<p>Hey y'all!</p>
<p>I really needed some advice</p>
<p>Oops! That message didn't post correctly!
OK, this is the problem I'm facing. I want to go to a college where I will receive an excellent undergraduate education in preparation for law school. It's my dream to go to a school like Harvard Law or Yale Law four years down the road. I basically have two choices for college right now. I can stay here in Georgia and go to the University of Georgia, or move out and venture up North to Boston University. If it weren't for tuition, I wouldn't think twice and go to BU in a heartbeat, just because I think it will be more exciting going somewhere new (I heard Boston is an amazing city and BU's campus is gorgeous). But Georgia has this awesome program called the HOPE scholarship which makes tuition free for students who meet certain academic criteria and decide to go to a public university in-state. UGA also has this Honors Program that I think I'll get into which is described as "an Ivy League education at a public school price." If UGA Honors and BU are academically on par with each other, doesn't it make sense for me to save my family the money now and go to UGA Honors? Or is the BU tuition an investment if schools like Harvard, Yale , and Stanford accept more students from schools that are more nationally recognized like BU? I really don't know if many students from UGA get into schools like Harvard Law, but I'm sure many students from BU get into law schools like Harvard. (Apparently, they're right across the street from each other.) I didn't know region played so much into the admissions game, but it makes sense that Northern schools will take more students up North, and Southern schools the South. So what should I do??? This is such a huge decision for me and I really can swing either way. Do y'all think the advantages outweigh the disadvantages for attending BU?</p>
<p>It makes A LOT of sense to go to UGA, in my eyes. Keep in mind that I am an undergrad as well, but what you really want is to get a stellar GPA and a high LSAT score. Having more free time to pursue over EC's won't hurt you either, and having enough cash to afford a Harvard/Yale education is something you won't regret. I say go to UGA, get good grades, start saving cash now, knock out the LSAT when you take it, and you're going to have as good a shot as anyone to get into Harvard or Yale.</p>
<p>You should aim for a realistic goal, it all really depends on your LSAT.</p>
<p>UGA is a great school and you should go there but its relatively obscure and public so you have to do well to stand out.</p>
<p>Thank you Munro and Polite. You both gave very good advice. I'll have to think about it a bit more, but I think I'll be fine either way I choose. Right now I think I'm with you Munro and UGA's looking mighty good. Where do you go to school?</p>
<p>Unless you are madly in love with BU, or you're dying to go out of state, I don't see any reason to pay all that money for BU. Sounds like you have a great option at UGA.</p>
<p>I say go to UGA, work your butt off get excellent grades and involve yourself in some solid EC'S. It also wouldn't hurt to begin studying for the LSAT your sophmore or junior year. </p>
<p>A high GPA and LSAT score can get you into a top 14 law school.
Good luck!</p>
<p>Anecdotally I did read a blog from a guy who attended UGA honors and is at HLS. He had a 3.9 and 179 and said he was deferred which ****ed him off since he should've been an auto-admit. He also said HLS weren't that great in general and weren't nearly as smart and as motivated as his fellow UGA honor students.</p>
<p>So UGA definitely seems like it will give you a great experience and prepare youa dequately for places like HLS, but because it is not a brand name you will probably lose out to the way they fill out the class with people from the ivies and stanford and whatnot.</p>
<p>BU has become a very grade deflation type of school. It may well be harder for you to move on to a competitive grad school program because of the lower grades.</p>
<p>I say go to UGA honors for sure. Not only is UGA ranked 2 spots higher than BU on USNEWS, but you're in the HONORS program. Plus, you'll save a crapload of cash. Isn't BU something like 43 grand when you factor in traveling expenses? UGA, on the other hand, would cost you 5-6K a year!!</p>
<p>This is a no-brainer. Even if you're completely DYING to get out of GA, UGA should be the choice unless your father owns a ferrari. Get your LSAT and GPA way way way up there, and you'll have just as good of a chance (actually, better) at HLS or YLS at UGA Honors. I'm sure alot more kids at BU apply to HLS and YLS than they do at UGA based on location. That should work in your favor a tiny bit.</p>
<p>why do ppl always say a "top 14" law school, where does this originate from, like wat happened to top 10, 15, 20?</p>
<p>People talk about a "top five," or a "top ten" because of the number of fingers on the normal human hand. They talk about a "big three" in law schools because three schools (Yale, Stanford, and Harvard) are clustered at the top. After that, there'a a cluster of maybe four other schools, followed by a cluster of another eight that are roughly comparable in reputation.</p>
<p>apparently there have been 14 schools which have held the top 14 places in US News since they started ranking (various schools have held the #15 spot). so people talk about the top 14 as consistently the best.</p>
<p>It is also among these top 14 that you can place anywhere in the class and make a good salary, and have good national placement prospects.</p>
<p>This is much less true of schools outside the top 14.</p>
<p>Wow, where has College Confidential been all my life!? Thank you to everyone! You guys have all been tremendously helpful!</p>
<p>I'd also like to submit my thanks. I'm in a similar situation as green.(except from Oklahoma and they offer free tuition called OHLAP) The intel from here really helps. Thanks everyone, and maybe I'll see ya in law school green. :)</p>
<p>That'd be awesome, Duffclown! Glad the thread was of some help to you! :) What schools were you trying to decide between?</p>
<p>With the money you'll be saving on tuition you can study abroad for a summer, a semester or a year. Or maybe every summer. And keep in mind that law school, particularly at a private or an out of state public will be VERY expensive.</p>