School Choice

[johnjacob]

Deciding between law schools.
Emory w/ 153k (roughly 90% scholarship)
UTK w/ full ride + stipend + help professor w/ research
Vandy w/ maybe 80k ( A little over 50% scholarship..haven't heard back on $$ yet but similar stats have gotten this offer)

Want to stay in the South,pretty open. Vandy's employment #s are better but Id be taking on considerable debt when Emory & UTK offer the option to be almost debt free.

Any advice?

[Dave Killoran]

Deciding between law schools.
Emory w/ 153k (roughly 90% scholarship)
UTK w/ full ride + stipend + help professor w/ research
Vandy w/ maybe 80k ( A little over 50% scholarship..haven't heard back on $$ yet but similar stats have gotten this offer)

Want to stay in the South,pretty open. Vandy's employment #s are better but Id be taking on considerable debt when Emory & UTK offer the option to be almost debt free.

Any advice?

Hi John,

So, you'd be sitting with this debt, factoring in COL:

• Emory: $153K
  Vandy: $238K
  Tennessee: $0

You are correct about Vandy having better employment numbers, and especially so with clerkships. Is that worth the extra $85K over Emory? If it's biglaw you want, probably not, since their large firm results are very close. If you are set on a career in academics, then maybe it is worth the extra $85K. So, as is usually the case, your career path dictates which choice is better for you here.

The wildcard here is Tennessee. That path allows you to walk away basically debt-free, and is very attractive. However, job outcomes are down sharply form the other two. If I were you, I'd explore what happened to prior students who received the full offer you received (those who had prof assistance, etc). If those outcomes were good enough, this could very well be the best path for you.

So, it's going to require further thought on your part and further research, but those steps should bring you closer to a decision.

Thanks!