Flash Poll: WUSTL$$ vs. Vandy$ (5/26 deadline) Forum

[canuck996]

Looking like a dead heat here. Pretty interesting considering the usual rankings mania seen on TLS. Without telling you my sign, here's a few personal details that might help guide discussion:

-Reapply is not an option.
-For school geographically I don't have any real ties to either city, and aside from Nashville being closer to home neither is intrinsically more appealing than the other.
-For work geographically the ultimate goal is Tokyo, but in the meantime I would prefer Los Angeles or NYC.
-I have pretty substantial financial resources, so cost doesn't necessary equal debt. Obviously money is an issue or I wouldn't be stuck on this, but I'm looking at taking on a maximum of $60-100K debt no matter where I go.

With these goals in mind, I would certainly recommend Vanderbilt. I am not sure how the placement in Tokyo is, but my suspicion is that you would need to speak the language to have a competitive shot at landing there right after graduation.

If you want to work in LA or NYC, then Vanderbilt seems like the obvious winner here. Vandy has much stronger placement in both of these areas and will provide much easier options to getting there.

Full disclaimer, I am a recent Vandy grad, and absolutely loved my time at Vandy. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

[fl0w]

so deadline is today right?

will (s)he take the money!!??!??!

[bigjinjapan]

Thanks to everyone for the input! It was a gut-wrenching couple days, but I ultimately decided to accept Vandy's offer of admission and send them my deposit. There were a lot of personal reasons that don't really bear going into here, but for my particular interest in Japan Vandy has a better alumni network in Tokyo (I couldn't find any WUSTL alumni), and they have some students doing summer internships there. Also, Prof. John Haley (a top scholar in Japanese legal studies) was super nice in corresponding with me during the application process, and since he's left WUSTL for Vandy that was a deciding factor as well.

I agree with the general opinion that the two schools aren't statistically different as far as the rankings go, however Vandy's placement does appear to be a lot better on the West Coast and a little better in NYC (though I understand that WUSTL is opening a clinic here that may help things). Also, a difference of 20 percentage points in NLJ250 placement is pretty significant, and that along with some broader discrepancies in the educational quality and Vault rankings illustrates a possible difference between 'ranking' and 'reputation.' WUSTL is pretty new to the top-20, and while I think they're going to continue to improve they're just not quite there yet. That being said, if money were more of an issue I would definitely be going with WUSTL.

As for the rest of my WL schools, other than GULC I'm resigned to going to any one I'm lucky enough to get into at sticker, and the first one I hear from will be the last school I mess with. Until then, I'm happy to be waiting it with Vandy.

so deadline is today right?

will (s)he take the money!!??!??!

I'm a guy, FWIW. All the relevant details are on my LSN page.

[Dany]

Enjoy Vandy/Nashville! It's a great place.

[bigjinjapan]

Enjoy Vandy/Nashville! It's a great place.

Thanks! As a huge Johnny Cash fan the Nashville appeal can't be discounted

[WayBryson]

Looking like a dead heat here. Pretty interesting considering the usual rankings mania seen on TLS. Without telling you my sign, here's a few personal details that might help guide discussion:

-Reapply is not an option.
-For school geographically I don't have any real ties to either city, and aside from Nashville being closer to home neither is intrinsically more appealing than the other.
-For work geographically the ultimate goal is Tokyo, but in the meantime I would prefer Los Angeles or NYC.
-I have pretty substantial financial resources, so cost doesn't necessary equal debt. Obviously money is an issue or I wouldn't be stuck on this, but I'm looking at taking on a maximum of $60-100K debt no matter where I go.

There is a Japanese Consulate in Nashville. Vanderbilt also actively recruits Japanese students into their LLM program, which would likely give you an edge in networking if you are really going after Tokyo. Vanderbilt also has a professor who specializes in Japanese law. Food for thought. Gambatte witht the choice.

EDIT: Oops. I didn't see the second page of the thread! Well, hopefully this gives OP a smile. See you in Nashville

[thelawyler]

I made a similar decision of 75k at WUSTL vs 21k at Vandy off the WL and chose Vandy because of its stronger NYC/DC placement.

Like you, I am also riding a few waitlists that I would probably take if accepted. If we both strike out, I'll be seeing you next year. =D

[flexityflex86]

OP: If you don't want the Midwest, don't you have another option that is slightly lower than Vandy with WUSTL type $ on either coast?

[bigjinjapan]

OP: If you don't want the Midwest, don't you have another option that is slightly lower than Vandy with WUSTL type $ on either coast?

I turned down $75K at Cardozo; with higher CoL I didn't think it was worth it to go to a T2 school, no matter how well connected they are in NYC. Neither Pepperdine nor GWU offered me any money, so same story. If I'm lucky enough to get off the WL at UCLA that's where I'll be going. All my school info is on LSN and is current.