Should I Go To The Highest Ranked School Im Accepted To? Forum

[drummerboy]

Assuming that that money is not an obstacle (Hypothetically Speaking Only, Since It Is Indeed An Obstacle For Me) should you go to the highest ranked school provided that youre comfortable living in that region?

[Leira7905]

Assuming that that money is not an obstacle (Hypothetically Speaking Only, Since It Is Indeed An Obstacle For Me) should you go to the highest ranked school provided that youre comfortable living in that region?

Well, if money wasn't an obstacle, and you're comfortable with the region... Why wouldn't you go to the highest ranked school???

[drummerboy]

Thanks. I just wanted to clarify the obvious. Ive become very confused by all the postings about tuition/scholarships, and debt aversion. Ive have become sidetracked no longer focusing on the inherent quality of the individual schools. Hope this makes sense.

[Mattfl88]

I think everyone clearly wants to go to the highest ranked school they can but money is a huge factor. For me, I am planning on going to the highest ranked school that gives me the most money or the state school since I will save a lot of money. I think rank, region, and money are the three variables to consider. I personally would go with a school that gives me a financial break unless the school that you would attend at sticker is T14.

[drummerboy]

Thanks again. My objective is to lessen the variables in decision making. Its very hard to do, I know. Another question that arises is what parts of the country are you most likely to find a job in this market. NYC, Chicago, etc. I would consider tough/ higher risk( COL is high. competition great) Midwest, on the other hand. Im not sure. Any thoughts in response to this convoluted question?

[Mattfl88]

Where in the country to you want to live/what market would you like to practice in? I think if you really want to practice in NYC, I would choose NYU, Columbia over Brooklyn even if it means taking out a little more in loans. If you want less competitive markets, go with the scholarship money.

[Bildungsroman]

Thanks again. My objective is to lessen the variables in decision making. Its very hard to do, I know. Another question that arises is what parts of the country are you most likely to find a job in this market. NYC, Chicago, etc. I would consider tough/ higher risk( COL is high. competition great) Midwest, on the other hand. Im not sure. Any thoughts in response to this convoluted question?

Decision-making when picking a law school isn't a formula you can just plug values into, brah. It's different for each person, with debt aversion, career prospects, region of interest, location of school, desired career path, and a multitude of other factors having an impact on what makes a school right for you. Once you have all your decisions and $$ offers back you'll be in a better place to consider this, rather than trying to decide ahead of time what will make each school the "winner" in your mind; the decision may be a lot easier than you think depending on what schools offer you, and you can compare a few schools against one another rather than engaging in a roiling imbroglio of a dozen different hypothetical admissions.

[cowgirl_bebop]

Go to the highest ranked school that is economically feasible in an area you like. Make sure it fits all of these criteria, because you dont want to go to a school that:

1. Is ranked so low as to prevent you from getting a job
2. Is so expensive that you mortgage your entire life away and cannot pay it back
3. Is located in a place you hate and leaves you stuck there

You assign your own weights to those three criteria (and any other you deem important) and make your decision based on that. IMHO, picking a school solely on how high it is ranked, especially when $$$ is a factor, is not the best move.

[drummerboy]

Thank you all. Excellent, informative, and polite answers! As far as rank is concerned, how low is too low? For example, Stetson is ranked lower than Miami yet everyone seems to love it. At least the majority of comments are very positive. Miami on the other hand, is hardly ever praised despite its higher ranking. Im still waiting on UF/ FSU, but if we exclude both and either region is desirable is it reasonable to attend Stetson over Miami?