UCLA OOS vs. NYU?

Hi, first off, sorry if this is the wrong sub-forum to post in, but I’m at a standstill and I figured this would be the best place to ask my question.

I was recently admitted to UCLA as an out-of-state student for Pre Political Science and fell in love with the campus, the culture, and the people there during my visit. I immediately thought that amidst all of my other acceptances, that I would for sure, hands-down, go there. Then I received word that I had $52,000 in aid from NYU and that I was in the Presidential Honors Scholars program, which apparently only invites the top 5% for incoming freshman interested. I would be a Pre Professional Law major at NYU.

Seeing as UCLA is giving me $20,000 in grants and I still have $39,000 to pay a year and I have not heard from the Alumni Scholarship program (which could drop my costs to $29,000) yet, NYU is the better deal financially. The only thing that is making me averse to NYU is the lack of the traditional campus feel, the lack of school spirit, and the vibe I got from my friends who visited/attend that NYU students are more independent. I understand that it is a good school and I am strongly considering it, but I am extremely conflicted on what the right choice and the smart choice would be.

I plan on attending law school after undergrad, but from some threads I’ve read on CC, it appears that where I go to school will play a major role in where I am employed regionally based on the prestige of the letters of my school name.

If anyone could chime in and give me their thoughts and advice on the matter, that would be greatly appreciated!

You should go to NYU. This isn’t because of the prestige – it’s because of the money. You want to go to law school, that means you need to keep that cost as low as possible.

it appears that where I go to school will play a major role in where I am employed regionally based on the prestige of the letters of my school name.

Couldn’t be farther from the truth. For law school, your GPA and LSAT matter the most. They don’t care whether you went to UCLA or NYU. It won’t make a difference in their eyes. The GPA and LSAT are the determining differences.

The ranking of your law school will be a major factor in whether you get a law job.

However, getting into a top 14 rank law school is very heavily dependent on your GPA and LSAT score. See http://lawschoolnumbers.com .

Note that law school is expensive, so saving money in undergraduate makes sense if law school is your goal.

But also note that no specific major is required to be a pre-law student (seems that many seem to think that they need to major in political science or English, even though LSAT takers and law students come from all kinds of undergraduate majors).

I would go to NYU if I were you. I’m not even sure which of the 2 would be deemed “more prestigious” for political science. If you are worried about the effects of prestige on law schools, look at what happened to my friend:
My family friend went to the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee (literally 88% acceptance rate) for poly sci but maintained a strong GPA and got an amazing LSAT score. He was just admitted to Harvard’s Law school. We couldn’t believe it until we saw the actual acceptance letter! Don’t become obsessed with prestige, especially when you’re going to law school. The law school you graduate from will be important, not the school you go to get there. Although NYU is incredibly strong as it is, in my opinion.