Louisiana State University vs. University of Arkansas Forum

[acagle]

I am having a really difficult time trying to decide which school to attend. I have received scholarships from both schools which will even out the tuition I do have to pay. There are good and bad to both places, but I'm more interested if anyone has any ideas on which school offers the best education. In the end, that is the main concern for me. If anyone can help, I would really like to hear some new information! Thanks!

[DerrickRose]

Need more info, including what your goals are and what the scholarship situation is at both schools, but in a vacuum:

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One thing to remember, Louisiana is governed by civil law based on the Napoleonic Code. That makes the Louisiana legal market both unique and uniquely insulated.

I don't know what exactly they teach at LSU, but given the heavy in-state population, I imagine it would be very different from the instruction anywhere else, including Tulane.

[acagle]

Well, seeing as though I am a female and happily married to a man, the big breasted girl doesn't really seal the deal for me. Although, I will say that is definitely new information. As far as the scholarships go, I have to stay in the top 20% at UA and the top 50% at LSU to keep it. I am not positive what area of law I want to be in, but I do have interests in International Law and different forms of advocacy. Both programs offer studying abroad. I currently live 3 hours from Baton Rouge and 9 hours from Fayetteville. I have visited both campuses and they were both nice. We are more interested in an area like Fayetteville, but that wouldn't matter if I could get a better education at LSU.

[Grizz]

International law will probably be a pipe dream from either of these schools, unless you want to do something like advise a foreign company on American law. There aren't enough international law jobs for all the T-6 kids who want them. I'd say LSU because of the scholarship requirements, but it really depends on whether you want to end up in Arkansas or Louisiana after you graduate. You're probably going to end up in the respective states the schools are in, so I'd try to pick the state I'd like better. Thanks to the money, it's better if that's Louisiana.

[acagle]

I am actually from Texas. Both schools did say they had a high bar passage rate for students that chose to go back to Texas and many of them found jobs. I know that it is typical for a student to practice in the state they attended school, but most of my connections will be here. I do have a few opportunities to attend school in Texas, but some are lower in rankings.

[Grizz]

[DerrickRose]

Don't mess around with the Top 20% scholarship at Arkansas, that is a scam.

Call LSU and ask them about the weird Louisiana legal system and whether their instruction focuses on it. Or even better, find a recent LSU alum in Texas and ask them if it was a problem.

If not, go for LSU, if you have hesitation, think about the Texas TTT's.

[nianlong]

The scholarship stipulation should make this decision easy. Top 20% is extremely unreasonable. It's a scam, indeed.

[CanadianWolf]

Not sure if this is still accurate, but at LSU law students elect to study either the common law curriculum or the civil law curriculum. Civil law is only applicable to the state of Louisiana in the US. All other states, other than the hybrid system in Mississippi, are common law jurisdictions.

[acagle]

Is there any way to negotiate the terms of the scholarship? The only reason I ask is because that is one of the main issues I am having.

[Grizz]

Is there any way to negotiate the terms of the scholarship? The only reason I ask is because that is one of the main issues I am having.

If they are peer schools, yes, generally, you can try to negotiate. Some schools will, some won't but there's no harm in trying. There's a bunch of info on here about scholarship negotiation.

[keg411]

Don't mess around with the Top 20% scholarship at Arkansas, that is a scam.

Call LSU and ask them about the weird Louisiana legal system and whether their instruction focuses on it. Or even better, find a recent LSU alum in Texas and ask them if it was a problem.

If not, go for LSU, if you have hesitation, think about the Texas TTT's.

A friend of mine is a 3L at LSU and has a job in TX lined up. So OP, I don't think you need to worry about the Civil Law stuff.

[General Tso]

Not sure if this is still accurate, but at LSU law students elect to study either the common law curriculum or the civil law curriculum. Civil law is only applicable to the state of Louisiana in the US. All other states, other than the hybrid system in Mississippi, are common law jurisdictions.

you are wrong on both counts
1. LSU law grads actually earn dual degrees (JD, GD in Comparative Law)...practically all that means is that they are trained in both systems.
2. Mississippi is straight common law.

OP, I'd go with LSU. Better location and just better school overall. I agree with the others who have said the Arkansas scholarship is a scam.

[southernboy]

yeah I think LSU would be the smartest pick. Better scholarship stipulation, better location, better school=win

[thechecker]

LSU has better scholarship stipulations and I think may be the better overall law school, but there are some other things to consider. LSU places 81% in state and the only another ~3% in TX, OK, and AR. The actually place better in the Southeast - FL, GA etc.. than back into TX. On the other hand LSU does have 78% employed at graduation, UArk does not release that information and I am sure its not that close to LSU's number. I am not sure what field you want to practice but LSU places ~60% in law firms, ~18% in clerkships, ~10% in business and then small numbers in academia and public interest. As for practicing internationally LSU has alumni in 5 countries- England, Puerto Rico, Panama, Switzerland, and US Virgin Islands. They do have the abroad programs in France and Belgium.

As for UArk, I think Fayetteville and the NW Metro are probably a better place to spend the next three years, and there may be more opportunities as it continues to grow. Over 40% of the growth for the state from 2000-2009 was in NWA. UArk only places 53% in state and places approximately 10% in Texas, mostly in biglaw/larger firms so top of class candidates. I have talked to admissions about the scholarship and they have said that 80% on scholarship recipients usually keep their scholarships even with the top 20% stipulations; so there is a good chance you will maintain a good rank and continue to receive the scholarship. As for placement fields UArk places ~57% in law firms, ~15% in business (some look down on that number), 14% in government, and only about 8% in clerkships. UArk has alumni in 6 countries - Canada, England, Germany, Guam, Indonesia and Russia. UArk also has study abroad in Belize, Russia, and England.

Hopefully some of this has helped with your decision.