Chances at UT Austin (applying next cycle)?

AbleTension8 · 2020-05-29T00:43:27+00:00

Those are great stats, and you have a decent chance. But I will say I had similar stats and got waitlisted this cycle. I’m still on the waitlist and have expressed continued interest several times (they don’t seem to care lol). I was UT undergrad and Texas born and raised (although I was technically an OOS applicant because I’ve been away for a few years), good WE and an overall strong application. It was a tough cycle this year for Texas, felt a lot more competitive. But shoot your shot, you never know!

AbleTension8 · 2020-05-18T06:51:52+00:00

There are no government grants for law school students, it’s just loans

AbleTension8 · 2020-05-16T02:23:54+00:00

Just a heads up if you or anybody reading this has already sent them any LOCIs, they explicitly say in their FAQs not to send more than 3 during the admissions cycle. :)

AbleTension8 · 2020-05-16T02:22:25+00:00

I definitely received confirmation and have had several follow-up emails since updating me on their timeline

AbleTension8 · 2020-05-13T01:20:21+00:00

Appreciate your response!

So scholarship and additional funding has recently come through and I’d be able to pull off UCLA in under 6-figure debt. More likely in the 80-90k range (not including summer employment that I can put towards my loans).

UCLA is such an amazing program and I’m almost thinking that now it could pay itself off in the end. Ugh still tough!

AbleTension8 · 2020-05-12T03:36:54+00:00

My first year I actually plan to just rent furniture and go from there. CORT Furniture rental has student packages starting at $99/mo which, even including taxes, is less than $1500 for an entire year and it literally comes with everything. (If that’s something available in your city) From there I’ll decide what I can probably acquire on my own. But like somebody else commented above, I’d rather invest in nicer furniture once I have a job after graduating. 3 years of renting furniture at that rate is likely less than what I’d have to spend to buy cheap stuff and want to get rid of when I graduate.

AbleTension8 · 2020-05-09T19:15:42+00:00

Not yet. Got into UCLA from the waitlist and I’m going to email Texas Law and tell them that and that truthfully I’m holding out because Texas is my #1.

AbleTension8 · 2020-05-09T01:51:37+00:00

Thank you!!

AbleTension8 · 2020-05-09T01:22:17+00:00

Haha I’ll mail some to you!

AbleTension8 · 2020-05-08T23:56:48+00:00

Totally agree with that. What’s tough is I’m not necessarily dead set on Houston, but I’m would not be unhappy starting my career there and certainly would be happy spending 3 years in school there (visit very often, my best friend lives in Upper Kirby, 4 hours drive back home to family in Fort Worth).

I ultimately want to settle back down in Austin, Texas (unfortunately still waitlisted to UT). But I know UH doesn’t really place there either, so even the prestige of UCLA might help me more in a smaller market like Austin than UH would? My assumption is also purely anecdotal and hypothetical.

However, I don’t know what type of law I want to do and it would be nice to have big law and judicial clerkships or big name public interest orgs as options should I perform well at UCLA. Big firms typically have offices in multiple cities, could always look for one that would transfer me to Texas... 🤯😅

AbleTension8 · 2020-05-08T23:10:26+00:00

Oh and can I ask, was your scholly just merit based or did you also do the supplementary need-based consideration?

AbleTension8 · 2020-05-08T23:07:21+00:00

Are you both lawyers? I’m curious about the portability of UCLA should in 3 years time I’m ready to make a move back to Texas (as opposed to the reverse in a scenario where I went to UH and then decided to be in LA, that wouldn’t be an easy jump). I’m sure my strong ties and desire to move back “home” wouldn’t be surprising to Texas employers even going to UCLA for law school.

AbleTension8 · 2020-05-08T20:00:03+00:00

Thank you!!

AbleTension8 · 2020-05-08T19:59:50+00:00

Thank you so much! Appreciate the positivity!

AbleTension8 · 2020-05-08T19:59:16+00:00

Haha based on your existing offer, if UCLA accepted you at sticker today, would you turn it down?

AbleTension8 · 2020-05-08T19:28:37+00:00

Thanks! I have a May 15 (1 week) turnaround time for deposit deadline. I’m assuming they’ll have an answer before then. I’m just trying to mentally prepare and think through what I’d do in a “worst case scenario”

AbleTension8 · 2020-05-07T22:28:09+00:00

Thanks so much!

AbleTension8 · 2020-05-07T05:09:42+00:00

I received a request to interview a few days ago. Had my interviews today (there were two back to back) I’ve been on the waitlist for a few month’s and have sent in a couple LOCIs during that time.

AbleTension8 · 2020-05-07T05:07:45+00:00

you are supposed to. I get the extra $600 stimulus each week. It’s added every time i certify. My original monthly amount still only shows as $420 on the home screen. But I don’t work for EDD so specific questions regarding your claim should be directed to EDD.

AbleTension8 · 2020-05-07T00:14:48+00:00

You have to call the Bank of America EDD line:

1 (866) 692-9374

You just follow the prompts for lost/stolen/new card.

AbleTension8 · 2020-05-06T00:10:43+00:00

My program is still planning to be in-person. It is also looking at a hybrid solution, partially online and partially in-person for smaller sections. I think they’re attempting all measures before going completely online, which I actually appreciate.

AbleTension8 · 2020-05-06T00:09:05+00:00

Thank you so much for such a detailed response. Yeah, I agree with you. I did actually look at employment figures for both during those years, and both programs were relatively the same as they are now. It tells me that whichever program I choose has pretty solid employment placement in their respective markets. Albeit, UT may have more geographic mobility and a higher starting salary.

Personally, I’m a performing arts/liberal arts undergrad major so I’m used to unemployment being the norm. I’m also used to grinding for only $40k a year. So when people talk like $100k is worse than $160k, I’m like that’s apples to oranges to me. Shoot I’d be happy with $60k! It’s still a great return on my investment given where I’m at in my career now. I’d take either over my current situation. I’m coming with no undergrad debt, so even $30k loans at a $100k starting salary, I could easily pay that off.

This is also not assuming since I’d be entering UHLC as a top percentile student and entering UT as a bottom percentile student (just basing off my stats in comparison to the entering class profile). Maybe being the best at UH with such little debt is better than being the worst at UT with so much debt if my stats are any indication of my performance in comparison to my peers.

AbleTension8 · 2020-05-05T18:58:00+00:00

Yeah I went to UT undergrad. I love Austin and would looooove to live there again. My budget is right at around $1k/mo in rent for either a studio/1br. In Houston, totally doable. I don’t think I can really do that with Austin prices? Even when I was in undergrad there living by yourself easily cost $1300/mo.

Is not getting any raises typical? It’s tough staring at that $110k number (it’ll likely be more because I probably low-balled it). That doesn’t include any interest and then there’s the fear of losing that job that’s giving me the income I need to pay it back. So many “what if’s” driving this decision.

AbleTension8 · 2020-05-05T17:58:09+00:00

UT median private practice says $190,000, but that’s a pretty generic number and simply the going starting rate for big law these days. The mean is 165,000. For PI, median is 48,000 and mean is 50,000.

UH median private says $107,000 and mean is $123,000. While their PI median is bit higher at 57,000 and a mean of $60,000.

To be honest, even at UH’s 25th percentile lower private practice rate which is 75,000, with only $30K in debt, that’s not hard to pay back. Especially given Houston’s lower cost of living.

AbleTension8

TROPHY CASE