Agree with the basic thrust of this, but the OP said they will be 15 at matriculation. So, I don’t think OP is “almost 14” (i.e, 13 or less).
Sorry to be so picky, but I have learned from the best! Ahem… 
I stand corrected and have edited accordingly.
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Like I said, I have learned from the master…
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On this, I wiil have to agree.
OP strikes me as being of extraordinary intellect and maturity, regardless of age. The basic point of this thread is whether going to UChicago with loans is better than going to a state college that will be giving OP a full-ride, with the key point being whether the “prestige” of going to UChicago will give OP an advantage over a state college for law school admission. The resounding consensus seems to be to go to the state school giving the OP a full ride.
Safety has now come up. Every place is safe, and every place is dangerous. To the OP, as SE mentioned, do your own research as to safety. And talk to your parents and other trusted advisors.
We have done some research in regards to safety and it is quite safe to say that my parents don’t think that living 15 so hours away is a great idea (in medical emergencies for example I would still be a minor making things complicated), they are willing to let me leave as they do care about my future…but they really don’t want me to leave if that makes sense. I’ve done my own research on the safety of the campus and although I know someone said that on this thread said the campus is safe – even making that assumption though still worries me insofar that I doubt I would never leave campus (and since I can’t drive I would have to use public transportation). The only reason I am really considering Uchicago is for the prestige that it offers (not even the lay prestige perse as many people don’t even know that it is highly ranked moreso what it will look like to law schools) but from what this thread says and from what my posts on other forums it does seem as the LSAT/GPA is 90 percent of admissions and considering I took a practice LSAT a few days ago (I was curious) and ended up scoring a 166 – I feel like with time and by the end of my undergraduate career I would be able to get a score good enough for my top choice law schools (Berkeley and Georgetown).
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Considering all aspects of where you are going to college is important. I’m assuming you have visited both campuses so that you’re making YOUR own decision?
I have a DC around your age, and it is absolutely imperative to me that she gets to see each college to which she is applying. This includes both the college itself and the neighborhood.
As another poster mentioned, perhaps staying closer to your home is also part of the calculus. All other indications seem to point to going to the full-ride state school (which is closer to your home).
I’m assuming you have time to make your decision. If so, research the heck out of this. I would go with the state school., all things considered. But, you should make your own decision with guidance from your parents and other trusted advisers.
From what I’ve seen/read, you will do fine regardless of your decision.
There are some unresolved questions in this discussion. I am not really a law expert, but I think that a career in law is more likely to be hindered by an accelerated academic experience than one in something like science, where the mastery of very specialized skills can outweigh other factors. The practice of law is primarily about politics, power, and human relationships, so the OP should consider activities that will boost their resume in these areas. Planning for a junior year abroad, planning for an extra master’s (let’s say from Oxford in politics) prior to law school - which might be possible with a Marshall or other fellowship, doing a stint in Peace Corps or Teach for America, and such accomplishments may be a good way to use the extra time provided by starting college early, and get some life experience that will prepare for work too.
Also, as pointed out, the student can only borrow $25k. What do the parents feel about the $75k? Is it really the student’s burden? UChicago for $25k is worth it.
Why is UChicago falling so short of meeting need? It seems like they should be doing better.
UChicago is not only in a high crime area, it has had students shot and killed on campus. So that is definitely something to consider.
Finally, what is the state school in question? If it is Texas, judging by the username, a school like UT or Texas A&M would also carry a lot of prestige. Going to the best public universities the state offers is fine, and will not disadvantage much in future law school applications. However, going to a “directional” school instead of UChicago is a very different matter. As another poster mentioned, U of Alabama (and also Ole Miss) meet this criteria in the US News rankings; other schools, not so much.
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I have visited both campuses and I based on the campuses I really have no preference. Not directly on campus but more off campus in Chicago though we did see some sketchy stuff (we toured in like December) and that was slightly worrying.
“Need” as defined by the college may not necessarily be the same as “need” as defined by the student and parents.
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Exactly. Three problems with our financial situation. @elf1
- We are in that awkward middle class range were we are nearly full pay but we can’t really afford it.
- I have 3 siblings (they won’t go to college for a while: ages 11, 7, 3), but I know that they will at some point and my parents can’t pay 300k for one child alone.
- My dad grew up in poverty so he worries about money a lot (which I get) and thus he really is always worried about our financial situation so I’d rather put as little monetary pressure on him as I can.
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This post makes me understand why you will be just fine starting college at the age of 15. Take the full ride at the Texas school. You will be an academic superstar there, and you’ll still probably get into any law school in the country - just as good a chance as if you had gone to Chicago. Honestly, even if Chicago were to offer you the same deal as Texas (which they might, if you were to call them and explain the situation), it still might make more sense for you to choose Texas. Aside from the other reasons that you’ve already mentioned, you might value being present in the lives of your younger siblings, which would be virtually impossible from as far away as Chicago.
Depending upon what area of law interests you, when the time comes, perhaps you might consider getting a masters degree before you start law school, just so that you’d be closer in age to your law school classmates.
A relative decided to spend the full four years at an Ivy, because they knew that no employer would hire them, graduating at age 17. They were way ahead academically - but not socially. This turned out not to have been a good thing for them.
Congratulations on all you accomplished so far.
Last year with my S21 we are in a similar financial situation Full Pay but not rich and a younger D23 to pay for
With S21 thinking of Law school or a masters and being accepted at a few instate schools and OOS publics and privates we had to decided was the extra money worth it for undergrad.
Even with nice merit about 50% at some privates less merit at OOS Publics we decided to stay instate FSU and save the money for Law/Grad school.
Wanted to reiterate the point about work experience. I went to a very selective law school (not Boalt Hall/Berkeley or Georgetown—but I was admitted to Boalt). I was one of a minority of students (30-35%) who came straight from my undergraduate school. Other students had PhDs, masters. They’d had careers in journalism, business, or non-profits, they’d been in the Peace Corps, two were in the service. Anyone who went straight from college was from a “top” school—but they also had more than grades and test scores. The grades & test scores were just a prerequisite.
On the other hand, I’ve known any number of very successful lawyers who didn’t go to the top drawer law school. If you’re bright, hard working, and know what you want to do with the law degree, you will be fine. But much of what any lawyer does involves advising others, and life experience has helped more with that than any class I’ve ever taken.
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Coming out of law school, chances are, you will not be making significant money to start. Do you think you can afford a 300000 mortgage (money borrowed for UG and grad school), in addition to living expenses? You may want to research and see what your ROI is.
I like to think of life as a spaceship and debt is a big hole sucking everything out. How big of a hole do you want? 
Law has one of the highest debt to salary ratios for graduates, and one of the lowest job satisfaction rates. And a good number of them don’t really make it at lawyers either. Go for the full ride and save that money. If you decide law school, you’ll be that much better off. Prestige is not a factor in law school admission. They look for grades, LSAT scores, and accomplishments. Wear the scholarship proudly!
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Congratulations on your outstanding accomplishments. I think in light of many of the issues that have to be considered in your decision the best move is to go to state school.
My D21 went to Clemson and with AP classes, graduated in 3 years with a 4.0 BS economics degree. I tried to get her to stay for her 4th and get a masters or complete a second major. I also tried to get her to go get a masters at the London School of Economics as well. I also tried to get her to apply to a program at Vanderbilt that is a 6 year law degree and PhD in Economics which if accepted is tuition free plus a stipend. However she wanted to go to start law school. I only bring those up, similar to some ideas expressed by other posters, to highlight the types of incredible opportunities you might have with your early (age) graduation from college. And you will be able to do so without you or your parents being hindered by a great deal of debt from an undergraduate degree.
My D21 got multiple full tuition scholarships from top 20-30 law schools. She was waitlisted at multiple top 6-16 schools. My guess is if she road the wait lists she would likely have gotten into 1 of those but would have had to pay the full tuition. But similarly to your situation she would be graduating law school with 200-250K in debt from law school. Instead she decided to go to UF with full tuition scholarship and living stipend. Knowing that if she works in hard law school, graduated in top 5-10% of her class and makes law review she likely will be able to a good job or clerkship upon graduation and will do so debt free.
Good luck to you and your family with this decision.
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@burghdad , Congratulations to your D! It’s awesome. Just wanted to know if she went to London School.
The differential is not just $100k in debt between the parents and the OP. The difference is more like $332k.
If the state school were UT or TAMU, I don’t think there is any debate. OP describes school as T150, which leads me to wonder. At some point, the quality of your fellow students and professors does matter as to your academic development and prospects.
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Thank you. No. I thought that would be good way for her to spend her 4th year of school. She disagreed. I just mentioned it so the OP could see lots of things he could do if he went to tutti on free states school with all of those credits in the bank and graduate from college in 3 years.
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I would like to give you a different perspective rather than a definitive answer.
University of Chicago for $100,000 debt versus the University of Houston for free. Not even close. Go to Chicago.
Lots of folks change their minds about law school before finishing undergraduate school.
If you are academically gifted, earning a full tuition scholarship to attend law school is not difficult.
The difference between a University of Chicago education versus a University of Houston education can be, and typically is, quite substantial. And the difference regarding job / career opportunities can be, and usually are,quite substantial.
P.S. Nevertheless, your young age is a concern. A major concern. Such a significant concern that the University of Houston may be the better option in your case.
P.P.S. I am a bit concerned about your “top choice” law schools of Berkeley & Georgetown. Berkeley is quite expensive, while Georgetown awards lots of significant merit scholarships. Having top choice law schools at such a young age is a bit foolish. You should have several law school scholarship offers if you perform as expected on the LSAT.
Admission to Georgetown Law should be a reasonable expectation based on your academic prowess & superior standardized test scores. Assuming that you improve your LSAT score of 166 to 172 or above, you will have many significant law school scholarship offers. If you want to practice law in the state of Texas, then you should be able to attend law school in Texas on a full tuition scholarship. If you want to practice in another region of the country, then aim for law schools ranked #4 through #12 ( Columbia, Chicago, Penn, Duke, Northwestern, NYU, Michigan,& Cornell).
Did you apply for need based financial aid at the University of Chicago ?
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