Decisions Decisions 101- Cal Western or Whittier or Thomas J Forum

[Kilpatrick]

Go with Cal Western because it has the best reputation out of the three. Ignore everyone giving you [strike]$hit[/strike]good advice.

He should ignore people giving good advice?

Eh, you know what I meant. Telling somebody in his situation to retake and reapply is good advice.

[BruinsFan]

I'm pretty familiar with the San Diego scene, having done a tone of research on the USD vs. Cal Western front. I don't know much about Whittier to be honest.

If you come to San Diego, GO TO CAL WESTERN. TJ doesn't even exist (except for the sign on the 5).

[dreamz01]

I'm pretty familiar with the San Diego scene, having done a tone of research on the USD vs. Cal Western front. I don't know much about Whittier to be honest.

If you come to San Diego, GO TO CAL WESTERN. TJ doesn't even exist (except for the sign on the 5).

Considering your background knowledge on these schools, I'm really happy that you replied to this thread. Do you think that there are any job prospects available in surrounding areas in California other than in SD if I end up going to Cal Western?

I'm afraid of going to a school that will limit any future opportunities or my competitiveness as a professional if I go to a school fourth tier school in general. What's your perspective on this?

[romothesavior]

I dont think so. I think that I will get the most at whatever school I attend and that is EDUCATION. I really dont care about the money, I just care about learning.

Also in the end, no matter what school we go to, all of us are going to be categorized on the same occupational level (that is after the bar is passed) as attorneys.

[Billy Blanks]

^^ The floodgates, they've been opened.

edited to add another ^

[NayBoer]

You want an education, buy some E&Es and casebooks for a few thousand dollars. If you want a job, be wary of these schools.

I vote retake the LSAT.

[JOThompson]

Cal Western does reasonably well in light of its ranking. I can't attest to the reputation of Whittier, but I do know several Thomas Jefferson recent grads who are hurting severely ITE.

[BruinsFan]

I'm pretty familiar with the San Diego scene, having done a tone of research on the USD vs. Cal Western front. I don't know much about Whittier to be honest.

If you come to San Diego, GO TO CAL WESTERN. TJ doesn't even exist (except for the sign on the 5).

Considering your background knowledge on these schools, I'm really happy that you replied to this thread. Do you think that there are any job prospects available in surrounding areas in California other than in SD if I end up going to Cal Western?

I'm afraid of going to a school that will limit any future opportunities or my competitiveness as a professional if I go to a school fourth tier school in general. What's your perspective on this?

Not going to lie, I passed on some significant funds from Cal West to go to USD. When I looked at the breakdown of a number (by no means all) of firms in San Diego it went something like 1/2 from USD, 1/4 from a non-SD school, and a 1/4 from Cal West. I don't know if this is true for "big law" or not because after spending 45 minutes, or so, I felt as though I had enough information to make a Cal West or USD decision. From what I've heard of the San Diego market, big-law is mostly dominated by t14 or so schools and USD makes up most of the rest of the market. I had a Cal West grad tell me that she moved to Nevada to find work and knew more Cal Western grads in the court house there than in San Diego. Although now with UNLV open and ranking well I'm sure their grads will have an advantage in NV.

I think you can do well coming out of Cal West if you 1. are in the top of your class and 2. network your butt off. Cal Western definitely gives their students the opportunity to network and they had some very impressive alumni at admitted students day, but you have to take advantage of it. I do think going to Cal Western will close some doors to you, many law firms have a list of schools they will hire from and CW just isn't on the list. With that being said there are successful Cal West alumns in San Diego and some people who feel very strongly about the quality of the school.

I think you'd get a quality education at Cal West and the bar pass rate is good, something I know TJ can't say. I think any of the schools you're talking about would limit your options post grad, but Cal West would at least give you a good shot at passing the bar and networking. I'm not trying to be pretentious, USD limits some post grad options as well.

[dreamz01]

I dont think so. I think that I will get the most at whatever school I attend and that is EDUCATION. I really dont care about the money, I just care about learning.

Also in the end, no matter what school we go to, all of us are going to be categorized on the same occupational level (that is after the bar is passed) as attorneys.

Omg how mean! (although it made me laugh haha) Im thinking that STRAIGHT out of law school that YES it does matter which school you went to and that will assist in getting you into a certain firm or having a certain position; however, after FIVE YEARS out of law school, I really dont know how much the school one attended matters. Doesn't real world experience override whatever school we graduate from and will ultimately be the reason why some get a certain job and others dont? Afterall, the institution we attend doesnt teach us HOW to be lawyers.

Honestly, I'm just weighing my options to see which school would be the best one to attend if I dont get off the waitlist at other higher ranked schools closer to where I'm located now. If push comes to shove and all these schools seem like just money pumpers with no future benefits, then I think I will take the LSAT over.

[270910]

Doesn't real world experience override whatever school we graduate from and will ultimately be the reason why some get a certain job and others dont?

Yes! For example, the lateral options out of big law firms are lucrative and bountiful - to in house positions at agencies or corporations in particular.

Unfortunately big firm jobs are almost impossible to get out of Cal Western, Whittier, or TJ :-/

And if you manage to get a clerkship, especially at the federal level, you'll write your own ticket.

Unfortunately clerkships are almost impossible to get out of Cal Western, Whittier, or TJ :-/

But if you get a position with a federal agency - like DoJ, the IRS, or something - you can have excellent opportunities to transition to boutique practice or other awesome legal work.

Unfortunately those positions are almost impossible to get out of Cal Western, Whittier, or TJ :-/

If you start your career with a prestigious PI group like the ACLU or a think tank from any spectrum, you'll also have the chance to prove yourself and lateral to other interesting work.

Unfortunately landing a spot with a prestigious PI group or think tank is almost impossible to get out of Cal Western, Whittier, or TJ :-/

The problem is that even out of law school, your record of employment much more than what you do in that employment determines your career prospect. There will be successful attorneys - often plaintiffs attorneys - out of every law school in the country. But your FIRST job usually determines your second usually determines your third. It is quite possible for any individual attorney to make their way in the world through hard work, dedication, networking, talent, and lucky breaks. But for the most part, the elitism of the legal industry perpetuates loooonnnngggg after you've graduated from school. You will never, ever, ever lateral into a big firm, corporate inhouse slot, or federal agency from a run-of-the-mill tiny law firm. I mean it's not QUITE that drastic, but it's close. If you're already at a tiny firm, do your best and try!

But if you're making an informed decision about where or whether to attend law school, realize the odds. For every 100 people in your situation, fewer than 15 will see the kind of career path involving power, prestige, personal fulfillment and/or compensation that most people hope for when they decide to become attorneys.

That's just the way of things.

[dreamz01]

I want to thank all the people on this thread for their advice.

After thinking long and hard about my situation, I have decided to not pursue any of these schools and see what happens with my waitlisted schools.

If none of them accept me, I'm going to retake the LSAT. This time I'm taking a prep class. I know I can do better than I did.

[somewhatwayward]

^
that is definitely the right thing to do. you have a 3.99 GPA, right? even raising your LSAT five points could make a world of difference. also, i think if you have the work ethic to get a 3.99, you probably have the work ethic to do a lot better on the LSAT. good luck!

[WWAD]

I want to thank all the people on this thread for their advice.

After thinking long and hard about my situation, I have decided to not pursue any of these schools and see what happens with my waitlisted schools.

If none of them accept me, I'm going to retake the LSAT. This time I'm taking a prep class. I know I can do better than I did.

If you have already taken the test you don't need to spend money on a course unless that is how you learn best. Just follow the "how to get a 180" post that seems the most appealing on this site. If you cannot buckle down on your own you will have a tough time in law school any way. Plus if your goal is the highest ranked school you can get into then you want to save your money.

[dreamz01]

^
that is definitely the right thing to do. you have a 3.99 GPA, right? even raising your LSAT five points could make a world of difference. also, i think if you have the work ethic to get a 3.99, you probably have the work ethic to do a lot better on the LSAT. good luck!

Yes I do and I worked extremely hard for my GPA. Now, I just need to focus like I did in school on the LSAT.

Thank you for your support!