Top Law Schools

I have applied to all 3 for the part-time program. If I get accepted to all of them, it will be extremely hard to choose. Which would you choose? Never mind scholarships or specific program strengths like IP for Kent, or Health Law at Loyola. Should I just go with Kent cause its the highest ranked? Any thoughts would be appreciated, especially from students who attend these schools.

bump

I'm applying to all three too and I am choosing Kent because I want to go into IP law. Loyola is known for medical and DePaul is more business oriented. Kent is by Union station, DePaul in Lincoln Park, and Loyola on gold coast.

I would say it all depends on what you want to go into at this point. All three are relatively similar, even though Kent is ranked higher. I like Kent's location, plus technology is awesome. Easy choice for me.

Do not choose Kent because it is higher ranked. That is pointless. Visit all three, talk to people, and whichever school you like most, chose it. If its Kent, then go. But choosing just based on ranks is not always the best idea.

jdwantedforhire wrote:I'm applying to all three too and I am choosing Kent because I want to go into IP law. Loyola is known for medical and DePaul is more business oriented. Kent is by Union station, DePaul in the LOOP, and Loyola on gold coast.

I would say it all depends on what you want to go into at this point. All three are relatively similar, even though Kent is ranked higher. I like Kent's location, plus technology is awesome. Easy choice for me.

Do not choose Kent because it is higher ranked. That is pointless. Visit all three, talk to people, and whichever school you like most, chose it. If its Kent, then go. But choosing just based on ranks is not always the best idea.

Ill be applying to depaul and loyola, but not kent. ive talked to a handful of extremely successful lawyers and it seems that kent lags behind depaul and loyola - almost an afterthought in their minds. the consensus from the lawyers ive talked to is loyola > depaul > kent. but if you poll a different group of lawyers their thoughts may be different. loyola is my #1 choice of the three (though i hope to get in to higher ranked schools) because of its facilities and job placement in corporate law.

jdwantedforhire wrote:I'm applying to all three too and I am choosing Kent because I want to go into IP law. Loyola is known for medical and DePaul is more business oriented. Kent is by Union station, DePaul in Lincoln Park, and Loyola on gold coast.

I would say it all depends on what you want to go into at this point. All three are relatively similar, even though Kent is ranked higher. I like Kent's location, plus technology is awesome. Easy choice for me.

Do not choose Kent because it is higher ranked. That is pointless. Visit all three, talk to people, and whichever school you like most, chose it. If its Kent, then go. But choosing just based on ranks is not always the best idea.

Erroneous - DePaul Law is downtown Chi. I live in Chicago.... the main campus is indeed in Lincoln Park, but the law school is smack right in the middle of downtown.

.

I live in the area. Around here the feeling is Loyola > DePaul > Kent. All have some good prospects, all are located downtown (the law schools are. The undergrad for loyola is in north chicagoland area while DePaul is in lincoln park.). Problem with Kent is that employers frown on "Illinois Institute of TECHNOLOGY", this has been documented by the 3Ls looking for jobs in the feedback they provided princeton review over the past 2 years in that school. I wouldn't advice it, and if you get into Kent you should be able to get into the othre two as well as their acceptance numbers are comparable.

I might go Loyola > Kent > Depaul, but it's very close and tuition is nearly identical across all 3 schools. Kent does have a well-respected trial ad program and 3-year legal writing program.

Frown on IIT? It is a very good tech school I thought. If someone is going into technology and law/IP tech, would that not look well? Interesting.

moandersen wrote:

jdwantedforhire wrote:I'm applying to all three too and I am choosing Kent because I want to go into IP law. Loyola is known for medical and DePaul is more business oriented. Kent is by Union station, DePaul in the LOOP, and Loyola on gold coast.

I would say it all depends on what you want to go into at this point. All three are relatively similar, even though Kent is ranked higher. I like Kent's location, plus technology is awesome. Easy choice for me.

Do not choose Kent because it is higher ranked. That is pointless. Visit all three, talk to people, and whichever school you like most, chose it. If its Kent, then go. But choosing just based on ranks is not always the best idea.

Ill be applying to depaul and loyola, but not kent. ive talked to a handful of extremely successful lawyers and it seems that kent lags behind depaul and loyola - almost an afterthought in their minds. the consensus from the lawyers ive talked to is loyola > depaul > kent. but if you poll a different group of lawyers their thoughts may be different. loyola is my #1 choice of the three (though i hope to get in to higher ranked schools) because of its facilities and job placement in corporate law.

I'm curious where you found information on Loyola's placement into corporate law?

I have visited all three schools within the past year and here are my experiences.

Kent - As stated, it is right next to Union station, so definitely a bonus if commuting from the Chicago burbs. When you walk in, it has a very open layout on the ground floor and a very welcoming environment. My tour was given by a 3L who was very proud of her school and in general the students seemed pretty happy. (i visited during my spring break, but it was not their spring break). The office of admissions and financial aid reps were very helpful with any questions and had plenty of info and handouts if needed (almost too much haha).

Loyola - This may have been just my bad experience, but I was not impressed with the school from visiting. The school itself is very nice just a few minutes away from Water Tower Place in downtown. However, when I entered the admissions office, they barely even said hello and were not very welcoming. Our tour was given by a 1L in December who was basically clueless about the school. I dragged my friend with me who did not want to go to law but came anyways, and the 1L asked what type of law we wanted to practice and my friend jokingly said "I haven't given it much thought" and the 1L was like hey me too. The tour was awkwardly ended in the locker room bay and overall I was not really impressed. I just got accepted there, so I will give them the benefit and visit again hopefully with a different tour guide.

DePaul - I visited at 5 pm, so classes weren't in session on Spring break, but our tour was given by Dean Burns, who was more than helpful. He sat us down in the nice conference room and went through the entire admissions process and was really personable. Turned me onto the school. He was very proud of the school and it was in a good location in the loop. The school itself is spread across around3 buildings connected by walkways between each building, so if it weren't for him it would seem to be difficult to navigate at first. I wasn't sure about depaul at first, but Dean Burns great tour really made me consider this school. They also give pretty good scholarships for URMs. The tour itself actually lasted over 2 hrs haha. A little much, but definitely answered any possible question you could have.

Just my experience, hope that helps.

charlesjd wrote:Frown on IIT? It is a very good tech school I thought. If someone is going into technology and law/IP tech, would that not look well? Interesting.

kent crushes the other two schools if your focus is IP. If you want to do IP and are choosing between those three, it's Kent hands down.

Otherwise I would say Loyola/Kent > DePaul.

Oh, and then there's John Marshall...

fl0w wrote:

charlesjd wrote: Oh, and then there's John Marshall...

womp womp

fl0w wrote:

charlesjd wrote:Frown on IIT? It is a very good tech school I thought. If someone is going into technology and law/IP tech, would that not look well? Interesting.

kent crushes the other two schools if your focus is IP. If you want to do IP and are choosing between those three, it's Kent hands down.

Otherwise I would say Loyola/Kent > DePaul.

Oh, and then there's John Marshall...

Kent is a h*ll of a school. I've met Professors and Admissions people there as well as having one of my closest friends attend. For IP it is really top shelf. There's nothing bad about being associated with a TECHNOLOGY school if this is an interest of yours. I also work with real estate and corporate attorneys for my job, and there seems to be no love lost for Kent in the circles I communicate with (as compared to depaul). Admittedly, Loyola also seems to place just as well.

If you're into the rankings thing, Kent also seems an up-and-comer. If I recall DePaul has trended down a bit, but don't quote me on that, I could be thinking of something else.

My friends experience was really good. He and his classmates were close and he felt really challenged by the coursework.

I've lived in Chicago for the last 5 years and am looking to move to a warmer environment for law school. If I were going to stay however, Kent would be at the top of my list (and maybe Northwestern if the admissions Gods were to smile on me). I think you'd do well to attend there.

Depaul had some scandals and such this year, which might account for the downward trend. I don't recall the specifics. Really a shocker for an IL school.

xanderdellus wrote:Depaul had some scandals and such this year, which might account for the downward trend. I don't recall the specifics. Really a shocker for an IL school.

you can get some background here --LinkRemoved--

Wow looks like some moral issues may have been called into question.

angiej wrote:Wow looks like some moral issues may have been called into question.

I was surprised to find that I was deferred at Kent (LSAT160, GPA 3.5) but received nice scholarships from Loyola and DePaul (and a full ride at John Marshall - which doesn't say much). Kent may be trying to step it up a notch from an admission standpoint - so if you are accepted, it may be worth riding the wave. You may see them move up in the rankings while in school.

Personally, I'm having trouble deciding between Loyola and DePaul. DePaul has provided a slightly higher scholarship than Loyola, 15k vs 10k. I guess its time to visit and dig into the programs I'm interested in.

hoosierdaddy wrote:

angiej wrote:Wow looks like some moral issues may have been called into question.

I was surprised to find that I was deferred at Kent (LSAT160, GPA 3.5) but received nice scholarships from Loyola and DePaul (and a full ride at John Marshall - which doesn't say much). Kent may be trying to step it up a notch from an admission standpoint - so if you are accepted, it may be worth riding the wave. You may see them move up in the rankings while in school.

Personally, I'm having trouble deciding between Loyola and DePaul. DePaul has provided a slightly higher scholarship than Loyola, 15k vs 10k. I guess its time to visit and dig into the programs I'm interested in.

I would say that of the three, Kent is probably the most "selective." A quick scan of the rankings and the 25th-75th scores will corroborate this. I think the acceptance rate is right about 33%. And I think you're right that they're on the rise rankings-wise....

If Kent rises in rankings from 77 it will probably be to their normal spot somewhere in the 60's. I would love for Kent break the 50's but I think I'm dreamin' a bit. However, even that wouldn't make much difference. Chicago is a national market meaning you're not just competing with UChicago and NW but also, the rest of the T-14, ND, U of I, Iowa, WI, IU-B, and maybe even a few others. THEN you get to Kent. I'm a big fan of the school but it being in Chicago puts Kent in quite the tight spot for employment.

...And that's not even mentioning that DePaul and Loyola still have strong alumni networks throughout the city (and are good schools in their own rite).

I think Kent/Loyola > DePaul. DePaul used to be Tier 3 a couple of years ago.

I have been considering those three as well. I would like to go into public interest--most likely legal aid work. Are there any thoughts on which of the three would be better for that? Would it be better to go to a higher-ranked school like Illinois or Iowa that is more rural and has fewer clinic opportunities?

kf1214 wrote:I have been considering those three as well. I would like to go into public interest--most likely legal aid work. Are there any thoughts on which of the three would be better for that? Would it be better to go to a higher-ranked school like Illinois or Iowa that is more rural and has fewer clinic opportunities?

It would be better to attend a higher-ranked school like Iowa and Illinois. Clinics can't make up for a steep drop in ranking.

I got into all three of these (they were the only T2s I applied to, and only because I want to practice in Chicago after graduation). While I withdrew a while ago, I was seriously considering Kent. I was very impressed with the entire package that they offered, compared to Loyola and DePaul. I just got the feeling that Kent was the more legit school, had a better reputation in the city, had more potential to improve, etc.

If you get into all three and money looks the same, I suggest Kent, not at all because of the miniscule difference in rank, but because it, in my opinion, will give you a better education and open more doors to you in Chicago.

im_blue wrote:It would be better to attend a higher-ranked school like Iowa and Illinois. Clinics can't make up for a steep drop in ranking.

Most people who are seriously considering these three don't have the numbers for T30's. I don't think anyone here is kidding themselves into thinking that Kent, Loyola or DePaul are better schools than the U of Illinois.