OU 18k vs Tulsa 75k Forum

[mafrench]

Ive been admitted to both OU and Tulsa. OU gave me a 6k a year tuition wavier and Tulsa gave me a 25k a year scholy. I would like to practice business/corporate law in the Oklahoma/Dallas area. I realize there is no real "big law" in OK, but i would like to work for a prestigious regional firm. I also believe that top of my class at OU would give me a chance at big law in Texas. Im not adverse to debt but OU would leave me 60k plus in the hole. Im looking for some input on both schools or some info from anyone who may attend either school. Also how realistic is a big law job as a top grad from OU?

[mcflooter06]

Ive been admitted to both OU and Tulsa. OU gave me a 6k a year tuition wavier and Tulsa gave me a 25k a year scholy. I would like to practice business/corporate law in the Oklahoma/Dallas area. I realize there is no real "big law" in OK, but i would like to work for a prestigious regional firm. I also believe that top of my class at OU would give me a chance at big law in Texas. Im not adverse to debt but OU would leave me 60k plus in the hole. Im looking for some input on both schools or some info from anyone who may attend either school. Also how realistic is a big law job as a top grad from OU?

If you want to come to Texas, at all, I would say go to OU and don't look back. I think that it would be a bit harder to get into the Texas market coming from an Oklahoma school, but definitely not impossible. Tulsa has a very poor reputation in Texas as far as I have seen. I think that 60K in debt is a very small number compared to most people going into law school, and if the debt doesn't bother you, thats more reason to go to the better school.

Biglaw isn't impossible from OU, but you, of course, will want to be at the top of your class. I didn't apply to schools in OK, but I had been considering OU a couple of years ago when I was starting to get in the process, and I really enjoyed the school. In addition, OU owns Oklahoma, so I think its a great choice if you want to work there.

[isaiah6v8]

Ive been admitted to both OU and Tulsa. OU gave me a 6k a year tuition wavier and Tulsa gave me a 25k a year scholy. I would like to practice business/corporate law in the Oklahoma/Dallas area. I realize there is no real "big law" in OK, but i would like to work for a prestigious regional firm. I also believe that top of my class at OU would give me a chance at big law in Texas. Im not adverse to debt but OU would leave me 60k plus in the hole. Im looking for some input on both schools or some info from anyone who may attend either school. Also how realistic is a big law job as a top grad from OU?

Biglaw isn't impossible from OU, but you, of course, will want to be at the top of your class. I didn't apply to schools in OK, but I had been considering OU a couple of years ago when I was starting to get in the process, and I really enjoyed the school. In addition, OU owns Oklahoma, so I think its a great choice if you want to work there.

This.^^ From my understanding, the other two law schools in OK really are not worth it, though I might think that changes with the scholly from Tulsa. From what I know Tulsa is a decent school in OK but the price makes it undesirable. But there is no way that it places as well as OU. Also in all fairness, from what I have seen so far, no OK school places in Texas very well, you may have some reach to Dallas in a better economy, but very small right now. All that being said, OK seems like a pretty good legal market to work in. You won't make as much money, but the cost of living is a lot lower.

[patrickd139]

Ive been admitted to both OU and Tulsa. OU gave me a 6k a year tuition wavier and Tulsa gave me a 25k a year scholy. I would like to practice business/corporate law in the Oklahoma/Dallas area. I realize there is no real "big law" in OK, but i would like to work for a prestigious regional firm. I also believe that top of my class at OU would give me a chance at big law in Texas. Im not adverse to debt but OU would leave me 60k plus in the hole. Im looking for some input on both schools or some info from anyone who may attend either school. Also how realistic is a big law job as a top grad from OU?

A few thoughts from a current OU student on job prospects. Do not take any of this as a substantive attack on OU Law itself. It's a fantastic school with a great faculty and facilities...

1) if you want to start your career in Dallas, don't come to OU. Go to a law school in Texas. For Dallas, I would suggest T14, UT, SMU or (if you must) Baylor/UofH (in that order).

2) Not only is there no 'biglaw' in OK, but the midlaw firms that do exist are not hiring, especially 1Ls. Whereas 10-15 1Ls got paid work (~$1200/wk) in recent years, 3 did this year. All have prior contacts and/or have passed the patent bar. 2L hiring is bleak as well. As of today, less than 20% of our 3L class has a job offer.

3) It's 'averse', not 'adverse' regarding debt. That said, $60k is not insurmountable, especially when you consider the increased job prospects vis a vis TU or OCU.

4) Biglaw is not impossible from OU. That said, the very few who land biglaw from here have significant contacts before coming to OU. They also were ranked no lower than the top 5 students. Statistically, it's asymptotically approaching impossibility. The odds are low enough that I wouldn't suggest factoring biglaw into your decision at all.

5) If you're from TX, realize you are facing a significant uphill battle trying to land a job in OK because it's a very small, tight-knit, insulated legal community. Every firm will begin any interview you're lucky enough to land by asking you about your ties with OK; the presumption being that you will return to the Dallas area and try to land a job there. The rule of thumb seems to be that you need to have lived here prior to law school, gone to UG in OK, or have family here. Several hiring partners have disclosed that I was at a significant disadvantage by not having family in the state. You might think moving to law school in OK would be enough of a demonstrable commitment. It's not.

6) If you want to return to the Dallas area, realize you're facing a significant uphill battle trying to land a job in TX because you didn't go to a law school there. Unlike many other markets, there are several top tier law school which service the metroplex. OU isn't near the top of that list. Is it possible? Yes. Is it likely or even helpful, given that you have an OU degree? No.

[isaiah6v8]

A few thoughts from a current OU student on job prospects. Do not take any of this as a substantive attack on OU Law itself. It's a fantastic school with a great faculty and facilities...

.

It was too much to quote, but I would say that Patrick's experience is the most useful thing you could hear on these boards. If you want Dallas Biglaw go SMU, I don't want Dallas Biglaw, so I am deciding on the smaller debt load, and planning on attending OU. I want to work in the public sphere, not in biglaw, so the debt does make a difference to me. I do think that OU's faculty and facilities are just as good as many of the Top 100 schools, maybe better than many of them, but ultimately you are talking about a very small legal market. I dont' think it is a bad one to be in, and I think you can make the networking connections necessary for a successful career better in such a small market. The names at the top of the legal market in OK are mostly names from OU Law, maybe a few outsiders, but not many.

[blerg]

I have my undergrad degree from Tulsa (I went on a full ride) and was offered a full ride for law school. DO NOT TAKE ON ANY DEBT TO GO TO TU.

Let me repeat that, DO NOT TAKE ON ANY DEBT TO GO TO TU. It's not a portable degree, and even in Tulsa, OU wins.

[isaiah6v8]

I have my undergrad degree from Tulsa (I went on a full ride) and was offered a full ride for law school. DO NOT TAKE ON ANY DEBT TO GO TO TU.

Let me repeat that, DO NOT TAKE ON ANY DEBT TO GO TO TU. It's not a portable degree, and even in Tulsa, OU wins.

of course there is always the added advantage of living on Tulsa Time. ( I am guessing many of you are too young for that, it was a song, though if you are from Tulsa, you probably know it.)

[blerg]

I have my undergrad degree from Tulsa (I went on a full ride) and was offered a full ride for law school. DO NOT TAKE ON ANY DEBT TO GO TO TU.

Let me repeat that, DO NOT TAKE ON ANY DEBT TO GO TO TU. It's not a portable degree, and even in Tulsa, OU wins.

of course there is always the added advantage of living on Tulsa Time. ( I am guessing many of you are too young for that, it was a song, though if you are from Tulsa, you probably know it.)

It's a weird theme for TU's housing.

Also, the better song is Take Me Back to Tulsa, I'm too young to marry.

[isaiah6v8]

I have my undergrad degree from Tulsa (I went on a full ride) and was offered a full ride for law school. DO NOT TAKE ON ANY DEBT TO GO TO TU.

Let me repeat that, DO NOT TAKE ON ANY DEBT TO GO TO TU. It's not a portable degree, and even in Tulsa, OU wins.

of course there is always the added advantage of living on Tulsa Time. ( I am guessing many of you are too young for that, it was a song, though if you are from Tulsa, you probably know it.)

It's a weird theme for TU's housing.

Also, the better song is Take Me Back to Tulsa, I'm too young to marry.

nice.

[brocklanders12]

Oklahoma bar passage rates from first time test takers for 09:

OU 93%
U of Tulsa 67%
OCU 44%
out of state schools 64%
overall 64%

If you want a job in Texas, go to school there. If you want a job in Oklahoma, go to OU.