Top Law Schools

Another poll. But the answer to these always depends on the individual.

Career
UMich/Cornell - Do a 5yr biglaw tour of duty and then lateral into a boutique
Texas - go midlaw from graduation day and never look back

Lifestyle
UMich - live in a neogothic castle for 3 years and then work wherever I want
Texas - I like margaritas, bbq and cowgirls
Cornell - freeze for 3 years and then go work in the Capitol of the World [NY]

Money
UMich/Cornell - Sticker
Texas - 70k

It's hard to give individualized advice without knowing the individual's preferences.

showNprove wrote:It's hard to give individualized advice without knowing the individual's preferences.

I have eclectic tastes. Both career plans appeal to me equally.

I guess it might also change my decision if I got some money out of UMich or Cornell.

U of M will certainly give you more options than Cornell. Cornell is so heavily focused on NYC biglaw. If you want Texas or are debt averse, then UT. Cornell is super expensive and your chances of biglaw are only marginally higher (if at all) than U of M.

Nogameisfair wrote:U of M will certainly give you more options than Cornell. Cornell is so heavily focused on NYC biglaw. If you want Texas or are debt averse, then UT. Cornell is super expensive and your chances of biglaw are only marginally higher (if at all) than U of M.

I do like the idea of Texas and I am somewhat debt adverse. But for all that, I could just go to the local TTT and graduate with >10k in debt and hang a shingle up in a little farm town of 45,000 people.

don't know if anyone has said this, but michigan is cheaper than cornell, i think by at least a few thousand a year.

Why don't you go to UT, work really hard and succeed, eat BBQ, hit on cowgirls (are there any in Austin) and then work BigLaw?
Seems like the best of both the debt averse and the careerist worlds.

AP-375 wrote:Why don't you go to UT, work really hard and succeed, eat BBQ, hit on cowgirls (are there any in Austin) and then work BigLaw?
Seems like the best of both the debt averse and the careerist worlds.

JazzOne has led me to believe that there are a plethora of beautiful girls in cowboy boots in Austin.

In the past I would have said Mich without a thought, but Cornell seems to be holding it's own in the end they're prolly equal, TX is not a bad option if you're fine with midlaw.... these are all good options you should probably go with feel although like a typical TLSer i'd say go with one of your T14 options just for safety

I would say that far and away I'm sure TX has the hottest girls of all those schools especially the undergrad, if your single that is probably a huge consideration haha

All I have to say is I really like your avatar

jcunni5 wrote:In the past I would have said Mich without a thought, but Cornell seems to be holding it's own in the end they're prolly equal, TX is not a bad option if you're fine with midlaw.... these are all good options you should probably go with feel although like a typical TLSer i'd say go with one of your T14 options just for safety

I would say that far and away I'm sure TX has the hottest girls of all those schools especially the undergrad, if your single that is probably a huge consideration haha

Translation = these are all good options depending on what you want to do.

Which is where I started off from. That is to say, I agree.

P.S. I didn't include USC, but if I was going to stay in SoCal, could you think about them like you might UT?

AboveTheLawSchool wrote:All I have to say is I really like your avatar

Thanks bro

I wouldn't do Cornell. I know they just had a great showing in the NLJ250 and tend to place well in New York, but Michigan does open up more doors for you. It's not as NY-focused, so if you decide you wouldn't be equally happen in New York as you would in SoCal or Texas, I think Michigan would be your better option. But, if you do want New York, Michigan can easily get you there. Plus, Ann Arbor is more fun, there are good sports teams and a good school spirit/culture. Basically, Michigan is like a mixture of Cornell and Texas, only ranked higher than both.

Having said that, if you really think you'd be fine in Texas, I'd go to Texas. 70k is a lot, and Texas is still a GREAT school. And UT girls are smokin. And the weather is better (you can always spend your summers in SoCal to avoid the brutal Texas summers).

Last consideration: COA.

Cornell: $217,140
Michigan: $195,555
Texas: $113,750

Yeah....definitely not Cornell.

whitman wrote:I wouldn't do Cornell. I know they just had a great showing in the NLJ250 and tend to place well in New York, but Michigan does open up more doors for you. It's not as NY-focused, so if you decide you wouldn't be equally happen in New York as you would in SoCal or Texas, I think Michigan would be your better option. But, if you do want New York, Michigan can easily get you there. Plus, Ann Arbor is more fun, there are good sports teams and a good school spirit/culture. Basically, Michigan is like a mixture of Cornell and Texas, only ranked higher than both.

Having said that, if you really think you'd be fine in Texas, I'd go to Texas. 70k is a lot, and Texas is still a GREAT school. And UT girls are smokin. And the weather is better (you can always spend your summers in SoCal to avoid the brutal Texas summers).

Last consideration: COA.

Cornell: $217,140
Michigan: $195,555
Texas: $113,750

Yeah....definitely not Cornell.

I only threw Cornell on there in case they kicked me any money.

I doubt it.

I know Texas is a great school, and I'm sure I'd be happy there. I'm also pretty sure I'd be happy at UMich. I just don't know how well I could weather a tour of duty in biglaw.

Cornell's showing isn't that great. The data linked on TLS was for the Class of 2010....which is irrelevant at displaying what happened to Classes 2011/2012 given the plethora of no-offers for certain markets. Class of 2010 placement was probably a fluke, because non-NYC markets had no offered a ton.

Cornell's Class of 2011 only placed 40% into biglaw, not 60% (Class of 2010). Look at this article for the 20% drop in employment.

http://abovethelaw.com/2010/07/biglaw-e ... -a-debate/

Is that UT money totally guaranteed? No GPA requirement?

Also, what's UT's LRAP like?

If I was 100% sure I wanted to work in policy, how would that change this conversation?