Top Law Schools

yes, there's a thread specifically on these two schools. yes, i've read a ton about both schools.

still, i have no idea what to do, especially in light of the most recent rankings which has davis and hastings separated by nearly 20 spots. i feel a poll would be somewhat helpful in making a decision.

both will be at sticker; also, take into account i will be in little or no debt by the end of law school. cost is not much of a factor. employment after school is the only relevant factor in making my decision.

i would enjoy sf much more than davis (i watch every giants game on tv and i love sf food; plus my family is in sf) but the quality of life for three years is only a minor consideration. i ultimately want to work in SF or LA. the central valley/sacramento does not appeal to me in the least. sacramento is the largest city of employment for davis grads, and this scares me, even if accounting for self-selection (http://californiabar.globl.org/report.p ... 0&g=2&pp=5).

what to do?

The consensus is that Davis is being less than honest about employment outcomes. So, be careful about how much weight you accord Davis' higher ranking.

They're the same. Still. Seriously.

What in the world did you think you'd learn in this thread that you couldn't have learned in the same thread about the same topic on the same page of the same forum?

SBL wrote:They're the same. Still. Seriously.

What in the world did you think you'd learn in this thread that you couldn't have learned in the same thread about the same topic on the same page of the same forum?

the reason i made a new thread was 'cause i wanted a poll so i could tally up opinions.

i'm grasping at straws for something to make the decision easier.

My $0.02:

Job prospects don't differ markedly, Davis is cheaper to live, and it's higher ranked (even though that may not matter).

SBL wrote:My $0.02:

Job prospects don't differ markedly, Davis is cheaper to live, and it's higher ranked (even though that may not matter).

Egregious I go to Davis trolling He's actually right.

hastings: bigger alumni network in SF, stronger rep (despite tempting davis ranking). but, notoriously cut-throat, davis is definitely a less competitive environment. this is a dilemma I'm dealing with too, and i'm leaning toward hastings. hard to ignore that new davis ranking though!

cldplayts wrote:hastings: bigger alumni network in SF, stronger rep (despite tempting davis ranking). but, notoriously cut-throat, davis is definitely a less competitive environment. this is a dilemma I'm dealing with too, and i'm leaning toward hastings. hard to ignore that new davis ranking though!

1.) ORLY?
2.) 23
3.) ORLY?
4.)

As someone from Sac who's lived in SF, if cost is not a factor as you say, why would you want to go to Davis?

sundance95 wrote:As someone from Sac who's lived in SF, if cost is not a factor as you say, why would you want to go to Davis?

i'm just trying to go to the best school that can offer me the best employment opportunities. i hate myself for caring, but while the rankings don't mean much, they mean something, and davis being ranked 23 (while also hiring away impressive professors from other schools this year) is impressive. like i said though, i have zero interest in sacramento/the central valley, especially after graduation.

cost is a secondary factor, along with quality of life. in those regards, davis is cheaper, but sf would make me happier for three years; it's a wash, imo. the only thing i really care about is making the right decision for my future/career. i understand they are very close, maybe almost identical, but if i could fast-forward a couple years and see my life after attending both schools, they could possibly be very different. i'm trying to determine which outcome to choose.

Lasers wrote: i watch every giants game on tv

You can still watch every Giants game on tv at Davis, you get CSBA and whatever the local affiliate is for the NBC games. Obviously attending games ( and more world series parties ) is easier at Hastings though.

kings84_wr wrote:

Lasers wrote: i watch every giants game on tv

You can still watch every Giants game on tv at Davis, you get CSBA and whatever the local affiliate is for the NBC games. Obviously attending games ( and more world series parties ) is easier at Hastings though.

oh yeah, for sure; i'll be watching most games if law school will allow me to at either institution.

but i want to experience it by going to games again, something i've missed the last couple years living in socal. again, this is only a minor consideration, though.

also, i'm feeling a repeat this year.

Hastings and Davis are the same. The USNWR might help you if you're trying to get back to somewhere else after traveling to Davis (clearly this is not the case).

Go to Hastings because you'd like it more and debt won't matter.

kings84_wr wrote:

Lasers wrote: i watch every giants game on tv

You can still watch every Giants game on tv at Davis, you get CSBA and whatever the local affiliate is for the NBC games. Obviously attending games ( and more world series parties ) is easier at Hastings though.

There is a pretty substantial contingent of UCD Law folks who never miss a game.

Lasers wrote:

kings84_wr wrote:

Lasers wrote: i watch every giants game on tv

You can still watch every Giants game on tv at Davis, you get CSBA and whatever the local affiliate is for the NBC games. Obviously attending games ( and more world series parties ) is easier at Hastings though.

oh yeah, for sure; i'll be watching most games if law school will allow me to at either institution.

but i want to experience it by going to games again, something i've missed the last couple years living in socal. again, this is only a minor consideration, though.

also, i'm feeling a repeat this year.

Oh I understand, I feel that last year was counterproductive for my amount of paying attention in class haha.

I hope mlb ends the stupid blackouts so MLB.tv works in network. Thats actually one advantage to going to school in SoCal, you don't have to deal with black outs (well just for the dodgers but who would want to watch them anyways . . .) It was a life saver getting to fast forward and watch the games at late at night last year.

kings84_wr wrote:

Lasers wrote:

kings84_wr wrote:

Lasers wrote: i watch every giants game on tv

You can still watch every Giants game on tv at Davis, you get CSBA and whatever the local affiliate is for the NBC games. Obviously attending games ( and more world series parties ) is easier at Hastings though.

oh yeah, for sure; i'll be watching most games if law school will allow me to at either institution.

but i want to experience it by going to games again, something i've missed the last couple years living in socal. again, this is only a minor consideration, though.

also, i'm feeling a repeat this year.

Oh I understand, I feel that last year was counterproductive for my amount of paying attention in class haha.

I hope mlb ends the stupid blackouts so MLB.tv works in network. Thats actually one advantage to going to school in SoCal, you don't have to deal with black outs (well just for the dodgers but who would want to watch them anyways . . .) It was a life saver getting to fast forward and watch the games at late at night last year.

yep, mlb.tv is awesome if you're not blacked out. and you're right, fanaticism isn't conducive to success in law school. i have to keep it at a manageable level.

The King Hall fantasy league is getting up and running this week.

Curry wrote:

SBL wrote:My $0.02:

Job prospects don't differ markedly, Davis is cheaper to live, and it's higher ranked (even though that may not matter).

Egregious I go to Davis trolling He's actually right.

He's also a pretty good example of how stupid it is to look to rankings shifts as if they were of that much significance. IIRC, SBL chose Davis over GW in his cycle even though GW was notably higher ranked because it made more sense for him. Fast forward two years later, and Davis is doing better than GW anyway. He might have felt like a fool now had he gone to GW then just because it was 'T25' whereas Davis wasn't.

Moral of the story: don't be a mindless rankings whore, it's not worth it.

dresden doll wrote:

Curry wrote:

SBL wrote:My $0.02:

Job prospects don't differ markedly, Davis is cheaper to live, and it's higher ranked (even though that may not matter).

Egregious I go to Davis trolling He's actually right.

He's also a pretty good example of how stupid it is to look to rankings shifts as if they were of that much significance. IIRC, SBL chose Davis over GW in his cycle even though GW was notably higher ranked because it made more sense for him. Fast forward two years later, and Davis is doing better than GW anyway. He might have felt like a fool now had he gone to GW then just because it was 'T25' whereas Davis wasn't.

Moral of the story: don't be a mindless rankings whore, it's not worth it.

True, though I'll throw this asterisk in:

It *kinda* makes sense to be a rankings whore right now when choosing between UCH and UCD since (1.) they cost about the same (notwithstanding COL where Davis has a big edge), (2.) they place equally well into the same markets, so going to the higher ranked one doesn't really take away any opportunities, whereas going to GW for me would have meant a real chance of losing the opportunity to work in my beloved Bay Area.

It's a little silly to be a rankings whore to be sure, but w/r/t these 2 schools only, it's not terribly consequential.

SBL wrote: True, though I'll throw this asterisk in:

It *kinda* makes sense to be a rankings whore right now when choosing between UCH and UCD since (1.) they cost about the same (notwithstanding COL where Davis has a big edge), (2.) they place equally well into the same markets, so going to the higher ranked one doesn't really take away any opportunities, whereas going to GW for me would have meant a real chance of losing the opportunity to work in my beloved Bay Area.

It's a little silly to be a rankings whore to be sure, but w/r/t these 2 schools only, it's not terribly consequential.

I concur. All things being equal, I'd choose Davis right now myself. But if OP is getting lots of money from Hastings, the extra debt is probably not worth being able to say that he attends UC Davis.

IMO, If everything is really equal, then why not take the higher USNWR ranking?

alexb wrote:IMO, If everything is really equal, then why not take the higher USNWR ranking?

Because hiring in California is the same and he said he'd enjoy the city more.

RC.

SBL wrote: It *kinda* makes sense to be a rankings whore right now when choosing between UCH and UCD since (1.) they cost about the same (notwithstanding COL where Davis has a big edge), (2.) they place equally well into the same markets, so going to the higher ranked one doesn't really take away any opportunities, whereas going to GW for me would have meant a real chance of losing the opportunity to work in my beloved Bay Area.

It's a little silly to be a rankings whore to be sure, but w/r/t these 2 schools only, it's not terribly consequential.

+1

Davis.

If employment prospects are your top concern, going with whatever environment encourages studying more sounds good. I'd pick Davis. It's an hour and fifteen away from SF and probably less distracting, unless the city view invigorates you every morning and gets your studying juices going. In which case, Hastings. But in my opinion, enjoying SF life vis-a-vis the TL isn't really fair to SF city life anyway.