Hawaii or Penn State Forum

kmaniq200 · Post by **kmaniq200** » Mon Mar 28, 2011 8:47 pm

Hi there,

i'm currently having a very hard time choosing between UH and PSU. Both schools have very good programs that i'm interested in. I have participated and led various volunteering trips to india and thailand, and has a good first-hand knowledge of asia so that is a big part of the reason that the asia-pacific program at hawaii really intrigues me. However, PSU offers many exciting externships and a great selection in international law courses (plus the chance for a joint MIA). PSU offered me money but not hawaii, so tuition cost over 3 years will be roughly the same.

one thing that has been bothering me is the drop and rise in the latest ranking for hawaii(72--->95) and PSU(72--->60) respectively. How much does the ranking of the school really matter?

really appreciated if current/prospective law students could give me your opinion with regards to my dilemma. thank you.

Justathought · Post by **Justathought** » Mon Mar 28, 2011 8:52 pm

kmaniq200 wrote:Hi there,

i'm currently having a very hard time choosing between UH and PSU. Both schools have very good programs that i'm interested in. I have participated and led various volunteering trips to india and thailand, and has a good first-hand knowledge of asia so that is a big part of the reason that the asia-pacific program at hawaii really intrigues me. However, PSU offers many exciting externships and a great selection in international law courses (plus the chance for a joint MIA). PSU offered me money but not hawaii, so tuition cost over 3 years will be roughly the same.

one thing that has been bothering me is the drop and rise in the latest ranking for hawaii(72--->95) and PSU(72--->60) respectively. How much does the ranking of the school really matter?

really appreciated if current/prospective law students could give me your opinion with regards to my dilemma. thank you.

Let's be honest, you like the idea of living in Hawaii, don't you? You like it a lot more than central PA, right? It's okay, I understand, I'm thinking of Miami myself. Yeah, I can say its because of their tax program and solid name in South Florida, but we know why I really like it more than Rutgers Newark.

You should probably go to Penn State, but I wouldn't be mad if you went to Hawaii. Like I've said, I understand.

Edit: Also, the ranking doesn't matter.

bearsfan1 · Post by **bearsfan1** » Mon Mar 28, 2011 9:00 pm

I don't know anything about either school, but I remember reading a thread about the grim job prospects from Hawaii. I'm too lazy to do it myself, but I'm sure you could find the thread by doing a quick search since there probably aren't many threads concerning Hawaii.

CanadianWolf · Post by **CanadianWolf** » Mon Mar 28, 2011 9:06 pm

Where do you want to live & work after law school ?

kmaniq200 · Post by **kmaniq200** » Mon Mar 28, 2011 9:29 pm

thanks so much for the quick replies. and yes, i do much rather live in hawaii over PA, u got me there

but it is true that i have a much deeper interest in specializing in the asia-pacific region, so that's why i'm really struggling with the decision.

i'm not sure where i want to work in the future yet, i'm pretty free to move around so i plan to go wherever the job may be~

i've also read that hawaii is more of a regional school, so it might be hard to find work off the island afterward.....

i'm still confused about the ranking, i got ppl tellin me tat as long as i finish in top 10% of my class i'l be fine. but i also got ppl telling me tat ranking matters a ton, and especially since penn state has a good chance to keep moving up, i should just attend PSU....

CanadianWolf · Post by **CanadianWolf** » Mon Mar 28, 2011 10:11 pm

Even if Penn State was rankrd in the top 40 law schools, it wouldn't help getting hired in Hawaii.
If you want to practice in Montana, go to the Univ. of Montana; if you want to practice in New Mexico, go to UNM; if you want to practice in Hawaii, go to Hawaii.

thedive · Post by **thedive** » Tue Mar 29, 2011 1:46 am

This is the reason I've found that ranking seems worthless in many aspects after the T25, maybe T30.

wokeemilo · Post by **wokeemilo** » Tue Mar 29, 2011 3:22 am

Have you lived in Hawaii? Hawaii is VERY different from the rest of the country...and know that going to UH will mean that you'll probably be living in Hawaii for a while. Most of the class will be made up of people who have lived in HI for their entire lives (prob even went to high school together). I live in Hawaii, and it's important for non-local people to know that Hawaii is...unique. It's over 50% Asian, very local-centric, and can be a major culture shock for people who have never ventured out of Waikiki. That said, many people come here, love it, and never leave! But def do your research!

CouchAJ · Post by **CouchAJ** » Thu Apr 21, 2011 2:40 pm

If you're interested in the Asian-Pacific region, and you don't mind going to school this far from home (I say "this far" because I'm in Hawaii) then come on over. I start in the fall and have visited the school many times, and so far, I love it. The staff is friendly and helpful, there isn't as much competition amongst the students (as compared to other schools, so I hear), and the island is beautiful.
That being said, I chose UH because I'm active duty military stationed here for the next 4 years and didn't have a choice...lol, but I still love it here and can't wait for the fall!

mrwarre85 · Post by **mrwarre85** » Thu Apr 21, 2011 6:51 pm

CanadianWolf wrote:Even if Penn State was rankrd in the top 40 law schools, it wouldn't help getting hired in Hawaii.
If you want to practice in Montana, go to the Univ. of Montana; if you want to practice in New Mexico, go to UNM; if you want to practice in Hawaii, go to Hawaii.

+1

BrianGriffintheDog · Post by **BrianGriffintheDog** » Thu Apr 21, 2011 8:08 pm

Hawaii is a horrible place to find work. Penn's at least got a decent market to exploit, but Hawaii's got nothing, unless you're into surfing

Post by **vanwinkle** » Thu Apr 21, 2011 8:22 pm

mrwarre85 wrote:
CanadianWolf wrote:Even if Penn State was rankrd in the top 40 law schools, it wouldn't help getting hired in Hawaii.
If you want to practice in Montana, go to the Univ. of Montana; if you want to practice in New Mexico, go to UNM; if you want to practice in Hawaii, go to Hawaii.
+1

tittsburghfeelers · Post by **tittsburghfeelers** » Thu Apr 21, 2011 9:20 pm

CouchAJ wrote:If you're interested in the Asian-Pacific region, and you don't mind going to school this far from home (I say "this far" because I'm in Hawaii) then come on over. I start in the fall and have visited the school many times, and so far, I love it. The staff is friendly and helpful, there isn't as much competition amongst the students (as compared to other schools, so I hear), and the island is beautiful.
That being said, I chose UH because I'm active duty military stationed here for the next 4 years and didn't have a choice...lol, but I still love it here and can't wait for the fall!

Just out of curiosity, what happens if you get deployed during the school year? Do you lose the money that you had already spent on classes for that semester or does the military or school pay you back somehow? Also, if you're deployed, for say a year, can you pick up where you left off or do you have to start over?

CouchAJ · Post by **CouchAJ** » Mon Oct 31, 2011 3:25 am

I'm in a non deployable billet, but if a similarly situated military student in a deployable status attended law school (which would be crazy) they would lose out on funds and depending on the time between classes, they may even have to reapply. But the classes they completed would more than likely still count.

thexfactor · Post by **thexfactor** » Mon Oct 31, 2011 11:26 am

Id say none of the above.

Both have dismal placement at biglaw Think top 10% to have a chance... However, if you held a gun up and forced me to choose, I would choose Hawaii. 15k a year tuition. At least you can enjoy 3 years of your life in paradise before being unemployed....

TTH · Post by **TTH** » Mon Nov 07, 2011 3:08 am

thexfactor wrote:Id say none of the above.

Both have dismal placement at biglaw Think top 10% to have a chance... However, if you held a gun up and forced me to choose, I would choose Hawaii. 15k a year tuition. At least you can enjoy 3 years of your life in paradise before being unemployed....

Really this is the only answer. You're going to sweat a job from either school. This way, you won't have to spend three years in State College Pennsylvania*, which is objectively a shithole.

* or whatever godforsaken hill town the law school happens to be in.

Yeshia90 · Post by **Yeshia90** » Mon Nov 07, 2011 3:26 am

TTH wrote:
thexfactor wrote:Id say none of the above.

Both have dismal placement at biglaw Think top 10% to have a chance... However, if you held a gun up and forced me to choose, I would choose Hawaii. 15k a year tuition. At least you can enjoy 3 years of your life in paradise before being unemployed....
Really this is the only answer. You're going to sweat a job from either school. This way, you won't have to spend three years in State College Pennsylvania*, which is in my entirely uninformed and biased opinion, which has is grounded in no objective reality a shithole.

* or whatever godforsaken hill town the law school happens to be in.

Fixed that for you

State College is awesome. It's in the middle of nowhere, but the town itself is great. And since the university bought the law school, and has poured all its resources into the State College location (as opposed to the Lancaster campus), it's only going to climb the rankings.

That said, when it comes to schools outside the top-14, geography is as important as anything else in getting a job. If you want to work in Harrisburg or Pittsburgh, go to Penn State. If not, I sure as hell would rather be in Hawaii. Not like it's going to be easy to get NYC biglaw from either.

Grizz · Post by **Grizz** » Mon Nov 07, 2011 3:55 am

Have fun trying to get a job in Hawaii if you're not from there (I'm getting the sense that you're not). You're in for a world of hurt.

Yeshia90 · Post by **Yeshia90** » Mon Nov 07, 2011 3:58 am

Grizz wrote:Have fun trying to get a job in Hawaii if you're not from there (I'm getting the sense that you're not). You're in for a world of hurt.

Also, International Law isn't a thing.

HeavenWood · Post by **HeavenWood** » Mon Nov 07, 2011 4:19 pm

Yeshia90 wrote: Fixed that for you

State College is awesome. It's in the middle of nowhere, but the town itself is great. And since the university bought the law school, and has poured all its resources into the State College location (as opposed to the Lancaster campus), it's only going to climb the rankings.

That said, when it comes to schools outside the top-14, geography is as important as anything else in getting a job. If you want to work in Harrisburg or Pittsburgh, go to Penn State. If not, I sure as hell would rather be in Hawaii. Not like it's going to be easy to get NYC biglaw from either.

PSU is very much confined to Harrisburg/York/Lancaster. Philly/Pittsburgh can certainly be gotten with ties/strong grades, but you're much better off going to Temple/Villanova and Pitt.

Hawaii or Penn State Forum

Hawaii or Penn State

Re: Hawaii or Penn State

Re: Hawaii or Penn State

Re: Hawaii or Penn State

Re: Hawaii or Penn State

Register now to search topics and post comments!

Re: Hawaii or Penn State

Re: Hawaii or Penn State

Re: Hawaii or Penn State

Re: Hawaii or Penn State

Register for access!

Re: Hawaii or Penn State

Re: Hawaii or Penn State

Re: Hawaii or Penn State

Re: Hawaii or Penn State

Resources to assist law school applicants, students & graduates.

Re: Hawaii or Penn State

Re: Hawaii or Penn State

Re: Hawaii or Penn State

Re: Hawaii or Penn State

Register now!

Re: Hawaii or Penn State

Re: Hawaii or Penn State

Re: Hawaii or Penn State

Register now, it's still FREE!