I’m a high school senior in California looking to do my undergrad in philosophy and then eventually go to law school. I’ve gotten a pretty good idea of which UC’s offer enough rigor to prepare me (and look good) for law schools, but I’m unsure about private schools. I really like the atmosphere of small, liberal arts colleges, and feel like I would be most comfortable at a campus with a lower student population, but I understand that liberal arts schools tend to look “soft” and that the curriculum is often easier than that of UC’s. In addition, the higher cost of private schools concerns me because if I plan to go to law school as well, I’ll rack up a lot of student debt for sure. So right now I’m very torn between applying to schools that would better prepare me for the future I want and schools that I like the vibe of and feel more comfortable with. Any advice on which would be the better choice is much appreciated!
Until you have acceptances and financial aid packages to compare, it’s hard to know what your options really are. Have you already run the numbers on Net Price Calculators for the schools you are considering?
If money is a big factor then go to a U of C, unless you get a lot of FA… Grading and the curve are generally stiffer at the U of C, given the competition, than at comparable private schools. But it makes more sense to focus on keeping costs low if you plan on heading to law school, which will cost at least $200,000.
The net cost of a private college (after financial aid) may or may not be higher than the net cost of a state school. It may even be lower,depending on your circumstances. As siliconvalleymom suggests, run the online net price calculators to get estimates.
As for the difficulty level, this depends on the school, major, individual course and professor.
LACs usually don’t have engineering, which is considered an especially tough major. They may have fewer “weed out” courses. On the other hand, small discussion classes generally require a high level of participation. At some LACs, many classes have heavy reading loads and frequent writing assignments.
One college site compiles an annual list of the 20 schools where “students study the most”.
In the current list, 12 of the 20 are LACs by my count.
It depends on the private school but the UCs have stiff curves for grades. They are cheap if you don’t qualify for financial aid.
Not enough information. It depends on your admission qualifications and financial situation. Try the net price calculators on each school.
For law school, you do want a school where you can get a high GPA and which has low cost.
Many years ago, my take was private schools had to be significantly better than Berkeley for me to justify the extra expense. Given my interests, only Harvard and Wharton qualified. Times have changed in that (a) college costs a lot more now and (b) Harvard and a few other top schools have more generous financial aid for middle class students. But I still think the question is the same – is the education you’d get worth the extra money? For me, a more comfortable vibe wouldn’t be enough to justify spending tens of thousands of dollars more, especially when you’re looking at law school debt and when law is less lucrative field than it was back in the day. So feel free to apply to dream schools if they’re committed to making tuition as affordable to people in your tax bracket as UCs would be. Otherwise, stay in state.
“looking at law school debt and when law is less lucrative field than it was back in the day.”
@exacademic is absolutely correct.
Have you researched the saturated market of law school grads without jobs and huge law school debt?
Maybe you should spend some time looking at your employability options in law careers, before making huge monetary decisions that will impact your quality of life later on.
Laughing at the idea that LACs look soft compared to UCs. No one in law school admissions would say that Pomona, Wiiliams, Swarthmore, Amherst, Wellesley, Carleton, etc. are “soft”. Plus, law skill is heavily based on analysis and communications skills, which LACs teach in spades. But… law school is expensive, so you want to minimize your cost as an undergrad.
Don’t know who told you this, but it’s not true. Liberal arts schools vary widely in rigor and competitiveness, just like public universities do.
As a philosophy major, you will be well trained for law school by any decent philosophy course of study. Don’t worry so much about whether a LAC or a big public university will “look better” to law schools. What will look good will be a good academic record at a good school (no matter whether it’s public or private) and high LSAT scores.
If cost is a consideration, you should by no means discount the cost savings factor of attending a UC.
Some LAC-type schools are relatively inexpensive, like University of Minnesota - Morris, Truman State (MO), New College of Florida, SUNY - Geneseo, UNC - Asheville. In California, Sonoma State markets itself as being more of a LAC than other CSUs (though it and Truman State are on the large side for LACs).
UC Merced is relatively small for a UC, and CSU Channel Islands and Monterey Bay are relatively small for CSUs, but none of these three offers philosophy as a major.