Top Law Schools

Anyone possibly considering attending?

I can tell you about Syracuse and a little about the school. I considered attending, but the cost is pretty high. It is a small campus, and winter sucks. The law building is nice, parking is decent. There is a strong career services department and the professors try, especially in giving feedback. The guy I know who went there transfered out after the first year to a law school in Utah though.

The cost of living (housing) is pretty high and there is a realty slump. Also the salt on the roads from snow paving is murder on your vehicle. Expect it to rust out like magic.

I got accepted, but I'm not sure if I'll seriously consider it. Tuition is so high, and I'm concerned about job prospects after graduation.

How about Syracuse for next to nothing? I received a fantastic scholarship, and I'm seriously tempted.

reidki wrote:How about Syracuse for next to nothing? I received a fantastic scholarship, and I'm seriously tempted.

After looking at your LSN, I think Temple is your best bet. Tuition is already cheap there, and is even more of a bargain after you throw in your scholarship.

But wait, I was waitlisted there and it's my top choice ... so ... don't go there! It's an awful school!

Living in America wrote:

reidki wrote:How about Syracuse for next to nothing? I received a fantastic scholarship, and I'm seriously tempted.

After looking at your LSN, I think Temple is your best bet. Tuition is already cheap there, and is even more of a bargain after you throw in your scholarship.

But wait, I was waitlisted there and it's my top choice ... so ... don't go there! It's an awful school!

Temple seems to have really great employment prospects. I lot of my decision is going to depend on where my husband gets accepted for PhD work (damn religious studies PhD programs take forever to make decisions). Temple is definitely one of his top choices also, however, so we very well could be going there next year. If he ends up getting accepted, I might try to beg for more money from Temple.

bumping...anyone else??

I'll be there in the fall

Awesome. Did you go to the Visitor Program? I want to find out when we get our schedule. I'm so excited. What are your plans regarding housing?

I'm considering attending--just not sure if I can tolerate living in Syracuse or the surrounding areas for three years. Does anyone have any first hand experience of the area?

I will also be attending. The scholarship they offered me was simply too good to be true. That combined with some other extenuating circumstances (family/spouse-related) made Syracuse win in the end. I can't wait to start! My husband and I visited on the 4th, and managed to sign a lease for a nice apartment in the Westcott area. I was NOT impressed with the city at all, but the housing is really affordable and the College of Law seems like a gem.

I saw the pictures of on-campus housing and it looks very unappealing. I'm definitely going to do off-campus housing but want something as close as possible to the school. Reidki- do you know what apt. buildings are closest to the law school? The nice thing is that rent is affordable. Two of my co-workers lived near Syracuse and have mentioned to me that the weather really isn't as bad as some may say. There hasn't been as much snow as usual in the past two years. Hope that's a good sign. I'm definitely not a fan of the snow.

Yeah, definitely avoid on-campus housing. Slocum Heights is actually on South Campus, which hardly qualifies as "on campus" anyway! Check out http://www.orangehousing.com
Most of the apartments listed on this site are within 1/2 hour walk or quick bus ride to the law school. We found a great apartment using this resource that is less than a mile away in a charming residential area. I've been told to avoid the East Genessee area, as it tends to be dominated by undergraduate party houses. North Syracuse should also be avoided, as this part of the city is not really set up for walking and it is not on the campus bus line. It's really hard to find housing that isn't sleazy in this city. I was incredibly frustrated by our initial apartment search, as nothing felt comfortable, safe, or proximate to the campus. The other graduate/law students helped us out a lot, however, and we're really happy about what we ultimately found. PM me with more details about what you're looking for (price range and size) and I'll give you some more specific pointers!

From what I've researched there are some nicer areas to live just beyond the city, like Manlius, where the total median income is higher. But is it common for law students to live out in those areas? Or do most stick around Westcott?

The crime and income stats on Syracuse have really turned me off to the area. The city has experienced a huge population decline over the last 50 years and 27% of the residents live below the poverty line. In addition, violent crime and theft (both in the city and on campus) is comparatively very high. I agree that the school itself seems great. I'm just having a hard time wrapping my mind around whether or not I could stand to live there. How do law students there deal with the quality of life and crime in the city?

Thanks Reidki. I'm wondering whether a complex or apartment would be better. Is transportation easy in Syracuse? I'm bringing my car, but really don't want to utilize it as much because I'm not sure whether parking will be so easy. Do you know if Syracuse gives parking permits?

The city is, unfortunately, not very walkable. The bus transportation is decent, I hear, if you live in the Westcott area, but pretty inconvenient everywhere else. Parking permits are available, but we decided against one because they are costly. The cheapest one is around $100/year, but the lot is a mile away from campus, so it still would require that you walk/bus a mile to the college of law! The ones that are more proximate are much more expensive ($350-$450/year, if I recall correctly), and the really convenient garage is not available to 1L's. So, your transportation options kind of break down like this:
1) Pay to park close by (I've been told to make sure you utilize the escort services when you need to enter the parking lots at night).
2) If you want to rely on the buses, you really need to live in the Westcott area
3) If you want to walk (which I wouldn't recommend after dark or if you are female), try to be as close as possible to campus, preferably on the East side, as it is slightly less sketchy.

Keep in mind that any of the apartments advertised by the College of Law that fall above Highway 690 require that you cross the highway to get to campus, so they are not walkable or bus-friendly. In general, stay south of Genessee. The close you get to Euclid, generally-speaking, the better/safer the area.

I didn't have a chance to get to the visitor day program, I really wish I had. I've never actually seen the campus, but everyone tells me its pretty nice. I still have no idea what I'm doing with housing, which it totally worrying me. But I'm completely excited regardless...they offered me a pretty nice scholarship...which should help offset the debt a lot. What sort of aid or scholarships did they offer the rest of you guys?

Unfortunately, I got nothing. Bring on the debt. Housing is stressing me out tremendously. During my visit they gave a listing of apt. buildings around the area. I think it is also available on the site if you don't have that info. I'm probably going up there towards the end of May. I definitely want an upbeat and spacious apartment- nothing too depressing. Where are you coming from? I live in Queens, NY so I'm not to familiar w/ Syracuse. Before school starts I actually wanna spend a few days there and get more comfortable w/ the area.

I'm from Saratoga NY, but i go to SUNY Buffalo right now....unfortunately the only part of Syracuse I know is what i pass on the I-90..so yeah i deff. need to go orient myself a bit out there.

I was just wondering if anyone has had any success in negotiating with them for money? Not to sound ungrateful, but I was somewhat disappointed in the fact that all I was offered was a little less than $6k in a grant given that my LSAT was only a point below their median and my UGPA was well above their 75%. I certainly would not mind going there, but I'm very hesistant given the amount of debt I'd have to take on to do so.

Did you apply for the merit scholarship....I originally didn't apply on the application and they sent me an email telling me to apply, i wrote the two essays and they awarded me 15k a yr. From what i've heard from people, Syracuse is pretty generous with those scholarships.

When did they notify you regarding the merit scholarship?

They never actually sent me anything..I just called the admissions office about a week later and they told me over the phone.

well its official...I'm going to Syracuse. Does anyone have a feeling for the apartments in the area of Comstock Ave., Walnut Ave., or Madison St? Hows the area? How far away is it from the law school? Mostly graduates or undergrads? By when is everyone trying to secure housing?etc?