Postby ash0117 » Tue Mar 20, 2012 7:11 pm
Well, my decision came down to William and Mary, Wake, or UF in-state. I'm sorry for the book, but here it goes:
After visiting Wake and researching Wake and William and Mary, I decided that the decision was between Wake and UF. I just really didn't like to tiny town of Williamsburg- after living in St. Augustine, FL for a while, I didn't really want to live in a "historical tourist destination." Nothing really wrong with the school, just the location. Between Wake and UF, it was a much harder decision.
UF had quite a few things going for it- in-state tuition being the number one plus. But I had a lot of reservations about it as well. I've been to Gainesville quite a few times and even considered UF for undergrad. I hate the town. I'm not a die hard partier, and Gainesville is the definition of a party town. I also find the town to be dirty and overrun by 18 year olds. It definitely caters to the undergrad population. I have also always been very frustrated because the city shuts down EVERY Saturday for the entire Fall for football. It's nice to go visit and see a game, but living there would be another story. While there is no debate that UF has the best reputation in the state, I have always wanted to leave Florida and practice in the South or Midwest. A UF law degree has almost no portability for me to do so. It's also competitive- I have heard horror stories of students ripping pages out of books in the library so their classmates cannot get the information. I was also concerned by the large class sizes and getting lost in the crowd, since my UG was pretty small.
Wake, on the other hand, was located in an area that I would love to live. Although Winston-Salem has its problems, I like that it is a city where the school happens to be located as opposed to a city built around and revolving around a school. North Carolina has always been one of my favorite places to vacation and I always imagined living there some day. My parents plan on retiring to the NC mountains in a few years. I loved Wakes small class sizes and intimate setting. Everything felt new but it was still personal. No microphones were needed in the classrooms to ensure that the entire class could hear! I love that there are only appx. 140 1Ls. I feel like I will be more than just a face in the crowd. Career Services seems to be very helpful and OCI looks decent for its rank/reputation. I want to be part of a community and I think Wake provides that more than anywhere else. I think the school is beautiful and everyone that I have met and talked to has been unbelievably helpful. I have not heard of extreme competitiveness and students seem to want to help each other. The professors are even motivated to help. I can definitely see myself fitting in well there. Also, I was attracted to their clinics, journals, student organizations and the schools reputation in NC. With the scholarship I received, it will only cost be about $15,000 more total to go to Wake and, to me, that was a small amount compared to long term happiness and job opportunities. So, given these circumstances and barring an unbelievable acceptance or scholarship, I have decided that Wake is for me.
tl;dr- I love the small classes and familial atmosphere of Wake, along with the location.
After my novel, I'd love to hear why you chose Wake!
lol