Stringer6 wrote: would you care to weigh in on how he breaks down the percentages?
nevermind. you already did.
Okay, I'll bite.
Without throwing this thread too far off the rails, which may be futile, it is clear that BronxBum's posts are very pessimistic, full disclaimer - mine are likely very optimistic. [I've had terrific and unique opportunities at Fordham that I can safely say not a single other law school would have provided. Self-aggrandizing as that may sound, it is 100% true.] That said, coming in to law school, I was shocked, literally shocked, how often when talking to employers and practitioners that I got the, "Oh you got to Fordham Law? That's really a great school, you should talk to partner/director XYZ at our firm/non-profit. They went to Fordham and talk about it all the time." I was then definitely under the impression that these people would see me and be more, "Oh pshht, you go to Fordham, haha sucker lol wut, Columbia Rulez." Really this is not the case. I'm almost embarrassed to say where I go to school at my internship because invariably everyone's eyebrows raise and they say, "Oh Fordham, great school, good for you." Or maybe they just had really low expectations for me when the met me, who knows? This is highly awkward for a lot of the other law school students who are at schools in the Brooklyn/RU-N/CUNY/Dozo/NYLS range. Now obviously Fordham is a cut above these schools in rankings and employment, but the alumni base is exceedingly strong in NY and the reputation is right up there. Side anecdote- I've talked to a few employers about hiring and they have mentioned schools they recruit at and we talk about why I chose Fordham and when/if we talk about turning down a T14 that happens to be in upstate NY for FLS, there is never any second-guessing. It's always, yeah you would have to pay me to go up there, for NYC Fordham is better. I'm not sure I'd even go that far, but the point is Fordham is a great school for the New York Area. If you really put in the time, and not just in classwork, but networking and getting on the job search early, I'm confident that paying sticker at Fordham can be a good decision. If you are making an investment in yourself, why would you want to shortchange yourself?
Okay, with the topic sufficiently derailed I'll end the mini-rant and am happy to continue the discussion from any angle via PM.