Texas Tech vs STCL Forum

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txag10

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Texas Tech vs STCL

Post by txag10 » Wed Apr 13, 2011 11:35 pm

Yes, STCL is T4. Tech is T3. I had a bad semester, so spare me any nonsense. I am still waiting to get off the waitlists at Baylor and U of H, but as of now I'm deciding between Tech and South Texas. Tech gave me in-state tuition, and STCL gave me $9200 a year. I enjoyed my visits to STCL, and I haven't been to Lubbock. Which, if I want to work in Houston, is a better choice?
I'll add that I'm a Marine Corps law contract and will be a JAG lawyer for four years following graduation from law school.

BeautifulSW

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Re: Texas Tech vs STCL

Post by BeautifulSW » Thu Apr 14, 2011 11:13 am

I've worked with lawyers who trained in both schools. Just as a general observation, I think Tech tends to do a better job. Don't be fooled by Tech's T3 ranking. The school is actually much better than that; it just isn't very well known outside of the Panhandle and Eastern N.Mex. Heck, my own school, UNM, resides in the dead center of T2 and I don't think it offers any better a legal education than Tech does. I've known some awfully sharp Tech lawyers.

But if Lubbock just does not appeal to you, don't be afraid to go to STCL. You'll get an ABA approved degree, you'll pass the bar, and for you, finding a job isn't a consideration.

Congrats on the JAG appointment, by the way. That is a considerable honor.

Case2L

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Re: Texas Tech vs STCL

Post by Case2L » Thu Apr 14, 2011 3:12 pm

Decide where you most want to spend the next three years. Your experience as a Marine JAG will likely trump your law school's name. I would personally vote Texas Tech, because it is a more traditional university that offers more extracurriculars (namely, college football) and I would personally be happier there for three years.

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ihp12

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Re: Texas Tech vs STCL

Post by ihp12 » Thu Apr 14, 2011 3:24 pm

Case2L wrote:Decide where you most want to spend the next three years. Your experience as a Marine JAG will likely trump your law school's name. I would personally vote Texas Tech, because it is a more traditional university that offers more extracurriculars (namely, college football) and I would personally be happier there for three years.
If the debate is whether you will be happier spending 3 years in lubbock or three years in Houston, there's no debate. Houston wins everytime. So what if STCL doesn't have a football team? It is a 10 min drive from TWO division 1a college football teams, a 10 minute drive from professional football, a 10 minute walk from professional baseball, and a 1 minute walk from professional basketball.

And thats just sports. Houston is a cosmopolitan city of 4+ million people, lubbock is a college town in a dry county on the plains.

STCL employment > Tech employment in Houston for sure. Dallas you're probably better off with Tech.

Agreed that JAG will probably be more important than school name.

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Stringer Bell

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Re: Texas Tech vs STCL

Post by Stringer Bell » Thu Apr 14, 2011 3:33 pm

If you have JAG guaranteed then the only real consideration is Houston vs. Lubbock. Houston seems like a pretty easy choice for the most part. The advantages for Tech are that the COL is really low and that there are alot of attractive undergrad females.

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Case2L

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Re: Texas Tech vs STCL

Post by Case2L » Thu Apr 14, 2011 3:34 pm

ihp12 wrote:
Case2L wrote:Decide where you most want to spend the next three years. Your experience as a Marine JAG will likely trump your law school's name. I would personally vote Texas Tech, because it is a more traditional university that offers more extracurriculars (namely, college football) and I would personally be happier there for three years.
If the debate is whether you will be happier spending 3 years in lubbock or three years in Houston, there's no debate. Houston wins everytime. So what if STCL doesn't have a football team? It is a 10 min drive from TWO division 1a college football teams, a 10 minute drive from professional football, a 10 minute walk from professional baseball, and a 1 minute walk from professional basketball.

And thats just sports. Houston is a cosmopolitan city of 4+ million people, lubbock is a college town in a dry county on the plains.

STCL employment > Tech employment in Houston for sure. Dallas you're probably better off with Tech.

Agreed that JAG will probably be more important than school name.
Well, I don't know what quality of life the OP is looking for while in law school. Like I said, I personally prefer Tech because it is a more traditional college town, and I would more enjoy going to college football games where I actually attend the college. That's just me. I also think, thanks to Texas Tech University's overall reputation, a degree from Tech will carry more weight and recognition than a degree from STCL.

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Stringer Bell

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Re: Texas Tech vs STCL

Post by Stringer Bell » Thu Apr 14, 2011 3:39 pm

Case2L wrote:I also think, thanks to Texas Tech University's overall reputation, a degree from Tech will carry more weight and recognition than a degree from STCL.
I definitely understand your arguments for QOL and can see the merits of either school, but this statement is just silly. The overall reputation of a university makes very little difference outside of impressing lay people (which I guess could make a little bit of a difference if you are working in a type of law like ambulance chasing where your primary clients are lay people). Tech's overall reputation doesn't impress many people anyways.

txag10

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Re: Texas Tech vs STCL

Post by txag10 » Thu Apr 14, 2011 4:20 pm

Thanks for the advice. I didn't think the Marines would carry a large amount of weight, so that is helpful. I guess I'm looking to obviously spend the least amount of money and get a good education.

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ihp12

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Re: Texas Tech vs STCL

Post by ihp12 » Thu Apr 14, 2011 4:34 pm

If you wanna be in the courtroom, STCL's advocacy program is a diamond in the rough. Just make sure you actually make the team though.

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Stringer Bell

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Re: Texas Tech vs STCL

Post by Stringer Bell » Thu Apr 14, 2011 4:35 pm

txag10 wrote:Thanks for the advice. I didn't think the Marines would carry a large amount of weight, so that is helpful. I guess I'm looking to obviously spend the least amount of money and get a good education.
It's not really about the amount of weight that the Marines carries. It's that JAG will be your first legal job and that from that point on your WE is the thing that will matter for future employment as opposed to law school credentials. Obviously if you could put HYS on your resume that could make a difference throughout your career, but it's not like either of these schools is going to carry any real clout nor are they going to be a Cooley level black mark.

Edited for grammar fail
Last edited by Stringer Bell on Thu Apr 14, 2011 4:42 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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Stringer Bell

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Re: Texas Tech vs STCL

Post by Stringer Bell » Thu Apr 14, 2011 4:38 pm

ihp12 wrote:If you wanna be in the courtroom, STCL's advocacy program is a diamond in the rough. Just make sure you actually make the team though.
Since many JAGs are basically PD's with better pay this actually is a legit consideration.

texas man

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Re: Texas Tech vs STCL

Post by texas man » Sat Apr 16, 2011 9:50 pm

OP: Are you familiar with Texas Tech's Center for Military Law and Policy? See http://www.law.ttu.edu/acp/centers/military/.

Many students come to Tech for the military connections. Dean Emeritus Huffman (Major General, retired) was head JAG of the U.S. Army; he is currently my Criminal Law professor, and he also teaches National Security Law and Military Criminal Justice. There are several other professors who are military.

txag10

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Re: Texas Tech vs STCL

Post by txag10 » Sat Apr 16, 2011 11:47 pm

texas man wrote:OP: Are you familiar with Texas Tech's Center for Military Law and Policy? See http://www.law.ttu.edu/acp/centers/military/.

Many students come to Tech for the military connections. Dean Emeritus Huffman (Major General, retired) was head JAG of the U.S. Army; he is currently my Criminal Law professor, and he also teaches National Security Law and Military Criminal Justice. There are several other professors who are military.
I know all about it. But I don't plan to go career.

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patrickd139

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Re: Texas Tech vs STCL

Post by patrickd139 » Sun Apr 17, 2011 12:15 am

Stringer Bell wrote:
txag10 wrote:Thanks for the advice. I didn't think the Marines would carry a large amount of weight, so that is helpful. I guess I'm looking to obviously spend the least amount of money and get a good education.
It's not really about the amount of weight that the Marines carries. It's that JAG will be your first legal job and that from that point on your WE is the thing that will matter for future employment as opposed to law school credentials. Obviously if you could put HYS on your resume that could make a difference throughout your career, but it's not like either of these schools is going to carry any real clout nor are they going to be a Cooley level black mark.

Edited for grammar fail
Came here to post this. OP: pick the cheapest, IMO. Also, thanks for your (pending?) service.

xyzbca

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Re: Texas Tech vs STCL

Post by xyzbca » Sun Apr 17, 2011 10:24 am

I don't really have much to add, but OP, what USMC program are you in that is allowing you to commission this May? I assume you are a college senior and it doesn't seem PLC-Law would allow you to commission next month.

txag10

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Re: Texas Tech vs STCL

Post by txag10 » Sun Apr 17, 2011 1:22 pm

xyzbca wrote:I don't really have much to add, but OP, what USMC program are you in that is allowing you to commission this May? I assume you are a college senior and it doesn't seem PLC-Law would allow you to commission next month.
PLC. I was ground until I get accepted into a law school, then in Jan. I switched to law. I went to juniors/seniors.

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