Top Law Schools

I honestly know very little about the school, but they've e-mailed a few times over the course of the last month and they've got me curious. Anyone with knowledge about the school care to let me know if its any good?

Wow, just realized my grammar there on the title. Ouch.

TT09 wrote:I honestly know very little about the school, but they've e-mailed a few times over the course of the last month and they've got me curious. Anyone with knowledge about the school care to let me know if its any good?

Before the economic crash, Drexel showed a lot of promise. For a provisionally accredited law school, it is quite selective, with an LSAT and GPA range on par with most upper TTs.

But in Philadelphia, where legal jobs are scarce (like everywhere else), employers will look to Penn, Temple, Villanova, Rutgers Camden, and even Widener, before Drexel.

HeavenWood wrote:

TT09 wrote:I honestly know very little about the school, but they've e-mailed a few times over the course of the last month and they've got me curious. Anyone with knowledge about the school care to let me know if its any good?

Before the economic crash, Drexel showed a lot of promise. For a provisionally accredited law school, it is quite selective, with an LSAT and GPA range on par with most upper TTs.

But in Philadelphia, where legal jobs are scarce (like everywhere else), employers will look to Penn, Temple, Villanova, Rutgers Camden, and even Widener, before Drexel.

Widener before Drexel? No bueno.

TT09 wrote:

HeavenWood wrote:

TT09 wrote:I honestly know very little about the school, but they've e-mailed a few times over the course of the last month and they've got me curious. Anyone with knowledge about the school care to let me know if its any good?

Before the economic crash, Drexel showed a lot of promise. For a provisionally accredited law school, it is quite selective, with an LSAT and GPA range on par with most upper TTs.

But in Philadelphia, where legal jobs are scarce (like everywhere else), employers will look to Penn, Temple, Villanova, Rutgers Camden, and even Widener, before Drexel.

Widener before Drexel? No bueno.

Yes, Widener before Drexel. Temple/Rutgers on in-state tuition or Villanova on scholly aren't terrible options for those committed to a life in Philadelphia.

HeavenWood wrote:

TT09 wrote:

HeavenWood wrote:

TT09 wrote:I honestly know very little about the school, but they've e-mailed a few times over the course of the last month and they've got me curious. Anyone with knowledge about the school care to let me know if its any good?

Before the economic crash, Drexel showed a lot of promise. For a provisionally accredited law school, it is quite selective, with an LSAT and GPA range on par with most upper TTs.

But in Philadelphia, where legal jobs are scarce (like everywhere else), employers will look to Penn, Temple, Villanova, Rutgers Camden, and even Widener, before Drexel.

Widener before Drexel? No bueno.

Yes, Widener before Drexel. Temple/Rutgers on in-state tuition or Villanova on scholly aren't terrible options for those committed to a life in Philadelphia.

Not sure sure Widener before Drexel would be the rule for Philly firms. Not only does Drexel have better numbers but Widener isn't even in Philadelphia. I'd say its a least a wash, but likely favoring Drexel

classix wrote: Not sure sure Widener before Drexel would be the rule for Philly firms. Not only does Drexel have better numbers but Widener isn't even in Philadelphia. I'd say its a least a wash, but likely favoring Drexel

Wrong. Widener is in the outskirts of New Castle County, DE--a short drive to Philadelphia. It is most definitely a Philadelphia school (as well as a Delaware and South Jersey school). It is also the older and more established of the two law schools. When it comes to local hiring, reputation usually precedes numbers. The Philadelphia market, which is the most insular of the larger law markets, is no exception to the rule.

for firm work widener and drexel are equal....that being absolutely terrible job prospects from both.

Considering that the Class of 2011 is only the third graduating class, the alumni base is nil. On a personal note, I was waitlisted at Drexel...yet accepted with 15k scholly to UConn...still trying to figure that one out.

Snape wrote:for firm work widener and drexel are equal....that being absolutely terrible job prospects from both.

I've heard that because Widener is the only Delaware LS, prospects aren't too bad in the Delaware area. Am I misinformed? Or are you basing it on TTT prospects in general?

Snape wrote:for firm work widener and drexel are equal....that being absolutely terrible job prospects from both.

Widener gets a definite edge. There are a fair number of Widener partners in big Philly firms. Drexel is brand new (and not even fully accredited). That being said, Snape is right. Job prospects are bad from both. Even from Temple and Villanova, top 15% isn't necessarily safe.

MrPapagiorgio wrote:

Snape wrote:for firm work widener and drexel are equal....that being absolutely terrible job prospects from both.

I've heard that because Widener is the only Delaware LS, prospects aren't too bad in the Delaware area. Am I misinformed? Or are you basing it on TTT prospects in general?

I've heard this too. Not sure about how valid it is.

MrPapagiorgio wrote:

Snape wrote:for firm work widener and drexel are equal....that being absolutely terrible job prospects from both.

I've heard that because Widener is the only Delaware LS, prospects aren't too bad in the Delaware area. Am I misinformed? Or are you basing it on TTT prospects in general?

Think about the size of the Delaware legal market. You essentially have Wilmington, Newark, and Dover, the combined populations of which are under 150,000 people. Delaware isn't isolated, either. A lot of Philly firms have branches in New Castle County. Really, the Delaware legal market is a sub-extension of the Philadelphia market. It isn't greatly sought after, but there aren't that many legal jobs to be sought in the first place.

Before the economic crash, Drexel showed a lot of promise. For a provisionally accredited law school, it is quite selective, with an LSAT and GPA range on par with most upper TTs.

But in Philadelphia, where legal jobs are scarce (like everywhere else), employers will look to Penn, Temple, Villanova, Rutgers Camden, and even Widener, before Drexel.[/quote]

Widener before Drexel? No bueno.[/quote]

Yes, Widener before Drexel. Temple/Rutgers on in-state tuition or Villanova on scholly aren't terrible options for those committed to a life in Philadelphia.[/quote]

Not sure sure Widener before Drexel would be the rule for Philly firms. Not only does Drexel have better numbers but Widener isn't even in Philadelphia. I'd say its a least a wash, but likely favoring Drexel[/quote]


I have to say that I work at a midlaw firm in Philadelphia and a lot of hiring that takes place is based less on rankings and median incoming class #s of schools and more on historical hiring practices of the firm. That isn't to say that people do not recognize that Drexel is a young school that shows promise, it just seems from the people I talk to that most firms are set in their ways of where they hire from. For example, the firm I work at has a lot of Temple graduates. They tend to want to hire other temple graduates. There are two other firms in the building here and one has a lot of Widner graduates who tend to hire other Widner graduates and one has a lot of Villanova graduates who want to hire other 'nova graduates, ect. Moral of the story- I think Drexel being a young school in an over saturated market (Penn- although a lot of them go to NY/DC, Temple, nova, rutgers camden, and widner- since most of them work either in Wilmington or Philly) is more of a problem than anything else.

HeavenWood wrote:

MrPapagiorgio wrote:

Snape wrote:for firm work widener and drexel are equal....that being absolutely terrible job prospects from both.

I've heard that because Widener is the only Delaware LS, prospects aren't too bad in the Delaware area. Am I misinformed? Or are you basing it on TTT prospects in general?

Think about the size of the Delaware legal market. You essentially have Wilmington, Newark, and Dover, the combined populations of which are under 150,000 people. Delaware isn't isolated, either. A lot of Philly firms have branches in New Castle County. Really, the Delaware legal market is a sub-extension of the Philadelphia market. It isn't greatly sought after, but there aren't that many legal jobs to be sought in the first place.

Good point.