MN or W&M? Deposit deadlines nearing... Forum

[dreamweaver87]

OK, so I applied to sixteen schools total and have yet to hear from nine of them, but the schools from which I have heard have their deposits due very soon. I'm kind of freaking out because I had expected to hear from more by now (even though I did apply late), so I'm deciding between schools I didn't necessarily think I would be choosing from.

Anyway, the two schools I'm seriously considering out of the ones who have accepted me are Minnesota and William & Mary. MN gave me a $20,000 scholarship and W&M gave me a $14,000 scholarship. I will probably be going into either International Law or Public Interest work. I'm from the northeast and know that neither school has most graduates end up working there, but does one have a stronger reputation in the NY or Boston area? I've read a little bit more about W&M finding more job placement in the northeast, but I don't really know much about the statistics at all.

As for ranking, I know Minnesota is #20 and W&M is #28, but I've heard that ranking doesn't matter as much outside of T14. Is the #20 ranking an advantage at all?

Another concern for me is that I went to a small school in VA for undergrad and attended a very conservative and not very diverse school (W&L). Additionally, the fact that Williamsburg is such a small town with not much to do is a negative. I loved the school, but that was a really big con for me. I know that W&M isn't quite so conservative, but the small-town VA thing is still a concern for me.

I'd really appreciate any thoughts on the matter. Thanks so much in advance!

Also, as a sidenote, is it possible to hear from schools after their deposit deadline? I'm not sure how that works...I really had expected to hear from more places by now.

[dreamweaver87]

Haha OK, the poll is exactly 50-50 right now. Anyone willing to tell me why they would choose MN or W&M? Thanks

[cendien]

I voted MN. I'm not the most well versed on either school, but it seems to me like your employment prospects would be similar, and MN seems to have a good name and has been ranked pretty well for quite a while (though WM also has a good, old name).

That said, if you want something other than small town, everything I hear about Minneapolis is amazing. And you've got more money there (though I'm not sure how that turns out - WMs tuition is lower IIRC).

Anyway, thats my tidbit. Full disclosure: MN is fairly high on my list right now.

[84Sunbird2000]

Haha OK, the poll is exactly 50-50 right now. Anyone willing to tell me why they would choose MN or W&M? Thanks

I voted W and M, because Minnesota (while a great school) has very little reach into the NE. W and M has decent reach and good name recognition in the NE. The cost will be similar at both schools and William and Mary has, if anything, a liberal reputation. Plus, unlike Lexington, Williamsburg is really less than a half hour away from Newport News and that whole area, while also being a bit closer to DC.

However, can you tell me what your vibe was regarding the political climate at W and L's law school (as opposed to UG)?

[FunkyJD]

Tough. I don't think rank means anything in this particular situation.

If you want the Mid-Atlantic -- inclusive of NY -- W&M would seem to be the better choice. See the regional placement stats below for W&M:

http://www.nalplawschoolsonline.org/ndl ... 05&yr=2009

If you want New England, as in Boston, W&M would seem to place a negligible amount of students there, 1%, according to these stats.

Minnesota's not significantly better in NE by placement percentage, with 1.5%; and much worse by percentage in the Mid-Atlantic.

http://www.nalplawschoolsonline.org/ndl ... 02&yr=2009

But it sounds like you'd be more at home in Minneapolis than Williamsburg (assuming that you wouldn't freeze to death in the winter). You may harm your chances of making it back to the NE if you go to Minnesota; then again, if you're in a more pleasant and comfortable environment, maybe you perform better in school and actually maximize your chances. So you're going to have to choose based on your gut on this one.

I voted Minnesota, but it was a heart rather than head vote.

[beef wellington]

^^^this convinced me to vote for MN. If the placement is more or less the same go with the better environment, you'll be happier and more likely to succeed academically.

[dreamweaver87]

Tough. I don't think rank means anything in this particular situation.

If you want the Mid-Atlantic -- inclusive of NY -- W&M would seem to be the better choice. See the regional placement stats below for W&M:

http://www.nalplawschoolsonline.org/ndl ... 05&yr=2009

If you want New England, as in Boston, W&M would seem to place a negligible amount of students there, 1%, according to these stats.

Minnesota's not significantly better in NE by placement percentage, with 1.5%; and much worse by percentage in the Mid-Atlantic.

http://www.nalplawschoolsonline.org/ndl ... 02&yr=2009

But it sounds like you'd be more at home in Minneapolis than Williamsburg (assuming that you wouldn't freeze to death in the winter). You may harm your chances of making it back to the NE if you go to Minnesota; then again, if you're in a more pleasant and comfortable environment, maybe you perform better in school and actually maximize your chances. So you're going to have to choose based on your gut on this one.

I voted Minnesota, but it was a heart rather than head vote.

Thanks a lot for the info, very helpful!

[dreamweaver87]

Haha OK, the poll is exactly 50-50 right now. Anyone willing to tell me why they would choose MN or W&M? Thanks

I voted W and M, because Minnesota (while a great school) has very little reach into the NE. W and M has decent reach and good name recognition in the NE. The cost will be similar at both schools and William and Mary has, if anything, a liberal reputation. Plus, unlike Lexington, Williamsburg is really less than a half hour away from Newport News and that whole area, while also being a bit closer to DC.

However, can you tell me what your vibe was regarding the political climate at W and L's law school (as opposed to UG)?

Honestly, I never seriously considered law school at W&L because I didn't want to be in the same location for three more years, so I'm not positive about its political climate. However, while the law school might be a little more diverse politically, I'm still under the impression that it's quite conservative. It's also very small and there's not much diversity in the student body.

[KMaine]

I voted for MN for you though I would have chosen W&M if I were you. When I spoke with the people there, I found out they do a Off-Campus interview program in Boston, so that would help you make some connections, but I am sure that the CS people at MN would be able to do something for you as well.

It seems like you want to get out of VA and go to the city. I do not think the schools are so dissimilar to give you any other thing to do than to go with your heart.

Also, I think you may have some more opitions when the other schools to which you have applied hear back from their accepted students.

[NayBoer]

I voted for Minn because it's at least the #1 school in its state, which matters if you get stuck in the home market. But I wouldn't go to either expecting an easy return to New England. Pick based on where you'd prefer to end up, and on cost.

[dreamweaver87]

I voted for Minn because it's at least the #1 school in its state, which matters if you get stuck in the home market. But I wouldn't go to either expecting an easy return to New England. Pick based on where you'd prefer to end up, and on cost.

Yeah, the whole neither is really great for the New England/New York market thing is what's stressing me out. I'm on a couple waitlists (Mich & Northwestern) and I still have to hear from a lot of schools, so I'm hoping one of these won't be my final decision, but still...$750 is a lot of money to spend, so I'd like to be sure that I'm choosing wisely. Thanks for the advice.

[NayBoer]

I voted for Minn because it's at least the #1 school in its state, which matters if you get stuck in the home market. But I wouldn't go to either expecting an easy return to New England. Pick based on where you'd prefer to end up, and on cost.

Yeah, the whole neither is really great for the New England/New York market thing is what's stressing me out. I'm on a couple waitlists (Mich & Northwestern) and I still have to hear from a lot of schools, so I'm hoping one of these won't be my final decision, but still...$750 is a lot of money to spend, so I'd like to be sure that I'm choosing wisely. Thanks for the advice.

T14 waitlists but nothing from BU or BC? Those would be better to get you Boston.

If you don't like the results, you can always make another attempt next cycle.

[dreamweaver87]

T14 waitlists but nothing from BU or BC? Those would be better to get you Boston.

If you don't like the results, you can always make another attempt next cycle.

I applied to BU, but I'm still waiting to hear from them. I also applied to Fordham and Cornell to try to have options in NY, but nothing from them yet either. Come on, guuuys.