Thomas jefferson law versus California western Law San diego Forum

[BigA]

1

[Blindmelon]

if you must go to one, go to the one that costs you the least amount of money.

Definitely not good advice. You will get really solid jobs out of those schools that will totally negate any loans you need to take out.
jk

Credited. It's really a matter of what you want to do. Jefferson is better for BigLaw whereas San Diego places more into clerkships and academia.

I wouldn't joke about these things. OP may take your posts seriously. Unless you're being serious... in that case.... stop.

[cougsnjazz]

Am I crazy to go to California Western? 165, 3.68?

[NosferatuDracon]

Am I crazy to go to California Western? 165, 3.68?

With numbers like that you could easily get a full-ride to schools much better than California Western, so unless there are insane circumstances(death, criminal record, extenuating family circumstances) preventing you from going elsewhere, please consider elsewhere.

[TTH]

Am I crazy to go to California Western? 165, 3.68?

Wow. Most people start new threads to flame. I appreciate your recycling.

[usuaggie]

Am I crazy to go to California Western? 165, 3.68?

stupid BYU fans.

[superflush]

Am I crazy to go to California Western? 165, 3.68?

Wow. Most people start new threads to flame. I appreciate your recycling.

lolz

[koehn2]

For a local perspective: the managing partner at my firm in San Diego will not even consider interviewing an applicant from Thomas Jefferson. However, they do speak very highly of Cal Western and we have a few partners that are Cal Western graduates. Most are USD graduates though. They have told me to take money at Cal Western over sticker at USD any day but don't go to Cal Western for full price either.

I don't know about Cal Western, but I can tell I have never been impressed with a USD grad. Therefore, by default, Cal Western wins over USD. I don't care what the rankings say.

Cal Western is starting to win me over as well. USD is really disappointing me this cycle and won't answer any of my questions and still hasn't updated my file to include my additional LOR. (It has been almost 2 months since LSAC sent them the report) Also, the attorneys I work for who attended USD all say to go to Cal Western if I want to stay local....I find that a bit odd as well. But for the OP, Cal Western over TJ for sure. If you decide to go there let me know! I may see you there!

I was glad to read this! I want to practice in SD, but USD is probably not going to be an option. The tuition at Cal Western is extremely high, though, which is concerning. If a person had to pay full price would a graduate with a Cal Western JD be able to manage the loan payments? Meaning would a job in SD be enough to cover close to 200,000 in debt?

[im_blue]

I'd pick Cal Western, since they're likely to merge with UCSD in the near future.

[SandyC877]

both very solid choices!

...................................................

[Veritas]

I'd pick Cal Western, since they're likely to merge with UCSD in the near future.

ummm...it's going to be a not-so-near future if ever.

I would NOT base a decision to attend Cal Western on the potential that it might merge with UCSD. If this does happen it won't in the time between now and your graduation. So you won't have "UCSD" on your Diploma.

[koehn2]

I'd pick Cal Western, since they're likely to merge with UCSD in the near future.

ummm...it's going to be a not-so-near future if ever.

I would NOT base a decision to attend Cal Western on the potential that it might merge with UCSD. If this does happen it won't in the time between now and your graduation. So you won't have "UCSD" on your Diploma.

I would not base my decision on that, but it's not like they have to build a whole other school or anything. Besides negotiations and paperwork type things what else has to be done? I am not saying that it will happen, but I think it could before 2013.

[Birdman]

It seems to be pretty serious, the two schools already have a relationship with one another for joint degrees and share professors. Also under the plan they're proposing it wouldn't cost the UC system anything. That being said California has serious budget problems, they just opened a new law school (Irvine), and a new campus entirely recently (Merced), so I would guess politics may prevent it from happening. But who knows.

[atashakor]

they have been talking about joining cal wes. and ucsd for 20 years... but i believe that this time its going to happen. I have talked to alot of people (prof./alum...) and they all are certain that this time it will happen. When will it happen????
no one knows. But the thing is both schools do not have much disagreements with one another. They dont have to build a new building since cal wes. will stay in downtwn. So i believe it will happen in 1 years.

[BigA]

If a person had to pay full price would a graduate with a Cal Western JD be able to manage the loan payments? Meaning would a job in SD be enough to cover close to 200,000 in debt?

Hard to say. It's possible. If you got a job in San Diego I think you'd be one of the lucky ones

[koehn2]

If a person had to pay full price would a graduate with a Cal Western JD be able to manage the loan payments? Meaning would a job in SD be enough to cover close to 200,000 in debt?

Hard to say. It's possible. If you got a job in San Diego I think you'd be one of the lucky ones

What are you basing this knowledge off of? Do you live in San Diego? Visited the school? Know somebody that went to Cal Western? Know a lawyer in the San Diego area? ... Anything or just that it is a T4?

[BigA]

Okay with a 3.0, what kind of LSAT would I probably need to get a full ride at one of these schools?

[Topstars]

While I have been stalking you people for months, I finally joined TLS because I wanted to reply to this thread. (Sorry, it's going to be long.) I live in North County and I've worked in multiple law firms over the past ten years, including the top family law firm in San Diego County. They currently have four attorneys on staff: 1 USD graduate, 2 Cal West, 1 Western State, 1 UCLA. The Western State graduate is the founder of the firm and the Cal West graduate is the only partner. Their qualifications include the following:

* Certified Family Law Specialist by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization.
* Chair: State Bar of California Family Law Section
* Chair: State Bar of California Council of Section Chairs
* Diplomat of the American College of Family Trial Lawyers
* President of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers
* Certified Family Law Mediator and Arbitrator
* Listed in Best Lawyers of America since its inception
* Listed in Worth’s Top 100 U.S.A. Attorneys
* Governor of U.S.A.: International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers
* Listed in Martindale-Hubbell® Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers ™ AV®-rated

So what's my point? It's not where you went to school, but what you know. My grandfather went to USC and was a judge up in LA until he died, but these T4 graduates pro tem all of the time and I won't be at all surprised to see them on the bench. If one is planning to practice in San Diego, Cal Western is a great option. (If you're not going to practice here, it would behoove you to really consider their national reputation - or lack of one, as the case may be.)

You guys have fun in New York and Connecticut. I'm sure you'll look cute in your parkas, but we'll start wearing our bikinis in February.

P.S. My friend is a university prof and law grad. Their university had a TJLS prof come on as adjunct and he was fairly incompetent. She warned me to steer clear of Jefferson because he may be an indicator of the rest of the staff.

[Birdman]

.

[quickquestionthanks]

they have been talking about joining cal wes. and ucsd for 20 years... but i believe that this time its going to happen. I have talked to alot of people (prof./alum...) and they all are certain that this time it will happen. When will it happen????
no one knows. But the thing is both schools do not have much disagreements with one another. They dont have to build a new building since cal wes. will stay in downtwn. So i believe it will happen in 1 years.

My uncle is a Cal Western grad and practicing attorney in SD. According to him, the reason the UCSD merger failed in the past was that Cal Western wanted all of their graduates to retroactively received UCSD diplomas, which UCSD found to be a deal breaker. So, if it's not called UCSD School of Law when you show up, I wouldn't count on it being on your diploma.

Two other things to add:
1) The most recent news reports have the deans talking about the merger being "budget neutral" which means that UCSD School of Law would probably cost $38,000 annually for in-state and out of state students. I don't see the UC Regents letting that fly.

2) There's the issue of the faculty. How do you turn Cal Western into a T1 law school overnight? UCI built their staff from scratch, but UCSD would be working with a stigma of having T3-4 faculty until that last CW professor is out the door.

[Kilpatrick]

I just signed up for this site so I can tell you all that I know one person who is a successful graduate of some crappy law school so obviously it's fine for anyone to go there and you will graduate and get a great job.

[shepdawg]

I got accepted into both of these programs, so I went down to San Diego to take a tour and sit in on classes. When I went to TJSL I was immediately let down by the unprofessional staff in the admissions office. Then I was completely surprised to see that about 90% of the students in the property class I sat in on were chatting on Facebook the entire lecture. THe students at Cal Western were attentively taking notes and paying attention in their property class. I guess that is probably what makes the difference between TJSL's 40% Bar passage and Cal Western's 81% rate.

[BigA]

You guys have fun in New York and Connecticut. I'm sure you'll look cute in your parkas, but we'll start wearing our bikinis in February.

Agreed. Wearing flip-flops to class is awesome You ivy leaguers can have your sweater vests

Okay with a 3.0, what kind of LSAT would I probably need to get a full ride at one of these schools?

anyone?

[quickquestionthanks]

Okay with a 3.0, what kind of LSAT would I probably need to get a full ride at one of these schools?

anyone?

155? Kidding.

I think it all depends on where that 3.0 is from. If it's from a highly selective school, and you took reasonably challenging courses, I would guess anything above 160 will get them to give you a full ride.

But if it's from a CSU or some school where getting 3.0 means you showed up less than half the time and didn't turn in work, probably 165-167+

[cogito2010]

Decision mailed 3/30 from Cal West! For those who were accepted, is this the only method of notification you received? Did anything else change on your status checker? Good luck to everyone else still waiting.