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I want to work in DC. I have $20k/year at Minnesota and $31k/year at W&L. No money at GW but if I were to attend I would have free housing.

GW hands down

Autoaccept wrote:I want to work in DC. I have $20k/year at Minnesota and $31k/year at W&L but if I were to attend GW I would have free housing.

mn

But is Minnesota going to get me into DC?

Autoaccept wrote:But is Minnesota going to get me into DC?

no. neither will GW, probably, but i'd take GW. free housing is practically $20k/yr.

Autoaccept wrote:I want to work in DC. I have $20k/year at Minnesota and $31k/year at W&L. No money at GW but if I were to attend I would have free housing.

i'd go to W&L. It will give you a similiar shot to work in DC as GWU with about 100k less debt.

W&L. Beautiful facilities, great students, and an almost non existent cost of living.

Definitely visit all three before you make up your mind. 3 years is a long time to spend in frozen off your ass Minnesota.

kublaikahn wrote:

Autoaccept wrote:I want to work in DC. I have $20k/year at Minnesota and $31k/year at W&L. No money at GW but if I were to attend I would have free housing.

i'd go to W&L. It will give you a similiar shot to work in DC as GWU with about 100k less debt.

Similar shot to work in DC? Are you sure about that?

columbia86 wrote:

kublaikahn wrote:

Autoaccept wrote:I want to work in DC. I have $20k/year at Minnesota and $31k/year at W&L. No money at GW but if I were to attend I would have free housing.

i'd go to W&L. It will give you a similiar shot to work in DC as GWU with about 100k less debt.

Similar shot to work in DC? Are you sure about that?

i assume he means ~0%.

columbia86 wrote:Similar shot to work in DC? Are you sure about that?

DC is pretty saturated schoolwise. Neither GW or W&L are shoe ins I'd imagine. Go visit the schools, figure out which one you like best. Then weigh your financial factors, debt averseness, whether you have a sugar momma (or sugar daddy, not that there is anything wrong with that), and pick the best fit.

100k in debt is a lot. That's 8k a year in interest payments before you even start touching the principal.

Twin Cities are really really nice, if you can stand the cold (which honestly isn't that bad, wear a coat ffs). W&L is in the middle of bumfuck nowhere. Who cares how beautiful the campus is if the school is in a town of 1500 hicks.

But if you want to work in DC you should go to GW or W&L.

I like W&L but someone posted a ranking saying that 10% if W&L grads get big law compared with 25% at GW. That means like top 10 students at W&L and 100 at GW. That seems like a pretty significant disparity.

Autoaccept wrote:I like W&L but someone posted a ranking saying that 10% if W&L grads get big law compared with 25% at GW. That means like top 10 students at W&L and 100 at GW. That seems like a pretty significant disparity.

2 things:
1. OP never said anything about big law. If he wants to actually work in DC, GWU is a much better option. Do you know how many internships there are in DC?
2. Neither school is worth going into a lot of a debt for, regardless of big law prospects.

.

kublaikahn wrote: I would rather be a part of a small group, than graduate from a degree mill and get lost in the shuffle. Your thoughts?

That pretty much describes W&L. That was what I liked so much about it when I visited. I had no interest in practicing in DC or Va so financially it didn't make sense but it is a pretty cool program. I actually was really sold by their third year program. I know people dog on it a bunch but I feel like it probably does a good job.

All three are in completely different environments so go visit the schools and talk to people there.

fatduck wrote:

Autoaccept wrote:But is Minnesota going to get me into DC?

no. neither will GW, probably, but i'd take GW. free housing is practically $20k/yr.

Huh?? Obviously this person knows nothing about DC.

fatduck wrote:

Autoaccept wrote:But is Minnesota going to get me into DC?

no. neither will GW, probably, but i'd take GW. free housing is practically $20k/yr.

Lol, what kind of ridiculous statement is this? GW won't place you in DC now??? O_O

Teoeo wrote:

fatduck wrote:

Autoaccept wrote:But is Minnesota going to get me into DC?

no. neither will GW, probably, but i'd take GW. free housing is practically $20k/yr.

Lol, what kind of ridiculous statement is this? GW won't place you in DC now??? O_O

Well big law, and thats all there is in DC duh

Sandro wrote:

Teoeo wrote:

fatduck wrote:

Autoaccept wrote:But is Minnesota going to get me into DC?

no. neither will GW, probably, but i'd take GW. free housing is practically $20k/yr.

Lol, what kind of ridiculous statement is this? GW won't place you in DC now??? O_O

Well big law, and thats all there is in DC duh

Another TLSer who clearly knows nothing about what they are talking about.

If you want to ultimately live/work in DC, you can't do better than T13, GULC, or GW. You'll have to place pretty well in your class if you want DC biglaw, prestigious clerkships, or a desirable PI gig. However, being at GW will give you access to internships and other WE in the area where you can impress persons with your ability and desire. When a potential employer hears good things about you from his/her old law school study partner, someone s/he worked with in the past, etc. you get a powerful boost you're just not going to get at Minn or W&L.

This is no contest. You want DC, go to GW.

androstan wrote:If you want to ultimately live/work in DC, you can't do better than T13, GULC, or GW. You'll have to place pretty well in your class if you want DC biglaw, prestigious clerkships, or a desirable PI gig. However, being at GW will give you access to internships and other WE in the area where you can impress persons with your ability and desire. When a potential employer hears good things about you from his/her old law school study partner, someone s/he worked with in the past, etc. you get a powerful boost you're just not going to get at Minn or W&L.

This is no contest. You want DC, go to GW.

+1

If you're happy with working and living in Minnesota, go with Minnesota. If you want a shot at NY or a virtually non-existent shot at DC, go for GW. W&L might get you a job in VA if you're lucky, that is, if W&M/UVA grads that have decided to stay don't swipe them first.

Given that DC doesn't really require ties, I'm actually thinking there's an argument to be made for UMN with $. Dude's debt load will be like 100K lower, and the DC market is brutal to break into right now, even for GW grads. From what I've heard, most of the GW students with firm jobs this year are in NYC or Philly.