W&L (34K) Emory (24K) Alabama (full ride) Forum

[mr mung]

PI, would prefer DC but wouldn't mind living in the southeast

[whuts4lunch]

Do the #s next to the schools signify the annual tuition costs at each?

[mr mung]

yeah sorry those are per year. W&L with maintaing a 3.0 gpa

[mr mung]

scholarship money per year

[UFMatt]

W&L has had a downward trend, the 3.0 GPA stipulation is a little rough, and Lexington is in the middle of nowhere.

Alabama has awful placement outside of...Alabama.

Emory is on an upward trend, is easily the most prestigious of the 3, and places well all over the southeast and mid-Atlantic. It is also the most convenient for summer employment as well as hands-on training during the academic year.

Emory gets my vote.

[hwstewart]

I would firmly vote Alabama and I think anyone that would say otherwise hasn't looked closely enough at UA or truly evaluated a debt-free education. I've visited and been accepted to all three schools (in pretty similar $ situations) and have decided to attend Alabama in the Fall. If you have any specific questions about the program or anything at all, feel free to PM me. UA doesn't get nearly the credit it deserves on this board, so don't let others persuade you from giving it appropriate consideration.

[mr mung]

Thanks for the feedback. Right now Im torn between W&L and Emory. (I've sent the first deposits to both schools)

I visited W&L and really appreciated the culture and atmosphere of the law school and would not mind spending three years in a relatively isolated place like Lexington. However, my major concern with W&L is its ability to compete with all the other solid virginia/DC law schools in the region. Furthermore, I plan on pursuing PI and Im worried about the lack of networking/clinical opportunities available during the academic year. Based on last year's numbers, a frighteningly small percentage (less than 1 percent) of the recent graduates were employed in PI.

I have yet to truly visit Emory (my trip to Atlanta coincided with the law school's spring break). However, I liked the surrounding area and could definitely see myself living and potentially working in Atlanta. I plan on visiting again in the next few weeks to get a better sense of the school itself.

Im not too bent on the rankings but as a UFMatt pointed out, W&L and Emory seem to be trending in different directions. Should this be a factor in my decision? Is the Emory name much stronger than W&L in the southeast?

Any advice would be much appreciated and it would be great to talk to anyone who has experience with either of these schools and/or is facing similar decisions.

[jho324]

I had the same decision- W&L $34K a year vs Emory $24K a year. I choose W&L because it will save me $15,000 a year in tuition, and Lexington has an extremely low CoL. I also think W&L has a more student centered atmosphere. All the W&L students talked about how the professors go out of their way to help students. The school has an open door policy so that you can always meet with the professors, and many professors go so far as to grade practice exams so that you are bettered prepared for 1L finals. I got the feeling that while Emory has solid professors, many of them are at Emory to do research rather than teach.

I also found the location of W&L to be very appealing. When else will I get the chance to live so close to great hiking, whitewater rafting, mountain biking, etc. I figured it would be a fun place to spend 3 years of my life before I spend 5 to 10 years working myself to death as an associate.

-As a side note W&L has a lot of clinics, and they are adding a few more since every student is required to participate in a clinic or an externship as part of the 3L program. I don't know what kind of PI law you are interested in, but many of them focus on helping low income Virginians.