Everybody Hates Cooley, But... Forum

[LSATGoals]

For someone who believes in a debt-free lifestyle, who can go there for free (I only need a 161 LSAT for a full ride), has a good job already but has the flexibility to do Cooley's year round part-time program, is fairly well connected in the community and has no desire for big law, it certainly couldn't be a waste of time could it? I have my reasons for wanting to practice law, deep personal reasons, so it's not just a hobby horse or something to make me feel better about myself. I am 30, with a family, and can't afford to just quit my job and go back to school full-time. If I was younger and had no family ties, I would certainly aim for a higher tiered school and even be willing to take on more debt, but I see this is as a rather practical alternative. My first PT last week, I scored 160. I plan on taking the Oct. test and I'm going to get PowerScrore's Bible trilogy and with hard work, I see no reason why I can't score much higher even.

Is my thinking correct here or am I missing something? Advice certainly appreciated.

[deadpanic]

...it certainly couldn't be a waste of time could it?

Yes, it could. That name will be with you forever. With a 161 and respectable GPA, you could be looking at a lot of $ (if not a full ride) from somewhere like Michigan State.

Don't go to Cooley under any circumstances. They also attach ridiculous strings with their scholarships that make it almost impossible to keep.

[blurbz]

...it certainly couldn't be a waste of time could it?

Yes, it could. That name will be with you forever. With a 161 and respectable GPA, you could be looking at a lot of $ (if not a full ride) from somewhere like Michigan State.

Don't go to Cooley under any circumstances. They also attach ridiculous strings with their scholarships that make it almost impossible to keep.

This is what I'd worry about. Just take the LSAT, see what you get, apply to schools you'd be willing to go to, and see what kind of money you can get. Don't put all of your eggs in one basket. Just see what you can do and what you can get.

[BenJ]

Cooley has strict GPA requirements for their scholarships, and they section-stack like nobody's business. You will not retain the scholarship past 1L.

[LSATGoals]

I don't know. I live in the area, and know recent Cooley grads with decent jobs. And with most anything in life, it's not always about what you know, but who you know. I'd certainly be open to MSU, but I live in the Metro-Detroit area, and can't relocate to Lansing. If I were 7 years younger, single, and didn't have family obligations, I'd certainly be much more willing to look elsewhere. Wayne or U of D Mercy are close by, but they don't seem to be as generous with their money

[angiej]

...it certainly couldn't be a waste of time could it?

Yes, it could. That name will be with you forever. With a 161 and respectable GPA, you could be looking at a lot of $ (if not a full ride) from somewhere like Michigan State.

Don't go to Cooley under any circumstances. They also attach ridiculous strings with their scholarships that make it almost impossible to keep.

This coupled with the fact they admit far more 1Ls than they can accommodate past the first year. So its really sink or swim. I am all for law school with no debt even if this means T4 (I am in a similar situation as OP and have Michigan State on my list of schools.

[megaTTTron]

For someone who believes in a debt-free lifestyle, who can go there for free (I only need a 161 LSAT for a full ride), has a good job already but has the flexibility to do Cooley's year round part-time program, is fairly well connected in the community and has no desire for big law, it certainly couldn't be a waste of time could it? I have my reasons for wanting to practice law, deep personal reasons, so it's not just a hobby horse or something to make me feel better about myself. I am 30, with a family, and can't afford to just quit my job and go back to school full-time. If I was younger and had no family ties, I would certainly aim for a higher tiered school and even be willing to take on more debt, but I see this is as a rather practical alternative. My first PT last week, I scored 160. I plan on taking the Oct. test and I'm going to get PowerScrore's Bible trilogy and with hard work, I see no reason why I can't score much higher even.

Is my thinking correct here or am I missing something? Advice certainly appreciated.

UD Mercy, Wayne, MSU or Michigan. If your first PT is a 160 you can CERTAINLY make improvements. If you take the LSAT seriously and improve (167-170) you could have some EXCELLENT part-time or full-time options in Michigan w/ scholarship money.

Don't sell yourself short. It's not all about money, it's about the quality of your education as well.

[PKSebben]

?

[LoyolaLaw2012]

I don't know. I live in the area, and know recent Cooley grads with decent jobs. And with most anything in life, it's not always about what you know, but who you know. I'd certainly be open to MSU, but I live in the Metro-Detroit area, and can't relocate to Lansing. If I were 7 years younger, single, and didn't have family obligations, I'd certainly be much more willing to look elsewhere. Wayne or U of D Mercy are close by, but they don't seem to be as generous with their money

This thread should end well.

[LSATGoals]

3.65 after LSAC took in all my transcripts (Did undergrad work two different places).

[LSATGoals]

Just so you guys get a feel for me, I've never even bought a car with a loan before. I've paid cash for everything I've done in life. I get that sometimes people can be a bit too rigid on things, but thus far I've built a pretty decent life for my family without the burdens of debt, and I want to move us ahead in a way that is smart and practical for where I'm at. I do wish I could be younger again and make some different decisions, but don't we all.

Is there anyone reading this who actually GOES to Cooley. I'm curious to hear the testimonies of people who are actually there.

[PKSebben]

..

[joeshmo39]

Just so you guys get a feel for me, I've never even bought a car with a loan before. I've paid cash for everything I've done in life. I get that sometimes people can be a bit too rigid on things, but thus far I've built a pretty decent life for my family without the burdens of debt, and I want to move us ahead in a way that is smart and practical for where I'm at. I do wish I could be younger again and make some different decisions, but don't we all.

Is there anyone reading this who actually GOES to Cooley. I'm curious to hear the testimonies of people who are actually there.

I think we all understand being debt averse, especially given what has happened in the last few years, but it is part of life and a helpful part when done in the right manner. Without debt economies grind to a standstiil, it is about being smart. I don't know of course, maye part of being smart with debt is avoiding it if you have a family and other obligations. Still, you can't just reject debt prima facie

P.S. Do you own a house which you paid cash for? Tell me you rent... Otherwise, badass.

[megaTTTron]

3.65 after LSAC took in all my transcripts (Did undergrad work two different places).

My god. Rock the LSAT and enjoy MSU or Michigan. (or more reasonably, any T1)

[Dany]

---

[rupert.pupkin]

3.65 after LSAC took in all my transcripts (Did undergrad work two different places).

My god. Rock the LSAT (but not too much) and enjoy Michigan. )

fyp

[LSATGoals]

Thanks for the helpful replies, everyone. I wish I paid cash for my house, but I just rent Everyone was telling me I was crazy a few years ago for not buying, and they are now the same people who are upside down on their homes.

I totally agree with everyone about aiming high. My problems are these:

(1) My job is not so easily transferable to other regions, plus most schools are not as flexible with part-time as Cooley is.

(2) I really wanted to start in January. Again, Cooley being the only school around I can do that at. I turn 30 in a few months. I feel like the clock is ticking. I suppose another 8 months of waiting is not the end of the world, but I want to get done as soon as possible and avoid unnecessary burden on my family.

Of course, had I just really followed my dreams 8 years ago, perhaps this wouldn't be an issue. But in my defense, at the time, I was at a different place in life and thought I was making the right decisions. And then again, had I just followed those dreams 8 years ago, I wouldn't have the wife, family and friends I have today.

[pohlersc]

I would not come to this forum looking for sound advice regarding Cooley. The truth is, if nobody has visited the school, knows someone who has attended/is currently attending, or talked to people that actually know about the school, then the opinions of the people on this site are worthless (which they are). I browse this site frequently and it's just full of useless opinions.
The smart thing to do is to figure out where you want to practice someday, and then figure out how Cooley is thought of in that location. Being a Michigan resident, I know for certain (not my opinion) that Cooley graduates are very successful in Michigan. I know a few people that are attending/have attended and I've gone to 2 Cooley Open Houses. The people that attend Cooley and have attended are the only people worth listening to. The opinions of the people on this site are nothing more than thoughts. Regarding claims that their scholarships come with impossible standards, that is simply false. Regarding the claim that Cooley "stacks" their classes with just the scholarship owners, that is also false. Cooley has 3 or so terms and people pick classes according to what is available. Your classes are not picked for you and you are not placed into classes filled with nothing but scholarship recipients. This claim is just false. But then again, the people making them have no real knowledge of how it works. If we are all working to become lawyers, we shouldn't be giving people bullshit advice, we should be helping each other out. This whole forum process is flawed anyway though, people just cruise the site and comment on posts without having any concrete knowledge of the topic. Therefore, if you want sound advice regarding Cooley, or any law school, contact attorneys that have attended, talk to current/former students, and get accurate information. Don't think that what people say on this site is true, most of it is probably useless anyway.

[LoyolaLaw2012]

I would not come to this forum looking for sound advice regarding Cooley. The truth is, if nobody has visited the school, knows someone who has attended/is currently attending, or talked to people that actually know about the school, then the opinions of the people on this site are worthless (which they are). I browse this site frequently and it's just full of useless opinions.
The smart thing to do is to figure out where you want to practice someday, and then figure out how Cooley is thought of in that location. Being a Michigan resident, I know for certain (not my opinion) that Cooley graduates are very successful in Michigan. I know a few people that are attending/have attended and I've gone to 2 Cooley Open Houses. The people that attend Cooley and have attended are the only people worth listening to. The opinions of the people on this site are nothing more than thoughts. Regarding claims that their scholarships come with impossible standards, that is simply false. Regarding the claim that Cooley "stacks" their classes with just the scholarship owners, that is also false. Cooley has 3 or so terms and people pick classes according to what is available. Your classes are not picked for you and you are not placed into classes filled with nothing but scholarship recipients. This claim is just false. But then again, the people making them have no real knowledge of how it works. If we are all working to become lawyers, we shouldn't be giving people bullshit advice, we should be helping each other out. This whole forum process is flawed anyway though, people just cruise the site and comment on posts without having any concrete knowledge of the topic. Therefore, if you want sound advice regarding Cooley, or any law school, contact attorneys that have attended, talk to current/former students, and get accurate information. Don't think that what people say on this site is true, most of it is probably useless anyway.

I don't know. I live in the area, and know recent Cooley grads with decent jobs. And with most anything in life, it's not always about what you know, but who you know. I'd certainly be open to MSU, but I live in the Metro-Detroit area, and can't relocate to Lansing. If I were 7 years younger, single, and didn't have family obligations, I'd certainly be much more willing to look elsewhere. Wayne or U of D Mercy are close by, but they don't seem to be as generous with their money

This thread should end well.

[pinkzeppelin]

I would not come to this forum looking for sound advice regarding Cooley. The truth is, if nobody has visited the school, knows someone who has attended/is currently attending, or talked to people that actually know about the school, then the opinions of the people on this site are worthless (which they are). I browse this site frequently and it's just full of useless opinions.
The smart thing to do is to figure out where you want to practice someday, and then figure out how Cooley is thought of in that location. Being a Michigan resident, I know for certain (not my opinion) that Cooley graduates are very successful in Michigan. I know a few people that are attending/have attended and I've gone to 2 Cooley Open Houses. The people that attend Cooley and have attended are the only people worth listening to. The opinions of the people on this site are nothing more than thoughts. Regarding claims that their scholarships come with impossible standards, that is simply false. Regarding the claim that Cooley "stacks" their classes with just the scholarship owners, that is also false. Cooley has 3 or so terms and people pick classes according to what is available. Your classes are not picked for you and you are not placed into classes filled with nothing but scholarship recipients. This claim is just false. But then again, the people making them have no real knowledge of how it works. If we are all working to become lawyers, we shouldn't be giving people bullshit advice, we should be helping each other out. This whole forum process is flawed anyway though, people just cruise the site and comment on posts without having any concrete knowledge of the topic. Therefore, if you want sound advice regarding Cooley, or any law school, contact attorneys that have attended, talk to current/former students, and get accurate information. Don't think that what people say on this site is true, most of it is probably useless anyway.

Thomas Brennan, is that you?

[LoyolaLaw2012]

I would not come to this forum looking for sound advice regarding Cooley. The truth is, if nobody has visited the school, knows someone who has attended/is currently attending, or talked to people that actually know about the school, then the opinions of the people on this site are worthless (which they are). I browse this site frequently and it's just full of useless opinions.
The smart thing to do is to figure out where you want to practice someday, and then figure out how Cooley is thought of in that location. Being a Michigan resident, I know for certain (not my opinion) that Cooley graduates are very successful in Michigan. I know a few people that are attending/have attended and I've gone to 2 Cooley Open Houses. The people that attend Cooley and have attended are the only people worth listening to. The opinions of the people on this site are nothing more than thoughts. Regarding claims that their scholarships come with impossible standards, that is simply false. Regarding the claim that Cooley "stacks" their classes with just the scholarship owners, that is also false. Cooley has 3 or so terms and people pick classes according to what is available. Your classes are not picked for you and you are not placed into classes filled with nothing but scholarship recipients. This claim is just false. But then again, the people making them have no real knowledge of how it works. If we are all working to become lawyers, we shouldn't be giving people bullshit advice, we should be helping each other out. This whole forum process is flawed anyway though, people just cruise the site and comment on posts without having any concrete knowledge of the topic. Therefore, if you want sound advice regarding Cooley, or any law school, contact attorneys that have attended, talk to current/former students, and get accurate information. Don't think that what people say on this site is true, most of it is probably useless anyway.

Why do so many of your worthy students drop out then?

[bk1]

I would not come to this forum looking for sound advice regarding Cooley. The truth is, if nobody has visited the school, knows someone who has attended/is currently attending, or talked to people that actually know about the school, then the opinions of the people on this site are worthless (which they are). I browse this site frequently and it's just full of useless opinions.
The smart thing to do is to figure out where you want to practice someday, and then figure out how Cooley is thought of in that location. Being a Michigan resident, I know for certain (not my opinion) that Cooley graduates are very successful in Michigan. I know a few people that are attending/have attended and I've gone to 2 Cooley Open Houses. The people that attend Cooley and have attended are the only people worth listening to. The opinions of the people on this site are nothing more than thoughts. Regarding claims that their scholarships come with impossible standards, that is simply false. Regarding the claim that Cooley "stacks" their classes with just the scholarship owners, that is also false. Cooley has 3 or so terms and people pick classes according to what is available. Your classes are not picked for you and you are not placed into classes filled with nothing but scholarship recipients. This claim is just false. But then again, the people making them have no real knowledge of how it works. If we are all working to become lawyers, we shouldn't be giving people bullshit advice, we should be helping each other out. This whole forum process is flawed anyway though, people just cruise the site and comment on posts without having any concrete knowledge of the topic. Therefore, if you want sound advice regarding Cooley, or any law school, contact attorneys that have attended, talk to current/former students, and get accurate information. Don't think that what people say on this site is true, most of it is probably useless anyway.

This is wrong.

Thanks for the helpful replies, everyone. I wish I paid cash for my house, but I just rent Everyone was telling me I was crazy a few years ago for not buying, and they are now the same people who are upside down on their homes.

I totally agree with everyone about aiming high. My problems are these:

(1) My job is not so easily transferable to other regions, plus most schools are not as flexible with part-time as Cooley is.

(2) I really wanted to start in January. Again, Cooley being the only school around I can do that at. I turn 30 in a few months. I feel like the clock is ticking. I suppose another 8 months of waiting is not the end of the world, but I want to get done as soon as possible and avoid unnecessary burden on my family.

Of course, had I just really followed my dreams 8 years ago, perhaps this wouldn't be an issue. But in my defense, at the time, I was at a different place in life and thought I was making the right decisions. And then again, had I just followed those dreams 8 years ago, I wouldn't have the wife, family and friends I have today.

Yes, 8 months is not a big difference, don't let impatience hurt your prospects later.

The job thing is tough. Do you have to keep your job and go PT? If so that's one limiting factor. If you have to keep that job, what regions can you take that job to? This would be a second. If you have to keep a job, and it has to be this particular job, you are limited by the smaller amount of PT programs offered and where those programs happen to be.

Understandably you may not be able to do the following but it can expand the possible schools for you and help your prospects. Can you take a different job?

[Kilpatrick]

I would not come to this forum looking for sound advice regarding Cooley. The truth is, if nobody has visited the school, knows someone who has attended/is currently attending, or talked to people that actually know about the school, then the opinions of the people on this site are worthless (which they are). I browse this site frequently and it's just full of useless opinions.
The smart thing to do is to figure out where you want to practice someday, and then figure out how Cooley is thought of in that location. Being a Michigan resident, I know for certain (not my opinion) that Cooley graduates are very successful in Michigan. I know a few people that are attending/have attended and I've gone to 2 Cooley Open Houses. The people that attend Cooley and have attended are the only people worth listening to. The opinions of the people on this site are nothing more than thoughts. Regarding claims that their scholarships come with impossible standards, that is simply false. Regarding the claim that Cooley "stacks" their classes with just the scholarship owners, that is also false. Cooley has 3 or so terms and people pick classes according to what is available. Your classes are not picked for you and you are not placed into classes filled with nothing but scholarship recipients. This claim is just false. But then again, the people making them have no real knowledge of how it works. If we are all working to become lawyers, we shouldn't be giving people bullshit advice, we should be helping each other out. This whole forum process is flawed anyway though, people just cruise the site and comment on posts without having any concrete knowledge of the topic. Therefore, if you want sound advice regarding Cooley, or any law school, contact attorneys that have attended, talk to current/former students, and get accurate information. Don't think that what people say on this site is true, most of it is probably useless anyway.

Maybe you should find another website to read? Just a thought.

[keg411]

OP:
1) Rock the LSAT
2) Go to Michigan
3) $$$

Worse case, you can go to a Wayne or UDM with $$$. Just don't go to Cooley.

[merichard87]

Not to throw a wrench in your plans but I've seen qualified students (3.5+, 160+) get rejected from cooley because I'm sure adcomms are assuming the students don't actually want to attend and are just applying as a safety school. Not saying they would do this to you but you definitely want to give yourself as many options as possible.