Pepperdine ($$) vs. Emory ($) + Ride out WLs? Forum

[Ryou]

Emory scholarship is standard remain in academic good standing; Pepperdine scholarships all come conditioned on remaining in the top 33%.

- I don't know for sure what I want to do in law. I currently have interests in CrimLaw and IntellectualProperty and trial in general interests me, but I don't have any real aversion to being a behind-the-desk lawyer either.

- I would like to work in the So. Cal area, but I am primarily concerned with securing a decent job overall vs. job opportunities in any specific market.

- I've heard that it is difficult to predict grades in law school, but I am not very scared of losing my scholarship at Pepperdine. I come from a UG with a very competitive atmosphere and my GPA 3.6 is deceptively low -- I screwed up a Calc course my freshman year (I also could have dropped without it being on my record and like an idiot I did not) and I also took lots of courses with hard grading professors looking to "learn more." I have lots of friends who had lower GPA's than me in high school who have near 4.0's at schools like Cal and UCLA.


I have visited both and I absolutely loved Emory, but I'd like some vindication for my decision before I withdraw at Pepperdine. My family really wants me to go to Pepperdine because they think it has a better regional name and they have never heard of Emory.

I am also on the WL at Vandy and Notre Dame. Given the above are either worth sticker (I'm assuming no money off WL) over Emory?

[Big Tuna]

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[84Sunbird2000]

Don't listen to whether your parents have heard of it. The key is that the legal community has heard of it. The top 1/3 stipulation at Pepperdine probably makes the actual cost of attending Pepperdine (in a risk-management sense) as high or higher than Emory. Go to Emory if you would be okay having a good shot at NYC and ATL. Pepperdine's reputation in the legal community is actually worse than its rank, also.

As to the WLs: Yes, ride them. There's no harm in waiting, and with only a small scholarship to Emory, Vandy and ND would probably be worth the additional cost. Vandy especially, as their employment stats have been through the roof lately.