What kind of law would you like to practice after law school? And where would you like to live? I think reflecting on those two questions will help you make your decision.
I chose NCCU (contrary to what some may think, there are a lot of us that chose Central over higher ranking schools) because I want to do public interest work after graduation. I've never had a desire to work at a big firm. I am also interested in remaining in NC. It was important that I select a school that is close to my family and wouldn't leave me with an enormous amount of student loans. I got everything I wanted with NCCU and I am very happy with my decision.
The curve is indeed brutal. But it's doable. The rationale behind the curve is that since NCCU accepts students who have lower LSAT scores, the tough curve is a weed out process to ensure that the school is graduating students who are hard workers and are more likely to pass the bar. A lot of the people who are dismissed after 1L year just didn't do what they were supposed to do. You are given an opportunity and it's up to you to sink or swim.
Besides the low cost of tuition, I think that the biggest benefits to going to Central are the clinics and the faculty. Of course some of the professors are a$$holes, but there are some wonderful faculty members at NCCU. They excelled in their areas of specialty and they do everything they can to whip you into shape. One of my favorite professors commutes from California every single week to teach us because she is so committed to her students and her desire to work at an HBCU.
The clinics (be sure to check out the website) are invaluable. You get the opportunity to dive in, represent clients, and go to trial. I know a lot of schools have externship programs but NCCU has a ton of established clinics that are a blessing to the surrounding community in need of affordable legal services.
In thinking about some of the jobs last year's graduates are currently in, it's a pretty mixed bag. Like most schools, the top students got offers at large firms. The young lady who was at the top of her class is at Womble Carlyle. The top 2 in my class will likely follow in her footsteps, as they have been summering there. A few students got judicial clerkships. A lot of times people forget that there are so many levels of judges. It is not necessary to go to Harvard to clerk with a local judge. A few folks are doing public defender work. I can think of two placements at the IRS as tax attorneys. One guy is working as a magistrate. Some went on to do LLMs. There are a lot of people in my class in the JD/MBA program and want to do more nontraditional legal jobs. There is also a JD/MLS joint degree program.
Ignore anyone who tells you that NCCU grads are constantly competing against Duke law students for jobs. I don't know anyone who goes to Duke that intends to stay in North Carolina. They come, get that top tier degree, and then head to bigger markets like NY and DC or back to their home states.
It's really all about networking, taking advantage of guest speakers and panels, and so on to land jobs. One thing I learned quickly is that NCCU grads look out for other NCCU grads. They aim to hire Central grads and push to get other NCCU alumni in their offices and agencies. This push helped land me an amazing internship this summer and it's an internship that many on this forum would have told me would be impossible since I don't attend a top tier school.
There is a large Greek presence at Central, both in the students and faculty. It's fun and there is some friendly competition from time to time. We are actually having a stroll off competition in two weeks for bragging rights.
I guess to sum it up (and because I am seriously procrastinating reading for Tax) I recommend that you talk to people who actually go to the schools you are considering. This is a board for future attorneys, so there is bound to be quite a bit of hot air!
If you tell me what kind of law you are interested in I will put you in contact with some of my classmates with similar interests.Also feel free to PM me any questions you have.
