Three options right now Forum

[theduffman]

Your 4th option is to include a poll.

If you did I would vote LSU since Louisiana is civil law, right?

Louisiana is civil law, yes. That has definitely factored into my decision, although I know there are plenty of ways to pass the bar from non-civil law schools.

[theduffman]

I don't know LSU's reputation- but I wouldn't count on doing so well there. That can be a dangerous line of thinking.

I could be wrong but I interpreted his statement about doing well to refer more to his connections than grades - i.e., he's reasonably confident that he'll land on his feet no matter what (esp. with the low cost allowing him to take just about any salary). That said, if I was wrong then you are absolutely correct to remind him to not fall into that trap line of thought.

I was going to ask if there were any stips on the scholly but then I realized in-state sticker at LSU must be ~1/4 of the cost of UVA, so that is a moot point, I guess. WUSTL is pretty much a non-entity in this discussion. Even with the scholly they aren't as cheap or cheaper than LSU and they don't have the national prestige of UVA to justify that cost. I'd imagine some firms would give you a side eye for leaving your region just to attend some other regional school. (Oh, and to the person that asked, Tulane with $$$$ was not listed as an option b/c OP has not gotten an acceptance from Tulane yet, let alone money.)

If you are serious about wanting to eventually serve on the state's supreme court (and not just throwing that out there as some "I just wanna do everything under the sun"...it was kind of hard to tell from your post how committed you are to that end goal) then that is a very specific political goal which will require a lot of networking and making the right connections. You should research current and past LSU judges and see where they got their degrees from. If you notice most of them went to more 'elite' schools then that would likely point to LSU politics being full of prestige whores and you should go to UVA if you want a chance to fit in. If all or almost all of them went to an in-state institution then that points to a good ol' boy network that values loyalty over all else, and you should go to LSU. If there isn't a heavy leaning one way or the other then that probably means it's not where you go but who you already know, in which case you need to be brutally honest with yourself regarding the strength of your connections and your networking skills, then go to LSU if your connections are VERY strong (save money since you're already set) or lean more toward UVA if your connections are on the weak end (hedge your bets with preftige).

This is the correct reading of my post; thank you for your advice. LSU is significantly cheaper than 1/4 of UVA - UVA is just under 50K/year, LSU, with my 3/4 scholarship offered (i don't think that's with any stips - I need to re-read my letter) makes my tuition $3k/year. It's approximately 1/17 the price lol. Also true about Tulane - I also think LSU actually places better in-state than Tulane does. I've heard Tulane students are seen as a flight risk. However, if I got a really good scholarship to Tulane (highly unlikely for a splitter), I'd consider it. We'll see though. The justices are from: LSU, LSU, LSU, Tulane, Loyola New Orleans, LSU, and LSU, which makes me think you need to go to law school in-state in order for this to be realistic...

In response to aberzombie, I don't find this goal unrealistic. I find it to be very difficult, and will ultimately come down to things that I have no control over, but it's much less of a crap shoot than shooting to become an actual supreme court justice. Since there are no justices with JD's from Harvard, or a similar school, I see there being more of a "boys club" like the above poster said.

Doing this research has actually influenced my decision a bit, and I'm starting to think LSU if I stay in Louisiana, UVA if I potentially want to work elsewhere

[lobolawyer]

Why isn't Tulane with $$$$ an option?

[theduffman]

Why isn't Tulane with $$$$ an option?

1) I haven't been accepted at Tulane yet, much less offered a scholarship

2) I have heard from some first-hand attorneys in Louisiana that Tulane students are seen as a flight-risk

3) They aren't known for being very generous.. they give out like 1 full ride a year, maybe. If they DID give me a really good scholarship, I would definitely consider them. It would have to be pretty substantial though, considering how cheap LSU is, and if I wanted to spend money I will just go to Virginia.

[Aberzombie1892]

Why isn't Tulane with $$$$ an option?

2) I have heard from some first-hand attorneys in Louisiana that Tulane students are seen as a flight-risk

I haven't heard that. Were these attorneys in baton rouge or shreveport?

[theduffman]

Why isn't Tulane with $$$$ an option?

2) I have heard from some first-hand attorneys in Louisiana that Tulane students are seen as a flight-risk

I haven't heard that. Were these attorneys in baton rouge or shreveport?

I've heard it from an attorney in Shreveport and a couple from New Orleans. Is that not the case from your experience? I'm sure it's also possible to demonstrate your desire to stay in Louisiana.

[theduffman]

Just an update, I was accepted to Tulane with a 75K scholarship. If I can get them to bump it up to 105K, I'll seriously consider them over Virginia... we'll see though

[spleenworship]

Just an update, I was accepted to Tulane with a 75K scholarship. If I can get them to bump it up to 105K, I'll seriously consider them over Virginia... we'll see though

Man, I don't know. I would be very tempted to take just the 75K. I'm not saying don't negotiate, but I might take the 75K anyway if they don't want to go up. It is the best school in your home state, where you want to practice. I had friends who went to Tulane Law and just loved every minute of it (that they weren't in class).

What is the stipulation on this, anyways? That makes a huge difference.

[theduffman]

Just an update, I was accepted to Tulane with a 75K scholarship. If I can get them to bump it up to 105K, I'll seriously consider them over Virginia... we'll see though

Man, I don't know. I would be very tempted to take just the 75K. I'm not saying don't negotiate, but I might take the 75K anyway if they don't want to go up. It is the best school in your home state, where you want to practice. I had friends who went to Tulane Law and just loved every minute of it (that they weren't in class).

What is the stipulation on this, anyways? That makes a huge difference.

Stipulation is 3.0, but that's top 80%, so I feel like it's pretty easy to maintain. I know everybody says negotiate away stips, but I'm more concerned about money. and trust me, after being accepted/given some money, I'm strongly considering Tulane... we'll see. I appreciate the anecdote though - I feel like I would love being in New Orleans as well.

As an update, LSU just upped my scholarship to a full ride! I definitely hope Tulane can offer me a bit more, otherwise I'm going to have a hard time turning that down...

[GeauxTigers7]

Congrats on the full ride! Did you email LSU to negotiate it or did they increase your scholarship without you saying anything first?

[theduffman]

Congrats on the full ride! Did you email LSU to negotiate it or did they increase your scholarship without you saying anything first?

Thanks man. I emailed them to negotiate - I told them I would withdraw from Georgetown and Penn's waitlists, and I just marketed myself a little bit.

[GeauxTigers7]

That's pretty awesome! Hopefully the ASW this weekend is good. I am excited about it because I've never been to one and LSU is my top choice right now. My other options to negotiate with LSU are not very strong, but I may try to get them to bump me up to 1/2 (currently at 1/4). I guess it can't really hurt to try.

[spleenworship]

Just an update, I was accepted to Tulane with a 75K scholarship. If I can get them to bump it up to 105K, I'll seriously consider them over Virginia... we'll see though

Man, I don't know. I would be very tempted to take just the 75K. I'm not saying don't negotiate, but I might take the 75K anyway if they don't want to go up. It is the best school in your home state, where you want to practice. I had friends who went to Tulane Law and just loved every minute of it (that they weren't in class).

What is the stipulation on this, anyways? That makes a huge difference.

Stipulation is 3.0, but that's top 80%, so I feel like it's pretty easy to maintain. I know everybody says negotiate away stips, but I'm more concerned about money. and trust me, after being accepted/given some money, I'm strongly considering Tulane... we'll see. I appreciate the anecdote though - I feel like I would love being in New Orleans as well.

As an update, LSU just upped my scholarship to a full ride! I definitely hope Tulane can offer me a bit more, otherwise I'm going to have a hard time turning that down...

Top 80% is doable if you read the guides on TLS on how to do well. I think reading those pretty much guarantee that the worst you will do is top 2/3rds. I agree that with that stipulation you really need to try to look for more money- 75K is only 3 semesters with Tulane's tuition. A little more than a half ride. $100K would be sweet.

What is the stipulation on the LSU scholly?


I sent you a PM, BTW.

[theduffman]

umm... I think the stip is "good standing"... not sure, I'll look for the letter

[spleenworship]

umm... I think the stip is "good standing"... not sure, I'll look for the letter

Yeah, full ride with a stip at LSU may be negotiable away if you mention the scholly at Tulane.

Good standing is a perfectly acceptable stip, however.

[theduffman]

I know the rankings don't matter much, but Tulane falling out of the top 50 kinda bugs me, LSU has some pretty good employment statistics, and UVA is looking pretty sweet right now..

[theduffman]

Pretty sure I'm going to UVA next year... sent the dean of admissions at LSU a bunch of questions, and if he's very persuasive they may have a hail mary situation.... we'll see though

[spleenworship]

Good luck, enjoy!