Top Law Schools

So, I got admitted to Pitt today, and I really like what I've seen thus far, and hope to visit in the next week. I have a scholarship at Quinnipiac for $25k/yr, and so far Pitt is at sticker, but Pitt costs ~$50k/yr (COL included) compared to QU's $60k/yr. With scholarship included, it's $50k/yr vs $35k/yr.

Also, there is a likelihood, though not a guarantee, that I could get in state tuition for 2L and 3L at Pitt, which knocks another $8k/yr off.

edit: thoughts would be nice in addition to voting.

Paying sticker at any law school, much less a Tier 2 school, causes violence to my stomach. But here's the problem with Quinnipiac -- where are you going to get a job after you graduate? An even better question may be, will you get a job?

At least TTT's like South Texas and Southwestern are located in major legal markets, where you'd at least have a fighting chance if you did well. I wouldn't go to Quinnipiac with a full-ride; I'd wait out a cycle and re-apply to schools before I went there. That's not a knee-jerk anti-TTT bias. It's a bias that wonders, is Quinnipiac at any price worth the costs (including opportunity costs) of your attendance?

Well, this site says that they don't publish employment data, but QU's info book shows like mid to high 90s for employment % with a vast majority reporting (@9 mos), so you can get A job. I just worry about what job that is.

Interesting that I have essentially the same decision (with Rutgers-Newark thrown in there as well). Here are the reasons why I'm choosing either Pitt or Rutgers over Quinnipiac:

Quinnipiac has two major things going for it. It's a beautiful building on a beautiful campus and the students, faculty and staff are all, from my experience, extremely nice and down to earth. So it's a "friendly" place to study law. Secondly, and I can say this because I work with lawyers in Connecticut, Quinnipiac places well in-state, with UConn as its only CT-based competition.

The problem is that outside of CT, Quinnipiac Law has little to no name recognition. Pitt, on the other hand, does, and while it is a regional school, I believe that being associated with a well-known, highly-regarded research university can only be beneficial.

Also, in terms of quality of life, Pittsburgh>>>>>Hamden, CT (Hamden is nice, but it's a small town). I just returned from visiting Pittsburgh and absolutely loved the fact that it's a city in terms of the amount there is to do, but feels more like a town in terms of demeanor.

I think a case could really be made for either school (despite what some here might tell you), but I do think that, at the end of the day, Pitt gives you more opportunities whereas you might have to work harder to find those coming from Quinnipiac. Turning down Quinnipiac is not something that I'm personally taking lightly, but for me, I think it's the right decision.

Hope this helps...good luck!

I love Pitt and the City of Pittsburgh, but sticker at Pitt makes me really uncomfortable.

If you get in state at Pitt for 2L and 3 L you are looking at a 7K difference per year for those years, coupled with 15k for your 1L, and your difference total is 29k to attend Pitt. I am extremely biased in this regard because I am attending Pitt next year, but these schools aren't even close. Quinnipiac has no pull anywhere and isn't even the top school in it's region. Pitt on the otherhand owns the Pittsburgh market and has some decent pull in the east. Basically I can go on and on about what Pitt offers you but in the end for 29k you are getting MUCH better job prospects and better regarded name on your JD. Go to Pitt and I'll see you there.

I think it's important to understand if you will, in fact, be eligible for in-state tuition at Pitt for 2L & 3L. From what I understand, if you are not coming with a spouse that will be working, and you have no tangable ties to PA (like parents house), it will be difficult to obtain residency.

I would definitely talk to pitt about getting some cash though, not only admissions for merit aid, but fin aid for need based aid. If the decision is financially based, tell the people at pitt. Give them as many chances as possible to entice you.

Good Luck!!

I turned down Pitt with 8k/year because I just didn't feel comfortable paying that amount for Pitt OOS. Will likely be going to one of my state schools for significantly cheaper. However, if these are your only choices, and you don't want to re-take, I'd pick Pitt sticker over a T4 school like Quinnipiac even with a full ride. If UConn kids are struggling enough with jobs, I can't imagine how QU must be doing.

keg411 wrote:I turned down Pitt with 8k/year because I just didn't feel comfortable paying that amount for Pitt OOS. Will likely be going to one of my state schools for significantly cheaper. However, if these are your only choices, and you don't want to re-take, I'd pick Pitt sticker over a T4 school like Quinnipiac even with a full ride. If UConn kids are struggling enough with jobs, I can't imagine how QU must be doing.

QU is T3, not T4.

Go with Pitt. It's in a beautiful city and dominates Pittsburgh (which is a good-sized market). Quinnipiac really doesn't compete nearly as well as Pitt, and in-state isn't terribly hard to get in Pittsburgh (from what I read). YOu are racking up a good deal of debt either way, but you'll be able to pay it off more quickly (in all likelihood) from Pitt.

Thanks so much for all your input thus far, everyone. It has been very helpful.