Top Law Schools

As my cycle winds down, I'm left with three disparate contenders. For a number of reasons, they've climbed to the top of my list. I could have done a better job with my applications, as none of them are perfect choices.

Tulane with 30k/year. My cheapest option. On the low, low end of the T1, but with reputed national name recognition. I feel fine about New Orleans, but not to the point that its location is a dealmaker. Kind of adverse to spending years in LA or TX.

UNC at instate tuition. Originally my first choice. Will return so if I get a scholly offer. Right now in the middle cost-wise, highest ranked of my considerations. NC is my home state and I'd rather not live there, during or after school (though I could do WNC where I lived for 7 years, but not many $ jobs there). Do have some small firm connections there, though.

Loyola Chicago with 16k/year. Most expensive and lowest ranked school I'm considering. However, I heart Chicago. I also have a love interest in the city. But a hard market to break into, especially coming out of a T2.

I'm aware that region trumps most everything at this level. Also aware that portability doesn't exist. My overall goals at the moment are criminal law with a possible public interest bent - maybe a PD's office or some such. More importantly, I'd like to end up in a metropolitan area of some sort. I'm not into driving. However, I'm not adverse to using a stepping-stone approach and working in the southeast for a while before moving to a larger market.

Any thoughts?

bump

Anybody want to talk about this?

Ya, why are these the best schools you got into with your numbers?

casualty wrote:As my cycle winds down, I'm left with three disparate contenders. For a number of reasons, they've climbed to the top of my list. I could have done a better job with my applications, as none of them are perfect choices.

Tulane with 30k/year. My cheapest option. On the low, low end of the T1, but with reputed national name recognition. I feel fine about New Orleans, but not to the point that its location is a dealmaker. Kind of adverse to spending years in LA or TX.

UNC at instate tuition. Originally my first choice. Will return so if I get a scholly offer. Right now in the middle cost-wise, highest ranked of my considerations. NC is my home state and I'd rather not live there, during or after school (though I could do WNC where I lived for 7 years, but not many $ jobs there). Do have some small firm connections there, though.

Loyola Chicago with 16k/year. Most expensive and lowest ranked school I'm considering. However, I heart Chicago. I also have a love interest in the city. But a hard market to break into, especially coming out of a T2.

I'm aware that region trumps most everything at this level. Also aware that portability doesn't exist. My overall goals at the moment are criminal law with a possible public interest bent - maybe a PD's office or some such. More importantly, I'd like to end up in a metropolitan area of some sort. I'm not into driving. However, I'm not adverse to using a stepping-stone approach and working in the southeast for a while before moving to a larger market.

Any thoughts?

If your numbers in your profile are accurate, then you should wait until next cycle to apply to schools cause you'll have alot more options than these three. If your numbers are not accurate, I would go with UNC.

Loyola Chicago should be automatically out.

If the numbers of your profile are correct, I'd suggest reapplying..unless there is something you are not telling us.

but, if this is all you're going to get then I'd suggest Tulane. I'm at Tulane right now (in property at this moment, ick!) and it is great. Plus with scholarship, it is pretty cheap. I didn't think I'd like NOLA all that much. Now I'm going to have a hard time leaving. This city is more amazing than you can imagine. The drunken-boob-flashing/strip-club image that many have of New Orleans is mostly confined to bourben street and locals here typically avoid bourben like the plague.

edit: lulzs at this being my 2000th post. Go Tulane!

Thanks for your comments, guys.

These aren't the only schools I was accepted to, just the ones I'm still considering. Also in at UGA with with in-state equalization, WFU with $24k/year, among others. Waitlisted at everything above this level, though.

I've narrowed it down to these three based on several factors. I'm from Chapel Hill and still have family there. If I'm going to do NC (or the southeast for that matter), I'd do it there. Tulane is a contender based on its affordability (they gave me the most money) and location in NOLA.

Loyola was the best offer I received in Chicago, a place I would love to live/practice in. I avoided applying to the other t20 schools in the midwest that feed into that market because going to a school in a metropolitan area was important to me. I was dinged at NU and got very small offers from DePaul and Kent.

I figure that my unimpressive undergrad institution and performance may have been a hindrance in my cycle. I've also been out of school for seven years and my work experience isn't necessarily applicable to law school. I'm 31 now and waiting another year isn't appetizing. But it's still an option.

casualty wrote:Thanks for your comments, guys.

These aren't the only schools I was accepted to, just the ones I'm still considering. Also in at UGA with with in-state equalization, WFU with $24k/year, among others. Waitlisted at everything above this level, though.

I've narrowed it down to these three based on several factors. I'm from Chapel Hill and still have family there. If I'm going to do NC (or the southeast for that matter), I'd do it there. Tulane is a contender based on its affordability (they gave me the most money) and location in NOLA.

Loyola was the best offer I received in Chicago, a place I would love to live/practice in. I avoided applying to the other t20 schools in the midwest that feed into that market because going to a school in a metropolitan area was important to me. I was dinged at NU and got very small offers from DePaul and Kent.

I figure that my unimpressive undergrad institution and performance may have been a hindrance in my cycle. I've also been out of school for seven years and my work experience isn't necessarily applicable to law school. I'm 31 now and waiting another year isn't appetizing. But it's still an option.

With your numbers, I definitely wouldn't even consider Loyola. Did you send an app to WashU? It's located in STL and I'd imagine you'd receive a huge scholarship with your numbers. (They send alot of students all over the Midwest, including Chicago). From your post, it seems like you'd like to stay in the south though, and I don't blame you at all. If that's the case, I'd probably attend UNC or UGA. Did you apply late? If you apply early next cycle, you might be able to ED to UVA.

I wasn't early with my applications, but not late either. Thanksgiving-ish, if I recall correctly. I was waitlisted at UVA. I didn't apply to WUSTL.

Being an older applicant with little interest in BigLaw, scholarship offers are playing a big part in my decision making. Even if I got into UVA at sticker, I'd be tempted to go to a less expensive option.

Any thoughts as to the relative strengths of UNC and Tulane's reputations on a national level?

I think you really need to forget about 'living in a metropolitan area' for three years and apply to all the midwest T25s. Out of your options now, it's Carolina for sure.

New Orleans is not a no-driving city, btw. You mentioned that in your original post. You need a car to get around down here, or an SO with a car . It's not a good public transit city.

Yeah, definitely would have done things different in regards to metropolitan areas and the midwest t25. My priorities shifted this fall a bit. I met a girl who lives in Chicago, yadda, yadda, yadda. I did apply to ND, but they didn't love me enough to keep me off the waitlist.

And NOLA is definitely a driving city. Waiting for the busses and street cars was bad enough in March. I could only imagine July. Riding a bike then would be like slogging through warm jello, I imagine.

casualty wrote:I wasn't early with my applications, but not late either. Thanksgiving-ish, if I recall correctly. I was waitlisted at UVA. I didn't apply to WUSTL.

Being an older applicant with little interest in BigLaw, scholarship offers are playing a big part in my decision making. Even if I got into UVA at sticker, I'd be tempted to go to a less expensive option.

Any thoughts as to the relative strengths of UNC and Tulane's reputations on a national level?

I would imagine they are on-par with one another, though it is hard for me to back that up. UNC's overall job numbers are better than Tulane's, but not significantly so. I believe that these two schools are both fairly representing the legal market with very little "gaming" if any. Tulane does place more than 50 percent of its employed students out-of-state and exactly 50% out of the region (compared to ~35% for UNC), their biggest markets are the Southeast and the Northeast, with very, very few going up to Chicago. UNC's Chicago placement was very similar to Tulane's. In terms of exact numbers of jobs, they are almost identical, though Tulane again places substantially more outside of it's region than UNC. Considering all of this, your best bet for Chicago is actually Kent, but short of them giving you close to a full-ride (which you may be able to negotiate for with Tulane money and UGA/WF accepts) you really shouldn't go there.

Given all of this, I would suggest that first, use your offers from the other schools to negotiate with Kent. If they don't get close to the figure that you need in order to consider them your top choice, then visit Tulane and visit UNC and see how each school makes you feel, but they are honestly completely peer schools, so outside of regional preference, choosing one over the other is a total toss-up.

As for getting around NOLA, it is definitely a driving city, but uptown and particularly the garden district where Tulane is, is very bike friendly. It is actually easier to get around on a bike than in a car around there.

alexonfyre wrote:

casualty wrote:I wasn't early with my applications, but not late either. Thanksgiving-ish, if I recall correctly. I was waitlisted at UVA. I didn't apply to WUSTL.

Being an older applicant with little interest in BigLaw, scholarship offers are playing a big part in my decision making. Even if I got into UVA at sticker, I'd be tempted to go to a less expensive option.

Any thoughts as to the relative strengths of UNC and Tulane's reputations on a national level?

I would imagine they are on-par with one another, though it is hard for me to back that up. UNC's overall job numbers are better than Tulane's, but not significantly so. I believe that these two schools are both fairly representing the legal market with very little "gaming" if any. Tulane does place more than 50 percent of its employed students out-of-state and exactly 50% out of the region (compared to ~35% for UNC), their biggest markets are the Southeast and the Northeast, with very, very few going up to Chicago. UNC's Chicago placement was very similar to Tulane's. In terms of exact numbers of jobs, they are almost identical, though Tulane again places substantially more outside of it's region than UNC. Considering all of this, your best bet for Chicago is actually Kent, but short of them giving you close to a full-ride (which you may be able to negotiate for with Tulane money and UGA/WF accepts) you really shouldn't go there.

Given all of this, I would suggest that first, use your offers from the other schools to negotiate with Kent. If they don't get close to the figure that you need in order to consider them your top choice, then visit Tulane and visit UNC and see how each school makes you feel, but they are honestly completely peer schools, so outside of regional preference, choosing one over the other is a total toss-up.

As for getting around NOLA, it is definitely a driving city, but uptown and particularly the garden district where Tulane is, is very bike friendly. It is actually easier to get around on a bike than in a car around there.

NOLA is bike friendly if you're on a mountain or cx bike, but I definitely wouldn't ride those streets on a road bike. Potholes there big enough to eat your wheel.

alexonfyre wrote:

casualty wrote:I wasn't early with my applications, but not late either. Thanksgiving-ish, if I recall correctly. I was waitlisted at UVA. I didn't apply to WUSTL.

Being an older applicant with little interest in BigLaw, scholarship offers are playing a big part in my decision making. Even if I got into UVA at sticker, I'd be tempted to go to a less expensive option.

Any thoughts as to the relative strengths of UNC and Tulane's reputations on a national level?

I would imagine they are on-par with one another, though it is hard for me to back that up. UNC's overall job numbers are better than Tulane's, but not significantly so. I believe that these two schools are both fairly representing the legal market with very little "gaming" if any. Tulane does place more than 50 percent of its employed students out-of-state and exactly 50% out of the region (compared to ~35% for UNC), their biggest markets are the Southeast and the Northeast, with very, very few going up to Chicago. UNC's Chicago placement was very similar to Tulane's. In terms of exact numbers of jobs, they are almost identical, though Tulane again places substantially more outside of it's region than UNC. Considering all of this, your best bet for Chicago is actually Kent, but short of them giving you close to a full-ride (which you may be able to negotiate for with Tulane money and UGA/WF accepts) you really shouldn't go there.

Given all of this, I would suggest that first, use your offers from the other schools to negotiate with Kent. If they don't get close to the figure that you need in order to consider them your top choice, then visit Tulane and visit UNC and see how each school makes you feel, but they are honestly completely peer schools, so outside of regional preference, choosing one over the other is a total toss-up.

As for getting around NOLA, it is definitely a driving city, but uptown and particularly the garden district where Tulane is, is very bike friendly. It is actually easier to get around on a bike than in a car around there.

Thanks for your response; I found it very insightful. All of my negotiations failed. What this says about my future prospects as a lawyers, I dunno.

alexonfyre wrote:

casualty wrote:I wasn't early with my applications, but not late either. Thanksgiving-ish, if I recall correctly. I was waitlisted at UVA. I didn't apply to WUSTL.

Being an older applicant with little interest in BigLaw, scholarship offers are playing a big part in my decision making. Even if I got into UVA at sticker, I'd be tempted to go to a less expensive option.

Any thoughts as to the relative strengths of UNC and Tulane's reputations on a national level?

I would imagine they are on-par with one another, though it is hard for me to back that up. UNC's overall job numbers are better than Tulane's, but not significantly so. I believe that these two schools are both fairly representing the legal market with very little "gaming" if any. Tulane does place more than 50 percent of its employed students out-of-state and exactly 50% out of the region (compared to ~35% for UNC), their biggest markets are the Southeast and the Northeast, with very, very few going up to Chicago. UNC's Chicago placement was very similar to Tulane's. In terms of exact numbers of jobs, they are almost identical, though Tulane again places substantially more outside of it's region than UNC. Considering all of this, your best bet for Chicago is actually Kent, but short of them giving you close to a full-ride (which you may be able to negotiate for with Tulane money and UGA/WF accepts) you really shouldn't go there.

Given all of this, I would suggest that first, use your offers from the other schools to negotiate with Kent. If they don't get close to the figure that you need in order to consider them your top choice, then visit Tulane and visit UNC and see how each school makes you feel, but they are honestly completely peer schools, so outside of regional preference, choosing one over the other is a total toss-up.

As for getting around NOLA, it is definitely a driving city, but uptown and particularly the garden district where Tulane is, is very bike friendly. It is actually easier to get around on a bike than in a car around there.

Thanks for your response; I found it very insightful. All of my negotiations failed. What this says about my future prospects as a lawyers, I dunno.

casualty wrote:

alexonfyre wrote:

casualty wrote:I wasn't early with my applications, but not late either. Thanksgiving-ish, if I recall correctly. I was waitlisted at UVA. I didn't apply to WUSTL.

Being an older applicant with little interest in BigLaw, scholarship offers are playing a big part in my decision making. Even if I got into UVA at sticker, I'd be tempted to go to a less expensive option.

Any thoughts as to the relative strengths of UNC and Tulane's reputations on a national level?

I would imagine they are on-par with one another, though it is hard for me to back that up. UNC's overall job numbers are better than Tulane's, but not significantly so. I believe that these two schools are both fairly representing the legal market with very little "gaming" if any. Tulane does place more than 50 percent of its employed students out-of-state and exactly 50% out of the region (compared to ~35% for UNC), their biggest markets are the Southeast and the Northeast, with very, very few going up to Chicago. UNC's Chicago placement was very similar to Tulane's. In terms of exact numbers of jobs, they are almost identical, though Tulane again places substantially more outside of it's region than UNC. Considering all of this, your best bet for Chicago is actually Kent, but short of them giving you close to a full-ride (which you may be able to negotiate for with Tulane money and UGA/WF accepts) you really shouldn't go there.

Given all of this, I would suggest that first, use your offers from the other schools to negotiate with Kent. If they don't get close to the figure that you need in order to consider them your top choice, then visit Tulane and visit UNC and see how each school makes you feel, but they are honestly completely peer schools, so outside of regional preference, choosing one over the other is a total toss-up.

As for getting around NOLA, it is definitely a driving city, but uptown and particularly the garden district where Tulane is, is very bike friendly. It is actually easier to get around on a bike than in a car around there.

Thanks for your response; I found it very insightful. All of my negotiations failed. What this says about my future prospects as a lawyers, I dunno.

Haha, don't worry about that, they really hold all of the cards in negotiation, the only times I see it work are for people whose numbers could boost the averages of some schools almost by their lonesome (3.7+/173+)