Top Law Schools

I was planning on going to BC Law next year but just got into Wash U off the waitlist! Paying full price at both-- and eventually want to end up in DC where I am from. I need help TLSers!!!

For South Atlantic region:
BC - 5.24
WUSTL - 11.7

Slight advantage to WashU, but neither is known for DC placement. I know WUSTL has a clinic program in DC and they say 15 to 20% of 3Ls participate.
http://law.wustl.edu/clinicaled/pages.aspx?id=6831

What's the money difference?

I think those two schools will pretty much be considered as equals by people hiring in DC. If you couldn't work in DC, would you rather work in St. Louis or Boston? I think that would be the main factor in my decision if cost is equal (I haven't looked at the tuition numbers, but I'd assume Boston cost of living is quite a bit higher). Also if you've visited the schools/cities and prefer one location to the other, then go with that. You could also try to find out how many DC firms go to OCI at each school, or how many alums each school has in DC. They are both very good schools, so you can't really make a wrong decision here. But neither is a guaranteed ticket to a top job in DC, so pick the one where you'd be happiest in the (hopefully unlikely) scenario where you have to stay there.

malfurion wrote:I think those two schools will pretty much be considered as equals by people hiring in DC. If you couldn't work in DC, would you rather work in St. Louis or Boston? I think that would be the main factor in my decision if cost is equal (I haven't looked at the tuition numbers, but I'd assume Boston cost of living is quite a bit higher). Also if you've visited the schools/cities and prefer one location to the other, then go with that. You could also try to find out how many DC firms go to OCI at each school, or how many alums each school has in DC. They are both very good schools, so you can't really make a wrong decision here. But neither is a guaranteed ticket to a top job in DC, so pick the one where you'd be happiest in the (hopefully unlikely) scenario where you have to stay there.

11 DC firms do OCI at BC:
Cooley Godward Kronish LLP - D.C.
COVINGTON & BURLING LLP
day pitney llp
Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, L.L.P.
Fish & Richardson P.C.
FOLEY & LARDNER LLP
Holland & Knight LLP
HOWREY LLP
Ropes & Gray LLP
Sughrue Mion, PLLC
Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP

14 DC firms do OCI at WUSTL:
Arnold & Porter LLP
Axinn, Veltrop & Harkrider LLP
BRYAN CAVE LLP
DRINKER BIDDLE & REATH LLP
Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, L.L.P.
FOLEY & LARDNER LLP
Hogan & Hartson LLP
Husch Blackwell Sanders LLP
JONES DAY
SHOOK, HARDY & BACON L.L.P.
Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP
thompson coburn llp
VINSON & ELKINS LLP
Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP

NayBoer wrote:For South Atlantic region:
BC - 5.24
WUSTL - 11.7

Slight advantage to WashU, but neither is known for DC placement. I know WUSTL has a clinic program in DC and they say 15 to 20% of 3Ls participate.
http://law.wustl.edu/clinicaled/pages.aspx?id=6831

What's the money difference?

I could be wrong, but isn't DC in the Mid-Atlantic Region?

Fwiw, WashU seems more likely to bump in the rankings over the next 3-5 years than BC. Flip a coin?

malfurion wrote:I think those two schools will pretty much be considered as equals by people hiring in DC. If you couldn't work in DC, would you rather work in St. Louis or Boston? I think that would be the main factor in my decision if cost is equal (I haven't looked at the tuition numbers, but I'd assume Boston cost of living is quite a bit higher). Also if you've visited the schools/cities and prefer one location to the other, then go with that. You could also try to find out how many DC firms go to OCI at each school, or how many alums each school has in DC. They are both very good schools, so you can't really make a wrong decision here. But neither is a guaranteed ticket to a top job in DC, so pick the one where you'd be happiest in the (hopefully unlikely) scenario where you have to stay there.

Not true. It isn't shoot for DC, otherwise St. Louis. Chicago is Wash U's main market not St. Louis, and they place well across the board in the MW.

OP, this is a toss up. Have you visited both schools? Do you have a preference for Boston or St. Louis? Any personal attachments to either location? My gut feeling was to go with BC, since it is closer to DC, but I'd have to see the numbers to be sure. WUSTL does have a very solid clinical program in DC (as a poster above metioned), so that could be a factor too.

Do you have any cheaper options? I feel like sticker at either of these schools is a big gamble.

jdstl wrote:Fwiw, WashU seems more likely to bump in the rankings over the next 3-5 years than BC. Flip a coin?

As in, bump upwards? I disagree.

#19 is the exact cutoff at which any speculation about moving up in the rankings must be coupled with the question "who is going to go down?" I can't imagine WUSTL displacing USC, let alone the Vandy/UT/UCLA bloc.

billy mitchell wrote:

NayBoer wrote:For South Atlantic region:
BC - 5.24
WUSTL - 11.7

Slight advantage to WashU, but neither is known for DC placement. I know WUSTL has a clinic program in DC and they say 15 to 20% of 3Ls participate.
http://law.wustl.edu/clinicaled/pages.aspx?id=6831

What's the money difference?

I could be wrong, but isn't DC in the Mid-Atlantic Region?

nope....midatlantic = ny, nj, pa

I don't think we can give an answer until OP states scholarships and gives a preference as to preferred alternate market. Although WUSTL spreads pretty widely across the country, nobody should go if they can't accept living in STL. And going to BC would be ridiculous if living in Boston is not an option.

Even if WUSTL did move up a slot or two for one year's rankings, that doesn't necessarily translate into better job prospects.

And NALP data is reported based on regions defined by the US Census Bureau.

--ImageRemoved--

NayBoer[b] wrote:I don't think we can give an answer until OP states scholarships and gives a preference as to preferred alternate market.[/b] Although WUSTL spreads pretty widely across the country, nobody should go if they can't accept living in STL. And going to BC would be ridiculous if living in Boston is not an option.

Even if WUSTL did move up a slot or two for one year's rankings, that doesn't necessarily translate into better job prospects.

And NALP data is reported based on regions defined by the US Census Bureau.

--ImageRemoved--

It sounds like OP is looking to pay sticker at both, given her original post. Both are risky at sticker.

.

You all are soo helpful! I am looking to pay sticker no matter what so the cost really does not impact the decision. As of now I am interested in public iterest work in dc in the future. My only concern is if st Louis as a city is somewhere I want to live. The campus is by far more impressive and it is higher ranked and more similar to Nashville where I went to undrgrad and loved. Anyone have opinions on wustl location and social life potential it clearly is no boston but will it do?!

Are you asking us if people in the Midwest drink? Your classes would be held in Anheuser-Busch Hall, if that tells you anything.

What are your numbers, if you don't mind me asking? I'm hoping to get off myself sometime soon. Congrats!

BTW, you should factor the much lower COL in St. Louis into the equation. Boston is expensive as hell.

Rock Chalk wrote:So it looks like WUSTL puts twice as many grads in DC and has more DC firms at OCI. I'd go that direction.

where are you getting this info from?

I'll admit that I am bias against these middle america schools, but WUSTL is a very good school that competes well against the more well known east coast law schools. You can see that they do pretty well even in recruiting, though it doesn't indicate whether this includes vault firms or just NLJ 250. I am not sure they would do as well in the big coastal firms given their location in the middle.


http://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog ... hool-.html


************************************
Stats: 166/3.8
Acceptances: BC, BU, GW, Fordham, UCLA, UConn, GULC
Denied: Cornell, Chicago

Informative wrote:I'll admit that I am bias against these middle america schools,

What a bizarre bias.

.

Pearalegal wrote:

Informative wrote:I'll admit that I am bias against these middle america schools,

What a bizarre bias.

Just think they charge a lot of money for a degree that most major law firms on the coasts would not hire from. Exceptions obviously exist for Michigan/Chicago/Northwesterm, etc. But try going to a firm in NYC from a school like Minnesota or Iowa. That is not going to be an easy sell. LOL.

Informative wrote:

Pearalegal wrote:

Informative wrote:I'll admit that I am bias against these middle america schools,

What a bizarre bias.

Just think they charge a lot of money for a degree that most major law firms on the coasts would not hire from. Exceptions obviously exist for Michigan/Chicago/Northwesterm, etc. But try going to a firm in NYC from a school like Minnesota or Iowa. That is not going to be an easy sell. LOL.

Much better than your chances of going to a NYC firm from a crappy east coast school.

Is this the old list or something? How come all the new lists have BU/BC tied? I've seen you post this list several times and people keep telling you it's outdated, and then you re-post another list. Not saying it is, but is this a totally different list than the normal NLJ 250 rankings?

Informative wrote:I'll admit that I am bias against these middle america schools, but WUSTL is a very good school that competes well against the more well known east coast law schools. You can see that they do pretty well even in recruiting, though it doesn't indicate whether this includes vault firms or just NLJ 250. I am not sure they would do as well in the big coastal firms given their location in the middle.


http://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog ... hool-.html


************************************
Stats: 166/3.8
Acceptances: BC, BU, GW, Fordham, UCLA, UConn, GULC
Denied: Cornell, Chicago

Isn't that 2010? I think BC and BU tied in 2010, and they flip flopped in 2008 and 2009. That posting by the TaxProf is from 2010.

new2game09 wrote:Is this the old list or something? How come all the new lists have BU/BC tied? I've seen you post this list several times and people keep telling you it's outdated, and then you re-post another list. Not saying it is, but is this a totally different list than the normal NLJ 250 rankings?

Informative wrote:I'll admit that I am bias against these middle america schools, but WUSTL is a very good school that competes well against the more well known east coast law schools. You can see that they do pretty well even in recruiting, though it doesn't indicate whether this includes vault firms or just NLJ 250. I am not sure they would do as well in the big coastal firms given their location in the middle.


http://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog ... hool-.html


************************************
Stats: 166/3.8
Acceptances: BC, BU, GW, Fordham, UCLA, UConn, GULC
Denied: Cornell, Chicago

he's a BC troll. They tied in 2010, but the NLJ report initially had BC higher, and then they corrected it the next day. he likes to hang on to this because it makes him feel better. He knows it's the old version, several posters have called him out on it, but he keeps trying it. Can't blame him.

Wait really? I actually seriously didn't know. My bad. I just had it saved in my favorites. I'll change that. Yeah, like I said above, BC and BU tied in 2010, just didn't realise that posting said differenlty. Not sure it really matters though. My post was trying to show that WUSTL does very well when compared to the coastal schools.

And I guess I should be a GULC troll now, as I am probably going there in the fall.