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I am trying to decide between taking the Mordecai (full tuition) scholarship at Duke or going to Harvard (possibly Yale if they accept me). I am leaning towards Duke for a number of reasons. I want to stay in the NC/VA area ideally. I do not really think I want to do Big Law. Also, my friends, girlfriend, and family are all pretty much located in NC. If I stay in NC the money I saved from having an academic scholarship in undergrad plus the Mordecai would allow me the flexibility to possibly purchase a condo instead of renting. Harvard would be a big change for me, but one of my end goals is to be a legal academic. I know Yale and Harvard afford much more opportunity in that realm. For those interested I got a 173 on my LSAT and a 3.967 GPA. Thoughts?

If I were you I would really think hard about whether becoming a law prof is really what you want to do. Because if you want to do private practice Dook with no debt is great.

UNC22 wrote:I am trying to decide between taking the Mordecai (full tuition) scholarship at Duke or going to Harvard (possibly Yale if they accept me). I am leaning towards Duke for a number of reasons. I want to stay in the NC/VA area ideally. I do not really think I want to do Big Law. Also, my friends, girlfriend, and family are all pretty much located in NC. If I stay in NC the money I saved from having an academic scholarship in undergrad plus the Mordecai would allow me the flexibility to possibly purchase a condo instead of renting. Harvard would be a big change for me, but one of my end goals is to be a legal academic. I know Yale and Harvard afford much more opportunity in that realm. For those interested I got a 173 on my LSAT and a 3.967 GPA. Thoughts?

DUKE.. but I am very debt adverse. Also you have alot of ties in NC as is, which will make for a great quality of life overall.

If you want to be a legal academic, you have to be ready and willing to move across the country at any given time. Wanting to stay in VA/NC is basically irrelevant because those two states have maybe 10 law schools.

Also, don't be a legal academic if it's "one of your end goals" (meaning you have multiple potential end goals that you would be happy with). The legal academia market is very difficult. It's not something you enter into lightly. You enter legal academia if it's your passion in life.

I'm not sure what I would pick between Yale and the Mordecai, but Harvard is a clear third.

Duke student. I would take the Mordecai any day of the week because 1) You don't want biglaw and 2) You have substantial ties to NC, which will be helpful.

Go to Yale only if you are 100% set on Academia. Harvard isn't a contender here.

Hutz_and_Goodman wrote:I'm not sure what I would pick between Yale and the Mordecai, but Harvard is a clear third.

Why a clear third? I am also interested in what people think about the collegial atmosphere of Duke v. Harvard or Yale. Is competition more fierce as the rankings go up?

How much need-based aid are you looking at from Harvard (or Yale if you get in)? I could see choosing H over Duke if the price difference isn't that great.

Still waiting to hear back from Harvard on financial aid.

What do you actually want to do? My kneejerk reaction: if you don't want biglaw, you should not go to Duke (and probably not law school at all). PI is harder to get than biglaw and academia is right up there with SCOTUS clerk in terms of not being something to bet on. Law school opens very few doors.

You say you don't want to work a big law firm, but that's basically one of the best jobs you can reasonably get as a new grad (chances at PI and academia are absolutely minuscule). Yeah you work hard at a large firm, but you get training and a good credential for down the road.

I'd reevaluate your career goals and what you want to do with a law degree.

You shouldn't have put Yale in the poll. Anyone who would have checked Harvard over Duke checked Yale instead, skewing the results and confusing the issue.

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Yale > Duke > Harvard

You should be a part of that whole Yale thing.

rad lulz wrote:You say you don't want to work a big law firm, but that's basically one of the best jobs you can reasonably get as a new grad (chances at PI and academia are absolutely minuscule). Yeah you work hard at a large firm, but you get training and a good credential for down the road.

I'd reevaluate your career goals and what you want to do with a law degree.

The voices of experience.

UNC22 wrote:

Hutz_and_Goodman wrote:I'm not sure what I would pick between Yale and the Mordecai, but Harvard is a clear third.

Why a clear third? I am also interested in what people think about the collegial atmosphere of Duke v. Harvard or Yale. Is competition more fierce as the rankings go up?

I would pick Harvard, but that's because I'm more unemployment-averse than debt-averse. The "fierceness" of competition actually goes down as ranking goes up, IME.

IAFG wrote:

rad lulz wrote:You say you don't want to work a big law firm, but that's basically one of the best jobs you can reasonably get as a new grad (chances at PI and academia are absolutely minuscule). Yeah you work hard at a large firm, but you get training and a good credential for down the road.

I'd reevaluate your career goals and what you want to do with a law degree.

The voices of experience.

It is painfully easy to pick out the 0Ls

If you genuinely don't want BigLaw, you should probably go to Harvard. PI jobs are harder to get than BigLaw jobs. That said, you don't really sound like someone who wants to save the world either...I'm really thinking you shouldn't go to law school until you have some clearer goals.

I picked Yale, but if you're not set on academia, Duke is not a bad choice here. If you don't know what you want to do but you're set on going to law school, having no debt or little debt is a great thing.


Edit: Campos actually just posted about the VAP market/academia, linking to a post on The Faculty Lounge with an interesting series of comments.

http://www.thefacultylounge.org/2013/02 ... -trap.html

That's gotta suck. Top of the class, CoA clerkship, clerkship bonus, VAP, then uncertain employment.

So yeah, wouldn't count on academia, even if you go to Yale.

Check out this thread: these guys did everything right (elite law school/top clerkship/prestigious firm), but there are just no law professor jobs for them. It's a dead industry. Take the money.

http://www.thefacultylounge.org/2013/02 ... /#comments

Mordecai all the way.

nebula666 wrote:Yale > Duke > Harvard

You should be a part of that whole Yale thing.

Patrick, are saying they should be a closeted homosexual and do a lot of cocaine?

I say Mordecai, but keep in mind you can easily end up bottom 10% at Duke.

Hutz_and_Goodman wrote:I say Mordecai, but keep in mind you can easily end up bottom 10% at Duke.

Don't start this again.

Hutz_and_Goodman wrote:I say Mordecai, but keep in mind you can easily end up bottom 10% at Duke.

Was the point of this comment just to let me know if I do not study and do well on exams I can end up not doing well, or is there some insider information I need to know? Also, how many of you are students at Duke, Yale, or Harvard. I would be interested on some insider perspectives.