Penn State v. Buffalo Forum

[TracyLynn]

Hi All--

I just got a new offer from Penn State which is changing my mind a little. Wanted to see what everyone thought. I have been offered:

Buffalo: 5000/year no stipulations and research position, tuition: 12,000

Penn State: 8000 need based/year no stipulations, 8000 scholarship, top 50%, tuition: 17,000

Are the advantages of Penn State worth it?

Not sure what area of law but probably not big law..hoping to work in the Northeast, NYC, DC, Boston, etc.

Thanks!

[TracyLynn]

bump

[inSouthAmerica]

as a buffalo native with suny-buffalo parents, i gotta say, its a good school for upstate new york. buffalo, while not the best legal market in the world, at least has a legal market to call its own. penn state, while nationally known for its undergrad football program, is not connected to any major legal market, being halfway between philly and pittsburgh. its cold though. very very cold.

[cruzgator]

If you want to live in New York Buffalo is the way to go.

[TracyLynn]

I'm actually from Buffalo, but I'm afraid my job prospects are limited to upstate new york. will penn state give me a significant advantage to warrant the extra money? I'm ultimately hoping to get to NYC/DC/Boston. Which school is better?

[inSouthAmerica]

penn states ranked higher, your job prospects in your hometown will be better off out of buffalo. penn states got a pretty new building, if you care.

[TracyLynn]

The ranking is something to consider..especially since Buffalo just dropped into the third tier again. I'm not saying rankings are that important, but when I visited I felt like Buffalo was on the rise, and to see it do the complete opposite of what I expected was disappointing. Second, I don't have a lot of interest in returning to Buffalo, but if I did, I would go to UB no question. Is Penn State worth an extra 5000/year?

[TracyLynn]

Bump! need to deposit by Friday. I visited Penn State on Friday and it was really nice. The difference between the two over 3 years is around 25,000. I would love to go to Penn State but am afraid the extra money is too much. Thanks for any opinions!

[lawschool4life]

I'd go with Penn State... better school, better location, they place well in DC, Philly, some in NYC... $25K over all of law school won't impact your quality of life after law school. Going to UB will definitely limit your job opportunities which will impact your quality of life after law school... just my 2 cents...

[apper123]

Do you want to work in PA?

or

Do you want to work in upstate NY?

This is more or less the only question you need to answer here.

PSU's degree will also likely travel better, but still not great.

[keg411]

I'm actually from Buffalo, but I'm afraid my job prospects are limited to upstate new york. will penn state give me a significant advantage to warrant the extra money? I'm ultimately hoping to get to NYC/DC/Boston. Which school is better?

You will likely get neither of those from Penn State/Buffalo. Buffalo = upstate New York; Penn State = PA (I guess. Penn State is tough because it doesn't have a market except Harrisburg; so if you want to do PA gov't work, Penn State). Personally, I think you should just go to Buffalo; you are from there and familiar with the area so it will be easier for you to make connections. It's also cheaper and there are no stips on your scholarship.

[TracyLynn]

I'm leaning toward Penn State right now, because I think they can offer better opportunities overall. They have a much better name than Buffalo as well. I guess I'm just scared of adding 25,000 to the cost of law school.

[Snowdrifter]

Do you want to work in PA?

or

Do you want to work in upstate NY?

This is more or less the only question you need to answer here.

PSU's degree will also likely travel better, but still not great.

This is the correct response.

The difference in scholarship is fairly marginal, so you should really figure out where you would be happier/more successful.

For what it's worth, I have a friend at PSU, and she has told me that if you really want to work in DC or NYC (i.e., outside PA), they will help you get there. I guess this could be true at a lot of schools though...

[etwashington7]

I am considering both law programs. The biggest difference between both schools is that Buffalo is geared more towards public interest work, they have a strong affordable housing and economic development program, where as Penn State is really for corporate law (I am not saying that Penn State is not great in other areas.) Penn State's Center for Mergers and Acquisitions is great and value experience for anyone seeking to specialize in corporate law. However, Buffalo has a Law Review as well as 6 other law journals, which is also important in landing a great job out of school (Penn State has about 3 or 4). I am not sure what kind of student you are (I am a good student most of the time) but it's kind of refreshing for me to know that becoming a member of some kind of journal is not as far fetch as it may be at other more competitive schools.

On a larger scale, your big law chances are lower at Buffalo then Penn State... However, if your goal is a great Federal job then I would say Buffalo simply because of it's strong emphasis on public interest and the strong chances of a law journal membership....

[TracyLynn]

Thanks for the opinions! Still undecided but running out of time!

[apper123]

if it's an absolute coin flip i'd go PSU

[superflush]

I'm actually from Buffalo, but I'm afraid my job prospects are limited to upstate new york. will penn state give me a significant advantage to warrant the extra money? I'm ultimately hoping to get to NYC/DC/Boston. Which school is better?

You will likely get neither of those from Penn State/Buffalo. Buffalo = upstate New York; Penn State = PA (I guess. Penn State is tough because it doesn't have a market except Harrisburg; so if you want to do PA gov't work, Penn State). Personally, I think you should just go to Buffalo; you are from there and familiar with the area so it will be easier for you to make connections. It's also cheaper and there are no stips on your scholarship.

This exactly. Neither school well get you to "NYC/DC/Boston" unless you are at the absolute top of your class. Penn State's likely placement is Harrisburg/PA govt, with a shot at Philly/Wilmington. Buffalo's likely placement is Upstate NY (Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Albany).
You should decide on which option you'd rather have. I'd be damn sure you are willing to start your career in Harrisburg before you decide to go to Penn State (or just be willing to wing it entirely).

[ymp4]

PSU degree is more respected. The housing is cheap there.
Buffalo is.. freakin cold.