Alright, so here's my situation. I've taken the LSAT twice (October and December 2011) and have been pretty bummed by both of my scores because of the significant test day drop. I plan on retaking the LSAT in June in hopes of boosting my chances at T14 in 2013. Nevertheless, I got accepted into OU and paid my seat deposit (~ $500, I think) as a safety net in case I don't do significantly better. Well, I recently got off the waitlist at UC Hastings and they want me to pay a seat deposit as well in order to reserve my spot there, which is also about $500.

So my question is: while I know UC Hastings is significantly better than OU in terms of rankings, would it be worth it to place a seat deposit for Hastings also as a safety net? I want to maximize my opportunities of getting a job outside of Oklahoma when I graduate, but I am not entirely sure how many more opportunities Hastings will afford me in comparison to OU. What do you guys think? (Note: this is kind of a worst case scenario thing in case I fuck up on June again, and this question would be entirely irrelevant if I absolutely destroy the LSAT in June)

TYIA, everyone!

Don't just look at the rankings.

How much does each school cost? Any scholarships? Any stipulations with those scholarships?

Do you want to practice in OK or CA? Do you have ties to CA?

What kind of law do you want to practice? How well does each school place in that area?

The decision should be independent of your retake, IMO. If you're sure you'll do well, then you might as well save $500 and not deposit at Hastings, but obviously you can never be sure you'll do well.

Yeah, but I guess the main concern is post-grad job opportunities outside of OK. I really don't want to end up staying in this shitty state, and I know OU doesn't really have much national recognition as a school that cranks out the best JDs. That being said, I'm not entirely sure I would want to ultimately practice in CA, but I wouldn't rule it out by any means.

As far as costs go, OU would be exponentially cheaper, since I'm an in-state resident and they offered me a tiny scholarship. I believe I would be paying for Hastings at sticker with the help of any financial aid options they have.

Ideally, however, I would want my retake to land me in a T14(16?) at UT or better...

Both those schools are incredibly regional schools in areas you don't want to practice in. OU will not carry outside of OK, and UCH will not carry outside of California. Also, if you're worried about employment, I highly encourage you to check out http://www.lawschooltransparency.com and look at the employment data for OU and UCH. It's some pretty grim stuff.

Why bother having a 'safety' at all if you don't want to go to those safeties? If I were you, I wouldn't deposit anywhere and instead I'd focus on hitting that LSAT and reapply this fall to get into the T14. Otherwise, you are bound to be unhappy with where you end up.

Thanks crumpets! How the hell did I not know about LST? .. I guess the idea of having a safety was that going to law school and having to practice in OK is better than being an insurance salesman or something of the sort. Ha. But yeah, I'm prepping heavily for June right now...