Top Law Schools

I have narrowed it down to five schools and I am having a little trouble deciding where to go. I am really leaning towards one of them, but I wanted to see if I get some radically different opinions on here.

The amount following the school above is the debt that I would have upon graduation. (COL is not a factor, the number above is the only debt I would have)

1. Ideally I would like to practice in the West, preferably Colorado, but I am open to other areas as well.
2. I do not know exactly what I would like to do. Big Law is appealing but I do not necessarily want to be put in a position financially where it is Big Law or bust, so I would say I am somewhat debt-averse.

Edit - I really do not like California and if I went to UCLA I would not want to eventually practice there.

If you're cool with the Midwest, WUSTL or Minnesota would be great options. I wouldn't pay for UCLA if you don't want Cali, nor GW if you don't want DC.

I'd avoid IUB unless you really like the school for some reason or you definitely want Indiana (It must be IUB trolls voting in the poll). In terms of employment opportunities/reputation/academics, I don't think it's worth the same price as UMN or only 15K cheaper than WUSTL.

fakemoney wrote:If you're cool with the Midwest, WUSTL or Minnesota would be great options. I wouldn't pay for UCLA if you don't want Cali, nor GW if you don't want DC.

I'd avoid IUB unless you really like the school for some reason or you definitely want Indiana (It must be IUB trolls voting in the poll). In terms of employment opportunities/reputation/academics, I don't think it's worth the same price as UMN or only 15K cheaper than WUSTL.

Yeah people on this board seem to love IUB for some reason. If you don't want go to Indiana and compete with IUI grads, don't go there.

OP - WashU seems to be the appropriate response here.

fakemoney wrote:If you're cool with the Midwest, WUSTL or Minnesota would be great options. I wouldn't pay for UCLA if you don't want Cali, nor GW if you don't want DC.

I'd avoid IUB unless you really like the school for some reason or you definitely want Indiana (It must be IUB trolls voting in the poll). In terms of employment opportunities/reputation/academics, I don't think it's worth the same price as UMN or only 15K cheaper than WUSTL.

Since none of the schools are in your target range, I'd go to the strongest school you got a full-ride to. Enjoy the Twin Cities.

I agree with Aberzombie on this one. UMN's definitely better for Minnesota, and IUB for Indy, but WUSTL spreads its students pretty well (there's some statistical analysis on that topic stickied on the front page, I think). 15k probably isn't enough debt to justify taking the cheaper options just because they're cheaper.

Where are you from/what locations do you have ties to?

UMN, WUSTL, and GW are all solid options depending on where your ties originate.

stratocophic wrote:I agree with Aberzombie on this one. UMN's definitely better for Minnesota, and IUB for Indy, but WUSTL spreads its students pretty well (there's some statistical analysis on that topic stickied on the front page, I think). 15k probably isn't enough debt to justify taking the cheaper options just because they're cheaper.

While I agree that WUSTL has a longer reach than Minnesota does generally, neither place particularly well in the West.

Accordingly to WUSTL's website, only 13% practiced in the "west" (which I'm counting at Pacific and Mountain.)

So it looks like you'll have to fight to get a spot in your target market from either school. I do not think there is a dramatic difference in reputation from either, and I'd personally prefer to Minneapolis to St. Louis as a "fall-back" market. Minneapolis has a strong economy, is larger than you, and is almost entirely the property of UMinn.

If you were looking to place in the Midwest or the East, I'd say go to Wash U. But you're looking for the Mountain states - I don't think either one will give you an advantage over the other, and I Minnesota has been the consistently better law school over the last few decades.

Anecdotally, I know several people from UMN who are going to be working/clerking in Denver after they graduate. It's a reasonable objective, especially if you hustle and try to get an internship (paid or unpaid) there after your 1L year.

So it looks like you'll have to fight to get a spot in your target market from either school. I do not think there is a dramatic difference in reputation from either, and I'd personally prefer to Minneapolis to St. Louis as a "fall-back" market. Minneapolis has a strong economy, is larger than you, and is almost entirely the property of UMinn

Wow, I was going to make this very point but backed off because it was mostly just based on my general perception and not a lot of hard evidence. That's my general sense entirely. As you said, I too think one of the drawbacks of WUSTL is that its own home market is kind of soft; so graduates, in my mind, could face the prospect of having to venture out into competitive markets where WUSTL is not one of the top-placing schools. It seems like this could pose difficulty for students, especially those near median or below. Whereas with UMN, I think it might be easier in general for students to find mid-law or low-end work, since MSP is a larger market.

I'd be curious if others could weigh in on this view.

Minnesota/WUSTL, whichever you like more.

Why no CU?

esq wrote:Why no CU?

Good question. If Colorado is indeed your target market, CU is going to place better there than any of your options. Presumably you'd get a full ride there as well.

Thanks everybody for the responses so far.

mez06 wrote:Where are you from/what locations do you have ties to?

UMN, WUSTL, and GW are all solid options depending on where your ties originate.

I am from Colorado and went to college in Arizona.

danquayle wrote:

esq wrote:Why no CU?

Good question. If Colorado is indeed your target market, CU is going to place better there than any of your options. Presumably you'd get a full ride there as well.

For some reason I didn't get a very big scholarship, and even though I am in-state it would end up costing more than all in the list but UCLA.

gorockies wrote:Thanks everybody for the responses so far.

mez06 wrote:Where are you from/what locations do you have ties to?

UMN, WUSTL, and GW are all solid options depending on where your ties originate.

I am from Colorado and went to college in Arizona.

danquayle wrote:

esq wrote:Why no CU?

Good question. If Colorado is indeed your target market, CU is going to place better there than any of your options. Presumably you'd get a full ride there as well.

For some reason I didn't get a very big scholarship, and even though I am in-state it would end up costing more than all in the list but UCLA.

Especially with your market ties, I'd go U Minn. I see a plausible argument for Wash U, but I'm debt averse. (Since you know, I am actually in repayment now.)

danquayle wrote:

esq wrote:Why no CU?

Good question. If Colorado is indeed your target market, CU is going to place better there than any of your options. Presumably you'd get a full ride there as well.

gorockies wrote:For some reason I didn't get a very big scholarship, and even though I am in-state it would end up costing more than all in the list but UCLA.

Bummer. And you tried to leverage your other schools and offers against them? They might offer you a lot more, if you can show them that you are willing to be a Buff for the right $$$$$$$$. Just seems like it would be such a great fit for you if you could swing it - and I'm not gonna lie, Boulder looks like an amazing place to spend three years.

It would be a good idea to try to get them to up their offer if Colorado is definitely your preferred market. Just say CU is your first choice, and you'd like to attend, but X, Y, and Z offered you $$$

fakemoney wrote:It would be a good idea to try to get them to up their offer if Colorado is definitely your preferred market. Just say CU is your first choice, and you'd like to attend, but X, Y, and Z offered you $$$

Yeah, especially with two full rides in hand (from more reputed schools) and as an in-state student.

WUSTL is the best option for the Mountain West ? I thought the TLS consensus was it is a Midwestern school with the ability to place on the east coast - not a pipeline to the west...

Blindmelon wrote:Minnesota/WUSTL, whichever you like more.

If you're from Colorado, you can go back. Just tell the firms that these schools were cheaper and have strong reputations.

I vote UCLA. Yeah, the debt is by far the biggest -- but it's still under six figures, so it won't be soul crushing. Also, I know you don't want CA, but UCLA probably has the most mobility of any of those schools and should land you somewhere out West or in NYC if you want it. Plus, it has by far the best job prospects; in the recent NLJ 250 stats released last month, 35% of the Class of 2010 got BigLaw jobs. Not too shabby.

Sandro wrote:WUSTL is the best option for the Mountain West ? I thought the TLS consensus was it is a Midwestern school with the ability to place on the east coast - not a pipeline to the west...

+1. Even though I'll probably be WUSTLin' this fall, I think their ties to the east are stronger than their ties to the west.

My advice? Retake and go to Yale. Or settle for U Minn.