Tulane vs Rutgers-Newark Forum

[SpWiseGuy]

Keg, thanks for your posts. I did apply to temple and rutgers Camden and still have not heard anything back yet. I can even do rutgers Newark part time and work full time and come out with 60, 000 dollars in debt only. The point that I am really trying to get at here is do I pick the school with the name and the price tag because it is a professional degree or do I go the cheaper route and try to save money while getting my profession degree.

P.s. I am not getting mad or defensive , just playing devils advocate .

[HeavenWood]

OP: Apply to Temple and Rutgers-Camden. Go to the cheaper school that you get into. End up where you actually want to work/near your family.

This. Don't understand why OP is acting like he's being attacked here.

This is the most cost-effective way to get into the Philly market. Since you have ties to the region, BU/BC/GW would not be terrible choices either, but since you seem to be Philly-or-bust, I would advise staying local.

[SpWiseGuy]

To be honest, I really do not want to stay in Philadelphia. I am a working paralegal in Philadelphia right now and based on my experience, working as a lawyer in Philadelphia sucks. The job market is terrible and the city is filled with Temple Lawyers who did not make the cut in law school. I am really jaded by the city and I just cannot see myself practicing in downtown philadelphia. I love the city cause I was born and raised in South PHilly but it has its major disadvantages in the job market right now.

I would rather work in NYC. The people are more diverse and the city has a lot of action going on. The people in NYC are more open than the people in Philadelphia and I can see my family whenever I want because I am only an hour and a half away. This is why I would pick Rutgers over Temple law cause I would already be studying in north jersey. The problem is, I dont want to set myself back and confine myself to only midlaw with a Rutgers degree. I feel like I might be able to market myself better to law firms in NYC with a degree from Tulane. I looked at all the numbers and it seems that rutgers places ok in NYC but Tulane also places ok in NYC. The difference is that Rutgers is across the hudson river while Tulane is 1,400 miles away and their placement is almost identical. Only 20% or so of Tulane grads move onto work in the Mid-Atlantic region. 100% of Rutgers grads work in the Mid-Atlantic Region. And their job placement is almost the same in NYC which would indicate that Tulane just places better per percentage than Rutgers.

We can debate which school is better til tomorrow morning but the fact is the numbers do not lie. True, I will be spending 160,000 for a Tulane education and less for a Rutgers education but will that Tulane education give me the ability to earn more money in the future by opening more doors for myself. This is the question that I need to answer. The debt is always going to be there, as an attorney, I understand that I am always going to be in debt whether it is from school or investing in a big case, the debt will be there regardless But what school will give me a better chance at succeeding economically in the deep Mid-Atlantic region (north of Philadelphia).

P.S. Just playing devils advocate here.

[HeavenWood]

To be honest, I really do not want to stay in Philadelphia. I am a working paralegal in Philadelphia right now and based on my experience, working as a lawyer in Philadelphia sucks. The job market is terrible and the city is filled with Temple Lawyers who did not make the cut in law school. I am really jaded by the city and I just cannot see myself practicing in downtown philadelphia. I love the city cause I was born and raised in South PHilly but it has its major disadvantages in the job market right now.

I would rather work in NYC. The people are more diverse and the city has a lot of action going on. The people in NYC are more open than the people in Philadelphia and I can see my family whenever I want because I am only an hour and a half away. This is why I would pick Rutgers over Temple law cause I would already be studying in north jersey. The problem is, I dont want to set myself back and confine myself to only midlaw with a Rutgers degree. I feel like I might be able to market myself better to law firms in NYC with a degree from Tulane. I looked at all the numbers and it seems that rutgers places ok in NYC but Tulane also places ok in NYC. The difference is that Rutgers is across the hudson river while Tulane is 1,400 miles away and their placement is almost identical. Only 20% or so of Tulane grads move onto work in the Mid-Atlantic region. 100% of Rutgers grads work in the Mid-Atlantic Region. And their job placement is almost the same in NYC which would indicate that Tulane just places better per percentage than Rutgers.

We can debate which school is better til tomorrow morning but the fact is the numbers do not lie. True, I will be spending 160,000 for a Tulane education and less for a Rutgers education but will that Tulane education give me the ability to earn more money in the future by opening more doors for myself. This is the question that I need to answer. The debt is always going to be there, as an attorney, I understand that I am always going to be in debt whether it is from school or investing in a big case, the debt will be there regardless But what school will give me a better chance at succeeding economically in the deep Mid-Atlantic region (north of Philadelphia).

P.S. Just playing devils advocate here.

It's not good to play devil's advocate when the devil in question is yourself.

Rutgers Newark and Tulane do not place "ok" in NYC. At this point in time, they are barely placing in their respective regions (not that Rutgers Newark's region is North Jersey, which is distinct from NYC).

If you want to work in NYC, retake and reapply. You should accept nothing less than Fordham with a scholarship. Yes, the market happens to be that bad right now, even in NYC.

[Aqualibrium]

A Tulane degree will not get you a even a shot at biglaw or midlaw jobs in NYC if you aren't in the top 10-15 percent. Those are about the same odds you'll face at Rutgers or Temple. I think you're putting way too much stock into the "prestige of the Tulane name." It's not worth a 160k for a stab in the dark. Again, that's just to get even a shot at an interview.

If you really want to work in NYC, you need to retake and reapply. If you aren't interested in that, you need to pray to god you get into Temple. It's cheap, you'll have a strong alumni network and your own connections to the city to help you find a job in the area, and you can still take a stab at NY if you do somehow happen to end up at or near the top of your class.

[SpWiseGuy]

Thank guys, makes sense. Damn law profession is f*ed up to say the least.

[SpWiseGuy]

Thanks for you comments, it's been a few months and I went to visit tulane and i loved the school. But I didn't want to spend 160k a year on a shot in the dark so I decided not to attend. I was also admitted to temple law a month ago and I realized that I would just save a crap load of money if I attended so I sent in my deposit this week . I hope it was the right move to turn down Tulane for Temple. What do you guys think?

[Fred_McGriff]

If you were set on the South, bad decision, if you're set on the North, good decision.

[SpWiseGuy]

I don't want to work anywhere near the south, I want to work in dc but if I can't get into the dc market, the Philly market is going to have to do. I could be happy with that but not in the south.

[Fred_McGriff]

Then you did the right thing.

[BostonNJ]

I don't want to work anywhere near the south, I want to work in dc but if I can't get into the dc market, the Philly market is going to have to do. I could be happy with that but not in the south.

You seem very confused, one moment its NYC the next its DC, did you apply to schools in DC? As for Tulane, Rutgers-N sweeps it away in the NYC region. You said "the numbers don't lie", my retort is that they do. Have you been reading the NY times or all the blogs out there about law schools fudging employment numbers. Rutgers is probably one of the most transparent of the law schools in terms of reporting graduate employment (73% reporting), I doubt this is the case with Tulane. To say Tulane is a shot in the dark in NYC is crazy, tier 1 schools in the NYC region are having trouble getting jobs right now!

As for prestige and name recognition Rutgers is not "mediocre". It was invited into the Ivy League, its the 8th oldest college in the nation, and it ranks 20 for public universities nationwide USnews. The law school in the late 90's early 2000 ranked t1 at 45, and once the state budget is back to normal I will go back up. I think your perception is a little off.

[stratocophic]

I don't want to work anywhere near the south, I want to work in dc but if I can't get into the dc market, the Philly market is going to have to do. I could be happy with that but not in the south.

You seem very confused, one moment its NYC the next its DC, did you apply to schools in DC? As for Tulane, Rutgers-N sweeps it away in the NYC region. You said "the numbers don't lie", my retort is that they do. Have you been reading the NY times or all the blogs out there about law schools fudging employment numbers. Rutgers is probably one of the most transparent of the law schools in terms of reporting graduate employment (73% reporting), I doubt this is the case with Tulane. To say Tulane is a shot in the dark in NYC is crazy, tier 1 schools in the NYC region are having trouble getting jobs right now!

As for prestige and name recognition Rutgers is not "mediocre". It was invited into the Ivy League, its the 8th oldest college in the nation, and it ranks 20 for public universities nationwide USnews. The law school in the late 90's early 2000 ranked t1 at 45, and once the state budget is back to normal I will go back up. I think your perception is a little off.

2 month necro, mentioning USNews stats that don't matter, an appeal to the Ivy League mixed in there (it's an athletic conference, btw), and I'm fairly certain that you don't know what the phrase "shot in the dark" means... this is like a laundry list of things not to do in a post.

[BostonNJ]

I don't want to work anywhere near the south, I want to work in dc but if I can't get into the dc market, the Philly market is going to have to do. I could be happy with that but not in the south.

You seem very confused, one moment its NYC the next its DC, did you apply to schools in DC? As for Tulane, Rutgers-N sweeps it away in the NYC region. You said "the numbers don't lie", my retort is that they do. Have you been reading the NY times or all the blogs out there about law schools fudging employment numbers. Rutgers is probably one of the most transparent of the law schools in terms of reporting graduate employment (73% reporting), I doubt this is the case with Tulane. To say Tulane is a shot in the dark in NYC is crazy, tier 1 schools in the NYC region are having trouble getting jobs right now!

As for prestige and name recognition Rutgers is not "mediocre". It was invited into the Ivy League, its the 8th oldest college in the nation, and it ranks 20 for public universities nationwide USnews. The law school in the late 90's early 2000 ranked t1 at 45, and once the state budget is back to normal I will go back up. I think your perception is a little off.

2 month necro, mentioning USNews stats that don't matter, an appeal to the Ivy League mixed in there (it's an athletic conference, btw), and I'm fairly certain that you don't know what the phrase "shot in the dark" means... this is like a laundry list of things not to do in a post.

I am responding to a non-sensical opinion about Rutgers in general, as she has made inferences about the University as a whole. Irrespective of this, she is making wide generalizations based completely on rankings. As for your comment about the phrase that you are "fairly certain" I don't understand, I am fairly certain you have no clue what the market in NYC looks like or even can comprehend where the legal market is in general.

[stratocophic]

I don't want to work anywhere near the south, I want to work in dc but if I can't get into the dc market, the Philly market is going to have to do. I could be happy with that but not in the south.

You seem very confused, one moment its NYC the next its DC, did you apply to schools in DC? As for Tulane, Rutgers-N sweeps it away in the NYC region. You said "the numbers don't lie", my retort is that they do. Have you been reading the NY times or all the blogs out there about law schools fudging employment numbers. Rutgers is probably one of the most transparent of the law schools in terms of reporting graduate employment (73% reporting), I doubt this is the case with Tulane. To say Tulane is a shot in the dark in NYC is crazy, tier 1 schools in the NYC region are having trouble getting jobs right now!

As for prestige and name recognition Rutgers is not "mediocre". It was invited into the Ivy League, its the 8th oldest college in the nation, and it ranks 20 for public universities nationwide USnews. The law school in the late 90's early 2000 ranked t1 at 45, and once the state budget is back to normal I will go back up. I think your perception is a little off.

2 month necro, mentioning USNews stats that don't matter, an appeal to the Ivy League mixed in there (it's an athletic conference, btw), and I'm fairly certain that you don't know what the phrase "shot in the dark" means... this is like a laundry list of things not to do in a post.

I am responding to a non-sensical opinion about Rutgers in general, as she has made inferences about the University as a whole. Irrespective of this, she is making wide generalizations based completely on rankings. As for your comment about the phrase that you are "fairly certain" I don't understand, I am fairly certain you have no clue what the market in NYC looks like or even can comprehend where the legal market is in general.

[Mike12188]

2 month necro, mentioning USNews stats that don't matter, an appeal to the Ivy League mixed in there (it's an athletic conference, btw), and I'm fairly certain that you don't know what the phrase "shot in the dark" means... this is like a laundry list of things not to do in a post.

This made me LOL. F'in RU kids and the whole "Ivy League Invite." Classic.

[BostonNJ]

I am responding to a non-sensical opinion about Rutgers in general, as she has made inferences about the University as a whole. Irrespective of this, she is making wide generalizations based completely on rankings. As for your comment about the phrase that you are "fairly certain" I don't understand, I am fairly certain you have no clue what the market in NYC looks like or even can comprehend where the legal market is in general.[/quote][/quote]

LOL

[crossarmant]

You did the right thing, cost-effectiveness is key as well as choosing the right market.

[BostonNJ]

You did the right thing, cost-effectiveness is key as well as choosing the right market.

Thanks cross, now a day’s one doesn't have the luxury to take out 100K+ loans for a profession that is not going to return, or at least return on your investment in a reasonable timeframe. Rutgers has made law school affordable for many, average indeptness "26K"; you cannot beat that, especially with the type of education and prospects you get out of a majorly connected school to its market: NJ/Philly/Del/Northeast Maryland. I have learned that the Rutgers Brand is gold in NJ and just places very aggressively in Philly, DE, etc.