Decisions, Decisions. Houston or Chicago-Kent Forum

[wilebas]

I need some advice comparing University of Houston and Chicago-Kent. I understand that both schools only carry regional appeal but I’m wondering how strong that appeal is and which market I’d be more likely to get a job in after I graduate. Considering I think I want to go into IP law, would Houston be the better option or are the USNews specialty rankings complete bull. Also, does anyone know anything about IP at Chicago? I would be paying sticker price at both so which one seems like the worse financial (life?) decision?

[Turtledove]

Looking at the statistics they seem pretty similar (both have about a 15% chance of biglaw and 80% chance of fulltime post graduate employment). Anecdotally though I've heard that Chicago has gotten hit much worse by ITE than Houston and I think Houston has structural advantages over Kent in that it is the top school in its immediate market (and the second biggest feeder to the market after UT I would guess) whereas Kent is one of many many schools in the overcrowded Chicago market. see -- http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 1&t=150681

All that being said, I don't think attending either school at or near sticker is a good idea at all, but with a scholarship either could be justified and they are sufficiently similar that you could reasonably still choose to go to Kent out of a desire to live in Chicago over Houston without having fear of significantly worsening your post-graduation job prospects.

[scammedhard]

These are not good options. Don't go.

EDIT: You should also read this story: "Former Editor-in-Chief of Chicago-Kent Law Review is Unemployed and Searching."

--LinkRemoved--

[jelly]

These are not good options. Don't go.

EDIT: You should also read this story: "Former Editor-in-Chief of Chicago-Kent Law Review is Unemployed and Searching."

--LinkRemoved--

Kent IP is a solid option in my opinion. It has a really good program and is worth looking into. Kent IP has been ranked higher than Houston in the past and historically has had a stronger reputation than Houston in this area. Still, both schools are very good for IP, so I would probably pick based on where you prefer to practice.

Also, the unemployed Kent EIC is now at Kirkland and Ellis:
http://www.kirkland.com/sitecontent.cfm ... emID=10170

[USA-A-OK!]

Both of these schools were in the top 3 that I was choosing from and I ended up choosing Chicago-Kent. Both have strong IP programs and a decent regional reputation. If securing a well paying job at graduation is your only priority, I'd go with the U of H. As has been fore mentioned in this thread, the U of H doesn't face a lot of competition from other schools in the Houston market, and the economy of Houston as a whole wasn't hit as hard by the recession as the rest of the country.

However, being a native Texan I can't speak much for the quality of life in Houston. The weather's oppressively hot and humid. The city is really sprawled out and this fact coupled with the fact that mass transit in Houston is a joke makes traffic in Houston UNBEARABLE.

Both programs are pretty comparable, but at the end of the day I'd rather practice in Chicago than Houston, which is why I chose Chicago-Kent. I think Chicago's a more vibrant and diverse city. Plus, I'm totally psyched about not having to bring a car.

[dpk711]

Regional or not, I would never pay sticker for any of these schools.