Chossing a Law School
Posted: Wed Feb 03, 2010 4:54 pm
I have aspirations of becoming a law professor. Among other things, I know the ranking of the law school one attends is very important to search committees. I will be a non-traditional law student (over 30) and have already accumulated a lot of debt. Thus, my choice is critical for both reasons (opportunities and debt).
At present, I have reduced my options to one of the following: Northwestern, Illinois, or Hofstra. I have been waitlisted at NU and do not expect to get any scholarship support from them. Illinois has offered what amounts to 1/4 of tuition and fees. Hofstra has offered a full tuition scholarship. These schools are ranked 10, 26, and 95 respectively. Hofstra appears to be a really nice school and opportunities to practice law should be good if I perform well. However, I am concerned about professorship opportunities down the road. Illinois is ranked much higher, but it is still not an elite school. Northwestern is closer to elite, but will cost too much.
I have considered waiting a year and retaking the LSAT this June. I scored at the 70th percentile on my first and only attempt in Dec. 2004. I did not study very hard and believe I could do much better. Back then, I took several practice tests to prepare and scored an average of 165 - 170 on these. However, on test day, I was exhausted from my job and completing assignments for classes. I didn't get much sleep the night before and only got 12 correct answers in the first section. The rest of the test went okay.
Thanks!
At present, I have reduced my options to one of the following: Northwestern, Illinois, or Hofstra. I have been waitlisted at NU and do not expect to get any scholarship support from them. Illinois has offered what amounts to 1/4 of tuition and fees. Hofstra has offered a full tuition scholarship. These schools are ranked 10, 26, and 95 respectively. Hofstra appears to be a really nice school and opportunities to practice law should be good if I perform well. However, I am concerned about professorship opportunities down the road. Illinois is ranked much higher, but it is still not an elite school. Northwestern is closer to elite, but will cost too much.
I have considered waiting a year and retaking the LSAT this June. I scored at the 70th percentile on my first and only attempt in Dec. 2004. I did not study very hard and believe I could do much better. Back then, I took several practice tests to prepare and scored an average of 165 - 170 on these. However, on test day, I was exhausted from my job and completing assignments for classes. I didn't get much sleep the night before and only got 12 correct answers in the first section. The rest of the test went okay.
Thanks!