Baylor/SMU/TTU/U of H Forum

[lnh819]

I'm a native Houstonian who has also spent time in San Antonio and Corpus Christi. My mom has family in Lubbock so I had visited several times before starting to look at law school. I visited twice more before committing to TTU. So, take my opinion of Lubbock with all that in mind.

I actually really really enjoy living here. The cost of living is entirely reasonable and the city is a perfect size for me. I hate to drive and get lost easily so the low traffic is wonderful. Plus, Lubbock is laid out on a grid system that makes navigating easy. There is no rush hour, no clogged highways, and you can get anywhere in the city in 15-20 minutes tops. For me, this is a wonderful break from the Houston hustle.

The weather is interesting but not necessarily bad. For the most part, it's been similar to Houston (starts getting a bit cooler in mid-October) although many people mention the lower humidity. I don't notice it myself but I'm sure it's true. We have had one snow storm (2 1/2 inches) and are due for another one this weekend. Lubbock is equipped to get out there and salt/plow quickly but black ice remains a big danger. Even the people without much winter driving experience seem to do just fine, as long as they stay off the elevated highways. School is more likely to be delayed than outright cancelled. The springtime brings occasional dust storms called haboobs. I haven't experienced one yet but people don't seem to get too bend out of shape about them. Basically, your car gets dirty and you might not want to drive due to visibility issues.

As far as culture goes, Lubbock is a typical college town. College sports and local bars are big draws. We do have several small but respectable museums around town and there is a First Friday art crawl, I believe. Recently, a local theater company teamed up with the local sympathy to do a production of Les Miserables so there is some legit theater in town. You do find a lot of the stereotypical cowboy/redneck types among the undergrad crowd but the law school tends to have much fewer of those sorts. Most people in law school are either from one of the major Texas cities and/or went to undergrad at TTU. We get a lot of California and Kansas people - not too sure why!

So far, my biggest complaints about Lubbock are the lack of HEB grocery stores (although the United/Market Street stores are great), the minimal airport, and the distance from other major cities. Most air travel requires a stop/transfer at Dallas, which is the nearest major city at 5 hours away. If you want to see a major concert, a Broadway tour, or anything of that sort - you might have to suck it up and drive. Houston is 9 hours away so it's hard to just pop in for a weekend and see old friends if you have ties there.

Oh - and if you come to TTU - be prepared for your first job to be either in Lubbock or the DFW area. You are committing to Texas - and probably the western part at that - for longer than 3 years in most cases. We also have a presence in New Mexico but that's about it. This is a great school with good employment numbers but it's very much a regional school.

[Neff]

.

[Pneumonia]

Does Lubbock suck as bad as I imagine it does?

it is better than Waco, but yes, it sucks.

[downinDtown]

If you're deciding between non-UT law schools in TX, read this about Baylor: http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 1&t=224879 and if you're aspiring to BigLaw, read this: http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 1&t=224881