Sturm College of Law or Loyola LA? Forum

[kwabbs]

Got into DU with a 30K/year scholly and a 3.0 stip, also got into Loyola LA sticker price. San Diego,CA native but willing to move to Colorado. Also got into USD with some $$ and Lewis and Clark with $$ but have mostly ruled these two schools out..

Any advice? Feel like DU would be hard to pass up for only 10K a year. Currently only about 20K in loans from undergrad so didn't accumulate too much debt IMO.

[ReasonableNprudent]

Virtually everyone on this forum will tell you to not pursue any of these options.

[kwabbs]

Virtually everyone on this forum will tell you to not pursue any of these options.

yes I know.. But I am not looking to take any more time off school.. I'm mostly set on DU but just want to check in.. I feel like 10K a year is really hard to beat.

[nlee10]

Career goals?

[middlebear]

1 - do you have any ties to CO? "Being willing to move" doesn't count. The Denver market is small and insular.

2 - career goals?

3 - any reasons you are not looking to take another year? Because like above said, lots of people will tell you these options aren't worth it.

[kwabbs]

Career goals?

I don't have a set idea of what id like to do but I think I want to work for small/medium firm. I would also consider getting into business law. If I had to choose a niche it would be publishing/copy right but I really don't know enough about it to make that decision.


No connections in Colorado or in CA

[ReasonableNprudent]

Do you want to live in Denver or the surrounding area for the foreseeable future? Going to law school in Denver will have you there for at least three years. Schools of the caliber of Denver are extremely regional, meaning your most likely options (which will still be extremely limited and tied to your success and ability to network while in law school) will be in Denver. You will need to be a somewhat accomplished attorney and barred in another state if you ever choose to leave Co, and that won't happen for at least 2-3 years after law school. If you go to Denver you most likely be in Denver or the near vicinity for a minimum of 5 years, and probably longer.

From the information provided it doesn't appear that you have a compelling reason to go to Denver. A substantial discount on tuition is not enough to justify moving to a random spot on the map long enough to finish a 3 year rigorous course of study and the initial few years of building your law career, and possibly much longer.

I'm actually quite surprised Loyola didn't give you any scholarship, as they have been quite generous the last few years.

It is amazing how resistant people are to taking one more year for the sake of planning a career that could span 40-50 years, not to mention the entirety of the life that accompanies that career.

Is Denver really your first choice? Is this option the best one that you can realistically envision for yourself? If it is then go for it. I'm not convinced this is your first choice. I don't think you would be discussing these different options if it were.

[Mullens]

Career goals?

I don't have a set idea of what id like to do but I think I want to work for small/medium firm. I would also consider getting into business law. If I had to choose a niche it would be publishing/copy right but I really don't know enough about it to make that decision.


No connections in Colorado or in CA

You should not attend either of these schools without ties and very reasonable and specific goals. You lack all of these things. I wouldn't wish Loyola LA at sticker on my worst enemy.

You should retake the LSAT and do more research about law practice areas and employment outcomes.

[Nomo]

The posters above are giving good advice. You don't have specific goals. Which means that (1) you can't hustle for those goals from day 1 (something you need to do at these schools); and (2) you run the very high risk of realizing that the thing you want isn't achievable from these schools.

At the same time, you don't have deep ties to Denver and that's going to hurt you in the CO market even if you go to DU. Loyala at sticker is crazy. Please don't rush into law school with undefined goals, especially not these schools at these prices. If you wait another year, try to get a better lsat, try to get better options, learn more about yourself, and define your goals - you will not regret that year. If you rush into law school now you are very likely to regret it.

How old are you now? 25? 26? You're going to spend more years as a lawyer than you've lived up to this point. Maybe twice as many years. Play the long game here. I have literally never heard anyone say that they waited too long before going to law school.

[cal2013]

What was your LSAT score? If you have ties to San Diego (which I believe you said you do) and you can go for close-to-free, that wouldn't be a terrible decision. No Loyola at sticker though. No way. LA is so saturated.

[Pragmatic Gun]

Every time I see Sturm, I think of this guy from a Gameboy game.:

http://advancewars.wikia.com/wiki/Sturm

[romothesavior]

Virtually everyone on this forum will tell you to not pursue any of these options.

yes I know.. But I am not looking to take any more time off school.. I'm mostly set on DU but just want to check in.. I feel like 10K a year is really hard to beat.

So you know what the advice is going to be, and you fully intend to ignore it, but you asked for it anyway

Ok then.

[eriedoctrine]

Sticker at UCLA, USC, and even Berkeley is iffy but somewhat feasible.
For your schools, you'll ruin your life.

[kwabbs]

Virtually everyone on this forum will tell you to not pursue any of these options.

yes I know.. But I am not looking to take any more time off school.. I'm mostly set on DU but just want to check in.. I feel like 10K a year is really hard to beat.

So you know what the advice is going to be, and you fully intend to ignore it, but you asked for it anyway

Ok then.

Not really. I am actually taking this advice. I'm on 23, so I guess still pretty young for attending law school. These posts have definitely opened my eyes a bit to taking more time off and where I should go to law school. I am strongly considering it now when I wasn't at all before.

[BigZuck]

Both are too expensive. You'll be like 100K in debt if you go to Denver. That's a non-starter.

[romothesavior]

Virtually everyone on this forum will tell you to not pursue any of these options.

yes I know.. But I am not looking to take any more time off school.. I'm mostly set on DU but just want to check in.. I feel like 10K a year is really hard to beat.

So you know what the advice is going to be, and you fully intend to ignore it, but you asked for it anyway

Ok then.

Not really. I am actually taking this advice. I'm on 23, so I guess still pretty young for attending law school. These posts have definitely opened my eyes a bit to taking more time off and where I should go to law school. I am strongly considering it now when I wasn't at all before.

That's good to hear.

Know that the advice ITT and elsewhere isn't elitism or disdain for lower ranked schools. Strong regional schools can be good options at the right price and in the right circumstances. Unfortunately, the price and circumstances aren't right for you at these schools. Take a look at the data on Law School Transparency for a better idea.

It's good to hear you realize you're young and have plenty of time. You can retake for money and better options. I went to a T20 on a scholarship and got a good job and love what I do. I'm one of the lucky ones from c/o 2013. Still, my biggest regret is not taking time off before law school, getting an even bigger scholarship, and doing my own thing for 3-4 years. Don't be in a hurry to get a JD. You may discover law school isn't the right path for you. Or, it may still be the right path, but you can make it an easier and cheaper path for yourself.