Villanova v. Temple - Philly Schools Forum

[lawschoolapplicant1]

Any thoughts on Villanova vs. Temple? I'm in at both and I'm hoping for an insider's perspective.

Full disclosure: I've been somewhat fixated on Nova for a while, however Temple would be substantially cheaper for me to attend.

What are the important factors that differentiate the two schools - other than cost? Academic quality? Is one more "regional" than the other? Career prospects? Student life?

Any insights would be greatly appreciated.

[arundodonax]

Unless the Philly attorney hiring you is looking for someone from his alma mater, they will likely view each school as equal. Go to Temple if it's cheaper, or go to nova if you don't want to live in a shady part of town.

[PoliticalJunkie]

Temple has better prospects for biglaw in Philly. They also have a much larger alumni base to tap into.

I

[arundodonax]

Temple has better prospects for biglaw in Philly.

NLJ begs to differ:

http://www.law.com/img/nlj/charts/composite.pdf

[bass08]

Seems like job prospects are relatively similar for the Philly area. Villanova is much more expensive if you are in-state, and still expensive if out of state. COL will be higher where villanova is situated.

Seems to come down to what type of living situation you would like and the cost, and any particular clinical programs you are interested. I'm not sure, but I think temple might have a greater variety of those.

[therealfp]

Bill Cosby went to Temple, so that's gotta count for something, right?

[Great Satchmo]

Temple has better prospects for biglaw in Philly.

NLJ begs to differ:

http://www.law.com/img/nlj/charts/composite.pdf

Aren't those stats a few years old?

[FCD]

Unless the Philly attorney hiring you is looking for someone from his alma mater, they will likely view each school as equal. Go to Temple if it's cheaper, or go to nova if you don't want to live in a shady part of town.

Obviously you don't need to "live in a shady part of town" if you go to Temple -- you can live anywhere on the Broad St. subway line and be in extremely easy commuting distance. Living in Center City is probably a lot better than living out near Nova if you're in your twenties.

The fact of the matter is that the two schools seem to be about dead even and Temple is much less expensive.