Penn State Forum

cr245199 · Post by **cr245199** » Tue Jan 27, 2015 12:30 pm

I was accepted to both Dickinson and Main Campus with full tuition scholarship. I am hesitant to accept because of the separation of the two schools.

Does anyone have any information on how the different campuses have performed?
Are the professors going to one school or are they staying put?

Ron Don Volante · Post by **Ron Don Volante** » Tue Jan 27, 2015 12:33 pm

If you want to be an attorney, there are no circumstances that make Penn State a justifiable decision.

See, e.g., http://www.lstscorereports.com/schools/pennstate/2013/

FSK · Post by **FSK** » Tue Jan 27, 2015 12:37 pm

Carlisle is a great town - I went to undergrad there and LOVED it - but don't go to law school there. No jobs, and you're so isolated from major legal markets that you can't network.

rlw5296 · Post by **rlw5296** » Sat Jan 31, 2015 12:35 pm

cr245199 wrote:I was accepted to both Dickinson and Main Campus with full tuition scholarship. I am hesitant to accept because of the separation of the two schools.

Does anyone have any information on how the different campuses have performed?
Are the professors going to one school or are they staying put?

Definitely go to the Main Campus. From my understanding, Dickinson is moving away from the Penn State name and will return to their former status. I am a Penn State alum and have friends that currently go to Penn State Law that absolutely love it and have had no trouble finding externships. You get the benefit of the PSU Alumni Network that is very strong in PA, DC, NY, NJ & Boston- basically the Northeast + DC & Cali. You will also have access to the vibrant community that comes with an acclaimed research institution. PM me if you have any questions about Happy Valley.

CM3809 · Post by **CM3809** » Sat Jan 31, 2015 12:55 pm

rlw5296 wrote:
cr245199 wrote:I was accepted to both Dickinson and Main Campus with full tuition scholarship. I am hesitant to accept because of the separation of the two schools.

Does anyone have any information on how the different campuses have performed?
Are the professors going to one school or are they staying put?

Definitely go to the Main Campus. From my understanding, Dickinson is moving away from the Penn State name and will return to their former status. I am a Penn State alum and have friends that currently go to Penn State Law that absolutely love it and have had no trouble finding externships. You get the benefit of the PSU Alumni Network that is very strong in PA, DC, NY, NJ & Boston- basically the Northeast + DC & Cali. You will also have access to the vibrant community that comes with an acclaimed research institution. PM me if you have any questions about Happy Valley.

Yeah I agree with this. Penn State just built a new $60 million law building in 2009, and University Park will be a much better experience than Carlisle. I would think that Penn State Law will be the better of the two when the new rankings come out

Rigo · Post by **Rigo** » Sat Jan 31, 2015 12:58 pm

flawschoolkid wrote:Carlisle is a great town - I went to undergrad there and LOVED it - but don't go to law school there. No jobs, and you're so isolated from major legal markets that you can't network.

Whereas State College is smack in the middle of a thriving legal market?

ymmv · Post by **ymmv** » Sat Jan 31, 2015 12:59 pm

Dirigo wrote:
flawschoolkid wrote:Carlisle is a great town - I went to undergrad there and LOVED it - but don't go to law school there. No jobs, and you're so isolated from major legal markets that you can't network.
Whereas State College is smack in the middle of a thriving legal market?

It's only an hour and a half from Harrisburg - plenty of jobs for lawyers in the legislature!

chuckbass · Post by **chuckbass** » Sat Jan 31, 2015 1:23 pm

ymmv wrote:
Dirigo wrote:
flawschoolkid wrote:Carlisle is a great town - I went to undergrad there and LOVED it - but don't go to law school there. No jobs, and you're so isolated from major legal markets that you can't network.
Whereas State College is smack in the middle of a thriving legal market?
It's only an hour and a half from Harrisburg - plenty of jobs for lawyers in the legislature!

Lol and Carlisle is a town over from Harrisburg.

Also in response to the above person talking about the Penn State network, externships are easy to get from anywhere and the alumni network isn't that important if it doesn't get you a job (which it doesn't based on the numbers).

FutureSuperLawyer · Post by **FutureSuperLawyer** » Sat Jan 31, 2015 3:43 pm

Definitely choose Penn State over Dickinson. The only thing Dickinson claims to offer is "experiential learning" that makes students "practice ready." But its the same clinics every other law school offers. If you want to find out how well the experiential learning is working, ask Dickinson what percentage of their grads got jobs as attorneys. They probably will try to evade the question. The latest data from the ABA shows less than half of students got full time jobs as attorneys (you can find this data at http://employmentsummary.abaquestionnaire.org/; note that it data combines Dickinson with Penn State; ask Dickinson for the results for just grads of their campus; I bet they try to evade the question because the numbers are so bad).

In fact a U. of Colorado professor recently argued that Dickinson will be shut down soon. See http://www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com/201 ... -dickinson

Finally, there is the risk you will be abused if you go to Dickinson. A federal lawsuit alleges Dickinson trampled the rights of one its students, a hispanic woman it had previously bragged about admitting. See http://abovethelaw.com/2014/09/cheating ... l-lawsuit/

I'm not going to argue Penn State is Harvard. It's job outcomes are likely to be poor as well (but better than Dickinson). And if you like college towns, its a fun place to spend three years. You'll also be able to take courses in many related disciplines such as business that could be useful.

NonTradLawHopeful · Post by **NonTradLawHopeful** » Sat Jan 31, 2015 6:37 pm

ymmv wrote:
Dirigo wrote:
flawschoolkid wrote:Carlisle is a great town - I went to undergrad there and LOVED it - but don't go to law school there. No jobs, and you're so isolated from major legal markets that you can't network.
Whereas State College is smack in the middle of a thriving legal market?
It's only an hour and a half from Harrisburg - plenty of jobs for lawyers in the legislature!

Carlisle is only 20 minutes from Harrisburg and an hour and a half from DC, so from a location standpoint Dickinson is better.

The previous statement that said Dickinson is losing the Penn State name is incorrect. They are both operating under the school just independently now. I would predict Dickinson actually has the higher employment numbers and will be higher in the rankings when they show up separately. Dickinson is the oldest law school in Pennsylvania and has a great reputation throughout the state.

chuckbass · Post by **chuckbass** » Sat Jan 31, 2015 6:54 pm

Reputation doesn't really matter if it doesn't get you jobs, but I went to school right outside Harrisburg and Dickinson is thought of pretty highly. It just seems like there are no legal jobs in the area, considering how small Harrisburg is.

NonTradLawHopeful · Post by **NonTradLawHopeful** » Sat Jan 31, 2015 7:08 pm

scottidsntknow wrote:Reputation doesn't really matter if it doesn't get you jobs, but I went to school right outside Harrisburg and Dickinson is thought of pretty highly. It just seems like there are no legal jobs in the area, considering how small Harrisburg is.

I agree on that, but that will be a problem from both campuses. I was only comparing between the two.

mach9zero · Post by **mach9zero** » Wed Feb 04, 2015 10:22 am

I was in this position last year when looking at schools (before they split, so entirely based on campuses) - but ended up choosing a school in Philly.

If You're Open to Other Schools
Go to a school in Philly if you're looking to stay within Pennsylvania. I ended up at Temple and it's made a world of difference going to meet judges, law firms, and attorney association networking events. There's something going on every week and I've got federal courts, public interest organizations, and large firms close by.

If You're Set on Penn State
It's a great school - I was pretty hyped on it and was offered $$$$ to go. Both campuses are really nice but completely different.
Dickinson is one building, and a small building at that. It's not on the "Dickinson" campus and it's tucked within a quiet neighborhood. But the building is new and beautiful - and the town of Carlisle is nice with a handful of restaurants and bars. It's nearby to Harrisburg, but I'll tell you that city is a decrepit blackhole. I wouldn't live there, and I don't want to make a life there. But for an older student not looking for a party-scene and maybe thinking of settling with a partner, it's a great option.
Penn State is huge, gigantic. The law school is tucked off to the side near the stadium and is again, all brand new. You're going to get that big D1 school feel and can go to the football games if you're interested in that. BUT the law school is on the complete opposite side of campus from College Ave. & Beaver Ave. so don't plan to just run from school to the bar without a hike. The downtown is also small - real small, and I'd think it'd get incredibly boring during your three years.

If I was going to choose (25/m/single) -- I'd pick Penn State over Dickinson. There's just more to do and more going on. But if I had my overall choice - I wouldn't pick either. I'd stick to either 'Nova, Temple, or Rutgers (or Penn if that was available).

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