Penn State vs. Temple Law Forum

[seriously????]

Can anyone tell me about the safety of the Temple campus and surrounding area? As a woman coming from a very well-off suburb in California, safety is obviously a major concern for me. Thanks!

temples campus is safe. one of the biggest police forces in the state is stationed there just for the students. yeah, you aren't going to want to live in the immediate surrounding area based on your current living situation. you may even find the subway commute to be unnerving and unattractive. but once you are about a 1.5miles south of campus the neighborhoods are much more pleasant.

[seriously????]

O, and in terms of going back to CA, Penn State prolly has much better name recognition just because of its sports programs.

I question whether this name recognition will open doors on the West Coast.

true, only a miniscule advantage, but if all things being equal, it could tilt the scale.

That's fair, but it would be incredibly foolish to go to either school expecting the West coast.

agreed. OP, I really need to wonder why you didn't apply to any T3 or T4's in CA. Those are the only chances you'd have of getting a significant scholly, plus attending one of those schools increases your chances significantly to work in CA compared to Temple or PSU.
It's not just you, but this is what bothers me about some of the hate on T3 or T4 schools on TLS. It pretty much convinces people not even to bother applying to these schools, making them assume that even a fair school in any random market for a much higher price is a better decision, which I believe is highly debatable.

[PennStateBoy]

Here is my sense on your situation. First of all you definitely should consider schools that are in California if you want to stay in California. Neither Temple or Penn State is going to give you good job opportunities across the country, but that is not a hit on either school that it just how the crazy law market works. Personally that is a huge criteria in my decision, I am deciding between Temple and Villanova, I am from outside of Philly and know that is where I want to be. I got into schools that are T1 but just like basically any law school outside the T14 they to are pretty regional so it would not be easy for me to just come back to the northeast. As for Penn State the school is strong in Harrisburg with government jobs and between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. I am an undergrad right now at Penn State and I can say that the facilities at the University Park campus are awesome. Ever since Penn State took control of Dickinson the school is on the up, and you are going to get a great education. As a side note if you think that you are going to get the in with the nationwide powerful PSU undergrad Alumni association, you won't. You also do not have great job prospects in Philly or Pittsburgh. As for Temple the school dominates Philly alongside Villanova. There is not too much competition because most UPenn grads leave the city and Rutgers Camden is not bad but it isnt as good, Drexel has no pull as its new, and Widener is a scrap school. Temple is not in a good area at all, but campus itself is both nice and safe. The school has the third largest police force in Pennsylvania and they are not rent-a-cops. No one lives by campus anyways because the good places around campus are undergrad areas and a law student would not want to live there. One final note is that Temple is way better then its 61 ranking, it is 42 or something on the Go-to rankings which I feel is a better ranking system, and I think they take a reputation hit because Temple undergrad is not that good.

[brangara]

O, and in terms of going back to CA, Penn State prolly has much better name recognition just because of its sports programs.

I question whether this name recognition will open doors on the West Coast.

true, only a miniscule advantage, but if all things being equal, it could tilt the scale.

That's fair, but it would be incredibly foolish to go to either school expecting the West coast.

Yeah, I don't "expect" to be going to the West after. Doesn't mean I'm not going to try of course, but honestly, I'll be happy living anywhere that I can get a good job, even if that means staying in PA.

[brangara]

I question whether this name recognition will open doors on the West Coast.

true, only a miniscule advantage, but if all things being equal, it could tilt the scale.

That's fair, but it would be incredibly foolish to go to either school expecting the West coast.

agreed. OP, I really need to wonder why you didn't apply to any T3 or T4's in CA. Those are the only chances you'd have of getting a significant scholly, plus attending one of those schools increases your chances significantly to work in CA compared to Temple or PSU.
It's not just you, but this is what bothers me about some of the hate on T3 or T4 schools on TLS. It pretty much convinces people not even to bother applying to these schools, making them assume that even a fair school in any random market for a much higher price is a better decision, which I believe is highly debatable.

I got McGeorge, USF, Chapman, and Southwestern, but only McGeorge offered scholly money. Like I said, I'm not married to the idea of living in California after graduation. I want to play it by where I can get my summer internships and where I can get the good job in the end.

[brangara]

Here is my sense on your situation. First of all you definitely should consider schools that are in California if you want to stay in California. Neither Temple or Penn State is going to give you good job opportunities across the country, but that is not a hit on either school that it just how the crazy law market works. Personally that is a huge criteria in my decision, I am deciding between Temple and Villanova, I am from outside of Philly and know that is where I want to be. I got into schools that are T1 but just like basically any law school outside the T14 they to are pretty regional so it would not be easy for me to just come back to the northeast. As for Penn State the school is strong in Harrisburg with government jobs and between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. I am an undergrad right now at Penn State and I can say that the facilities at the University Park campus are awesome. Ever since Penn State took control of Dickinson the school is on the up, and you are going to get a great education. As a side note if you think that you are going to get the in with the nationwide powerful PSU undergrad Alumni association, you won't. You also do not have great job prospects in Philly or Pittsburgh. As for Temple the school dominates Philly alongside Villanova. There is not too much competition because most UPenn grads leave the city and Rutgers Camden is not bad but it isnt as good, Drexel has no pull as its new, and Widener is a scrap school. Temple is not in a good area at all, but campus itself is both nice and safe. The school has the third largest police force in Pennsylvania and they are not rent-a-cops. No one lives by campus anyways because the good places around campus are undergrad areas and a law student would not want to live there. One final note is that Temple is way better then its 61 ranking, it is 42 or something on the Go-to rankings which I feel is a better ranking system, and I think they take a reputation hit because Temple undergrad is not that good.

Thank you for your detailed analysis, you definitely gave me a lot to think about. At the moment, I'm more inclined towards Temple, but I'm still an open book and still listening to what everyone is saying.

[seriously????]

Rankings outside the T30 are all highly debatable. Temple would be a T25 if Nova wasn't around, though. Like we said before, the decision is essentially between living a bigger, somewhat accessible, pretty/but also crime ridden, liberal city, or living in the conservative/moderate tiny cities, towns, suburbs, and countrysides of central PA (which does have a charm to it in certain areas). And when I say conservative, it is still more liberal than the south and midwest.
Both areas are also rich in history if that is any interest. And if you live in either area you still visit the other, you just have to think about which part you want to stay in most of the time.

[2things2]

Rankings outside the T30 are all highly debatable. Temple would be a T25 if Nova wasn't around, though. Like we said before, the decision is essentially between living a bigger, somewhat accessible, pretty/but also crime ridden, liberal city, or living in the conservative/moderate tiny cities, towns, suburbs, and countrysides of central PA (which does have a charm to it in certain areas). And when I say conservative, it is still more liberal than the south and midwest.
Both areas are also rich in history if that is any interest. And if you live in either area you still visit the other, you just have to think about which part you want to stay in most of the time.

If it is, it's not by much.

[brangara]

Thanks for all the input, guys!

Submitting today for Temple Law!