Brooklyn Law 25k/yr or Seton Hall 30k/yr Forum

[jack5on]

Work full time in Time Square so commuting is just as much (if not more) of a concern than the price...Going PT

[20130312]

[CR2012]

146

[wfudeacons2005]

As a fellow part-timer, I'll answer the question.

First and foremost, congratulations on the scholarships. Those are both generous offers for a PT applicant. However, I am curious what stipulations were put on the offers? Seton Hall is famous for section stacking and essentially screwing half of its scholarship recipients after a year or so. Not sure about Brooklyn, but it wouldn't surprise me if they employed a similar practice. I would be wary of any offer that is worse than top 75% or so.

Second, where do you want to work? Seton Hall places into North Jersey and only North Jersey whereas Brooklyn's focus is across the river. Of course, these schools are peers and neither has great employment statistics, regardless.

I commute from work in the Wall Street area to RU-Newark each day. Not bad at all. From midtown, NY-Penn to Newark Penn is a breeze and Seton Hall is a 5 minute walk from the station. Can't speak for Brooklyn.

[somewhatwayward]

If I were you, I would go to neither. These schools are not worth a dime. Maybe if it was completely free and your salary covered your living expenses such that you would walk away with no debt, it would be okay, but do you really want to sacrifice your evenings and weekends for four years only to have a coin's flip chance at a job that will most likely pay you the same or less than the job you have now?

Did you apply to Fordham PT? Even that is risky but would be okay with a big scholarship + COL covered bc you are working.

If you insist on these two choices, play them off each other (ie, take SH's offer to Brooklyn and ask for more and then take your increased offer from Brooklyn to SH, etc) until you are getting a free ride. Between the two, I would take Brooklyn. SH has a really terrible reputation.

[stuckinthemiddle]

How much does your job pay, OP? What is the fascination with attending law schools with awful career prospects? Will a JD help elevate you in your current position?

[wfudeacons2005]

If I were you, I would go to neither. These schools are not worth a dime. Maybe if it was completely free and your salary covered your living expenses such that you would walk away with no debt, it would be okay, but do you really want to sacrifice your evenings and weekends for four years only to have a coin's flip chance at a job that will most likely pay you the same or less than the job you have now?

Did you apply to Fordham PT? Even that is risky but would be okay with a big scholarship + COL covered bc you are working.

If you insist on these two choices, play them off each other (ie, take SH's offer to Brooklyn and ask for more and then take your increased offer from Brooklyn to SH, etc) until you are getting a free ride. Between the two, I would take Brooklyn. SH has a really terrible reputation.

I'll say it again...Seton Hall does NOT have a terrible reputation in north Jersey. As someone who has lived here my entire life and has countless family members in the legal community, that statement is just false. It has exactly the same job prospects as Rutgers-Newark, which are admittedly, mediocre. Forget about going outside of the area but you will absolutely not have to apologize to firms in north Jersey for going to Seton Hall. It's a ways away from the T-14 but it's on par with an above average state school in an insular market.

Seton Hall has drawn criticism for charging absurd tuition rates and playing games with scholarships while providing the aforementioned mediocre employment prospects and rightfully so. But, to say that the school's academic reputation is terrible in north Jersey (putting finances aside) totally misses the point.

[somewhatwayward]

If I were you, I would go to neither. These schools are not worth a dime. Maybe if it was completely free and your salary covered your living expenses such that you would walk away with no debt, it would be okay, but do you really want to sacrifice your evenings and weekends for four years only to have a coin's flip chance at a job that will most likely pay you the same or less than the job you have now?

Did you apply to Fordham PT? Even that is risky but would be okay with a big scholarship + COL covered bc you are working.

If you insist on these two choices, play them off each other (ie, take SH's offer to Brooklyn and ask for more and then take your increased offer from Brooklyn to SH, etc) until you are getting a free ride. Between the two, I would take Brooklyn. SH has a really terrible reputation.

I'll say it again...Seton Hall does NOT have a terrible reputation in north Jersey. As someone who has lived here my entire life and has countless family members in the legal community, that statement is just false. It has exactly the same job prospects as Rutgers-Newark, which are admittedly, mediocre. Forget about going outside of the area but you will absolutely not have to apologize to firms in north Jersey for going to Seton Hall. It's a ways away from the T-14 but it's on par with an above average state school in an insular market.

Seton Hall has drawn criticism for charging absurd tuition rates and playing games with scholarships while providing the aforementioned mediocre employment prospects and rightfully so. But, to say that the school's academic reputation is terrible in north Jersey (putting finances aside) totally misses the point.

Did I say that SH has a terrible academic reputation? No. I said they have a terrible reputation, and by that I meant from an employment perspective. I am sure SH gives a fine education academically, but people aren't terribly interested in the quality of your education. Rutgers beats SH by a mile in terms of respectability. All of the slimy stuff SH did has hurt its reputation. If the family member you know are mostly older lawyers, it doesn't surprise me that they still respect SH. They are not as in touch with what has happened in recent years. Plus older lawyers tend to respect every school bc when they went to school, pretty much every school was a respectable institution that was reasonably priced and placed decently, even the low-ranked ones. Older lawyers are still in that mindset.

The best response for OP is go to none of these. The second best option is negotiate til he gets a full-ride from Brooklyn and go there. Brooklyn>SH.

[romothesavior]

How much does your job pay, OP? What is the fascination with attending law schools with awful career prospects? Will a JD help elevate you in your current position?

I am curious with these questions as well. If you can graduate debt free and the degree will further your career, then maybe this is worth it. But neither of these schools is all that good. What are your goals, OP? Need more info to give advice.