Princeton vs Yale vs USC full tuition

I’ve had the honor of being admitted to these 3 universities and was wondering if anyone could provide input as to what their experiences have been at these institutions or what they would do in my shoes. I want to study politics/public policy and Russian. Princeton and Yale did not give me enough financial aid, and I am still working on appealing to see, but USC gave me a full ride. I plan on going to law school after college and know that Yale and Pton are feeder schools into the law school I want to go to.

Any thoughts?

Appeal and see what happens - Pton and Yale could very well match your desired cost.

Law school admissions are highly dependent upon GPA and LSAT score. So of these 3 schools, where do you think you can get the highest GPA?

By USC do you mean Southern California or South Carolina?

University of Southern California

Congrats on your acceptances!! I am in a scarily similar dilemma—currently deciding between Princeton, Yale, and Rice. I have top law school aspirations as well. On one hand, Princeton has the Bridge Year program and the top mathematics department (I’m considering a math major). On the other hand, Yale has its law school, prospects of a higher GPA, and a more easygoing atmosphere.

Son also deciding between Princeton and Yale (waitlisted at Harvard) . Waiting aid decision from Princeton, if aid available likely will be Princeton if not the suspect it will be Yale. Both great, and although Princeton is " ranked#1" there is just something about Yale…
Also cross-admits between Princeton and Yale seem to choose Yale 73% of time based on data I found…that is pretty substantial # …hard to say why one individuals personal reason is to choose one over other but nevertheless 70% find a reason to choose Yale…good luck with decision…can’t go wrong either way

@mammamia Merit and financial aid awards for top law schools are rather difficult to obtain. Take the free ride (congrats!) and avoid debt for your undergraduate degree. USC is a great school! A strong GPA and LSAT score will take you far.

I disagree with the statement that merit scholarship money & financial aid are difficult to obtain at top 14 law schools.

Harvard, Yale & Stanford award need based aid–the tough part is getting admitted.

Chicago, Columbia, Penn, Northwestern, Georgetown all offer merit money. In the very recent past, Northwestern University School of Law awarded every student admitted ED a full or near full tuition scholarship. I have not checked the last couple of cycles to see if this is still accurate, however.

OP: If you cannot afford to attend Princeton or Yale, then the decision seems clear.

Sounds like the decision is a no-brainer. If USC is offering a full ride, you’ll have a big advantage entering law school debt free. Law school is atrociously expensive, so you REALLY need to keep the debt down. New lawyers don’t start out making a lot of money.

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I understand that! I love Bridge Year, but for the moment I think they might have reservations doing it next year. My biggest set back with Pton is the grade deflation and the fact that you can’t double major. I’ve heard Rice has a strong community and alumni are very close. How’s financial aid for all of these?

How true is it that the Ivies open up doors that USC won’t due to the alumni network and prestige?

It would be helpful to know the actual annual COA for each school.

Princeton & Yale degrees & connections open doors that USC doesn’t.

A full ride to USC!?!? Wow congrats! Even if you get some amount of aid from Yale and Princeton, I would still go with USC. A full ride will definitely help you in the long run, and it is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Not to mention it is USC, one of the top schools in the nation, and they are also a feeder to a lot of great Law schools. If I were you, I would definitely go with USC. Had you not gotten a full ride, I would have said otherwise.

@mammamia123

First, congrats on your choices. You have obviously worked hard.

Second, there are no “feeders” into the top law schools. I went to a HYS law school and the class was very diverse. Do not let that misconception affect your decision.

Third, think carefully about law school in the future. Talk to graduates about how they feel about their careers post that. I think law school is very intellectually interesting and definitely worthwhile if you don’t debt finance it but not a career I would recommend without serious due diligence. Unfortunately the debt load makes many stay in the career even if they aren’t that happy, and too many aren’t . (Full disclosure: I’m not nor ever was a lawyer nor even took the bar).

I’m surprised. Don’t Yale and Princeton claim to meet 100% of demonstrated need?

I agree with @arbitrary99.

Half of the high schoo students who state an intended college major change their mind by the time they commit to a major 2 -3 years later.

A large number of law school graduates I know either never worked as a lawyer or quit the practice a few years into it. A whole bunch of others are miserable in their jobs. A friend of mine who is a career counselor in private practice tells me that half her clients are lawyers looking to make a career change.

I would never turn down a Yale or Princeton education if I could get it for only a reasonable amount of debt (TBD by each individual) in favor of a USC education even if it’s for free. Factoring in law school debt is getting way ahead of ourselves.

Only slightly off topic: My financial advisor [a law school grad] often tells me that I’m the only lawyer he knows who loves his job.