Bay Area Law GW, Emory, WUSTL or retake? Forum

LttleBlakDress · Post by **LttleBlakDress** » Thu Mar 10, 2011 8:24 pm

Hey guys,

So I've touched on this in a few other forums but I would love to hear the wisdom of crowds about my situation.

I'm 22, graduated from college in December 2009, and living in the Bay Area. I absolutely 100% want to practice in the Bay Area. I'm very interested in working in Biglaw, although I'm not 100% sure this is how will end up wanting to go. I applied to a bunch of places this year based on ideas like "oh look a fee-waver" or "I heard I can wear lots of sun dresses if I go to school in the south" without thinking too much about the regions the schools feed into.

I'm quite a splitter with a 169 and 3.05 gpa which only counts 2.5 years of school, as I graduated early, and LSAC wouldn't process my two semesters of study abroad grades.

Hastings waitlisted me, which has left me feeling like I don't have any choices that place well into the Bay Area.

I'm on the Vandy waitlist too and I'm riding it out also, because I think it's such a great school that Bay Area firms would still be impressed. Thoughts on this?

Right now these are my choices: WUSTL $25k/yr, GW at Sticker, Emory with 10k/yr, Georgia with 1 semester of tuition equalization, Alabama with 24k/yr if I stay in the top 50% of my class (it's full tuition,) American at sticker or USF at sticker.

I'm an LSAT teacher and I think I could raise my LSAT to at least a 172, maybe higher if I retook, and even if Hastings still won't have me, at least then I'd take a stab at applying to Davis and Santa Clara, which I didn't apply to previously based on their locations. I'm also thinking Georgetown or even UVA and Michigan might give me a shot if I applied ED. Is that reasonable?

My life right now is fine and I do definitely want to be an attorney, but it's not like I'm going to be miserable until I go to law school so I'm not psychologically against waiting a little longer. Do we think a few points on the LSAT and another year out of undergrad could give me a better shot at the Bay Area?

kaspar · Post by **kaspar** » Thu Mar 10, 2011 8:43 pm

Do NOT go to any of these schools hoping to get back to the Bay Area without GREAT grades and EXCELLENT connections. It is highly unlikely you will get a bay area biglaw job. Period. Retake, and if you can, take some classes somewhere to boost your GPA? Not sure exactly how that works, but if you can swing it it would be very helpful. Honestly, kids from T14 are having a very hard time getting CA biglaw jobs, you are not doing yourself a service by going to school out of state and at a middling regional school.

rebexness · Post by **rebexness** » Thu Mar 10, 2011 8:48 pm

hokie · Post by **hokie** » Thu Mar 10, 2011 8:50 pm

+1. If you are looking for CA, I would go to school as close to the Bay area as possible. GW, Emory, and WUSTL are way to far to warrant attending if you are already set on Cali

LttleBlakDress · Post by **LttleBlakDress** » Thu Mar 10, 2011 8:52 pm

hokie wrote:+1. If you are looking for CA, I would go to school as close to the Bay area as possible. GW, Emory, and WUSTL are way to far to warrant attending if you are already set on Cali

So does this mean that a school ranked 92 like Santa Clara or 52 but in LA like Loyola would be a better option for me?

LttleBlakDress · Post by **LttleBlakDress** » Thu Mar 10, 2011 8:54 pm

kaspar wrote:Do NOT go to any of these schools hoping to get back to the Bay Area without GREAT grades and EXCELLENT connections. It is highly unlikely you will get a bay area biglaw job. Period. Retake, and if you can, take some classes somewhere to boost your GPA? Not sure exactly how that works, but if you can swing it it would be very helpful. Honestly, kids from T14 are having a very hard time getting CA biglaw jobs, you are not doing yourself a service by going to school out of state and at a middling regional school.

What about Vandy?

Grizz · Post by **Grizz** » Thu Mar 10, 2011 8:57 pm

LttleBlakDress wrote:
kaspar wrote:Do NOT go to any of these schools hoping to get back to the Bay Area without GREAT grades and EXCELLENT connections. It is highly unlikely you will get a bay area biglaw job. Period. Retake, and if you can, take some classes somewhere to boost your GPA? Not sure exactly how that works, but if you can swing it it would be very helpful. Honestly, kids from T14 are having a very hard time getting CA biglaw jobs, you are not doing yourself a service by going to school out of state and at a middling regional school.
What about Vandy?

Even if you got in I wouldn't pay $200k for Vandy.

LttleBlakDress · Post by **LttleBlakDress** » Thu Mar 10, 2011 9:04 pm

rad law wrote:
LttleBlakDress wrote:
kaspar wrote:Do NOT go to any of these schools hoping to get back to the Bay Area without GREAT grades and EXCELLENT connections. It is highly unlikely you will get a bay area biglaw job. Period. Retake, and if you can, take some classes somewhere to boost your GPA? Not sure exactly how that works, but if you can swing it it would be very helpful. Honestly, kids from T14 are having a very hard time getting CA biglaw jobs, you are not doing yourself a service by going to school out of state and at a middling regional school.
What about Vandy?
Even if you got in I wouldn't pay $200k for Vandy.

Considering my goals is it reasonable to pay $170K for Hastings if they let me in?

bk1 · Post by **bk1** » Thu Mar 10, 2011 9:08 pm

LttleBlakDress wrote:Considering my goals is it reasonable to pay $170K for Hastings if they let me in?

It is insanely risky and probably unadvisable, but still better than your other options.

I think retake and shooting for something like MVP/GULC/NU via ED is your best option considering CA schools are ridiculously stingy and even Davis/Hastings are generally splitter averse (though not as bad as Boalt/Stanford).

Grizz · Post by **Grizz** » Thu Mar 10, 2011 9:09 pm

bk187 wrote:
LttleBlakDress wrote:Considering my goals is it reasonable to pay $170K for Hastings if they let me in?
It is insanely risky and probably unadvisable, but still better than your other options.

I think retake and shooting for something like MVP/GULC/NU via ED is your best option considering CA schools are ridiculously stingy and even Davis/Hastings are generally splitter averse (though not as bad as Boalt/Stanford).

This.

LttleBlakDress · Post by **LttleBlakDress** » Thu Mar 10, 2011 9:13 pm

bk187 wrote:
LttleBlakDress wrote:Considering my goals is it reasonable to pay $170K for Hastings if they let me in?
It is insanely risky and probably unadvisable, but still better than your other options.

I think retake and shooting for something like MVP/GULC/NU via ED is your best option considering CA schools are ridiculously stingy and even Davis/Hastings are generally splitter averse (though not as bad as Boalt/Stanford).

Ok this is what I think too but I have been having trouble convincing my parents that this is a good option. (And even though they don't know about law schools it's hard for me to not respect their opinions.) I do have some family that said they will help me with my law school loans when I'm out which makes sticker at Hastings better seeming. I'm just not positive what they mean by 'help'--they paid off all 18K of my undergrad loans, but law school is a lot more...

bk1 · Post by **bk1** » Thu Mar 10, 2011 9:16 pm

LttleBlakDress wrote:Ok this is what I think too but I have been having trouble convincing my parents that this is a good option. (And even though they don't know about law schools it's hard for me to not respect their opinions.) I do have some family that said they will help me with my law school loans when I'm out which makes sticker at Hastings better seeming. I'm just not positive what they mean by 'help'--they paid off all 18K of my undergrad loans, but law school is a lot more...

If they gave enough to put your law school debt at 100k or less, I think that would be the general level of acceptable risk in my mind.

LttleBlakDress · Post by **LttleBlakDress** » Fri Mar 11, 2011 2:41 pm

Also, I'm waitlisted at BU and Fordham too. Any reason I shouldn't withdraw?

crit_racer · Post by **crit_racer** » Fri Mar 11, 2011 2:50 pm

Im in a very similar situation (though I do have $$ at Loyola and an acceptance at santa clara and L&C, and I am shooting for a broader region on the West coast)

How strong are your ties to the bay area? If you have connections there in the legal world, you could probably get back with Emory or WUSTL. Furthermore, the debt from WUSTL won't be so bad as to require to land biglaw (even though I realize you want it). Just saying this option COULD work, though it is obviously far from ideal.

It sounds like you're pretty comfortable taking another year off (I'm not), in which case retaking and reapplying is probably your best bet. In the mean time, try and work your bay area legal connections and gather some good softs. Good luck...I'll be curious to see what you decide

Slevin Kelevra 2011 · Post by **Slevin Kelevra 2011** » Sat Mar 12, 2011 11:21 am

You'll want to go to a local school to get placement here. Don't go to a school on the other side of the country.

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