Help Deciding Forum

[michael2153]

Hello everyone. Just wondering which school people think I should attend. First, as a matter of disclosure and to preemptively address an inevitable comment regarding T3 schools, I was waitlisted at every T1-T2 I applied at. It was my GPA that killed me: 2.47. My LSAT is a 162 but it apparently can't overcome my stupidity in freshman year (flunked out 2 semesters straight then returned a year later and was on deans list every semester....but those F's still haunt me). Anyway, the two schools I am trying to decide between are Quinnipiac and Drake. Both schools gave me modest scholarships so both would leave me in approx. $155,000 in debt when combined with my UG debt. Any thoughts on any one of these schools? Biglaw does not appeal to me so getting that job at a top firm is not a concern. I know Quinnipiac is moving up in the rankings and Drake is fairly well respected in the Midwest. Any advice would be great. Thanks.

[darknightbegins]

Hello everyone. Just wondering which school people think I should attend. First, as a matter of disclosure and to preemptively address an inevitable comment regarding T3 schools, I was waitlisted at every T1-T2 I applied at. It was my GPA that killed me: 2.47. My LSAT is a 162 but it apparently can't overcome my stupidity in freshman year (flunked out 2 semesters straight then returned a year later and was on deans list every semester....but those F's still haunt me). Anyway, the two schools I am trying to decide between are Quinnipiac and Drake. Both schools gave me modest scholarships so both would leave me in approx. $155,000 in debt when combined with my UG debt. Any thoughts on any one of these schools? Biglaw does not appeal to me so getting that job at a top firm is not a concern. I know Quinnipiac is moving up in the rankings and Drake is fairly well respected in the Midwest. Any advice would be great. Thanks.

Damn admissions didn't cut you any slack about your freshman grades? Did you write an addendum explaining this? What a bunch of Nazis!

Man, 155,000 in debt and going to a T3 school. What is your undergrad degree in? Do either of these schools have a particular strong area in the type of law you are interested in?

[reidki]

Under NO circumstances are EITHER of these schools worth $155,000. Do not enroll at either. Retake LSAT.

[michael2153]

I wrote an addendum but it apparently didn't seem to help. As far as retaking the lsat, I've thought of it but I don't want my score to drop and then it causes me more problems. I think my score is respectable as is. Obviously it is just my GPA holding me back, which wont change.
My undergrad is in Poly Sci and career goal is to work as a DA which would make my debt load a little more manageable under the income sensitive repayment program for people in public service positions with federal loans. Both schools have a good criminal law program from what I hear and both offer internships with the local DA. Again, I don't want biglaw so retaking the lsat to get into a higher ranked school with no scholarship and being even higher in debt doesn't make much sense to me as I do not believe they will give me any money due to my GPA. I was hoping that the T1-T2 schools would have accepted me and gave me some $$ for my lsat, but apparently they wont.

[rapstar]

I wouldn't go to either. You'll be a 155k in debt with limited job opportunities. I doubt you'll be able to afford $1900 a month loan payment for 10 years. Even if you get a job for 65k-70k that means you'll be brining home approximately 2k per month after taxes and loan payments. You can probably get a job now that let's you bring home more than 2k per month.

[BigFatPanda]

Hello everyone. Just wondering which school people think I should attend. First, as a matter of disclosure and to preemptively address an inevitable comment regarding T3 schools, I was waitlisted at every T1-T2 I applied at. It was my GPA that killed me: 2.47. My LSAT is a 162 but it apparently can't overcome my stupidity in freshman year (flunked out 2 semesters straight then returned a year later and was on deans list every semester....but those F's still haunt me). Anyway, the two schools I am trying to decide between are Quinnipiac and Drake. Both schools gave me modest scholarships so both would leave me in approx. $155,000 in debt when combined with my UG debt. Any thoughts on any one of these schools? Biglaw does not appeal to me so getting that job at a top firm is not a concern. I know Quinnipiac is moving up in the rankings and Drake is fairly well respected in the Midwest. Any advice would be great. Thanks.

Did u take the LSAT multiple times? Are u a Conn. resident? How about UConn part time? According to Connecticut statue, if you can work for 6 month and file a tax return, you can get in-state tuition, which is like 12k or something. You can always tranfer to full time after your 1L.

[Spaceman Spiff]

You said you got waitlisted at some T1/T2 schools, so just play the waiting game. It looks like you're at or above the 75th at most T2 schools. Once one of the schools with a lower 75th LSAT starts excepting off their waitlist, you might have a shot. However, if you still don't get any bites, I have to agree with everyone else. Retake. Spending a few grand now on prep classes and books is nothing compared to the salary to debt ratio you'll have in 4 years if you end up $150k in the hole with a J.D. from a T3.

[Tuski]

I don't know anything about Quinnipac, but I went to Drake as an undergrad and have lived in the area for several years. From that, I can say that Drake does have an excellent reputation in the Des Moines/Central Iowa area, and that there are lots of Drake grads practicing locally. People around here really don't realize that Drake actually isn't a "top school." I can't tell you how many times I've heard things like, "really? Why would you consider [T1] school over Drake?" "But Drake is such an excellent school," etc. etc." Most of my co-workers (granted, in a non-law-related field) even think Drake is better than Iowa (they're shocked when I tell them that Drake is actually a T3, and Iowa is a T30).

If you don't want to try to improve on your LSAT, and you're not successful getting off of your waitlists AND you don't mind practicing in the area, then I really think Drake could be a good option for you. If I wanted to stay in Des Moines (note: I don't) or maybe even the Midwest in general (though I can't personally speak for how far outside Central Iowa Drake's rep extends) I would've had no problem attending Drake, knowing I could graduate close to debt-free with a degree that would serve me as well (or at least close to as well) locally as higher-ranked schools.

If you have any questions, about Drake or the Des Moines area, feel free to PM me!

[Tuski]

deleted - accidentally posted twice

[Veritas]

dude I was you last cycle. I was deciding between two midwest T3s at sticker price and I was WLed everywhere from ND down to Gonzaga.

I decided to withdraw my deposit to my T3 and retake. This cycle has been a total 180, the best career/life decision I've made thus far, imho.

Instead of paying full price for a T3 I can go to a T20 with a scholarship. BIG DIFFERENCE.