Top Law Schools

I am instate, so with schollys wake would be cheaper although they are both pretty cheap. Is UNC any better in terms of accessibility to jobs both during school and after? The goal being the most employment options for the cheapest amount of money.

how much $$ you have from wake? wake is not a public school so it doesn't matter whether or not you're in state. i believe the tuition there is about 35k plus living expenses, and i'm not sure how much unc is, but it's way cheaper than that if you're in state.

http://pdfserver.amlaw.com/nlj/law%20sc ... page12.pdf


WFU wins in the NJL250 placement for '09, ie, WFU won the BIGLAW battle for '09. WFU also got 5 more Clerkships than UNC did in '09. (keep in mind, Wake has about 100 less grads than UNC).


In reality, the two are the peer schools to the max: similar rank (especially historically), highly devoted alum (although UNC has more, by virtue of Wake's small size), location, etc. It comes down to cost and preference (personal feeling, clinics, professors, whatever it is).


I vote WFU due to personal reasons and cost: I liked the smaller class size, private school feel, and (i will probably be alone on this one) I found Winston to be quite charming.

women'ssoccer wrote:http://pdfserver.amlaw.com/nlj/law%20sc ... page12.pdf


WFU wins in the NJL250 placement for '09, ie, WFU won the BIGLAW battle for '09. WFU also got 5 more Clerkships than UNC did in '09. (keep in mind, Wake has about 100 less grads than UNC).


In reality, the two are the peer schools to the max: similar rank (especially historically), highly devoted alum (although UNC has more, by virtue of Wake's small size), location, etc. It comes down to cost and preference (personal feeling, clinics, professors, whatever it is).


I vote WFU due to personal reasons and cost: I liked the smaller class size, private school feel, and (i will probably be alone on this one) I found Winston to be quite charming.

This is the information that made me totally rethink the UNC over Wake. Winston COL would probably be a bit cheaper as well. If both are indeed peers in job placement, why not save the money and go private/small? BUT I will have this degree the rest of my career, so future rankings are important too.

What do you think is a bigger advantage: Smaller class size with more potential for one on one time or larger alumni base with more contacts?

FWIW, UNC area > Wake Forest area in terms of qol.

I liked W-S a lot, but I'm older than most and tired of living in a huge city.

I could drive somewhere and be there in 5 minutes instead of 50. It was fantastic.

Unc area is much better in terms of food. Without scholly, unc hands down (duh). If price is equal, and you want to work at a firm, I say wake- unc seems to have more focus on pi, and because it's smaller/private I think wake has better resources to place students. If you're saying that wake is cheaper for you then definitely wake.

Fwiw (and in the spirit of full disclosure), I've yet to hear back from unc, but would personally (costs being equal) choose unc over wake because my wife goes there. If wake ends up being cheaper though I'll go there.

I just deposited at wake. Now I can torture myself pondering the right decision over and over for a wee bit longer. It will come to me, it will come..........

kalvano wrote:I liked W-S a lot, but I'm older than most and tired of living in a huge city.

I could drive somewhere and be there in 5 minutes instead of 50. It was fantastic.

I agree, I liked W-S very much. But I think for the average student, chapel hill > W-S.

I mean you have to go and visit yourself.

Problem with Wake is, it is regional to the max, noone has heard of Wake outside of NC. UNC although regional, is a bit more national and your JD will have a bit more mobility. I agree with all the above though, especially UNC's focus on PI.

In terms of cost, if tuition is equalized by scholarship, UNC will cost about 150-200 more per month in housing. That adds up over 3 years.

I'm HOPING to get the opportunity to have to make this decision. In at Wake w/scholly but I do think UNC's facilities are much nicer and that UNC has them on a mobility note. The name goes a lot farther as well.

There's a lot of positive points to be said in Wake's favor of course. The admin staff there is a great deal friendlier. Which CAN be a plus.

SupraVln180 wrote:Problem with Wake is, it is regional to the max, noone has heard of Wake outside of NC. UNC although regional, is a bit more national and your JD will have a bit more mobility. I agree with all the above though, especially UNC's focus on PI.

objectively false.

Go look in class of 2013 thread. There was a wake accept. He worked in mexico. When he told his boss he was leaving wake forest to go to iowa, his boss said, "thats a shame, wake is such a good school."

Also, lived in VA all my life (until this fall). I've known about wake since I was like 6.

Although perhaps you are talking about mobility in terms of the actual law school. Half of wake forests grads don't end up in NC. No school near wake's rank can make a similiar claim. For wake's rank, they are extremely mobile. For more: see TLS article on wake.

SupraVln180 wrote:Problem with Wake is, it is regional to the max, noone has heard of Wake outside of NC. UNC although regional, is a bit more national and your JD will have a bit more mobility. I agree with all the above though, especially UNC's focus on PI.

False. Here in Dallas, every person I ever mentioned it to knew Wake Forest.

kalvano wrote:

SupraVln180 wrote:Problem with Wake is, it is regional to the max, noone has heard of Wake outside of NC. UNC although regional, is a bit more national and your JD will have a bit more mobility. I agree with all the above though, especially UNC's focus on PI.

False. Here in Dallas, every person I ever mentioned it to knew Wake Forest.

Kalvano, defender of wake <3

Nicholasnickynic wrote:

kalvano wrote:

SupraVln180 wrote:Problem with Wake is, it is regional to the max, noone has heard of Wake outside of NC. UNC although regional, is a bit more national and your JD will have a bit more mobility. I agree with all the above though, especially UNC's focus on PI.

False. Here in Dallas, every person I ever mentioned it to knew Wake Forest.

Kalvano, defender of wake <3

I live in NYC, noone knows what Wake is. Everyone knows UNC. I guess it's personal preference though.

jegnyr wrote:I just deposited at wake. Now I can torture myself pondering the right decision over and over for a wee bit longer. It will come to me, it will come..........

Good luck, OP! I am dealing with the same difficult decision and haven't yet figured out which way I fall...

FWIW, I think it was a win/win for you either way. Wake seems like a really great school.

More people have heard of UNC than Wake almost everywhere, but this is largely a product of basketball success and nothing else (obviously it is a good school (UG and LS), but so is Amherst (UG) and nobody in the midwest has ever heard of it. Most (all) people that know anything about higher education in general have heard of Wake.

ndirish2010 wrote:More people have heard of UNC than Wake almost everywhere, but this is largely a product of basketball success and nothing else (obviously it is a good school (UG and LS), but so is Amherst (UG) and nobody in the midwest has ever heard of it. Most (all) people that know anything about higher education in general have heard of Wake.

FWIW everyone I know in CA, UT, and TX have heard of and highly respect Wake. There is less respect for UNC though people like the basketball team. I still think both are very good schools.