Help me decide: Berkeley ($$) or UVA ($$$)

Hi! I’m posting this on a burner account to avoid doxxing myself. I am very grateful to have some solid options for where to go to law school, and I am trying to decide between Berkeley and UVA. I think I am leaning towards Berkeley but would appreciate any advice. My goals are to go into CA biglaw after graduating (preferably LA market but I am fine with bay area as well), pivot into some type of general counsel position, and complete a federal clerkship at some point in my career. These are my pros and cons for each school:

Berkeley:

Pros:

• Stronger ties with CA employers and sends more graduates to CA jobs. I don’t have very strong roots in CA (besides visiting extended family in SoCal a few times a year), so this may be important

• Strongly prefer urban environment and CA weather

Cons:

• Will likely be around $60k-$75k more expensive than UVA over the course of three years due to less aid and higher cost of living. May need to take on $20k-$30k in debt

• Weaker general federal clerkship + biglaw outcomes than UVA, though part of this may be due to self selection

• Less safe area than UVA’s location, but I know this is a tradeoff of living in an urban environment

UVA

Pros:

• Stronger general federal clerkship + biglaw outcomes

• UVA seems to be seen as a slightly more prestigious law school than Berkeley

• Will be around $60k-75k cheaper than Berkeley over the course of three years, can definitely graduate debt free

• Safer location

Cons:

• I’m not sure if school culture is a good fit for me. Playing/watching softball does not interest me, and I don’t drink often, which seem like central aspects of school culture based on conversations with current students. I’m not sure if Charlottesville in general is a good fit either due to its smaller size.

• Potentially weaker ties with CA employers, though anecdotally it seems that CA biglaw is very achievable from UVA

Overall, I prefer Berkeley’s location and think I would enjoy my time there more, but I feel like UVA is the more practical option due to being cheaper and having better biglaw and clerkship outcomes. However, I have spent all of my 20s choosing the practical option and feel so tempted to make the decision that I believe will make me more happy. If you were me, what would you choose?

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