Top Law Schools

Which one?

Also? Anyone ever had any luck leveraging Chicago against other offers? If so, please share experiences?

I picked Chicago over a substantially greater fin aid offer from Michigan but my decision was essentially dictated by personal circumstances. Depending on what your goals are, you may be better off taking the money.

As for leveraging offers, I haven't heard of it happening. That doesn't mean it's impossible to pull off, though.

I'm interested to hear what people say about this. I'm facing a similar situation... though I'm leaning towards the $$.

I heard Michigan places in NYC and a little bit in California, while Chicago's primary market is Chicago. If you want to work in chicago biglaw, i'd take Chicago, though michigan places well in chicago too, just not as well. chicago also does better with clerkships.

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45 per year? or over three years?

swc65 wrote:45 per year? or over three years?

It's over all 3 years.

Oban wrote:I heard Michigan places in NYC and a little bit in California, while Chicago's primary market is Chicago. If you want to work in chicago biglaw, i'd take Chicago, though michigan places well in chicago too, just not as well. chicago also does better with clerkships.

Michigan has no edge over Chicago when it comes to NYC and Cali. The fact that Michigan alumni tend to be more dispersed is more accurately attributed to the fact that Michigan kids don't care to stay in Michigan whereas plenty of Chicago kids do want Chicago. I can easily think of a number of my classmates who've come here because they wish to practice in this city.

That's not to say that you shouldn't pick Michigan - only that if you do it, you ought not to do it on an assumption that it's going to take you places Chicago wouldn't.

I can't think of one category of job placement where Chicago doesn't surpass Michigan.

Objectively speaking, I think Chicago is the better school. On the other hand, I'm probably headed to Michigan (on a similarly sized scholarship as the OP) and can honestly say that I am expecting to absolutely love those three years of my life in Ann Arbor. I haven't visited Chicago or talked to a bunch of students/professors from there, so I'm not sure I could say the same about UofC. The OP's choice will just come down to whether the increased prospects from Chicago might be worth the extra $53,000 (about $75,000 after 10 years of interest payments) and a possible a decrease in the QOL. I think that'll be up to the OP to decide, either choice wouldn't be crazy or ridiculous to make.

hopefulundergrad wrote:I can't think of one category of job placement where Chicago doesn't surpass Michigan.

http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandr ... iii_clerks

Also, Michigan owns the Detroit biglaw market. hth

Haha, Detroit biglaw market. <3 Helmholtz.

Helmholtz wrote:

hopefulundergrad wrote:I can't think of one category of job placement where Chicago doesn't surpass Michigan.

http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandr ... iii_clerks

Also, Michigan owns the Detroit biglaw market. hth

Here we go.

Those rankings have already been discredited by the ABA and NLJ.

hopefulundergrad wrote:

Helmholtz wrote:

hopefulundergrad wrote:I can't think of one category of job placement where Chicago doesn't surpass Michigan.

http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandr ... iii_clerks

Also, Michigan owns the Detroit biglaw market. hth

Here we go.

Those rankings have already been discredited by the ABA and NLJ.

USNWR > ABA

Helmholtz wrote:USNWR > ABA

Can't argue with that.

The credited response is to VISIT both and see what you think. If you like Michigan more than Chicago and aren't gung ho on academia or super prestigious big law, go to Michigan. If, on the other hand, you wind up loving Chicago, 45k isn't a crazy sum of money to turn down.

But, seriously, visit. Those are two very different schools. I should know, having seen both and deliberated on a 50 page long thread which one I should go with.

dresden doll wrote:The credited response is to VISIT both and see what you think. If you like Michigan more than Chicago and aren't gung ho on academia or super prestigious big law, go to Michigan. If, on the other hand, you wind up loving Chicago, 45k isn't a crazy sum of money to turn down.

But, seriously, visit. Those are two very different schools. I should know, having seen both and deliberated on a 50 page long thread which one I should go with.

For full disclosure, you would have opted for Michigan $$ if it hadn't been for personal issues, right?

hopefulundergrad wrote:

dresden doll wrote:The credited response is to VISIT both and see what you think. If you like Michigan more than Chicago and aren't gung ho on academia or super prestigious big law, go to Michigan. If, on the other hand, you wind up loving Chicago, 45k isn't a crazy sum of money to turn down.

But, seriously, visit. Those are two very different schools. I should know, having seen both and deliberated on a 50 page long thread which one I should go with.

For full disclosure, you would have opted for Michigan $$ if it hadn't been for personal issues, right?

Yes, because a) I was getting a whole fucking lot of money and the debt differential would have been downright liberating and b) I loved Michigan. It's my kind of scene. I actually still keep in touch with people I met when I was there. Bonus: Dean Z freaking rocks.

That said, I want to emphasize that I am very happy at Chicago, that my classmates are super nice and that it's extremely gratifying to be taught your 1L classes by people that basically wrote the textbook. I don't regret my decision.

freeflowfox wrote:Anyone ever had any luck leveraging Chicago against other offers? If so, please share experiences?

I have not personally, but have heard personal anecdotes of leveraging MVP offers against Chicago successfully, so definitely try it. Worst they can do is say no. You might want to wait and see if Penn or UVA makes you a good offer, so you can leverage the highest one against Chi. And are you sure you have nothing from Chi or have they just not sent it out yet?

dresden doll wrote:I picked Chicago over a substantially greater fin aid offer from Michigan but my decision was essentially dictated by personal circumstances. Depending on what your goals are, you may be better off taking the money.

As for leveraging offers, I haven't heard of it happening. That doesn't mean it's impossible to pull off, though.

I agree. Generally speaking, Chicago @ sticker > Michigan w/ a $45k scholarship. In addition to placement statistics, I also think that Chicago's class size offers a noticeable advantage. Ultimately, this may have a lot more to do with personal fit!

I'm pretty sure this is one of those few questions where we cannot help. If it's any assistance, I'd pick Chicago, but that's more because I absolutely love the campus and its small student body and Chicago's my top market. As has been said by the others though, there is no right choice, it will come down to where you want to work, what size law school you want, and how important clerkships may be to you. The schools are, in all of those categories, pretty opposite in my opinion.

Doesn't Michigan have a pretty decent LRAP? Unsure if that matters to OP, but Chicago's is rather stingy. Max 70k, only available for 7 of the first 8yrs out, clerkships don't apply, 10k/yr starts to decrease after 60k in salary...

Definitely try to leverage--they won't match, but they should toss you something. I did it with a $45K offer from UVa, am very happy at Chicago, and can say for sure I wouldn't have gotten the 2L job I did if I were at UVa.

Leverage - if unsuccessful, Mich or similar offer.

Yeah I can't visit, I'm abroad. Any tips on leveraging besides be polite and friendly? Anyone with specific experience? When does Chicago usually release scholarship offers? Should I wait until they offer scholarship and then leverage, or e-mail them right away?

Anyone think I can leverage Chicago acceptance for more out of mich?