University of Houston or Thurgood Marshall School of Law? Forum

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TMSL or U of H?

Poll ended at Fri Mar 06, 2015 1:43 pm

Thurgood Marshall School of Law
1
13%
University of Houston School of Law
7
88%
 
Total votes: 8

stt1

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Re: University of Houston or Thurgood Marshall School of Law?

Post by stt1 » Sun Mar 01, 2015 10:17 pm

BigZuck wrote:stt1- I didn't mean for it to be a big deal, I was kind of saying it offhand (and was making fun of myself by saying that I think it's ok to tell someone how to live their life one way but not another). But yeah, I do think it's kind of beyond TLS' collective expertise, whereas giving people advice on gap years and stuff doesn't seem as weird to me just based on how many here have done it. I think suggesting it is fine, and I know someone who has done just that and they seem to be ok. I think it was just the nature of "your family will be fine man" that for some reason struck me as odd. Like, how can we know that? I'm married (but no kids) and I guess maybe we would be fine and maybe it'd be worth it, I dunno, but I think it would really suck when I put myself in those shoes. Can't really imagine what it would be like if I also had kids.

But yeah, didn't mean to make it a big deal, sorry.
Big Zuck: Understood, and no problem. I guess I meant to make the point it is something worth considering, but ended up coming off a different way.

Pancakes1: If I had actually said "it's not a big deal", I would agree I would have had my head up my butt. ;) If my post came off that way, then I really did not phrase things well, as I meant to present it as a serious sacrifice, but potentially not as serious in terms of objective time as might appear at first glance.

I do indeed have a good deal of experience in this sort of arrangement, but I am sure less than the OP with his military background, so it's not worth mentioning.

Country

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Re: University of Houston or Thurgood Marshall School of Law?

Post by Country » Sun Mar 01, 2015 11:06 pm

BigZuck wrote:Only you can decide the personal stuff but in my opinion UH for 60K is fine if you're ok with what a UH law degree will likely get you. Texas Southern should be avoided at all costs.

DO

NOT

GO

TO

TEXAS

SOUTHERN

Seriously. That's out. Stop thinking about it. Done. It's gone. You're not going there.
Duly noted. I think I was leaning that way before I posted this. Thanks!

Country

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Re: University of Houston or Thurgood Marshall School of Law?

Post by Country » Sun Mar 01, 2015 11:47 pm

I’m so glad I decided to post this because I have received some great feedback. Here’s the bottom line guys. I have “sacrificed” for years so that all my expenses, including private school for my children (covered through 2018/nonnegotiable), will be satisfied with less than $40K a year. I have paid everything down because, law school or no law school, Dec. 2015 I was going to be home. I don’t have any delusional expectations of outperforming my UH peers, nor am I oblivious to the oversaturation of the profession. But I never really looked at the average lawyer salary because this was never truly about the money. Why would a rich child go to law school? It’s not always about the money. Don’t get me wrong, I would love to get out day 1 and step into a $100K job in downtown Houston, but I’m a bit more of a realist than that. The option of getting scholarship rewards paid back to me, was so I wouldn’t have to exhaust my savings and emergency funds, and if I did take a loan it would be minimal ($60K was my worst case). All in all, I have my answer Big Zuck put in best
DO

NOT

GO

TO

TEXAS

SOUTHERN
I guess just needed the reassurance. I will still meet with TM since I’ll be in Houston anyway. I have never visited a law school and am enjoying the whole process. I think, if for nothing else, it will add to my law school experience. Again, thanks for the words of wisdom. I trust that each of you were looking out for the best interest of a prospective lawyer.

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Ron Don Volante

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Re: University of Houston or Thurgood Marshall School of Law?

Post by Ron Don Volante » Mon Mar 02, 2015 12:09 am

glad we have been able to help some. But the fact that you were giving thurgood marshall so much consideration gives me concern about the advice you've been getting. Be sure to stick around the forums as you finish out the cycle

good luck

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ck3

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Re: University of Houston or Thurgood Marshall School of Law?

Post by ck3 » Thu Mar 05, 2015 2:29 am

Just want to add a little more info for consideration.

I agree with everyone else that you should go to UH over Thurgood Marshall. However I do disagree with the general attitude in all law school discussions that success or failure can be judged by what happens 9 months after graduation.

I specifically want to talk about the risk of going to law school versus not going. It is risky to go to law school because of the current climate. However, if you view law as a long term career and you assess the long term prospects based upon what has happened historically, then it looks like a better choice. Someone made the point earlier that most who get jobs out of UH will start out making 50K to 60K. If you are already making in that range with your undergrad degree that may give you pause.

However, you really should consider not just the starting salary in law but the likelihood that your salary will increase over time and how quickly it will increase and what the cap will be. This is hard to know. I think that is why a lot of the discussion focuses on what happens 9 months out. It is probably easy to show that if you don't get big law or a legal job in the first year out, your earnings over time are going to be less than other lawyers. However, it may be harder to compare how lawyers who start off struggling, do over time compared to persons with just an undergrad degree. That is really the question that is relevant to your situation.

What I am basically getting at is that your upward mobility over your career is likely to be much better with an advanced degree of some kind, be it law or another field. Black males, even black males with college degrees, are at a significant disadvantage in the American workplace. I saw research yesterday that showed that a black man without a criminal record has the same job prospects as a white man with a criminal record.

What I have seen over time, is that in general black males with undergrad degrees that are not in technical fields don't advance as quickly or as far as their counterparts. If you have a degree in engineering, or computer science or accounting/finance then I would say it is a pretty good risk to continue in the job market with that degree. Also your military experience should help you go far. However, if your degree is not in one of those fields, I would advise you to get some type of advanced degree.

Also, society needs more black attorneys. The current economic climate and the high cost of tuition will likely discourage many. You are in a better position than most because you have your tuition covered. Blessings to you in whatever you decide.

ilikebaseball

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Re: University of Houston or Thurgood Marshall School of Law?

Post by ilikebaseball » Thu Mar 05, 2015 4:00 am

FairchildFLT wrote:Don't waste that GPA. Retake the LSAT, I got into UT with a 155 3.41. If not for someone telling me to apply higher on this forum I probably never would have even applied.

Edit: Also as a fellow veteran, don't waste that opportunity and sell yourself short.
sorry, couldnt help it. You got into UT with those stats? Is that a typo?

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cc78

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Re: University of Houston or Thurgood Marshall School of Law?

Post by cc78 » Thu Mar 05, 2015 10:36 am

^^ Ugh...I hope this thread dies here.

Good luck OP!

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FairchildFLT

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Re: University of Houston or Thurgood Marshall School of Law?

Post by FairchildFLT » Thu Mar 05, 2015 12:53 pm

ilikebaseball wrote:
FairchildFLT wrote:Don't waste that GPA. Retake the LSAT, I got into UT with a 155 3.41. If not for someone telling me to apply higher on this forum I probably never would have even applied.

Edit: Also as a fellow veteran, don't waste that opportunity and sell yourself short.
sorry, couldnt help it. You got into UT with those stats? Is that a typo?
Nope, not a typo, and I'll be going for free as well.

mo1212

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Re: University of Houston or Thurgood Marshall School of Law?

Post by mo1212 » Tue Mar 24, 2015 7:43 pm

Hi.Im in a similar situation.Im still waiting to hear back from UH and South Texas.I got into TSU but applied just as a safety school with my last option of attending there but they offered me a full academic scholarship for the first year so now Im really considering going to TSU now .Ive heard nothing but bad things about TSU but i know people who went there and did extremely well while Uh grads are still unemployed.UH was my first choice but if i get in, i doubt they would offer me any money let alone a full scholarship.South texas my backup.Im sure ill get in but I'm sure they wought give me much money.Maybe a few thousands. So I'm thinking about going to TSU!Minimal debt esp considering the job prospects with ALL law school is a big factor for me. Like u said it all depends what you do with ur degree.Im not necessarily trying do big law at a firm but i need the degree.What did u decide?

wsag826

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Re: University of Houston or Thurgood Marshall School of Law?

Post by wsag826 » Tue Jun 21, 2016 10:46 am

ck3 wrote:Just want to add a little more info for consideration.

I agree with everyone else that you should go to UH over Thurgood Marshall. However I do disagree with the general attitude in all law school discussions that success or failure can be judged by what happens 9 months after graduation.

I specifically want to talk about the risk of going to law school versus not going. It is risky to go to law school because of the current climate. However, if you view law as a long term career and you assess the long term prospects based upon what has happened historically, then it looks like a better choice. Someone made the point earlier that most who get jobs out of UH will start out making 50K to 60K. If you are already making in that range with your undergrad degree that may give you pause.

However, you really should consider not just the starting salary in law but the likelihood that your salary will increase over time and how quickly it will increase and what the cap will be. This is hard to know. I think that is why a lot of the discussion focuses on what happens 9 months out. It is probably easy to show that if you don't get big law or a legal job in the first year out, your earnings over time are going to be less than other lawyers. However, it may be harder to compare how lawyers who start off struggling, do over time compared to persons with just an undergrad degree. That is really the question that is relevant to your situation.

What I am basically getting at is that your upward mobility over your career is likely to be much better with an advanced degree of some kind, be it law or another field. Black males, even black males with college degrees, are at a significant disadvantage in the American workplace. I saw research yesterday that showed that a black man without a criminal record has the same job prospects as a white man with a criminal record.

What I have seen over time, is that in general black males with undergrad degrees that are not in technical fields don't advance as quickly or as far as their counterparts. If you have a degree in engineering, or computer science or accounting/finance then I would say it is a pretty good risk to continue in the job market with that degree. Also your military experience should help you go far. However, if your degree is not in one of those fields, I would advise you to get some type of advanced degree.

Also, society needs more black attorneys. The current economic climate and the high cost of tuition will likely discourage many. You are in a better position than most because you have your tuition covered. Blessings to you in whatever you decide.
Thank you for this post. Glad to hear there is some rational thinking on TLS.

KPUSN07

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Re: University of Houston or Thurgood Marshall School of Law?

Post by KPUSN07 » Sun Jul 24, 2016 12:03 am

FairchildFLT wrote:
ilikebaseball wrote:
FairchildFLT wrote:Don't waste that GPA. Retake the LSAT, I got into UT with a 155 3.41. If not for someone telling me to apply higher on this forum I probably never would have even applied.

Edit: Also as a fellow veteran, don't waste that opportunity and sell yourself short.
sorry, couldnt help it. You got into UT with those stats? Is that a typo?
Nope, not a typo, and I'll be going for free as well.
What distinguished you getting into UT with the LSAT you scored?

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BoobGoddess

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Re: University of Houston or Thurgood Marshall School of Law?

Post by BoobGoddess » Sun Jul 24, 2016 8:51 am

It can be hard on URM students because professors might have certain racial inclinations, and that can be disheartening to deal with. If you want to be able to properly network, I would recommend Thurgood Marshall. Houston can be very white.

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A. Nony Mouse

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Re: University of Houston or Thurgood Marshall School of Law?

Post by A. Nony Mouse » Sun Jul 24, 2016 11:47 am

BoobGoddess wrote:It can be hard on URM students because professors might have certain racial inclinations, and that can be disheartening to deal with. If you want to be able to properly network, I would recommend Thurgood Marshall. Houston can be very white.
The OP made their decision over a year ago.

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BoobGoddess

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Re: University of Houston or Thurgood Marshall School of Law?

Post by BoobGoddess » Sun Jul 24, 2016 11:54 am

A. Nony Mouse wrote:
BoobGoddess wrote:It can be hard on URM students because professors might have certain racial inclinations, and that can be disheartening to deal with. If you want to be able to properly network, I would recommend Thurgood Marshall. Houston can be very white.
The OP made their decision over a year ago.
I am soooooooo sorry OP could not benefit. But, I'm going to leave my advice up there, just in case future readers might want in on my infinite and mighty wisdom. :lol:

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IsThisForReal

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Post by IsThisForReal » Sun Jul 24, 2016 12:00 pm

top-law-schools.com

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