Should I got to Baylor? Forum

[worldstheory]

I got a full ride to Baylor, but I'm not sure if I want to attend. I just applied to Baylor on a whim and I was not expecting to get a full scholarship. I was wondering if anybody could fill me in on campus life/stats. Mostly i'm concerned that the Baptist aspect will be a little overbearing, as I am agnostic. Also, what is job placement like for major TX cities?

[Marionberry]

Waco sucks, but Baylor Law makes you work unneccesarily hard so the lack of entertainment and culture becomes kind of a non-issue, from what I've heard. The Baptist-ness at the law school is pretty negligible, as an atheist/agnostic you won't be bothered by it. As a muslim or hindu, you would probably be fine at the law school though Waco in general would probably not be real pleasant.

I don't know too much about job placement, but I have a friend graduating in the spring who says that most of his classmates don't have jobs. He and others managed to get offers from their 2l SA gigs, but it's not common. If you want to do trial law, it's a good choice. If you really want Dallas or Houston, SMU or UH would probably be a better choice.

Edit: w/r/t the religiosity of the Baylor Law environment. That reputation stems, and understandably so, from the undergrad which is very, very Baptist. When I visited the law school, I heard the F bomb and other distinctly non Baptist language dropped freely and openly by students in the hallways, bathrooms, etc.

[Stringer Bell]

As a disclaimer, I'm sort of pulling this out of my rear. But as I understand it, the "Baptist thing" is sort of omnipresent. I don't think it's a situation where people are constantly trying to save you or anything though. Job prospects aren't great, but it's not impossible to get employed from there. Whether to take the scholly or not really depends on what your other options are. I'm sure you will have a top 2/3's requirement to keep the scholly, but that's pretty much negligible because if you can't pull top 2/3 the smart move would be to just cut your losses and drop out.

[worldstheory]

I'm still waiting to hear what $ I can get from UH, but I'm not expecting a full ride from them. Baylor is not real attractive to me, but how can I turn down free law school, especially in this economy. That being said, is job placement really any better anywhere else, ya know??

[Marionberry]

Yes, job placement is better at SMU or UH if you want to stay in a big city. If you don't mind living in a small town, a Baylor Law degree is usually held in pretty high regard across the state. In every big metro area (with the possible exception of SA, I don't know how it works there) you will be up against people from that city's law school.

Even after the recent tuition increases, UH is pretty cheap and COL isn't bad at all. Between UH @ 60k vs. Baylor for free, I would pick UH. But that's just me, and I'm hoping that UH and SMU give me some money too.

Also, looking at your numbers, you should be able to expect some pretty decent money from SMU (I think).

[Stringer Bell]

I thought UH was like 25k+ now with the tuition increase. Also, I was under the impression that they give out almost no money. Am I wrong? I'll echo that OP's numbers should get some good money from SMU.

[Marionberry]

Good numbers can get you approx. 30k at Houston, which along with grants that some students get (around 5-6k a year) it seems like it would be possible to come out of there with around 50-70k in debt. You would probably come out about the same getting 90k at SMU.

I may be wrong in my understand of the grants I've heard UH students talk about, or in my assessment of the whole situation. I frequently am.

[kalvano]

Unless they changed something, Baylor has pretty stringent GPA requirements to keep a scholarship.

Baylor sucks even if it's free...being stuck there paying a large amount of money would be a special kind of hell.

[kalvano]

Good numbers can get you approx. 30k at Houston, which along with grants that some students get (around 5-6k a year) it seems like it would be possible to come out of there with around 50-70k in debt. You would probably come out about the same getting 90k at SMU.

I may be wrong in my understand of the grants I've heard UH students talk about, or in my assessment of the whole situation. I frequently am.

I think UofH cut way back on the scholarship money. I'm not for sure, though.

[firemed]

I was wondering the same thing the other day. I would say a half scholly at a higher ranked school would invalidate the full one at Baylor... mostly because Waco sucks. Personal opinion, of course.

[kalvano]

I was wondering the same thing the other day. I would say a half scholly at a higher ranked school would invalidate the full one at Baylor... mostly because Waco sucks. Personal opinion, of course.

And because Baylor, while well-regarded, doesn't really have a specific market it serves, which can make finding employment more difficult.

[worldstheory]

Unless they changed something, Baylor has pretty stringent GPA requirements to keep a scholarship.

Baylor sucks even if it's free...being stuck there paying a large amount of money would be a special kind of hell.

It says that I have to stay within the top 2/3rds to keep the scholly.... that doesn't seem too bad. I'm hoping that if I go there instead of UT I can actually be at the top of the class and on LR, thereby increasing my chances of finding employment outside of a hillbilly TX town.

[kalvano]

Unless they changed something, Baylor has pretty stringent GPA requirements to keep a scholarship.

Baylor sucks even if it's free...being stuck there paying a large amount of money would be a special kind of hell.

It says that I have to stay within the top 2/3rds to keep the scholly.... that doesn't seem too bad. I'm hoping that if I go there instead of UT I can actually be at the top of the class and on LR, thereby increasing my chances of finding employment outside of a hillbilly TX town.

If you have a choice between UT and Baylor, there is absolutely no reason at all why Baylor should even be a consideration, even if they offer a full scholarship.

At all.

[worldstheory]

Being in the bottom of my class, 100k in debt. I think those are some good reasons. UT has really good resources and job opportunities, but unless you're at the top then you don't really have access to them. It's obviously a better school but I already feel like I'm taking a risk going to law school in this economy so if it's free then the only thing I've lost is time.

Unless they changed something, Baylor has pretty stringent GPA requirements to keep a scholarship.

Baylor sucks even if it's free...being stuck there paying a large amount of money would be a special kind of hell.

It says that I have to stay within the top 2/3rds to keep the scholly.... that doesn't seem too bad. I'm hoping that if I go there instead of UT I can actually be at the top of the class and on LR, thereby increasing my chances of finding employment outside of a hillbilly TX town.

If you have a choice between UT and Baylor, there is absolutely no reason at all why Baylor should even be a consideration, even if they offer a full scholarship.

At all.

[kalvano]

Being in the bottom of my class, 100k in debt. I think those are some good reasons. UT has really good resources and job opportunities, but unless you're at the top then you don't really have access to them. It's obviously a better school but I already feel like I'm taking a risk going to law school in this economy so if it's free then the only thing I've lost is time.

Don't think that you will do any better at Baylor than you will at UT. In fact, you will probably do worse. Baylor is a ridiculously difficult school. You will work harder, have way more classes (122 or so credit hours to graduate versus 87), be subjected to an intensely competitive and cutthroat environment, and still not have anywhere the opportunities you would have going to UT. Even if you are below median and UT and top-10% at Baylor, UT is still the better choice.

And just to reiterate, going to a lower ranked school does not mean you are going to an easier school or one where you will automatically do better.

Also, unless the scholarship at Baylor includes living expenses or you have another source of income, then it's not free.

[jwrash]

Unless they changed something, Baylor has pretty stringent GPA requirements to keep a scholarship.

Baylor sucks even if it's free...being stuck there paying a large amount of money would be a special kind of hell.

It says that I have to stay within the top 2/3rds to keep the scholly.... that doesn't seem too bad. I'm hoping that if I go there instead of UT I can actually be at the top of the class and on LR, thereby increasing my chances of finding employment outside of a hillbilly TX town.

If you have a choice between UT and Baylor, there is absolutely no reason at all why Baylor should even be a consideration, even if they offer a full scholarship.

At all.

this

[nealric]

Waco is where the fun goes to die. I can't imagine living there for 3 years.

[JazzOne]

Unless they changed something, Baylor has pretty stringent GPA requirements to keep a scholarship.

Baylor sucks even if it's free...being stuck there paying a large amount of money would be a special kind of hell.

It says that I have to stay within the top 2/3rds to keep the scholly.... that doesn't seem too bad. I'm hoping that if I go there instead of UT I can actually be at the top of the class and on LR, thereby increasing my chances of finding employment outside of a hillbilly TX town.

If you have a choice between UT and Baylor, there is absolutely no reason at all why Baylor should even be a consideration, even if they offer a full scholarship.

At all.

[Gatriel]

I'm still waiting to hear what $ I can get from UH, but I'm not expecting a full ride from them. Baylor is not real attractive to me, but how can I turn down free law school, especially in this economy. That being said, is job placement really any better anywhere else, ya know??

Have you visited UH?

--ImageRemoved--

Yeup . . . thats about right.

In all seriousness, if you got a full ride to Baylor you can sit out the UT waitlist and go there, way better overall. (Ivy league of the south)

If you want to work in DFW go to SMU.

[FunkyJD]

Have you visited UH?

--ImageRemoved--
Yeup . . . thats about right.

Funny as hell. True as hell.

[Gatriel]

When I took a tour of UH in 09, the tour guide showed me the water line in the library. . . . as they hadn't yet pained since Ike in 2007. FAIL.

[FunkyJD]

When I took a tour of UH in 09, the tour guide showed me the water line in the library. . . . as they hadn't yet pained since Ike in 2007. FAIL.

Funny, I toured last spring and saw the same thing. By the sailboat thing, right?

Who builds their library below sea level in a major flood plain?

[holdencaulfield]

I'm still waiting to hear what $ I can get from UH, but I'm not expecting a full ride from them. Baylor is not real attractive to me, but how can I turn down free law school, especially in this economy. That being said, is job placement really any better anywhere else, ya know??

Don't turn down free tuition....unless you get into UT. Baylor has great rep here in Dallas; I'm a 3L at SMU and several lawyers have mentioned how much they like Baylor grads because they can try cases right out of law school.

Is your requirement top 1/3 or top 2/3? Either way, try to get it removed. I realize you plan on being in the top 5%, but so does everyone else. The worst they can do is say no.

[patrickd139]

Don't turn down free tuition....unless you get into UT. Baylor has great rep here in Dallas; I'm a 3L at SMU and several lawyers have mentioned how much they like Baylor grads because they can try cases right out of law school.

Is your requirement top 1/3 or top 2/3? Either way, try to get it removed. I realize you plan on being in the top 5%, but so does everyone else. The worst they can do is say no.

Which reputable firm allows its associates to "try cases" right out of law school?

OP: please use the search function. Baylor is more than adequately covered in this forum and others.

[JazzOne]

Baylor has great rep here in Dallas; I'm a 3L at SMU and several lawyers have mentioned how much they like Baylor grads because they can try cases right out of law school.

What kind of cases should a Baylor grad try right out of law school?