Top Law Schools

it looks like this will end up being the decision i have to make. i havent applied yet but with my numbers 167/3.4 i figure ill get into one of BU/BC/GW/Fordham without any money and will prob get 10-15k a year from Rutgers-Newark plus im instate which would make Rutgers pretty cheap (abt 10k a year). im lookin to get a biglaw job and i kno those are pretty hard to come by especially at a school like Rutgers-Newark but im pretty scared of taken out 150k in loans unless im goin to a top school. wat do u guys think is a better option? i have no problem working in NJ as ive lived here my entire life and went to Rutgers undergrad and i would also have no problem working in Boston, DC, or NYC.

if you want biglaw, take the debt. you'll have to be the absolute top of your class at rutgers-newark to get it (and then you might not even), but you stand a much better chance at fordham/GW/BU/BC (though still not excellent).

Rutgers Newark places surprisingly well in NYC considering it's rank. Personally I would take Rutgers at 5k a year than sticker at any of the other s you have listed. I think your marginally increased chances at "Big Law" coming from the other schools is not worth 120k plus interest.

are there no schools between the 4 mentioned and Rutgers-N? I feel like he could get a considerable scholarship from Emory, which still places OK in NY.

f0bolous wrote:are there no schools between the 4 mentioned and Rutgers-N? I feel like he could get a considerable scholarship from Emory, which still places OK in NY.

oh yeh i forgot abt them, but idk they seem kinda weird with how they gave out their crazy 90k scholarships so im not really banking on getting one of those altho if i do, ill prob take that. besides those schools im really not considering anything between the 4 mentioned and Rutgers. some ppl have told me to take a look at cardozo or brooklyn but rutgers has better employment numbers than them plus itll be much cheaper even if cardozo or brooklyn throw crazy money my way.

Just speaking in terms of Fordham (I didn't apply to the other schools), I'm facing the same choice, but a few factors have pushed me towards paying full tuition at Fordham, rather than taking money and going to Rutgers-Newark.

1) The NALP database count of on-campus interviews (--LinkRemoved--)
Fordham: 340
Rutgers-N: 84

Although I've heard that Rutgers does not do poorly relative to some other schools in the area (Cardozo, Brooklyn, etc.), this difference still jumped at me, from an opportunity standpoint.

2) Living situation: Social life is limited in Newark, although yes, you are close to the city, realistically, especially our first year of law school, how often would the commute be done? With Fordham you are in a spectacular location in the middle of NYC with the whole city much more accessible than you would get from living outside it.

3) Fordham's reputation in NYC big law, much much better than Rutgers (barring of course you graduate near/at the top of the class. I would imagine Rutgers would be more constraining for the other cities you mentioned (Boston, DC) than Fordham, despite the fact that both are essentially regional.

Springsteen wrote:Just speaking in terms of Fordham (I didn't apply to the other schools), I'm facing the same choice, but a few factors have pushed me towards paying full tuition at Fordham, rather than taking money and going to Rutgers-Newark.

1) The NALP database count of on-campus interviews (--LinkRemoved--)
Fordham: 340
Rutgers-N: 84

Although I've heard that Rutgers does not do poorly relative to some other schools in the area (Cardozo, Brooklyn, etc.), this difference still jumped at me, from an opportunity standpoint.

2) Living situation: Social life is limited in Newark, although yes, you are close to the city, realistically, especially our first year of law school, how often would the commute be done? With Fordham you are in a spectacular location in the middle of NYC with the whole city much more accessible than you would get from living outside it.

3) Fordham's reputation in NYC big law, much much better than Rutgers (barring of course you graduate near/at the top of the class. I would imagine Rutgers would be more constraining for the other cities you mentioned (Boston, DC) than Fordham, despite the fact that both are essentially regional.

altho fordham has more than 4X as many interviews as rutgers, i feel that the nlj250 placement chart is more telling and in that fordham places abt twice as many students into nlj250 firms

as for the living situation, i currently attend rutgers newark undergad and altho newark itself isnt amazing its very close to everything and i would have no problem living in newark.

anybody have any idea how OCI went at these schools this year? i think i read somewhere on here that top20% at fordham were good for biglaw, what abt these other schools?

iwantT14 wrote:

f0bolous wrote:are there no schools between the 4 mentioned and Rutgers-N? I feel like he could get a considerable scholarship from Emory, which still places OK in NY.

oh yeh i forgot abt them, but idk they seem kinda weird with how they gave out their crazy 90k scholarships so im not really banking on getting one of those altho if i do, ill prob take that. besides those schools im really not considering anything between the 4 mentioned and Rutgers. some ppl have told me to take a look at cardozo or brooklyn but rutgers has better employment numbers than them plus itll be much cheaper even if cardozo or brooklyn throw crazy money my way.

OP, I would really consider sending a few more apps out. It's getting late in the cycle and $$$ will be drying up soon (if it hasn't already) at most places, but all your options are pretty shaky when it comes to biglaw. Add 150K+ in debt and a high COL, and you're really rolling the dice with these options right now. If it were me, I'd probably take the $$$ at Rutgers and focus on NJ/other secondary markets.

FWIW, I have a relative and a few friends in a solid T30 school, who can't find much work at all in the major markets you described. They passed up $$$, thinking that better OCI would help them, but it hasn't. If the Rutgers scholarship has no unreasonable class placement requirements, I know they would go for it in a heartbeat.

I think you would be pretty crazy to pay sticker at BU, BC, Fordham, or GW. Not that these aren't great schools, but anything approaching or above 200K in debt is insanity (unless its for a VERY top school). With interest, that will be a crushing burden for the rest of your life. God help you if you have any trouble finding a job with that kind of debt. Take the money at Rutgers.

RU, but you're jumping the gun thinking you got no money. 20% of BU students get half scholarships, and about 50% get some kind of $. Wait it out. They do another round of scholarship dollars after January.

wadeny wrote:

iwantT14 wrote:

f0bolous wrote:are there no schools between the 4 mentioned and Rutgers-N? I feel like he could get a considerable scholarship from Emory, which still places OK in NY.

oh yeh i forgot abt them, but idk they seem kinda weird with how they gave out their crazy 90k scholarships so im not really banking on getting one of those altho if i do, ill prob take that. besides those schools im really not considering anything between the 4 mentioned and Rutgers. some ppl have told me to take a look at cardozo or brooklyn but rutgers has better employment numbers than them plus itll be much cheaper even if cardozo or brooklyn throw crazy money my way.

OP, I would really consider sending a few more apps out. It's getting late in the cycle and $$$ will be drying up soon (if it hasn't already) at most places, but all your options are pretty shaky when it comes to biglaw. Add 150K+ in debt and a high COL, and you're really rolling the dice with these options right now. If it were me, I'd probably take the $$$ at Rutgers and focus on NJ/other secondary markets.

FWIW, I have a relative and a few friends in a solid T30 school, who can't find much work at all in the major markets you described. They passed up $$$, thinking that better OCI would help them, but it hasn't. If the Rutgers scholarship has no unreasonable class placement requirements, I know they would go for it in a heartbeat.

im not applying this cycle, gona apply real early next cycle, but this is the situation i am anticipating being in based on my numbers

Blindmelon wrote:RU, but you're jumping the gun thinking you got no money. 20% of BU students get half scholarships, and about 50% get some kind of $. Wait it out. They do another round of scholarship dollars after January.

my best bet is prob gona be getting off the waitlist at BU (167/3.4) so im not really banking on getting any money from them

No Fordham!!