Top Law Schools

I am still waiting to hear from some places and am wait listed at GWU and William and Mary. I do not anticipate getting scholarships from any of the schools that I am still waiting on (because I haven't heard from them yet, which could be wrong).

I do not have a real regional preference other than I do not want to live in Indiana for the rest of my life (or any time after law school). I am from Dallas originally and therefore have the most ties in the city and some family support. I also have ties in the Houston market.

I am definitely somewhat debt adverse, but do not want it to be the only factor in making my decision.

Big-law appeals to me, but I won't be throwing myself off a bridge if I have to work for a smaller firm straight out of school.

What should I do? What factors should I be considering?

Thank you for your help.

I think it really comes down to SMU or IUB. Both schools are regional so it comes down to whether you prefer the midwest or the southwest. I voted for IUB b/c of the money, but IMHO, either is a great choice. I know that you don't want to stay in Indy after school which is fine. IUB sends over half the class out of the state after graduation so it's not like 10% get Chicago and everyone else stays in town.
If you pick between these two you will have a solid school with manageable debt, a position that most people applying to law school would kill for. Emory is a good school too, but not at the price and I would not pick Houston here.

I am leaning pretty strongly toward SMU just because of local connections and the fact I know the city. I guess I am looking for reasons why another option would be better or why SMU would be a bad choice.

I choose IUB since you're debt adverse and it's a solid school. However, I will warn you that biglaw won't be probable.

Any opinions out there?

Jesus, does IU-B collect tuition from anybody these days?

Every damn one of these threads has "IUB w/ $120K" as one of the choices. I know they just got the big gift from what's-his-name, but someone needs to talk to these nouveau riche schools about responsible investing.