UCLA or Vanderbilt Forum

[Hopefullawstudent]

I'm not sure how "good" a question this is, but I am looking (most likely) to practice law on the West Coast. I'm not sure if it will be California - SoCal or NorCal - or if it will be Washington, or Oregon. I do like the idea of practicing in California but maybe moving to the Pacific Northwest at some point in my career.

I've been accepted to Vanderbilt and UCLA. Which would you choose if you were me?

Assume I am out-of-state. No scholarship offer.

Which is more "prestigious" west of the Mississippi?

[utilitarianjac]

Are you serious? If you want to practice on the West Coast, then go with a West Coast school. It will be more prestigious regionally, if that is your sole concern.

If you care about quality of life, then it is more a matter of personal taste. If you care about cost of living, Vanderbilt wins.

[UFMatt]

Seems like a no-brainer. UCLA. It's west coast AND ranked higher.

[PDaddy]

Seems like a no-brainer. UCLA. It's west coast AND ranked higher.

Ranked higher this year. No applicant should make a decision based on minor fluctuations or small differences in the polls. Vandy, UCLA and Texas have been fighting it out for #15 over the past decade. But it's silly to go to one school over another because one is ranked higher by one or two spots. This is a situation where personal preferences (culture, recreation, size, city), personal situation (i.e., family, etc), career goals, and programs offered by each school should be the determinants.

Ranking is the last thing this applicant should look at.

[Hopefullawstudent]

Thank you for the input guys. I guess the question is completely different if I might - just might - want to practice on the East Coast. But really, where is Vanderbilt's strongest market? Suppose I am top third at UCLA or at Vanderbilt. I am interviewing for a firm in NYC. Who wins? Suppose the interviewer went to a third-party school, completely indifferent to the prestige of my school.

I guess I am looking for the school with the best balance of say 75 percent certainty of West Coast placement and 25 percent chance of ending up on the East Coast.

If you want to really shake things up, how about Cornell. I am expecting a high-likelihood of being admitted to Cornell. Same scenario: I probably want the West Coast but there is a chance I will change my life goal in law school and end up in NYC.

Thank you for any input you can provide me,

HL

[chadwick218]

I guess it also depends on how far you are looking to get West of the Mississippi. If you want to ultimately practice in CA, the UCLA is the obvious choice. However, if you have interest in Dallas / Houston, then you would be better served at Vanderbilt. As for NYC, I think that it is a toss-up.

[lakerfanimal]

Thank you for the input guys. I guess the question is completely different if I might - just might - want to practice on the East Coast. But really, where is Vanderbilt's strongest market? Suppose I am top third at UCLA or at Vanderbilt. I am interviewing for a firm in NYC. Who wins? Suppose the interviewer went to a third-party school, completely indifferent to the prestige of my school.

I guess I am looking for the school with the best balance of say 75 percent certainty of West Coast placement and 25 percent chance of ending up on the East Coast.

If you want to really shake things up, how about Cornell. I am expecting a high-likelihood of being admitted to Cornell. Same scenario: I probably want the West Coast but there is a chance I will change my life goal in law school and end up in NYC.

Thank you for any input you can provide me,

HL

0L speculation but if you interview for a firm in NYC I don't think your chances are all that much different whether you go to Vandy or UCLA. Obviously if you go to Cornell they improve a lot. For what you want it sounds like UCLA is the place to go to because you said 75% west coast and 25% east coast. From what I can see Vandy only offers a significant advantage in the south.

[Vincent Vega]

UCLA

/thread