Whittier Law vs Western State University School Of Law Forum

[GueritaPeloChino]

Which is a better choice- Whittier Law School or Western State University School of Law? Whittier's attrition rate is a scary 50%, yet it's been ABA-approved much longer than Western State.

Please help, I have a few more days left to make my decision.

Thank you!

[Case2L]

I will assume this is not a flame and you are sincere. OP, neither of these schools are a decent option. A JD from one of these schools will leave you unemployed and in a worse position than when you started law school. If these two schools are really your best options, you should seriously reconsider law school. I'm not trying to sound negative, but these schools were bad options in a good economy, and they are even worse options now. If you have a worthless bachelor's degree and feel the need to go to grad school, you may want to look into another field.

[ndirish2010]

NEITHER!

[Jah'rakal]

Whittier has a decent rep around OC, if you do well you can succeed. I personally have a friend who has recently graduated from whittier and is doing well

[Ersatz Haderach]

Nobody should be attending four-tier schools. This should be abundantly clear by now, when some first-tier schools are of questionable worth. And I say this as a T2 student.

If you must attend, do so with a scholarship. Please.

[Jah'rakal]

what T1 schools are questionable? if OP wishes to advance his education, then all ABA approved law schools could provide that opportunity, only difference is that some will open more doors, in the end, he will be a juris DOCTOR

[bhan87]

what T1 schools are questionable? if OP wishes to advance his education, then all ABA approved law schools could provide that opportunity, only difference is that some will open more doors, in the end, he will be a juris DOCTOR

http://abovethelaw.com/2010/07/emory-la ... need-jobs/

for instance

[ndirish2010]

what T1 schools are questionable? if OP wishes to advance his education, then all ABA approved law schools could provide that opportunity, only difference is that some will open more doors, in the end, he will be a juris DOCTOR

Everything outside T10 at normal private school sticker price.

Everything outside T25/30 at half that.

Who cares if you are a JD if you don't have a job?

[Jah'rakal]

what T1 schools are questionable? if OP wishes to advance his education, then all ABA approved law schools could provide that opportunity, only difference is that some will open more doors, in the end, he will be a juris DOCTOR

http://abovethelaw.com/2010/07/emory-la ... need-jobs/

for instance

that's fail right there, everyone knows emory is a prestigious schools and as soon as economy improves, its students are due to make the big bucks

[ndirish2010]

what T1 schools are questionable? if OP wishes to advance his education, then all ABA approved law schools could provide that opportunity, only difference is that some will open more doors, in the end, he will be a juris DOCTOR

http://abovethelaw.com/2010/07/emory-la ... need-jobs/

for instance

that's fail right there, everyone knows emory is a prestigious schools and as soon as economy improves, its students are due to make the big bucks

Ah, now you're outed as a really poor flame.

[Jah'rakal]

The Emory University School of Law is one of the strongest law schools in the American South – and, for that matter, the entire country.
With excellent academics in a city with a superb quality of life, Emory is an excellent choice for students looking to secure employment in Georgia or the South.

--TLS

[Bronte]

The Emory University School of Law is one of the strongest law schools in the American South – and, for that matter, the entire country.
With excellent academics in a city with a superb quality of life, Emory is an excellent choice for students looking to secure employment in Georgia or the South.

--TLS

I think it's safe to say you're a flame, but those profiles were written in a different era man.

[Kilpatrick]

.

[Jah'rakal]

stayed in OC for 5-6 years, I think Whittier is on the rise, they are becoming more selective in admissions, and hey, there's even a whittier class thread on TLS, and that says a lot, u don't see one for western state

[GueritaPeloChino]

Thank you all very much for your input.

Western State has offered a little more than a 1/4 tuition scholarship for the first year and Whittier 7,000, but it's nearly nothing considering tuition is almost 40k a year. I hope I can negotiate more money with Whittier as it is the school I am currently leaning a bit more towards.

Anyone have any tips for negotiating scholarship amounts?

[robotclubmember]

Anyone have any tips for negotiating scholarship amounts?

retake

[TheZoid]

what T1 schools are questionable? if OP wishes to advance his education, then all ABA approved law schools could provide that opportunity, only difference is that some will open more doors, in the end, he will be a juris DOCTOR

Everything outside T10 at normal private school sticker price.

Everything outside T25/30 at half that.

Who cares if you are a JD if you don't have a job?

You really think the T-10 is the cutoff for paying sticker ND? You wouldn't include Duke, NW, Cornell and GULC in that? I have heard some people question GULC because of the size and the difficulty of breaking into DC, but I thought the other schools placed pretty well.

[framboozer]

what T1 schools are questionable? if OP wishes to advance his education, then all ABA approved law schools could provide that opportunity, only difference is that some will open more doors, in the end, he will be a juris DOCTOR

Everything outside T10 at normal private school sticker price.

Everything outside T25/30 at half that.

Who cares if you are a JD if you don't have a job?

You really think the T-10 is the cutoff for paying sticker ND? You wouldn't include Duke, NW, Cornell and GULC in that? I have heard some people question GULC because of the size and the difficulty of breaking into DC, but I thought the other schools placed pretty well.

I believe the argument is that even though those schools place reasonably well, they don't place well for all of their class, and prospects can be bleak sub-median. The problem is that those schools are enormously expensive, so if you go to them and fall below the median, you will probably not be able to get the only jobs that will allow you to pay off your debt. Getting biglaw is never a safe gamble, and while your chances are certainly better in the T14, plenty of students at those schools don't make the cut and still need to service that $200K they took on in debt.

[stowhat]

OP, neither of these schools are a decent option. A JD from one of these schools will leave you unemployed and in a worse position than when you started law school. If these two schools are really your best options, you should seriously reconsider law school. I'm not trying to sound negative, but these schools were bad options in a good economy, and they are even worse options now. If you have a worthless bachelor's degree and feel the need to go to grad school, you may want to look into another field.

This. Both have dismal bar passage rates and employment figures.

[Z3RO]

what T1 schools are questionable? if OP wishes to advance his education, then all ABA approved law schools could provide that opportunity, only difference is that some will open more doors, in the end, he will be a juris DOCTOR

Everything outside T10 at normal private school sticker price.

Everything outside T25/30 at half that.

Who cares if you are a JD if you don't have a job?

You really think the T-10 is the cutoff for paying sticker ND? You wouldn't include Duke, NW, Cornell and GULC in that? I have heard some people question GULC because of the size and the difficulty of breaking into DC, but I thought the other schools placed pretty well.

I believe the argument is that even though those schools place reasonably well, they don't place well for all of their class, and prospects can be bleak sub-median. The problem is that those schools are enormously expensive, so if you go to them and fall below the median, you will probably not be able to get the only jobs that will allow you to pay off your debt. Getting biglaw is never a safe gamble, and while your chances are certainly better in the T14, plenty of students at those schools don't make the cut and still need to service that $200K they took on in debt.

yeah, but can you seriously tell me that job prospects are so much better at Michigan than they are at Cornell or NW that the latter are only worth half as much? Michigan honestly has worse biglaw placement than either of these schools. Penn and UVA are only marginally better if at all.

I could see the cutoff being GULC if only because biglaw has been inching below 40%, but they place a decent enough amount into PI that they're not a terrible bet either.

That said, this is completely different conversation than whether to go to fucking Whittier or similar shit-tier schools. The answer to that question is clearly no.

[ndirish2010]

I didn't mean to say you needed a half ride to attend DNCG. Though DNC should be on a different tier than GULC. They are nearly worth sticker, and if you have some money saved up, go for it. 200K debt from GULC is insane though.

[amarie]

I just transferred out of Western State.... DO NOT GO THERE. I got very lucky, got a full ride my first year, and made it out to a much better school. Anyone who wants to know what really happens at Western State, I encourage you to send me a pm so we can chat. If I can save even 1 soul from stepping foot in crappy Western State, I will be very pleased.

[Kilpatrick]

Can you share with everybody? I'd love to hear

[amarie]

EDITS- just PM if you really want details

[bhan87]

I just transferred out of Western State.... DO NOT GO THERE. I got very lucky, got a full ride my first year, and made it out to a much better school. Anyone who wants to know what really happens at Western State, I encourage you to send me a pm so we can chat. If I can save even 1 soul from stepping foot in crappy Western State, I will be very pleased.

Just checked your profile. Transferring to Boalt from Western State? Congrats man, that happens once in a blue moon.

Other people applying should note that this is an exceptional case and many people entering law school planning to transfer fail to do so. Those students are stuck at their current school with debt they can't discharge.