Top Law Schools

I have yet to visit either, but I will be doing so - probably for ASWs.

I got $15k at W&M and $40k at W&L. What do I do? I am financing 100% of all leftover costs.

What do you want to do? Where are you from?

Assuming those scholarships are over three years, neither of those are particularly attractive options. Cheaper is better as they are peer schools but taking on six figures of debt for either is unwise.

I'm not entirely sure what I want to do yet. I know I'd like to lean towards transactional work. I'm from the DC area and I qualify for in-state at W&M. And yes, those amounts are per year and valid for three years with reasonable stips (C average).

take the free ride

washington and lee

Interested to see what others say because I'm deciding between these schools too. They are about the same cost for me after instate/scholarship so I'm about 95% sure I'm going to W&M, but for you I'd guess most people will say go to W&L. Honestly though you'll have to go to Lexington before you can really think about it because for some people there is absolutely no amount of money that would get them to spend 3 years there. Williamsburg isn't exactly big city living either though.

RodneyBoonfield wrote:take the free ride

Since these are peer schools, cheaper is better. But you have to visit them to decide and when you do hopefully it will become clear. See which town seems more to your liking and talk to the students to see which students are a "better fit" for you.

aeiouy wrote:I know I'd like to lean towards transactional work.

Given the choice between those two schools, take the free ride at W&L over the 45k in tuition over three years at W&M. Just recognize going in that neither school is likely to get you to a firm that does high end transactional work.

Thank you all for the input. I will definitely visit both campuses; I was waitlisted at GW, but I won't hold my breath for that acceptance. I was kind of surprised because I thought William & Mary would hold more weight even though it's not very different in the rankings from Washington & Lee. Not that either are way up there, but I guess I'm not quite understanding the rationale besides their not so high rankings + graduating with less debt.

Not sure what tuition is at W&L, but W&M is quite low (36k I think) so that's worth factoring into your calculation..

W&M has more lay prestige.

Nelson wrote:Given the choice between those two schools, take the free ride at W&L over the 45k in tuition over three years at W&M. Just recognize going in that neither school is likely to get you to a firm that does high end transactional work.

This.

romothesavior wrote:

Nelson wrote:Given the choice between those two schools, take the free ride at W&L over the 45k in tuition over three years at W&M. Just recognize going in that neither school is likely to get you to a firm that does high end transactional work.

This.

Agreed. Both schools are regional, both servicing the same region. In terms of employment prospects (check out each school's 2010 placement stats) they are almost identical. I'd say WM does have more lay prestige (and is ranked slightly higher), but WL has by far a more dedicated alumni base.

The real question is if you wanna spend 3 years in Lexington. Williamsburg ain't much better, but livelier. If you don't mind (or actually like) Lexington, the choice is easy IMO.

Washington and Lee. W+M cant be worth 75k more

It would actually be about $35,000 more (total for all three years) to attend W&M because I'm in-state. Living cost is roughly the same in both areas so I'm not taking that into consideration when choosing between the two. I have a feeling I'll enjoy Williamsburg more, but I'll definitely have to visit both schools.


ETA: What if I happen to get off the GW waitlist? Should I pay sticker at GW vs. going to either W&M or W&L?

aeiouy wrote:It would actually be about $35,000 more (total for all three years) to attend W&M because I'm in-state. Living cost is roughly the same in both areas so I'm not taking that into consideration when choosing between the two. I have a feeling I'll enjoy Williamsburg more, but I'll definitely have to visit both schools.


ETA: What if I happen to get off the GW waitlist? Should I pay sticker at GW vs. going to either W&M or W&L?

Sticker at GW is a pit of woe. Take the W&L ride unless you really want to be a method colonial actor/actress that won't break character on the side

I was also waitlisted at gw, I have $15k a year from w&l and would rather do that than to take on $74k a year at gw if I get off the waitlist, i only applied there because of the early free ride offer..I say do w&l

aeiouy wrote:It would actually be about $35,000 more (total for all three years) to attend W&M because I'm in-state. Living cost is roughly the same in both areas so I'm not taking that into consideration when choosing between the two. I have a feeling I'll enjoy Williamsburg more, but I'll definitely have to visit both schools.


ETA: What if I happen to get off the GW waitlist? Should I pay sticker at GW vs. going to either W&M or W&L?

No. By the time you graduate from GW if you go at sticker you'll have $250K in debt if you're financing the whole thing. Two thirds of the class doesn't get big law. That's a real bad gamble.

aeiouy wrote:It would actually be about $35,000 more (total for all three years) to attend W&M because I'm in-state. Living cost is roughly the same in both areas so I'm not taking that into consideration when choosing between the two. I have a feeling I'll enjoy Williamsburg more, but I'll definitely have to visit both schools.


ETA: What if I happen to get off the GW waitlist? Should I pay sticker at GW vs. going to either W&M or W&L?

No you should not.

Go to whichever school is cheapest.

Haha thanks. I figured I wouldn't pay sticker for anything but T-14, which I applied to a few of, but unless they suffer a fit of blindness and let me in on accident, I know it's nothing to hope for.

What about Mason with a 75% or more scholarship (yes, unlikely to get more than 8k, but just asking)? My app is still pending, but I would like to stay in the area, if at all possible.

What are the chances of transferring? I know this is also very unlikely and not something I should count on happening, but I want to know my options before committing.

aeiouy wrote:Haha thanks. I figured I wouldn't pay sticker for anything but T-14, which I applied to a few of, but unless they suffer a fit of blindness and let me in on accident, I know it's nothing to hope for.

What about Mason with a 75% or more scholarship (yes, unlikely to get more than 8k, but just asking)? My app is still pending, but I would like to stay in the area, if at all possible.

What are the chances of transferring? I know this is also very unlikely and not something I should count on happening, but I want to know my options before committing.

Okay, a few things.

1. Your chances of transferring up to the T14 aren't great. You will need to be in the top 10-20ish% of your class. So your chances are around 20%.
2. You have a bunch of peer schools here (Mason, W&L, W&M) that are very similar in many respects. You have one that is significantly cheaper than the others. This isn't really that hard of a decision if you are deadset on going to law school next year. The best option you have now is the cheaper of the two listed. Period.
3. You should retake.

romothesavior wrote: Okay, a few things.

1. Your chances of transferring up to the T14 aren't great. You will need to be in the top 10-20ish% of your class. So your chances are around 20%.
2. You have a bunch of peer schools here (Mason, W&L, W&M) that are very similar in many respects. You have one that is significantly cheaper than the others. This isn't really that hard of a decision if you are deadset on going to law school next year. The best option you have now is the cheaper of the two listed. Period.
3. You should retake.

By retake do you mean for this cycle in hopes of getting in somewhere better and/or scholarships or do you mean retake to apply for the 2013-2014 cycle?

aeiouy wrote:

romothesavior wrote: Okay, a few things.

1. Your chances of transferring up to the T14 aren't great. You will need to be in the top 10-20ish% of your class. So your chances are around 20%.
2. You have a bunch of peer schools here (Mason, W&L, W&M) that are very similar in many respects. You have one that is significantly cheaper than the others. This isn't really that hard of a decision if you are deadset on going to law school next year. The best option you have now is the cheaper of the two listed. Period.
3. You should retake.

By retake do you mean for this cycle in hopes of getting in somewhere better and/or scholarships or do you mean retake to apply for the 2013-2014 cycle?

At this point retaking in June is unlikely to get you better acceptances or more $. It might, and I do know a couple schools that did this for June takers last cycle, but it is highly unlikely.

That being said, you can do both. Continue on with this cycle as planned, deposit at the best option, study for June, retake in June. If your June score would qualify you for more $ or better acceptances then cancel your seat deposit and start prepping to reapply (for the 2012-2013 cycle). If your June score doesn't change anything you have two options. You can retake a 3rd time in Sept/Oct (which would be my personal recommendation) or you can go ahead and go to the school you deposited to.

bk187 wrote:

aeiouy wrote:

romothesavior wrote: Okay, a few things.

1. Your chances of transferring up to the T14 aren't great. You will need to be in the top 10-20ish% of your class. So your chances are around 20%.
2. You have a bunch of peer schools here (Mason, W&L, W&M) that are very similar in many respects. You have one that is significantly cheaper than the others. This isn't really that hard of a decision if you are deadset on going to law school next year. The best option you have now is the cheaper of the two listed. Period.
3. You should retake.

By retake do you mean for this cycle in hopes of getting in somewhere better and/or scholarships or do you mean retake to apply for the 2013-2014 cycle?

At this point retaking in June is unlikely to get you better acceptances or more $. It might, and I do know a couple schools that did this for June takers last cycle, but it is highly unlikely.

That being said, you can do both. Continue on with this cycle as planned, deposit at the best option, study for June, retake in June. If your June score would qualify you for more $ or better acceptances then cancel your seat deposit and start prepping to reapply (for the 2012-2013 cycle). If your June score doesn't change anything you have two options. You can retake a 3rd time in Sept/Oct (which would be my personal recommendation) or you can go ahead and go to the school you deposited to.

+1. I'd take a year off, because a couple more points on your LSAT would change the landscape for you. IMO, it would be silly to retake, get T14-worthy numbers, and not reapply next cycle. But if you do retake, there may be some schools that will bump your scholarship totals based on your June score. Maybe W&L or W&M will give you a full ride or something, or perhaps you'll sneak into a T14 off the waitlist.

Ah, the truth hurts. Well, I am not "allowed" to take a year off (don't ask), so I'm going to have to make the best of the offers I have on the table. Thank you all for the input.