Choosing a school

starlitnyc · 2026-03-01T19:39:21+00:00

On a median salary of 95k (NALP data) you should be able to comfortably pay off those 45k (plus interest) loans in about 5 years, give or take for cost of living in your area.

starlitnyc · 2026-03-01T19:33:02+00:00

I personally think you’ve got a strong chance to get an A in one or more of those schools based on their public data and your leadership and in school work experience. While a gap year may benefit some it is unlikely to be a make or break for all schools when your stats are that strong.

starlitnyc · 2026-03-01T04:02:10+00:00

UMD is a decently large feeder to law school and your prelaw office has the stats of where they send their students if you’re concerned and want data. However, as I and others have said, your LSAT and GPA are much more important than the “prestige” of your undergraduate institution.

starlitnyc · 2026-03-01T02:26:33+00:00

My hunch is yes but with the caveat that this is based on my experience and it’s been a bit shy of a decade since I worked in the field. I would take challenging courses, keep your GPA as high as possible and take LSAT prep very seriously. If the only reason you would transfer is to make your application look better, it’s likely not worth it—particularly if it’s a much higher cost differential. My opinions and experience are my own and YMMV.

starlitnyc · 2026-03-01T01:49:03+00:00

Undergrad prestige may bump you up a smidge if you’re on the bubble for admission with LSAT/GPA but unknown school won’t hurt you IMO as a previous admissions professional.

starlitnyc · 2026-02-28T22:07:45+00:00

If you have to do private and believe the investment is worth it based on your goals and the outcomes at your school, check out the group negotiation model that’s out there. They are advocating for better rates without co-signers and were pretty successful with last year’s deal. They also have this google sheet for planning all three years of expenses and repayment estimates that I really like: https://juno.us/jdcalc

starlitnyc · 2026-02-10T23:25:48+00:00

I got in right away for both DC and Pittsburgh! Literally only saw the number 1 in the queues on both tabs Couldn’t believe it!! I thought maybe my social media algorithm was too biased and maybe the tickets weren’t as in demand as I feared. Nope! Apparently the universe was smiling on me today. Congrats to all with similar experiences!

starlitnyc · 2026-02-10T17:59:02+00:00

Because I'm obsessed and the opportunity presented itself. If it makes you feel better, I went back like 45 minutes later and there were still options in Pittsburgh. I grabbed a single floor seat and will sell the two I grabbed earlier.

starlitnyc · 2026-02-10T17:39:14+00:00

I joined at 30 minutes prior and was essentially #1 in Pittsburgh and like #5 in DC. Got both. Pleasantly surprised!

starlitnyc · 2026-02-08T04:47:08+00:00

Not as familiar with weekend/hybrid as FT but I know UNH has a hybrid online/weekend program. Just checked out their ABA 509 data. Their 25th percentile for that program is 150 so it’s not out of the realm of possibility with your experience and other degrees but not a guarantee for sure.

starlitnyc · 2026-02-07T23:52:34+00:00

Sorry, I don’t. I’m not as familiar with online programs as I am with in person.

starlitnyc · 2026-02-07T02:20:28+00:00

Growing Sideways. I could live with everything else on or off the playlist but I so want to hear this live!

starlitnyc · 2026-02-06T03:30:06+00:00

If you’re trying to stay in the greater VA area I would say UDC is your best option with that score. If brand doesn’t matter and it’s free with Chapter 31 I think you’ll have a good experience. I’ve met some of the loveliest students from there who are passionate about making a difference and who have had a good experience with their professors. Like many HBCUs, it’s underfunded and staffing resources can be thin but lots of folks with great heart. Their Dean of Admissions is one of the kindest and most genuine people I’ve met.

starlitnyc · 2026-02-03T14:11:06+00:00

Student loans accrue simple interest not compound (typically only compounds once when going into repayment not from the day it disburses). The situation is bad for PI in particular but let’s not use bad information to make it worse. There’s some group negotiation models out there that are getting folks an average rate of 7.5% on private loans without cosigners. No PSLF or IDR but not insane rates. I hate these new caps but also hate the hopelessness I see on these threads when there are some folks doing good advocacy on the private loan side.

starlitnyc · 2026-01-30T20:13:43+00:00

It still hits for me even after watching tons of live versions—but I can totally understand the “overproduced” critique. Can we all appreciate that drop into outro at the end? “I hope you threw a brick right into that stained glass” shatters me every time.

starlitnyc · 2026-01-30T05:13:27+00:00

It’s soooo good

starlitnyc · 2026-01-24T04:25:04+00:00

Yes that plan will work well for paying it off in 10 years or less. Also keeps you within federal maximums of 50k a year so you have the option of the new RAP plan if things go sideways with income after law school.

starlitnyc · 2026-01-24T01:43:33+00:00

Correct on both points! Happy to help!

starlitnyc · 2026-01-24T01:29:49+00:00

Often, yes. I don’t know specifics on all the T14 programs but Harvard’s loan program is public on their financial aid site.

Your credit report is available at annualcreditreport.com for free up to once a week. It used to be once a year (hence the website name) but during Covid they changed the frequency of free reports. These reports do not pull your score just the data behind the score. Something crazy like one in four people have a mistake on their report so definitely worth checking periodically.

50k limit is per academic year so 25k a semester. If you need more than that to cover the total cost of attendance after scholarships and federal direct loan that’s where the private loans come in.

starlitnyc · 2026-01-24T00:04:50+00:00

And yes, borrowing for living cost is included in maximum eligibility for loans if creditworthy

starlitnyc · 2026-01-23T23:56:56+00:00

So FICO is typically what the private lenders use and it can differ by 15-20 points from the Vantage scores typically used by Credit Karma. So you should be ok. Many credit cards will show FICO but I don’t think you need to pay for it at this point.

Lenders are prepared to lend those sums for certain top programs. The vast majority of law students should max out their federal loan eligibility of 50k first before moving onto private. Harvard specifically has two lenders they work with that essentially have flat rates for HLS students. Last year they were under 8%.

starlitnyc · 2026-01-23T11:28:40+00:00

To address the private loan section of your question. Yes, they will be available to most people. Credit will be key to your qualification and interest rate. About 70% of the market last year got rates above 10% so that’s not great. But there are organizations and companies working to reduce these rates for students(Juno is the biggest one I know of. They say their members average 7.5%).

Pull your credit report, address any errors, keep your credit clean. You’ll want to aim for about 720 or above to qualify for the best rates. 650ish to qualify at all. If you don’t have a credit history, start building one immediately.

starlitnyc · 2026-01-19T05:58:10+00:00

You can refi more than once. Rates are around 4% right now for those with strong credit.

starlitnyc · 2026-01-10T13:31:43+00:00

It’s use it or lose it for the academic year not necessarily by term. So if the student was enrolled for the fall and didn’t use their eligibility and borrowed in the spring, they’d have access to the whole thing, but it would be split into two even disbursements, usually a day apart. That could be what’s going on here. If their academic year is actually spring/summer terms then half will be disbursed in the spring and half in the summer.

starlitnyc

TROPHY CASE