Top Law Schools

Deposited and all set to go to BC this fall - however just received email inviting me to apply ED to Duke for the fall of 2011 (was on waitlist at Duke). I thought I was all set at BC but Duke is a tempting offer. Money is not a consideration (sticker at both) and I would like to work biglaw in Boston after school. Any advice? Essentially it comes down to school location v. school reputation.

redsox123 wrote:Deposited and all set to go to BC this fall - however just received email inviting me to apply ED to Duke for the fall of 2011 (was on waitlist at Duke). I thought I was all set at BC but Duke is a tempting offer. Money is not a consideration (sticker at both) and I would like to work biglaw in Boston after school. Any advice? Essentially it comes down to school location v. school reputation.

well if you're getting a full scholly (or close to it) at bc and would like to work in boston then i would pause, but if not then take duke's offer.

btw, what are your stats?

Stats are 168/3.83. Chose BC over several higher ranked schools (BU, Gtown, Wash U) given its reputation in Boston but Duke... great school! Any other thoughts?

Duke is T14, but doesn't have as great a network in Boston as BC. Hard to choose BC over Duke, but if you want to work in Boston, BC is a great choice.

redsox123 wrote:Stats are 168/3.83. Chose BC over several higher ranked schools (BU, Gtown, Wash U) given its reputation in Boston but Duke... great school! Any other thoughts?

what kind of scholly did bc give you? and is boston your first preference for where you want to work or are you attending b/c of the money they gave you plus that if gives you a small shot a landing a job in nyc?

No scholarship at BC, I'd be paying sticker. And I am 95% sure I want to work in Boston - I have no interest in living or working in NYC.

redsox123 wrote:No scholarship at BC, I'd be paying sticker. And I am 95% sure I want to work in Boston - I have no interest in living or working in NYC.

i'd choose bc. not only for the networking advantage in boston, but also because they have a reputation for being good people. duke does not have that reputation.

also, if it were me, i would far rather have my plans set than keep chasing rankings.

My roommate at Duke is from Boston, got a job there this summer and is planning on going back there when he graduates (at least I am pretty sure he is). If you come here you should be able to get a job in Boston.

I would sign the sheet, because then you have a chance of coming and hanging out with me. If you would be willing to come here if accepted, you have nothing to lose. Worst case scenario you are back where you started.

jayn3 wrote: i'd choose bc. not only for the networking advantage in boston, but also because they have a reputation for being good people. duke does not have that reputation.

I have no idea where that comes from. It is completely false. Of all the law schools I visited, the student body at Duke was on the whole the friendliest-that is WHY I picked Duke.

Have you ever actually met us?

I agree. The Duke undergrads can be annoying, but the Duke graduate students aren't all that bad. Not sure where the bad rep for being douchey comes from.

If I were you I would enlighten the admissions office at BC as to your offer at Duke and see if you can shake some money out of them. Frankly, I am surprised they wouldn't have made a scholarship offer to you in the first place...

Bosque wrote:

jayn3 wrote: i'd choose bc. not only for the networking advantage in boston, but also because they have a reputation for being good people. duke does not have that reputation.

I have no idea where that comes from. It is completely false. Of all the law schools I visited, the student body at Duke was on the whole the friendliest-that is WHY I picked Duke.

Have you ever actually met us?

Speak for yourself. I'm pure evil.

Informative wrote:I agree. The Duke undergrads can be annoying, but the Duke graduate students aren't all that bad. Not sure where the bad rep for being douchey comes from.

I've never met any myself, but this guy doesn't help Duke Law students' reputation.

Yah, Tucker Max hated it here. He is a good indicator of what the student body is NOT like.

OP: I missed the part about you paying sticker at BC. Given that, I think you would be a bit of a fool not to sign the sheet. Unless you want to be in Boston because you also need to take care of your dieing mother while you are going to school, I will (hopefully) see you in a year.

jayn3 wrote:

redsox123 wrote:No scholarship at BC, I'd be paying sticker. And I am 95% sure I want to work in Boston - I have no interest in living or working in NYC.

i'd choose bc. not only for the networking advantage in boston, but also because they have a reputation for being good people. duke does not have that reputation.

also, if it were me, i would far rather have my plans set than keep chasing rankings.

If you have ties to Boston, you would be able to get a Boston job much lower down the class rankings at Duke. Networking is very overrated.

Thanks for the advice - very insightful. I'm going to go ahead and sign the form for Duke. It's an excellent school and I really don't have anything to lose. I grew up in Boston (though went to college elsewhere) and have ties here so don't really consider myself an "outsider" trying to break into the Boston market.

On a side note I'm also going to contact BC and try to negotiate some $$ out of this. I had no idea getting $$ was so common.

As much as I'd like to see you at BC this fall I think you should definitely go to Duke absent a large scholarship from BC. See if they give you a ton of money, if not, enjoy Duke!

DUKE!

Since you are paying sticker at BC, you should definitely do Duke ED. Work for a year, make some $$ and enjoy yourself .

Why don't you just retake the LSAT and reapply? Paying sticker isn't the best idea.

olanderp wrote:Why don't you just retake the LSAT and reapply? Paying sticker isn't the best idea.

Credited. Even if you don't apply to a whole new round of schools, bumping up your score could mean scholly instead of sticker at BC, and give you a stronger shot at duke.

....although I wish youd apply to a different T14.....=\

jayn3 wrote:

olanderp wrote:Why don't you just retake the LSAT and reapply? Paying sticker isn't the best idea.

Credited. Even if you don't apply to a whole new round of schools, bumping up your score could mean scholly instead of sticker at BC, and give you a stronger shot at duke.

....although I wish youd apply to a different T14.....=\

Statistically there is not much reason to believe you will benefit from a retake (check LSAC stats for details). Unless your LSAT is below the average you get on properly administered practice tests, retaking may actually harm you.

'sup with with the Duke hate btw?

jayn3 wrote: i'd choose bc. not only for the networking advantage in boston, but also because they have a reputation for being good people. duke does not have that reputation.

Reedie wrote:
'sup with with the Duke hate btw?

A fair amount of Duke's reputation in this regard for comes from mixed relations with the residents of Durham and this has led to some pretty massive town/gown issues in the past. In many ways Duke and Durham are polar opposites and this can lead to greater publicity of the actions of individual Duke students thus impacting the school's image as a whole.

Merr wrote: A fair amount of Duke's reputation in this regard for comes from mixed relations with the residents of Durham, which have led to some pretty massive town/gown issues in the past. In many ways Duke and Durham are polar opposites and this can lead to greater publicity of the actions of individual Duke students thus impacting the school's image as a whole.

Columbia and Chicago have had...........less than stellar interactions with their communities as well.