Top Law Schools

Hey everyone,

I'm in the middle of trying to decide which school to go to and was hoping I can get some comments/opinions from you guys.

I'm interested in doing public interest, more specifically areas such as human rights law. Of all the schools I applied to, I got into Loyola (LA), Lewis & Clark, and Northeastern.

Scholarship info:
Loyola: $0
Lewis & Clark: $15,000/yr
Northeastern: $8500/yr + one $3000 stipend for a non-paying coop

I'm not particularly leaning towards any one school, if anything I might be leaning away from Loyola since I've been in LA all my life, but if Loyola will do me the most good, I wouldn't mind. I just got back from Portland, absolutely love the city, the school is gorgeous, just makes my decision harder.

Any thoughts on what I should do? Thanks!

If Loyola sounds like the right place, email them and ask them to match the scholarship.

You have as close to 0 chance of getting to do something like human rights law from those schools as it is possible to have. Reconsider your goals or do not go to law school.

disco_barred wrote:You have as close to 0 chance of getting to do something like human rights law from those schools as it is possible to have. Reconsider your goals or do not go to law school.

I hate this regurgitation of elitist bullshit that has no damn basis except to justify your ranking envy. Look at the non-profits and see where they got there jd's.
just looking at one example, human rights first, you don't see yale's and michagins, its a wide variety, Brooklyn law, hell even NYL. They arn't full of just one tier of law school.
For fucks sake, it's not even a determinate in public politics. You think obama won the primary because he went to Harvard and Edwards went to UNC?

To be fair, the Anaheim ducks suck. They quack under pressure.

HyeMart wrote:

disco_barred wrote:You have as close to 0 chance of getting to do something like human rights law from those schools as it is possible to have. Reconsider your goals or do not go to law school.

I hate this regurgitation of elitist bullshit that has no damn basis except to justify your ranking envy. Look at the non-profits and see where they got there jd's.
just looking at one example, human rights first, you don't see yale's and michagins, its a wide variety, Brooklyn law, hell even NYL. They arn't full of just one tier of law school.
For fucks sake, it's not even a determinate in public politics. You think obama won the primary because he went to Harvard and Edwards went to UNC?

Actually, I'd say it had a part. You have no clue about the elitism and puppetry behind the scene. Bad example.

yea, but you do right?
is this mccain who went to the naval academy and didn't go to grad school, or palin who went to idaho university? or biden who got his jd from Syracuse? maybe Dodd who got a jd from louisville?

Both VPs were meaningless shills to drum up and solidify the bases. Biden the moderate to conservative Dems, Palin the rednecks.

McCain is a war hero, who needs college when you're a war hero. Besides, he didn't win. Harvard guy did (and before that Yale dudes, SAG president, Naval Academy/Working class stiff, Duke, Kennedy (Harvard), War Hero, War Hero/Freemason, Harvard/Freemason, Stanford, Freemason, Princeton, etc.). Moot point.

Anyways, OP, go to the cheapest school in the region you want to live in.

erniesto wrote: McCain is a war hero, who needs college when you're a war hero. Besides, he didn't win. Harvard guy did (and before that Yale dudes, SAG president, Naval Academy/Working class stiff, Duke, Kennedy (Harvard), War Hero, War Hero/Freemason, Harvard/Freemason, Stanford, Freemason, Princeton, etc.). Moot point.

the war heroes,etc. prove my point, elite colleges and names, don't hold a monopoly.

Yeah ok, go be a free mason and war hero and get into top echelons of public service too.

Otherwise scrub penguins for peanuts. (Which is probably a very fulfilling job)

no just get yourself involved in public service if you want to do elite public service.

HyeMart wrote:

disco_barred wrote:You have as close to 0 chance of getting to do something like human rights law from those schools as it is possible to have. Reconsider your goals or do not go to law school.

I hate this regurgitation of elitist bullshit that has no damn basis except to justify your ranking envy. Look at the non-profits and see where they got there jd's.
just looking at one example, human rights first, you don't see yale's and michagins, its a wide variety, Brooklyn law, hell even NYL. They arn't full of just one tier of law school.
For fucks sake, it's not even a determinate in public politics. You think obama won the primary because he went to Harvard and Edwards went to UNC?

Debt load upon graduation is really something to consider, especially when going into a public interest field. As the tuition is fairly equal amongst the schools, you should consider the cost of living and any of the loan repayment programs offered by the schools. Loyola has a very generous repayment program (allowed to make up to $54,000/year and qualify). Lewis and Clark has a program that is less generous ($45,000/year to qualify). The difference helps offset the scholarship money. At Northeastern, you must consider moving across country to a city that has a considerably high cost of living, even compared to LA (which is where you stated you've lived all your life). It is a difficult choice to be sure, on the other hand, you can't really go wrong with any of them.

If it were me, I would have to determine what my cost of living in LA would be. What is your living situation? Do you live at home with parents, making the deal at Loyola that much sweeter? The cost of living in Portland is less than LA and if you're single, it's a great city. There is a great night life if you want it. Rent is fairly affordable, or you can even purchase a manufactured home (in the $25,000 - $35,000 range). Where would you want to practice? Lewis and Clark competes with only one other Tier 1-2 school in the state (at Eugene). Lewis and Clark also sends a large amount of students into public interest law. Lewis and Clark also has other programs, such as Legal Writing, Environmental Law, and Intellectual Property Law. Rarely do you see a student with intentions of entering one legal career actually end up in that career. And the average length of stay at one particular job in law is typically 5-7 years. I would also look at the schools Professional Development Office (Career Services).

I would go to the school that offers the best education with the smallest debt load. Lewis and Clark offers more opportunity than Loyoal or Northeastern and the average median salary is much higher. If you love the Portland area, want to leave LA, and get a better education with more opportunity, I would go to Lewis and Clark.

Thanks for the advice, everyone. Wherever I go I'll have to pay my own way with loans and stuff (no family assistance). Portland is attractive because it has the lowest tuition and living costs, but I'm afraid I won't be able to make as many connections as I can at Northeastern and Loyola. Loyola's got a huge alumni base that I can tap into, and Northeastern's co-op program seems great for experience and networking before I graduate. Thanks to everyone who provided constructive/entertaining comments.

I'll update after I visit Northeastern in a few weeks (if anyone's still interested).