ASU vs UW vs Utah vs San Diego vs Creighton Forum

[mak04]

So I was wondering if I could get some input on selecting a law school. -The schools you are considering

ASU(26)- I did my undergrad at ASU. My family has a second house I would live at.
UW(28)- In-state, would live at home. 10k per year renewable scholarship
University of Utah(42)- would be third generation UofU Law Alumni, my family has a cabin I would live at, and I have lots of connections in Utah
University of San Diego(71)- 43K per year renewable scholarship, guaranteed internship after 1L, free macbook pro offered
Creighton(113)- Full tuition+books scholarship, would live with family for free

-The total Cost of Attendance (COA) of each.
ASU - 39K
UW- 81K
Utah- 44K
San Diego- 81K
Creighton- 9K
-How you will be financing your COA, i.e. loans, family, or savings
Financing via family, interest free

-Where you are from and where you want to work, and other places where you have significant ties (if any)
From the Seattle area, ties in Seattle, Utah, and D.C
I would love to work in Washington, California, or DC but would work in Utah

-Your general career goals
I am not sure yet, either in-house council, dispute resolution, or public interest

-Your LSAT/GPA numbers
163/3.92

-How many times you have taken the LSAT
Once, February 2015

[CanadianWolf]

In house counsel, not "council".

Creighton is out as it won't get you to Seattle, DC or Utah.

ASU is fine for Arizona placement, as is Utah for Utah.

Ask UWashington for more money. If none is offered, then consider retaking the LSAT as even a 2 point gain should substantially increase your law school options & scholarship offers.

If you retake the LSAT & get a 5 point gain, you should be admitted to several T-14 law schools & you should get generous scholarship offers from schools outside of the T-14 as well as money from some T-14 law schools.

[Winston1984]

Your gpa is too high to settle for that score. Retake the LSAT.

[zombie mcavoy]

My inclination is to say retake, too. The school you go to is where you are likely to practice. So cross Crieghton off, and Arizona (not going to get you to Cali). Too much to pay for San Diego. That COA is fine for Utah but it sounds like you're lukewarm on being there long term, so I would not advise going there. None of these schools will get you to DC.

That's a bit more than I would like to pay for UW, but I suppose it is defensible, as a Seattle native. It's risky, but if being in Seattle is what's important to you, going somewhere other than UW is probably going to close that market off to you. A retake would knock this cost down, and you could use the year to work and save a bunch of money for COL.

I suppose going to UW right now is fine (but continue trying to negotiate, also consider retaking this June) because it sounds like you might have a pretty wealthy family who might be able to prop you up if you graduate from UW and can't find a job. If this is not the case, then definitely retake.

[mak04]

In house counsel, not "council".

Creighton is out as it won't get you to Seattle, DC or Utah.

ASU is fine for Arizona placement, as is Utah for Utah.

Ask UWashington for more money. If none is offered, then consider retaking the LSAT as even a 2 point gain should substantially increase your law school options & scholarship offers.

If you retake the LSAT & get a 5 point gain, you should be admitted to several T-14 law schools & you should get generous scholarship offers from schools outside of the T-14 as well as money from some T-14 law schools.

My main question is how much of an impact would going to a T-14 school have on my career long term over a top 25 school? Money is not really an issue, my parents would pay for the tuition within reason.

[mak04]

My inclination is to say retake, too. The school you go to is where you are likely to practice. So cross Crieghton off, and Arizona (not going to get you to Cali). Too much to pay for San Diego. That COA is fine for Utah but it sounds like you're lukewarm on being there long term, so I would not advise going there. None of these schools will get you to DC.

That's a bit more than I would like to pay for UW, but I suppose it is defensible, as a Seattle native. It's risky, but if being in Seattle is what's important to you, going somewhere other than UW is probably going to close that market off to you. A retake would knock this cost down, and you could use the year to work and save a bunch of money for COL.

I suppose going to UW right now is fine (but continue trying to negotiate, also consider retaking this June) because it sounds like you might have a pretty wealthy family who might be able to prop you up if you graduate from UW and can't find a job. If this is not the case, then definitely retake.

Thank you for the advice!
I agree I should have taken the LSAT earlier so I could retake this cycle. However, I only started studying for the LSAT in January so it wasn't really an option.
I am also hesitant to wait a year before going to law school because I will not have a good explanation as to why I put it off. I am worried that will reflect negatively on my applications.

[zombie mcavoy]

I am also hesitant to wait a year before going to law school because I will not have a good explanation as to why I put it off. I am worried that will reflect negatively on my applications.

You've got this completely wrong. Taking at least a year off between UG and LS is generally recognized as a positive. It will be looked at as a good thing, even if you just sit on your ass. You certainly won't be asked to "explain" why didn't immediately matriculate, or something. Find a job and save up some money, retake, and good things will happen. Getting some solid work experience will also help in finding a job as an attorney.

[DaRascal]

Arizona State without question. It's been ranked in the T30 for too long for it to be considered a school that gamed itself up the rankings. ASU is legit, brah and you already went to UG at ASU. Forget T14 and all that. A 163 is a great score and, maybe you didn't apply to these schools, but Cornell, Georgetown, Michigan, and UVA might accept you with your numbers. Forget all that noise though, bro. T14 is a scam without at least 3/4 tuition scholly. ASU is the place to be! (Sun Devil smiley)