Pepperdine vs. UC Hastings Forum

[Sean1269]

I got a 75K to Pepperdine and admitted to Hastings...don't know about financial aid to Hastings yet I am assuming I'll get the somewhat standard 6K per year. Any thoughts between these two schools, life at school and most importantly job oppurtunities afterwards? I'll be getting about 30K from my parents (thankfully!) for law school so that will help in both situations. any help would be great,

thanks!

[roadkilllaw]

Hastings! Pepperdine doesn't seem to place well even though its ranked ok.

[eth3n]

Normally I would say follow the money, but Pepperdine's rank is incredibly misleading job prospect wise. While UC Schools aren't the bargain they used to be, its possible to do well at Hastings without needing to be in the top 5% (ITE Biglaw isnt even a question im talking about mid/govt).

Considering you will get 30k from your parents and maybe tiny money for Hastings, I say go to Hastings and if you really fuck up 1L find a new career. Although I hate to admit it Hastings has more people on the bench than any other CA school, good alumni network, incredibly easy to do summer jobs/school externships due to the fact that you are already in the damn city.

Pepperdine is on its way out, and job prospects are not good, also pepperdine's bar passage rate is horrible this year.

[im_blue]

Are you more interested in working in SF or LA?

[arhmcpo]

Hastings is certainly stronger but your still talking about a regional school; and COL in both norcal and socal is generally high. From what I have heard Hastings primary strength is government related work (as eth3n pointed out). Neither school will make it easy to go BIG law unless your towards the top of your class. In this economy if your below median at either school you are F@*ked unless you have some serious connections.

fwiw i chose Pepperdine w/ $$$$ over Hastings w/ $$ but my primary concern was debt avoidance and a general preference for socal over norcal; i was also gambling [and continue to gamble] that my degree value will grow as the school continues to rise. Also job prospects are weaker at Pepp then 'tried and true' hastings, but again I was/am gambling that the new career office plus much higher quality students will change that trend in the near future. With Hastings you have the stability and tradition of a solid degree though it is affected by CA budget problems, and its tuition will be higher. But if I had wanted to play it safe, certainly there are better job prospects and better name recognition coming out of Hastings.

Normally I would say follow the money, but Pepperdine's rank is incredibly misleading job prospect wise. While UC Schools aren't the bargain they used to be, its possible to do well at Hastings without needing to be in the top 5% (ITE Biglaw isnt even a question im talking about mid/govt).

Considering you will get 30k from your parents and maybe tiny money for Hastings, I say go to Hastings and if you really fuck up 1L find a new career. Although I hate to admit it Hastings has more people on the bench than any other CA school, good alumni network, incredibly easy to do summer jobs/school externships due to the fact that you are already in the damn city.

Pepperdine is on its way out, and job prospects are not good, also pepperdine's bar passage rate is horrible this year.

I'll be sure to PM you when our rank goes up again this year

[im_blue]

Hastings is certainly stronger but your still talking about a regional school; and COL in both norcal and socal is generally high. From what I have heard Hastings primary strength is government related work (as eth3n pointed out). Neither school will make it easy to go BIG law unless your towards the top of your class. In this economy if your below median at either school you are F@*ked unless you have some serious connections.

fwiw i chose Pepperdine w/ $$$$ over Hastings w/ $$ but my primary concern was debt avoidance and a general preference for socal over norcal; i was also gambling [and continue to gamble] that my degree value will grow as the school continues to rise. Also job prospects are weaker at Pepp then 'tried and true' hastings, but again I was/am gambling that the new career office plus much higher quality students will change that trend in the near future. With Hastings you have the stability and tradition of a solid degree though it is affected by CA budget problems, and its tuition will be higher. But if I had wanted to play it safe, certainly there are better job prospects and better name recognition coming out of Hastings.

Normally I would say follow the money, but Pepperdine's rank is incredibly misleading job prospect wise. While UC Schools aren't the bargain they used to be, its possible to do well at Hastings without needing to be in the top 5% (ITE Biglaw isnt even a question im talking about mid/govt).

Considering you will get 30k from your parents and maybe tiny money for Hastings, I say go to Hastings and if you really fuck up 1L find a new career. Although I hate to admit it Hastings has more people on the bench than any other CA school, good alumni network, incredibly easy to do summer jobs/school externships due to the fact that you are already in the damn city.

Pepperdine is on its way out, and job prospects are not good, also pepperdine's bar passage rate is horrible this year.

I'll be sure to PM you when our rank goes up again this year

Not likely, with Ken Starr gone.

[Dignan]

Hastings is certainly stronger but your still talking about a regional school; and COL in both norcal and socal is generally high. From what I have heard Hastings primary strength is government related work (as eth3n pointed out). =

I'm not sure about that. Back before the legal market tanked, Hastings placed well into big law, and generally better than its ranking would suggest (its NLJ 250 placement percentage was very close to USC). In 2008, I had two friends--both good students, but not near the top of the class--who got 160K firm jobs in SF right out of Hastings.

In today's economy, Hastings graduates are really struggling, but so are the graduates of almost all the schools that are ranked outside of the T20.

[eth3n]

Hastings is certainly stronger but your still talking about a regional school; and COL in both norcal and socal is generally high. From what I have heard Hastings primary strength is government related work (as eth3n pointed out). =

I'm not sure about that. Back before the legal market tanked, Hastings placed well into big law, and generally better than its ranking would suggest (its NLJ 250 placement percentage was very close to USC). In 2008, I had two friends--both good students, but not near the top of the class--who got 160K firm jobs in SF right out of Hastings.

In today's economy, Hastings graduates are really struggling, but so are the graduates of almost all the schools that are ranked outside of the T20.

for sure, but i feel uncomfortable getting a 2013's hopes up, but definitely true that hastings placed well in SF firms in the golden days