Which law school for public interest?

[maxnathaniel]

Hi,

I am currently trying to decide between two law schools-- BU (where I have almost a full ride) and NYU (where I would be paying sticker). I am interested in doing public interest work after graduation, but I'm still unsure of exactly what kind of public interest work. I currently live in Boston and definitely want to practice somewhere on the east coast; I'd be happy to end up in Boston after law school but also would like the option of going elsewhere.

Any advice regarding which school I should choose would be greatly appreciated!

[Dave Killoran]

Hi Max,

Thanks for the question! If you haven't already, check out our podcast on the topic of selecting schools base don scholarship vs prestige: https://blog.powerscore.com/lsat/the-po ... ceptances/. I go through all sorts of tools you can use to compare schools here.

That aside, here's your head-to-head comparison: https://www.lstreports.com/compare/nyu/bu/

NYU certainly has employment edges, but BU is completely respectable. The thing that catches my eye is your public interest pathway. If that's where you are going, why would you pay sticker anywhere? You should avoid debt like the plague because once you are under it, it's hard to get out (even with LRAP programs). And sitting on $360,000+ plus in debt from three years at NYU is a recipe for trouble, and is the kind of thing that moves people away from public interest and into high-pressure biglaw jobs.

So, I would sit down and take a hard look at your career path, the LRAP programs at NYU and their terms for inclusion, as well as the monthly payment on debt that size (with and without LRAP). Make this a quantitative analysis so no matter which direction you go, you know what you are getting into!

Good luck!