Top Law Schools

I know it's been asked before, I've read all the previous threads on this topic, and yet I'm still here because I'm really confused. I usually am not indecisive, but indecision has been dominating me since the wait for admissions started and offers started coming in.

Okay, I'm on the wait list at GWU and will probably have to pay sticker if I get off it.

WUSTL accepted me within a week of going complete and gave me $60,000. Emory is offering me $40,000.

It should be a no-brainer ("WUSTL/Emory all the way") but here are the reasons why I'm so torn:

1. I'm from New York, and I really want to stay in the East Coast. I especially love D.C. - it is my second favorite city in the country. I feel like the South and Midwest are not as culturally diverse either.

2. I'm terrified that if I go to WUSTL, I will be trapped in Missouri or Illinois my whole life. I don't want to gamble my future on "I'll definitely be top 1% of my class at WUSTL and get a job back in NYC" because that's basically what I did with my law school applications: "I'll definitely get 170+ and enter the T-14"...yeah, that didn't happen.

3. Emory is also worrying me because, again, if I'm not top 1% then I'm trapped in the South, and the rumors about their bad employment scene/decreasing campus recruitment put me off. I don't know if the scholarship justifies it.

4. I want to go to BigLaw because I will be in debt no matter what law school I go to.

5. I have no family and no connections either in the Midwest or the South, and I don't really feel at home in those cultures either.

6. I feel that, if I go to GW, I can scrape a job in DC or Maryland/Virginia even if I'm not 1% of the class, which are not the worst locations for me - I would prefer it to Missouri or Georgia.

7. I have zero money for law school and would have to take out loans for any of the law schools I attend. This means GW would be staggeringly expensive.

8. But I really, really love D.C.

What's the verdict? I know it's a really tough call and I am not asking anyone to make a decision for me, but any insight about the regional/national pull of these schools (especially in respect to BigLaw), the diversity of their law students and job prospects in general would be really helpful.

Go to George Mason, Maryland, W&M, or W&L.

Didn't apply to those - thought I'd be setting myself up for unemployment. Maybe I was wrong to think so, but I can't turn back the clock.

You haven't gotten into GW and WL's can be hard to crack. Right now you are deciding between WUSTL and Emory and you need to put GW out of your mind until you actually get in.

Personally, if you are really that "BigLaw or Bust" and haven't gotten into schools that serve your regional preference (or alternatively, the state school where your family is from), you are going to have to do the retake, reapply thing.

GW at sticker is foolish, TBH. You should have applied to more DC schools. With that being said, I think some schools still have apps open.

If you go to WUSTL or Emory, with your natural connections you could get back to the East Coast with some leg work without great grades. You might not get a great job but it's doable.

Also, the kind of schools you got into, you should not expect biglaw anywhere. Take it as a bonus, not expectation.

Thanks for the honest responses. The retake, re-apply thing is not going to be possible, so if BigLaw is really such a big gamble then I'm going to have to go with, "Who will give me more money?" instead.

Right now, the most generous scholly I am getting is from WUSTL, $60k. Do you have to be top of your class from WUSTL to get a job in Chicago, whether BigLaw or not?

I would think Emory has a better shot at East coast than WUSTL does. Don't know if location is worth $20,000 to you or not

Peg wrote:Thanks for the honest responses. The retake, re-apply thing is not going to be possible, so if BigLaw is really such a big gamble then I'm going to have to go with, "Who will give me more money?" instead.

Right now, the most generous scholly I am getting is from WUSTL, $60k. Do you have to be top of your class from WUSTL to get a job in Chicago, whether BigLaw or not?

No.

Then I guess, depending on what other offers I get, I'm probably going to have to consider WUSTL seriously.

Peg wrote:Then I guess, depending on what other offers I get, I'm probably going to have to consider WUSTL seriously.

I'm 168/3.1... I haven't heard from Emory or GW yet, but I'll probably be in a similar boat (except I want to practice on the east coast). See you at orientation!