Choose a Minnesota School Forum

[Prairie]

There's a chance I might not even go to a MN school. But I want to work in Minneapolis, so I'll probably end up at one of these three. Which would you pick and why?

U of M - sticker price for residents (I get reciprocity)
William Mitchell - 85% tuition covered
St. Thomas - 100% tuition covered

Thanks for any and all advice.

Edit: Also, I should add that Iowa, Wisconsin, and Illinois UC might be relevant regional schools to which I gained admission. If someone thinks any of these would be radically better, please say so.

[ThomasMN]

You are in a situation a lot like one of my friends, actually identical. I would say that a lot of it depends on what kind of UG debt you have. Even at 30K a year plus cost of living the U will probably put you into a six figure hole and not necessarily a job good enough to cover it and leave you with a lot left over. Out of UST and WM.. well. No on from those is really going big law, other than a few, but if you score well in your class you can find work around 60K a year. Which is not a bad salary in Minneapolis.

[Prairie]

You are in a situation a lot like one of my friends, actually identical. I would say that a lot of it depends on what kind of UG debt you have. Even at 30K a year plus cost of living the U will probably put you into a six figure hole and not necessarily a job good enough to cover it and leave you with a lot left over. Out of UST and WM.. well. No on from those is really going big law, other than a few, but if you score well in your class you can find work around 60K a year. Which is not a bad salary in Minneapolis.

UG debt = $0

[ThomasMN]

I would say rock it at the U of M. It is a competitive school, but the job market in Minnesota is much better for U of M grads. Plus, if you are smart, you can keep your cost of living fairly low in the Twin Cities. Although, it is nothing like going to school in Chicago, New York, etc..

[MinnesotaBigLaw11]

I would lean toward Minnesota. I would consider UST which is an outstanding offer, but given that you have no UG debt and you are in-state, UMN is not going to cost that much to attend. You just need to determine if you are willing to have debt when you graduate, and how much. I wouldn't consider WM's offer given that UST is offering a full ride.

I am a Minnesota biglaw attorney and have a running thread answering questions on the other TLS board:
http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 4&t=146346

[forward]

Minnesota. MSP is one over the most oversaturated markets in the country as a result of the four schools located there. The U is far, far superior to the others, and your shot of landing a job in MSP is substantially better with a U of M degree relative to any of the other three. Also, keep in mind that you'll be competing with folks from Iowa, Wisconsin, Northwestern, and any folks from the T14s that want to move (or most likely, return) to MSP. A U of M degree stands a better shot against those folks than Hamline, UST, or WM.

Also, if you're not able to find work in the Cities, U of M gives you far greater mobility (within the Midwest) than the two do.