narrowed down to bc $$ vs UT vs GW help me decide Forum

[imisscollege]

I like Boston. DC is okay. Have not yet been to Austin but there is obviously the relative prestige/national reach thing to think about. Want to prob end up in Boston or socal but have yet to hear from usc or ucla.

Related question--lets say I end up in the top 20 or so % at BC. How would that compare to median at UT in terms of national career prospects?

[KMaine]

Seems like you would be happy to work in Boston, I would not worry so much about national reach (nor assume I would finish in top 20 @ BC + around median at UT). I vote BC. Not sure how UT places in SoCal, but that may be a stretch from BC.

[imisscollege]

I wasn't assuming so much as trying to get an idea of how a given place in a class at one school relates to a given place at another but thanks. So in your opinion, texas isn't good/national enough for its rep to trump the fact that I don't nec love its region?

[ihurtmyselftoday]

I like Boston. DC is okay. Have not yet been to Austin but there is obviously the relative prestige/national reach thing to think about. Want to prob end up in Boston or socal but have yet to hear from usc or ucla.

Related question--lets say I end up in the top 20 or so % at BC. How would that compare to median at UT in terms of national career prospects?

UT doesn't have that great of a national reach. About 70% of it's grads are employed in state. There are a lot of biglaw options in Houston and Dallas that probably explain that trend.

Really, all the schools you've chosen are fairly regional. BC and GW have the NYC placement advantage on UT though.

As far as prestige, I can't say how Texas is regarded among law firms, but as a layperson I was more aware of BC as an elite law school than UT. Not that it matters much.

As for Austin, it's simply an amazing city. Better than Boston.

If I were you, I'd choose BC$$>UT>GW.

[BigLawyer]

Out of these three, go to the school in the region you want to work.

Southwest - Texas
North East - BC
Middle Atl -GW

All are great school, but none are so much better than the others that you should definitely take it regardless of region.

[Esc]

UT does best overall, will have significantly better national portability, and will place way better in SoCal than either of the others. But if you know you want to stay in Boston, BC $$ makes way more sense.

[98234872348]

I like Boston. DC is okay. Have not yet been to Austin but there is obviously the relative prestige/national reach thing to think about. Want to prob end up in Boston or socal but have yet to hear from usc or ucla.

Related question--lets say I end up in the top 20 or so % at BC. How would that compare to median at UT in terms of national career prospects?

While UT has some degree of portability, I wouldn't bank on it being a "portable" degree in the sense a degree from one of the T10 are. UT places extraordinarily well in Texas; while I am sure a UT degree travels to other parts of the country, I don't think it is going to do so unless you place highly in the class. Which brings me to another point: DON'T make the decision about where to go to law school based on hypothetical class ranks or believing that you will do well because your numbers exceed the medians at the school. This is a tremendously foolish thing to do; law school grading is highly arbitrary and it is extremely difficult to predict where you will rank among your respective peers (don't forget, everyone going to your school has the potential to do well). My advice is don't attend a school you wouldn't feel comfortable finishing median at; that is usually a safe bet (not always, obviously).

However, in your situation I would say BC is an easy choice. If you don't do well at UT, you're almost definitely not going to have the portability to work in SoCal (certainly not something that pays well, at least), though with your connection to Boston you'll likely get something there. I'd say take the money at BC and run.

[BigLawyer]

I agree. UT will do very well in Texas and the south west generally, but it's not exactly going to take you anywhere you want. I wouldn't go to UT if I wanted to work in NYC, for example. This is why a chioce between these schools should largely be based on region.

[Esc]

I agree. UT will do very well in Texas and the south west generally, but it's not exactly going to take you anywhere you want. I wouldn't go to UT if I wanted to work in NYC, for example. This is why a chioce between these schools should largely be based on region.

FYI, UT sends very few graduates to the Southwest. Most of the ~33% of graduates who leave Texas go to NYC, DC, and LA.

[BigLawyer]

I agree. UT will do very well in Texas and the south west generally, but it's not exactly going to take you anywhere you want. I wouldn't go to UT if I wanted to work in NYC, for example. This is why a chioce between these schools should largely be based on region.

FYI, UT sends very few graduates to the Southwest. Most of the ~33% of graduates who leave Texas go to NYC, DC, and LA.

Source? UT says only 30% obtain employment outside of texas. While I am sure they do well in TX, that means 70% stay in Texas. It is what it is.

[98234872348]

I agree. UT will do very well in Texas and the south west generally, but it's not exactly going to take you anywhere you want. I wouldn't go to UT if I wanted to work in NYC, for example. This is why a chioce between these schools should largely be based on region.

FYI, UT sends very few graduates to the Southwest. Most of the ~33% of graduates who leave Texas go to NYC, DC, and LA.

Esc, would you claim that ITE a median student at UT has a good chance at getting a good job in any of these cities? This is a serious question not a flame.

[Esc]

I agree. UT will do very well in Texas and the south west generally, but it's not exactly going to take you anywhere you want. I wouldn't go to UT if I wanted to work in NYC, for example. This is why a chioce between these schools should largely be based on region.

FYI, UT sends very few graduates to the Southwest. Most of the ~33% of graduates who leave Texas go to NYC, DC, and LA.

Esc, would you claim that ITE a median student at UT has a good chance at getting a good job in any of these cities? This is a serious question not a flame.

I think this depends heavily on whether they have connections to those cities. Without strong ties (grew up there, undergrad there, etc.) I'd say no. With them, I'd say they have a decent chance.

[BigLawyer]

I agree. UT will do very well in Texas and the south west generally, but it's not exactly going to take you anywhere you want. I wouldn't go to UT if I wanted to work in NYC, for example. This is why a chioce between these schools should largely be based on region.

FYI, UT sends very few graduates to the Southwest. Most of the ~33% of graduates who leave Texas go to NYC, DC, and LA.

Esc, would you claim that ITE a median student at UT has a good chance at getting a good job in any of these cities? This is a serious question not a flame.

I think this depends heavily on whether they have connections to those cities. Without strong ties (grew up there, undergrad there, etc.) I'd say no. With them, I'd say they have a decent chance.

Maybe LA, but you aren't getting a V100 biglaw job in the north east if you have median grades and are a student at UT. I am not really sure why LA would be any different, but I location may help a little. Now that I think about it, I've never even met a UT grad in NYC, regardless of grades/law review. I know there are some in NY, but its not a common occurrence.

[BigLawyer]

I've heard texas can be a cool place to live. It's relatively cheap. You have to deal with the stereotype the rest of the country will unfortunately place on you, but at least you have good weather and in-state tuition.

[imisscollege]

Thanks to all who replied. To some degree, this confirms what I was already thinking. The only thing that could put some sort of twist into this would be a UCLA acceptance and then I don't know what I'd do. But as of now, fun as Austin might be, I'm really thinking BC $$

[JOThompson]

BC $$ without a doubt since you're attracted to Boston. If you'd prefer to be a top dog in Texas, then go to UT. Congrats on the offers.