Marquette or Lower Tier California Schools? Forum

[MsSweetie]

Hello!

I'm currently stressing out about which law school I will attend for the next 3 years. I had my heart set on somewhere in California, although I applied to only a couple Tier 1 or Tier 2 schools, assuming I wouldn't get in. I applied to Marquette and was accepted with an 11K scholarship, however I don't know how I feel about living in Wisconsin. I'm from the Midwest, so the cold/snow won't be much of an issue. But when compared to the sunny California lifestyle I was preparing myself for, it is a bit annoying.

I've only heard back from one law school in California (University of La Verne), but even so, Marquette is ranked higher (although it's not exactly ranked high) than the other schools I applied to in California except UC Hastings. I believe my chances of getting in there are slim and the high tuition is a turn off. The rest of the schools are Tier 3s and 4s, or not ranked at all.

Can anyone offer up any insight into Marquette? Possibly someone that goes there already? I don't know the specific type of law I want to practice and I also don't know if I like the idea of being stuck in the Midwest upon graduation. I keep reading it's a good school "regionally," which makes me a bit nervous. I just want to be able to start my career in WHATEVER state I choose once I graduate. The time to put down the first tuition payment is fast approaching and I still haven't heard back from most of the schools I applied to in California either.

Please, let me know your thoughts!

[lukebyalibi]

Hey, while I am not a law school student yet, I have done a ton of research on Marquette being that I live in Milwaukee. If you don't mind living in Wisconsin then I would take the Marquette scholarship and hope you end up top 15% of your class to land a decent job. From what it looks like, non of the schools you got into are worth the money unless, they are really strong around their region. Keep in mind also that COL is wayyyyy cheaper in Milwaukee, you can get a decent place with a roommate for around 350 so, I would say Marquette, or retake

My motto for when I apply is nothing over 100k total!! unless its t-25

[BarbellDreams]

If you dont want to live in WI do NOT under any circumstances g to Marquette.

[MsSweetie]

If you dont want to live in WI do NOT under any circumstances g to Marquette.

Because...? I won't be able to find a job after graduation somewhere else? Marquette isn't taken seriously outside of Wisconsin?

I need some concrete reasons to help me make a decision.

[MsSweetie]

Hey, while I am not a law school student yet, I have done a ton of research on Marquette being that I live in Milwaukee. If you don't mind living in Wisconsin then I would take the Marquette scholarship and hope you end up top 15% of your class to land a decent job. From what it looks like, non of the schools you got into are worth the money unless, they are really strong around their region. Keep in mind also that COL is wayyyyy cheaper in Milwaukee, you can get a decent place with a roommate for around 350 so, I would say Marquette, or retake

My motto for when I apply is nothing over 100k total!! unless its t-25

Right. I definitely took the COL in consideration. California is ridiculous when it comes to paying for everything, however I don't want to move somewhere and overall be unhappy with the state, school, and after graduation jobless. Hence this whole forum post.

I haven't heard back from enough schools to REALLY weigh everything out. I still haven't heard back from the majority of them. And the scholarship thing is a big part of my decision. I totally agree with your motto.

Thanks!

[YankeesFan]

Please do not go to La Verne. Although it is provisionally accredited the committee decided to wait before bestowing full accrededation because of a 34% bar passage rate. Even if you end up hating it there you wouldn´t be able to transfer because it is not yet accredited.

[paulinaporizkova]

If you dont want to live in WI do NOT under any circumstances g to Marquette.

Because...? I won't be able to find a job after graduation somewhere else? Marquette isn't taken seriously outside of Wisconsin?

I need some concrete reasons to help me make a decision.

yes and yes. also, mke is a dirty ass city

[BarbellDreams]

If you dont want to live in WI do NOT under any circumstances g to Marquette.

Because...? I won't be able to find a job after graduation somewhere else? Marquette isn't taken seriously outside of Wisconsin?

I need some concrete reasons to help me make a decision.

All schools outside the T14 are regional, meaning that they only place around their region where the school is respected. If you are top 5% and have law review then Marquette will most likely let you practice anywhere, but anything below that will basically leave you in Milwaukee or the surrounding WI areas. The basic advice you hear over and over is pick a region you want to live in and go to the cheapest school you can go to there. If that school does place well within your region then you will need to retake the LSAT.

So, to summarize:

I won't be able to find a job after graduation somewhere else?

Most likely yes.

Marquette isn't taken seriously outside of Wisconsin?

Most likely yes.

[aknecht]

If you dont want to live in WI do NOT under any circumstances g to Marquette.

Because...? I won't be able to find a job after graduation somewhere else? Marquette isn't taken seriously outside of Wisconsin?

I need some concrete reasons to help me make a decision.

pretty much. Most marquette grads end up working in WI. If you can't handle that, don't go there.

on a positive note, living in WI is MUCH cheaper than living anywhere in Cali (and the people are much friendlier too)

[MsSweetie]

Please do not go to La Verne. Although it is provisionally accredited the committee decided to wait before bestowing full accrededation because of a 34% bar passage rate. Even if you end up hating it there you wouldn´t be able to transfer because it is not yet accredited.

I didn't plan on it at all. I didn't want to bad mouth it though, considering it may be people who came in this forum who attend so...yeah.

[MsSweetie]

If you dont want to live in WI do NOT under any circumstances g to Marquette.

Because...? I won't be able to find a job after graduation somewhere else? Marquette isn't taken seriously outside of Wisconsin?

I need some concrete reasons to help me make a decision.

All schools outside the T14 are regional, meaning that they only place around their region where the school is respected. If you are top 5% and have law review then Marquette will most likely let you practice anywhere, but anything below that will basically leave you in Milwaukee or the surrounding WI areas. The basic advice you hear over and over is pick a region you want to live in and go to the cheapest school you can go to there. If that school does place well within your region then you will need to retake the LSAT.

So, to summarize:

I won't be able to find a job after graduation somewhere else?

Most likely yes.

Marquette isn't taken seriously outside of Wisconsin?

Most likely yes.

Sheesh. I seen that coming.

In the meantime, I think I'm going to be stuck putting a deposit down there unless I hear back from some schools this week/the beginning of next week.

I mean, I'm certain I won't hate the area but, I really wasn't trying to live my life in Wisconsin.

Thanks for your post!

[MsSweetie]

If you dont want to live in WI do NOT under any circumstances g to Marquette.

Because...? I won't be able to find a job after graduation somewhere else? Marquette isn't taken seriously outside of Wisconsin?

I need some concrete reasons to help me make a decision.

pretty much. Most marquette grads end up working in WI. If you can't handle that, don't go there.

on a positive note, living in WI is MUCH cheaper than living anywhere in Cali (and the people are much friendlier too)

True. That's definitely a factor (the cost of living, I mean) in my decision as well, amongst other things.

The price of the school is what's killing me. Go to a low tier school in California, be in 100K + debt, and unable to compete with the newly graduated tier 1 students? Or graduate with a little less debt, and live in Wisconsin.

I don't know.

[MsSweetie]

If you dont want to live in WI do NOT under any circumstances g to Marquette.

Because...? I won't be able to find a job after graduation somewhere else? Marquette isn't taken seriously outside of Wisconsin?

I need some concrete reasons to help me make a decision.

yes and yes. also, mke is a dirty ass city

Lol. I've been living in Dirty Jersey for the past four years. I think I can manage.

I'm more worried about the excessive snow and cold. I can take it, but when pinned against sunny California, it hurts a little. Lol

[BarbellDreams]

It really sounds like you dont like either of these so the smart play is to retake and go to a better school in CA.

[MsSweetie]

It really sounds like you dont like either of these so the smart play is to retake and go to a better school in CA.

That isn't really an option for me though.

I don't HATE the idea of Marquette at all. It's just that I was so set on California, it puts me on the fence about Marquette.

I don't want to go to a low tier school in California, graduate and regret it. That's all.

[bk1]

You probably should retake the LSAT and reapply.

There are very few schools that aren't regional (roughly the top 14 schools are seen as national but even they are still regional to a certain extent). If you don't get into one of those schools, you need to accept that you will be working in the area where the school is located. Figure out where you want to work after graduation (rather than not having a clue like you seem to now) and then pick the best school in that region (or the school that gives you a large scholarship in that region).

There are three things making it hard for you to leave a region. The first is that the school isn't taken seriously (or is at least looked at as lower than the local schools) outside of the region. For example, it is much easier for GW grads to get jobs in DC than it is for Hastings or Davis grads. The opposite is true in California where Davis/Hastings grads have an easier time than GW grads. The second is that, outside of NYC/DC, employers don't trust that you want to work there. For example, if you had never lived in California and never gone to school in California, California employers wouldn't trust that you actually wanted to work here. You need ties to the region (except for NYC/DC) to work there and you can get that by either living there, going to school there, or having family there. A CA firm isn't going to hire somebody who spent their entire life in NJ and then went to school in Wisconsin. The last is that if you go to school outside of the region, that makes it really hard to network and get a job (which is basically what you have to do when you are coming out of a crappy school).

[bk1]

It really sounds like you dont like either of these so the smart play is to retake and go to a better school in CA.

That isn't really an option for me though.

Why is retaking the LSAT not an option?

[Curry]

Just to bandwagon on how little marquette is known outside of wisconsin, I'm from california, have done my fair share of research on law schools and the entire process, and hadn't heard anything about marquette outside of march madness.

[MsSweetie]

It really sounds like you dont like either of these so the smart play is to retake and go to a better school in CA.

That isn't really an option for me though.

Why is retaking the LSAT not an option?

Because that's not what I want to do. Lol.

I'd have to sit out of school for this Fall. Meaning I'd have to move back home. It's all a hassle that I rather not deal with, when I could just examine my options and choose from there.

[MsSweetie]

You probably should retake the LSAT and reapply.

There are very few schools that aren't regional (roughly the top 14 schools are seen as national but even they are still regional to a certain extent). If you don't get into one of those schools, you need to accept that you will be working in the area where the school is located. Figure out where you want to work after graduation (rather than not having a clue like you seem to now) and then pick the best school in that region (or the school that gives you a large scholarship in that region).

There are three things making it hard for you to leave a region. The first is that the school isn't taken seriously (or is at least looked at as lower than the local schools) outside of the region. For example, it is much easier for GW grads to get jobs in DC than it is for Hastings or Davis grads. The opposite is true in California where Davis/Hastings grads have an easier time than GW grads. The second is that, outside of NYC/DC, employers don't trust that you want to work there. For example, if you had never lived in California and never gone to school in California, California employers wouldn't trust that you actually wanted to work here. You need ties to the region (except for NYC/DC) to work there and you can get that by either living there, going to school there, or having family there. A CA firm isn't going to hire somebody who spent their entire life in NJ and then went to school in Wisconsin. The last is that if you go to school outside of the region, that makes it really hard to network and get a job (which is basically what you have to do when you are coming out of a crappy school).

Makes perfectly good sense.

I don't really have much to say, considering your points are pretty valid.

Thanks for that viewpoint and comment!

[MsSweetie]

Thanks to all that are responding!

[bk1]

Because that's not what I want to do. Lol.

I'd have to sit out of school for this Fall. Meaning I'd have to move back home. It's all a hassle that I rather not deal with, when I could just examine my options and choose from there.

Your options are horrible. Nobody wants to wait to go to school but when you have options that aren't in line with your goals (e.g. Marquette isn't going to take you to CA) or have a very high chance of leaving you with a lot of debt and without a job (e.g. La Verne), retaking/reapplying is the best thing to do.

I was in a similar situation last cycle and retaking/reapplying was the best thing I've ever done. Sure, there is a chance you won't improve, but it is foolish not to even try considering how much better your situation can be.

[aknecht]

If you dont want to live in WI do NOT under any circumstances g to Marquette.

Because...? I won't be able to find a job after graduation somewhere else? Marquette isn't taken seriously outside of Wisconsin?

I need some concrete reasons to help me make a decision.

pretty much. Most marquette grads end up working in WI. If you can't handle that, don't go there.

on a positive note, living in WI is MUCH cheaper than living anywhere in Cali (and the people are much friendlier too)

True. That's definitely a factor (the cost of living, I mean) in my decision as well, amongst other things.

The price of the school is what's killing me. Go to a low tier school in California, be in 100K + debt, and unable to compete with the newly graduated tier 1 students? Or graduate with a little less debt, and live in Wisconsin.

I don't know.

wait, so your options (1) are to pay more for a lower ranked cali school and deal with the higher cost of living or (2) pay less for a school in the top 100, pay much less in cost of living, but have to live in MKE? Seems like a no brainer to me. Marquette all the way.

or retake and apply to better schools in cali next year.

[MsSweetie]

Just to bandwagon on how little marquette is known outside of wisconsin, I'm from california, have done my fair share of research on law schools and the entire process, and hadn't heard anything about marquette outside of march madness.

Point taken.

[MsSweetie]

wait, so your options (1) are to pay more for a lower ranked cali school and deal with the higher cost of living or (2) pay less for a school in the top 100, pay much less in cost of living, but have to live in MKE? Seems like a no brainer to me. Marquette all the way.

or retake and apply to better schools in cali next year.

I know, right? Sounds pretty simple. I keep telling myself that.

And yet, I end up making forums and asking every person that will listen their ideas on it.