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I am considering John Marshall Law School in Atlanta. I had a decent LSAT score and want to stay in Atlanta. I know they are a 'for profit", but I don't see that as relevant since there are plenty of state universities that have marginal outcomes in terms of both bar pass rates, etc. The for-profit status seems to trouble some people but there are a number of for profit schools across the country. I have no issue with it. I looked at their faculty and their tuition and know they do have some scholarships. Has looked at JMLS lately and have an opinion. I know friends who tell me to apply at GU, Emory, etc but I wonder if I will be lost in large classes. Any thoughts or any first hand knowledge would be appreciated.

I considered it for a moment, then changed my mind for the following reasons:

-they give NO scholarships to incoming 1Ls
-Their job prospects are a little daunting

Other than that, it is nice that it's in Atlanta

Keep in mind that Emory, UGA, GA State, and Mercer are better schools, and UGA and GA State are significantly cheaper for in state students.

Pricer wrote:Keep in mind that Emory, UGA, GA State, and Mercer are better schools, and UGA and GA State are significantly cheaper for in state students.

Also keep in mind that when you graduate, you will be competing with graduates from Emory, UGA, GA State, Mercer as well as a few people from schools like Vandy, UNC, Duke, Wake Forest, Alabama and Tennessee for jobs.

cmraider wrote:

Pricer wrote:Keep in mind that Emory, UGA, GA State, and Mercer are better schools, and UGA and GA State are significantly cheaper for in state students.

Also keep in mind that when you graduate, you will be competing with graduates from Emory, UGA, GA State, Mercer as well as a few people from schools like Vandy, UNC, Duke, Wake Forest, Alabama and Tennessee for jobs.

Yep. There will be grads from all of these schools wanting work in Atlanta, and JMLS has a much poorer alumni base and reputation than any of these. JMLS is way too expensive to consider without a full ride and a "guaranteed" job, such as a family connection or something of that sort. Have you checked out GA State?

JimM1 wrote:I am considering John Marshall Law School in Atlanta. I had a decent LSAT score and want to stay in Atlanta. I know they are a 'for profit", but I don't see that as relevant since there are plenty of state universities that have marginal outcomes in terms of both bar pass rates, etc. The for-profit status seems to trouble some people but there are a number of for profit schools across the country. I have no issue with it. I looked at their faculty and their tuition and know they do have some scholarships. Has looked at JMLS lately and have an opinion. I know friends who tell me to apply at GU, Emory, etc but I wonder if I will be lost in large classes. Any thoughts or any first hand knowledge would be appreciated.

I don't know how qualified your friends are to speak on the subject (this is not a put down), but if you've got the numbers, you should go ahead and apply to GU (I assume you mean UGA), Emory and Ga. St. You say you're concerned about being lost in large classes, but those three schools and Mercer actually have lower student-faculty ratios than JMLS. There may be more students, but being able to form relationships with your profs shouldn't, in theory, be any more difficult at the larger schools.

cmraider wrote:

JimM1 wrote:I am considering John Marshall Law School in Atlanta. I had a decent LSAT score and want to stay in Atlanta. I know they are a 'for profit", but I don't see that as relevant since there are plenty of state universities that have marginal outcomes in terms of both bar pass rates, etc. The for-profit status seems to trouble some people but there are a number of for profit schools across the country. I have no issue with it. I looked at their faculty and their tuition and know they do have some scholarships. Has looked at JMLS lately and have an opinion. I know friends who tell me to apply at GU, Emory, etc but I wonder if I will be lost in large classes. Any thoughts or any first hand knowledge would be appreciated.

I don't know how qualified your friends are to speak on the subject (this is not a put down), but if you've got the numbers, you should go ahead and apply to GU (I assume you mean UGA), Emory and Ga. St. You say you're concerned about being lost in large classes, but those three schools and Mercer actually have lower student-faculty ratios than JMLS. There may be more students, but being able to form relationships with your profs shouldn't, in theory, be any more difficult at the larger schools.

Agreed. If you have the numbers, there would be absolutely no reason to take JMLS or Mercer over GA State or UGA. In state tuition is around $11,000 and $16,000, respectively. Mercer is actually not a bad option if they offer you a decent scholarship and you're comfortable working in Macon or a small town somewhere. I know several people that went to Mercer because their numbers were not good enough for GA State, and their parents had them a job lined up, they just need the JD. GA State may not get you into biglaw (which Mercer and JMLS will not, either), but I have friends who have gone/do go to GA State for law school and got decent small firm jobs in Atlanta. Emory is a good option if you want to work in Atlanta, but the general consensus on TLS is that UGA > Emory unless you get basically a full ride to both. Emory's tuition and cost of living make it outrageously expensive to not place that much better than UGA.

That is based mostly on people I know that went to law school, anecdotal stories from friends about their friends, stories my parents' friends told them about their children, and what I have read and learned on TLS.

Want to have terrible job prospects and hilarious debt levels? John Marshall should do you fine.

I have checked out Mercer, but is the primary reason some are opposed to John Marshall is the tuition?

JimM1 wrote:I have checked out Mercer, but is the primary reason some all are opposed to John Marshall is the tuition?

FTFY

And bad job prospects.

rad law wrote:

JimM1 wrote:I have checked out Mercer, but is the primary reason some all are opposed to John Marshall is the tuition?

FTFY

And bad job prospects.

Where is this data found?

JimM1 wrote:

rad law wrote:

JimM1 wrote:I have checked out Mercer, but is the primary reason some all are opposed to John Marshall is the tuition?

FTFY

And bad job prospects.

Where is this data found?

Everywhere. Use the search feature. If you are rich or your parents are rich and want to pay for everything, then JMLS is ok. If you are having to borrow money, you better think twice. IF you are able to find employment after graduation, you might be making $50k a year, probably lower. Now take that $32,000 a year tuition plus $18,000 for living expenses, which I think is probably an optimistic estimate, and you're at $50,000 a year. Do you want to take $150,000 debt plus interest to have a chance to find a job making $50,000 a year?

classix wrote:I considered it for a moment, then changed my mind for the following reasons:

-they give NO scholarships to incoming 1Ls
-Their job prospects are a little daunting

Other than that, it is nice that it's in Atlanta

They do offer 1L scholarships; I have been offered a scholarship of $6k a year as long as I stay in the top 1/3 of the class.

And to answer the "job prospects" question, JMLS only recently got full ABA accreditation and is a low Tier 3 school. For less $ (factoring COL) you can get a degree from Mercer, which was a low Tier 2 a few years ago and may move back up from upper Tier 3 in the same amount of time.

Working with attorneys who went to school in GA and AL, I hear better things about Mercer FWIW

Careers
Graduates known to be employed at graduation 44.8% - Low
Median private sector starting salary $62,500
Median public service starting salary $44,000

http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandr ... hool-03192

So for the 45% of people who do find employment at graduation, they still do not make nearly enough money to be able to afford their loans. Hell, that's barely enough money to live in Atlanta.

Rooney wrote:

classix wrote:I considered it for a moment, then changed my mind for the following reasons:

-they give NO scholarships to incoming 1Ls
-Their job prospects are a little daunting

Other than that, it is nice that it's in Atlanta

They do offer 1L scholarships; I have been offered a scholarship of $6k a year as long as I stay in the top 1/3 of the class.

And to answer the "job prospects" question, JMLS only recently got full ABA accreditation and is a low Tier 3 school. For less $ (factoring COL) you can get a degree from Mercer, which was a low Tier 2 a few years ago and may move back up from upper Tier 3 in the same amount of time.

Working with attorneys who went to school in GA and AL, I hear better things about Mercer FWIW

lolwut? that's one of the worst scholarships i have heard of thus far. 1/3 requirement is nothing to brag about.

minuit wrote:

Rooney wrote:

classix wrote:I considered it for a moment, then changed my mind for the following reasons:

-they give NO scholarships to incoming 1Ls
-Their job prospects are a little daunting

Other than that, it is nice that it's in Atlanta

They do offer 1L scholarships; I have been offered a scholarship of $6k a year as long as I stay in the top 1/3 of the class.

And to answer the "job prospects" question, JMLS only recently got full ABA accreditation and is a low Tier 3 school. For less $ (factoring COL) you can get a degree from Mercer, which was a low Tier 2 a few years ago and may move back up from upper Tier 3 in the same amount of time.

Working with attorneys who went to school in GA and AL, I hear better things about Mercer FWIW

lolwut? that's one of the worst scholarships i have heard of thus far. 1/3 requirement is nothing to brag about.

I don't think he was bragging, I think he was just pointing out to the previous poster that they do offer scholarships to 1Ls.

Pricer wrote:

minuit wrote:

Rooney wrote:

classix wrote:I considered it for a moment, then changed my mind for the following reasons:

-they give NO scholarships to incoming 1Ls
-Their job prospects are a little daunting

Other than that, it is nice that it's in Atlanta

They do offer 1L scholarships; I have been offered a scholarship of $6k a year as long as I stay in the top 1/3 of the class.

And to answer the "job prospects" question, JMLS only recently got full ABA accreditation and is a low Tier 3 school. For less $ (factoring COL) you can get a degree from Mercer, which was a low Tier 2 a few years ago and may move back up from upper Tier 3 in the same amount of time.

Working with attorneys who went to school in GA and AL, I hear better things about Mercer FWIW

lolwut? that's one of the worst scholarships i have heard of thus far. 1/3 requirement is nothing to brag about.

I don't think he was bragging, I think he was just pointing out to the previous poster that they do offer scholarships to 1Ls.

that "nothing to brag about" remark was a generality, not targeted at him/her. as in, john marshall sucks and their scholarships suck, too.

Rooney wrote:

classix wrote:I considered it for a moment, then changed my mind for the following reasons:

-they give NO scholarships to incoming 1Ls
-Their job prospects are a little daunting

Other than that, it is nice that it's in Atlanta

They do offer 1L scholarships; I have been offered a scholarship of $6k a year as long as I stay in the top 1/3 of the class.

And to answer the "job prospects" question, JMLS only recently got full ABA accreditation and is a low Tier 3 school. For less $ (factoring COL) you can get a degree from Mercer, which was a low Tier 2 a few years ago and may move back up from upper Tier 3 in the same amount of time.

Working with attorneys who went to school in GA and AL, I hear better things about Mercer FWIW

Yeah, but this is after they already suckered you into paying full price for your first year. Its just kind of sleazy to me...