Question about Utah and Oregon Forum

[questionsforall]

Hello! I've recently been admitted to Utah and Oregon for the fall of 2013. I received a 12k-no stipulations scholarship to Oregon for three years, and a 14.5k scholarship and in-state tuition waiver from Utah (in total - 100k for three years). I live here in Utah now because I moved here for a girlfriend. I don't know much about it, and I'm not COMPLETELY sure I want to spend the rest of my life in this state. I like the outdoor lifestyle and the surrounding natural beauty, but I'm not too attracted to the Mormon faith and I'm not sure what the prospects are like for the law I would like to get into (my main interests, pre law school, are international and/or environmental law). Not that I think they're slim, I just honestly DON'T KNOW. I have a support system here in Salt Lake (girlfriend and her family), a place to live, and 100k scholarship for three years. Oregon, though, offers Eugene, U of O and everything it has to offer, a non-Mormon population, a top-ranked program in environmental law (and a highly respected international law program), proximity to Portland, and 36k over three years. I'm not sure what the prospects are like in Oregon, either, but am attracted to the Pacific Northwest and what it has to offer. I'm originally from Colorado, and almost went up there for undergrad. The other thing is that I know if I had never met my girlfriend I would've never thought of applying to Utah (we moved here together from abroad). So here are my questions:
1) How easy is it to transition from one area to the next after law school? For example, if I wanted to move back to Colorado with a degree from Utah, what could that be like?
2) Which will offer the best job prospects?
3) Does Utah's environmental law program offer something equivalent to Oregon's?
4) Which will offer a better quality of life for the three years?
5) Does Utah's international law program (and small surrounding city - Salt Lake) offer any prospects in the way of international law, or is it mostly necessary to leave the area for a coast (or somewhere abroad)?

Any help would be much appreciated.

[Nickg415]

1)Neither of the two will give you the freedom to transfer outside of the respective states. They are very regional schools. If you want Colorado go to boulder.
2)Utah definitely offers better employment prospects. I live in Utah right now for Undergrad and have lived in Eugene for a few years and know a professor at the law school there who basically told me not to go to UO.
3)Specialty programs don't matter. Don't go to a school based on something like specialty programs. The main/only factors should be Employment prospects in your desired region and total cost of attendance/starting salary analysis of the schools
4)Having lived in both areas for a good amount of time I know that there are positives and negatives to both. If the LDS aspect of Utah doesn't put you off to much I would say Utah. Especially since UofU's law program is in Salt Lake the Mormon factor will be mitigated considerably.
5)International law is not likely from either of these schools.

[questionsforall]

So if I want to stay in Utah forever, I should go to Utah, and if I want to be in Oregon, I should go to Oregon. Seems simple enough. And the scholarship for Utah is obviously better - so that would be the most likely choice? And can anyone tell me what Utah's environmental law program is like? Is it anything worthwhile? Anything like Boulder's?

[nickb285]

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