Top Law Schools

I need to make a decision between these three schools soon.

I Just wonder which law degree would be a better choice and the pros/cons of going to either. I really need help. Thanks!

Please, don't tell me to retake.

No degree here is superior over the other. Go with whatever area you want to practice in. If choosing between Albany and Syracuse then flip a coin or go to whatever school you are happier with.

Cut your losses and get out quickly if things don't seem to be going well.

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Grew up in Albany so I feel obligated to put in my two cents about the law school. It certainly won't fast track you to big law, but it has an absolute strangle hold on nys government jobs. Nearly every attorney I know who works for the state government is an albany law alum. Also, the city has some swanky lobbyist/law positions with known firms like Wilson Elser. For a TTT, it does have strong regional sway in the capitol region and most areas of western and upstate ny. Plus, the only serious competition comes from Cornell grads who don't want to stray to far from the area. Albany and Cuse are on the same level in the region, and while Buffalo carries a little more weight, it isn't much. Some grads do manage to land gigs in NYC, but this is the exception, not the rule. If the gov work interests you, call and ask about their LRAP program; I'm unsure of the specifics. If you don't mind Upstate NY, Albany isn't a bad option. PM me for any other advice/info about the capitol region. I'd love to help you out.

Since you already know what would be the best option and have decided to move past it, I'll give you the next best option: Albany. Since you didn't mention any money from any of the schools, I'm assuming you will be attending at sticker price. U Pacific is a terrible choice because it is in an unbelievably saturated law school market. It also costs roughly $40k/year in tuition and is in a high COL state. I have heard it places fairly well in Nevada, but I wouldn't risk it. They don't report their employment at graduation data to USNWR, so thats always suspicious as well. Syracuse is a nice university, but the price tag is disgusting. It costs over $45k/year in tuition, though the COL appears to be lower than CA. Syracuse, also toward the bottom of a saturated law school market, is probably going to be limited to upstate NY. Its employment at graduation rate it 42.4%...not good.

The best choice, given your explicit desire to attend, would be Albany. Albany is still pricey at $40k/year in tuition and job prospects are fairly weak (48.6% at grad), but it is in an excellent city. Albany, NY is the seat of the state government and graduates of Albany Law are bound to be competitive for some government positions. This school WILL NOT place you into BigLaw. You will probably have trouble finding MidLaw jobs as well. If you don't want to do a PI job, then don't attend law school this year. With the debt you will accumulate at Albany, you will probably qualify for IBR. With a government/PI job, you will also likely qualify for the Public Service Loan Repayment program. This program will keep your loan payments to a fixed percentage of your income (~10%) for ten years. At the conclusion of 120 monthly payments, or ten years, the remaining balance will be forgiven.

Cuse has better name recognition and reputation than albany

also, if you google syracuse v albany law, you will find discussions

Well if you want to be out west then pacific is where you will have to go.

If you want east- then the question is between Cuse and Albany. Both will place in their respective cities, and both are around the same cost to attend at sticker, If you have a scholarship- then go there, but since you didnt mention it- I am going to assume that you dont. It will come down to your personal preference. FWIW i visited both schools, and I personally liked Syracuse's facilities better than Albany- as Syracuse is a part of a large campus, and ALbany is just 2 buildings that shares their campus with 2 other colleges. I enjoyed talking to the faculty at Syracuse and Albany, but IF i were in your shoes I would go to syracuse, as it just felt better than Albany. IF you want to stay in NYS and dont mind staying upstate then TCR would be to go to Buffalo, as since it is the only public law school in the SUNY system it offers a great tutiton rate ( 19k/ year for residents). BUt since that is out- i would go to the school where you feel the most comfortable at, and take time to reconnier the surrounding areas and the cities themselves. YOu will most likely be practicing and living within a stones throw of each city- so if you find yourself liking one city moreso than another- go there.

Don't go to any of these schools unless you have a job guaranteed after graduation and you have a sizeable scholly with no stipulations.

If these schools are all at sticker the answer is none. You can't guarantee that you'll get a public service loan forgiveness job and at these amounts IBR in private practice is going to make you hate your life. It would be okay to go to one of these schools if they cost like 25k a year total because the loan payments would still be somewhat manageable.

dissonance1848 wrote:Don't go to any of these schools unless you have a job guaranteed after graduation and you have a sizeable scholly with no stipulations.

+1.

I know that you want to become a lawyer, but you need to think long and hard about the current and future state of the labor market for lawyers. Do you know that by going to these schools there is good change that you will actually not be able to work as a lawyer? And, will you be able to pay back the loans? Remember that not even bankruptcy can erase student loans.

I understand if you can't retake. If you took the LSAT or took it 10 times and this is the best you could do with your score then I would just advise you to steer your life in a different direction UNLESS someone in your family owns a law firm and will hand you a job when finished with school. These schools simply don't provide opportunities that exceed the cost of attendance for the vast majority of attendees. Statistically it is even harder to do well when you come in paying full freight and there are people ahead of you on scholarship who slamdunked the LSAT. Choosing among schools as diverse as pacific and albany/syracuse just screams "law school at all cost" and its hard to understand how bad a decision that is until the end of 1L, and then its too late.

Having lived upstate for a few years I would say the above are pretty accurate assesments of the schools. You need to consider the cost of albany and cuse because both are 40+ a year, and only offer slim hopes of biglaw. the advantage to albany is the government opportunities, also mentioned above and strong presence throughout hudson valley. for cuse, you get a better overall university, way better alumni and a shot at the Rochester market, which Cuse splits with Buff. It really comes down to which city/area you like better. Both are typical northeastern cities, with their own charms and drawbacks. Also, the salary range for both will be between 40-65k, unless you beast 1l and get biglaw, which upstate is around 85-95k. If you wind up attending, and then working upstate be cautioned about col. It is much lower than downstate, but NY taxes make the area just as expensive as any other in the county. If you do attend, enjoy upstate, as it has a lot to offer.

-Good luck.