W&L vs L&C vs Brooklyn vs St. Johns Forum

[gabewatch]

ok so i posted this a little while ago, and i got some good advice. im still not 100% sure about what i want to do, and there are some new factors so im posting again in hopes of getting some solid advice. below are the options i am considering, and how much money it would cost me, and the pros/cons that i know about. i am trying to avoid taking huge debt, and i have about 30K saved that i can contribute to the costs. in terms of where i want to work after law school im not really sure so im not really taking that into consideration in this post.

Washington and Lee - 17k/year scholarship, tuition is 37,000. Pros: highest ranked school, low cost of living, seems to have pretty good placement, not in a saturated market like brooklyn and st. johns. Cons: im not sure i can handle living in a small town after spending 6 years in Montreal, but i think this is where i am leaning at the moment. i am visiting in april so that will probably help. any info about lexington would be appreciated

Lewis and Clark - 10,000/year scholarship, tuition is ~35,000. Pros: i think i would like portland (im visiting next week), also im thinking about asking for more money, but i hear they are out of funds right now. Cons: far from home, 10k/year is not enough money considering W&L's offer.

Brooklyn - 30,600/year scholarship, tuition is ~44,000. Pros: big scholarship, might like NYC and the brooklyn area but im not really sure, trying to decide if i should consider this, visit, and maybe even ask for money?. Cons: cost of living in nyc, saturated job market

St Johns - full ride, Pros: scholarship, Cons : cost of living, poor job prospects i would imagine, and i hear jamaica queens isnt that nice of a place to live

so yeah in summary these are the options i am considering, i am still waiting on 3 high ranked schools (I-UB, Alabama, W&M) but i doubt i will get enough money to be interested, and I dont think i would want to live in alabama or indiana... I think that as long as I am ok living in Lexington W&L is my best option...what do you guys think?

[Grizz]

Definitely not Brooklyn or St. Johns; their grads are having a really tough time right now. I know you don't want to consider a region, but W&L and L&C are quite regional, so you might be working in Portland or on the east coast around VA a very long time after graduation. I don't think making a decision without regional considerations is a smart idea. There must be one coast, east or west, that you like more and would like to be in after graduation.

[erniesto]

Washington and Lee isn't even in a job market

Definitely visit Lexington, VA. I'll be surprised if you choose that because of its location.

[gabewatch]

Washington and Lee isn't even in a job market

Definitely visit Lexington, VA. I'll be surprised if you choose that because of its location.

Yeah, I believe that it is the school that would provide me with the best job prospects at a reasonable price. My main concern is the location, mainly because I think a town of 7,000 could be boring. I do like the outdoors though (biking, running, sports) and I have read that it is a good place for that. I suppose that I probably shouldnt be as concerned about the location as much as the quality of the education. I doubt that many W&L grads stay in Lexington, and I have heard they do ok in D.C. Does anyone know what other cities W&L places alright in?

[erniesto]

Lets do a cost analysis:

W&L: 59,810-17,000 = 42,810 x 3
Total = $128,430

Lewis and Clark: 53,198-10,000 = 43,100 x 3
Total = $129,300

Brooklyn: 66,335-30,500 = 36,335 x 3
Total = $109,005

William and Mary: 47,096 x 3
Total = $141,288

I couldn't find St. John's CoL figures, so I didn't do it. Queens doesn't sound like somewhere you want to live and you don't want to pay the commute cost from Brooklyn/Manhattan.

Now let's not kid ourselves, every legal market is saturated. Brooklyn has made it a bargain for you, but if you're shooting for big law, you might need to make an existential leap of faith to believe Brooklyn's figure that they placed ~20% in the NLJ250. William and Mary and Washington and Lee are both approximately 20% as well.

Personally, overall happiness is a big part of my decision in where to go to law school, and that has much to do with location.

[Grizz]

I've just heard too many stories of Brooklyn, Seton Hall, etc. grads graduating at median then working doc review for 30k a year and free pizza on Fridays to ever recommend going there.

[keg411]

I've just heard too many stories of Brooklyn, Seton Hall, etc. grads graduating at median then working doc review for 30k a year and free pizza on Fridays to ever recommend going there.

I have too... yet I have my sister breathing down my neck wanting to me to go Brooklyn since her firm and her boyfriend's firm both hire from there (despite me telling her you need to be on Law Review and my chances are slim slim slim). I'm hoping I get into UGA or SMU or Wake soon and don't have to worry about it.

OP, see how you like W&L; I'm pretty sure that's the best "bet". Also, do any of the scholarships have GPA stipulations?

[gabewatch]

I've just heard too many stories of Brooklyn, Seton Hall, etc. grads graduating at median then working doc review for 30k a year and free pizza on Fridays to ever recommend going there.

I have too... yet I have my sister breathing down my neck wanting to me to go Brooklyn since her firm and her boyfriend's firm both hire from there (despite me telling her you need to be on Law Review and my chances are slim slim slim). I'm hoping I get into UGA or SMU or Wake soon and don't have to worry about it.

OP, see how you like W&L; I'm pretty sure that's the best "bet". Also, do any of the scholarships have GPA stipulations?

Yeah, the stipulations are all pretty much the same though, W&L is a 3.0, L&C is a 2.95, Brooklyn and St Johns are both top 50% of the class.
The more I think about it, and based on what other people are saying I am definitely leaning towards W&L. I will miss the city life, but at the same time living in a small town might not be the worst thing for a law student (fewer distractions i would imagine).