding off law school a year. However, holding off a year has its own opportunity costs that you should consider.