Another, where to go thread. (T13$, T15$$) Forum

TheThreader · Post by **TheThreader** » Mon Apr 04, 2011 12:26 pm

T15, I guess that narrows that down

Anyways, I'm deciding between Duke, UT, Vandy, and UCLA.

My preferences:
1. Biglaw - I would like to do biglaw. I would prefer that it wasn't in New York (may not have that option). I also have a slight preference for Texas and CA
2. Clerkship - If i am lucky enough...
3. I like the idea of going to a smaller school
4. I would like to go to a school with a "less competitive" atmosphere, a school where people have fun while at school

Ties:
From Texas. 1 contact in LA-not a lawyer, but knows a TON of them pretty well

BlakcMajikc · Post by **BlakcMajikc** » Mon Apr 04, 2011 12:28 pm

Seems like UT is a no-brainer for you. What would be your hesitation on attending there?

beachbum · Post by **beachbum** » Mon Apr 04, 2011 12:32 pm

Duke or Texas. Duke will give you a smaller school and a better shot at Biglaw/clerkships, but at a considerably higher cost. It's your call based on personal fit and debt aversion; either would be a fine choice.

duckmoney · Post by **duckmoney** » Mon Apr 04, 2011 12:35 pm

beachbum wrote:Duke or Texas. Duke will give you a smaller school and a better shot at Biglaw/clerkships, but at a considerably higher cost. It's your call based on personal fit and debt aversion; either would be a fine choice.

I'd throw Vandy in the mix as well. It places about as well as Texas and has a much broader market (the whole Southeast vs. the state of Texas) and has a small class size.

Anyway, you can't go wrong, congrats on a great cycle. Throw UCLA out of the mix immediately.

TheThreader · Post by **TheThreader** » Mon Apr 04, 2011 12:35 pm

My hang-up on UT is their poor biglaw placement (not just in the last nlj250, but the previous ones too). I know everyone says they dominate Texas, and I'm sure that the top grads from UT get hired at all of the best firms in Texas, but I feel that they may go deeper into the class at Duke. Am I crazy to think this? Also, I hear UT is extremely competitive.

CanadianWolf · Post by **CanadianWolf** » Mon Apr 04, 2011 12:36 pm

Texas and UCLA should receive strong consideration based on your career goals in light of your geographic preferences. Texas seems to be your best option when factoring in COA.

burtonrideclub · Post by **burtonrideclub** » Mon Apr 04, 2011 12:46 pm

I go to UT, and I'm not sure where you heard it was uber competitive. Haven't noticed the competition at all. Also regarding biglaw, I think things are picking up again. I'm a 1l just outside of top quarter and am splitting between two biglaw firms this summer in Texas. If you have ties to the state, which it seems you do, you could do very well here.

bk1 · Post by **bk1** » Mon Apr 04, 2011 12:48 pm

Texas vs Duke is what I would range it down to. Less than $100k debt at Duke is pretty damn good.

Best overall deal for the money - UT
Best chances for your goals - Duke (though from a cost perspective, Duke probably isn't worth double UT, but even if you go into shitlaw, you can pay off your Duke debt in 10 years)

I'd pick UT if I were you, though I think there is are compelling reasons for Duke.

Richie Tenenbaum · Post by **Richie Tenenbaum** » Mon Apr 04, 2011 12:48 pm

TheThreader wrote: Also, I hear UT is extremely competitive.

It's not, at least from my experience.

BlakcMajikc · Post by **BlakcMajikc** » Mon Apr 04, 2011 1:02 pm

bk187 wrote:Texas vs Duke is what I would range it down to. Less than $100k debt at Duke is pretty damn good.

Best overall deal for the money - UT
Best chances for your goals - Duke (though from a cost perspective, Duke probably isn't worth double UT, but even if you go into shitlaw, you can pay off your Duke debt in 10 years)

I'd pick UT if I were you, though I think there is are compelling reasons for Duke.

Why Duke v UT, but no Vandy?

Duke is pretty awesome, would give you solid BigLaw prospects, and is portable (southeast included). And it really has the collegial feel.

bk1 · Post by **bk1** » Mon Apr 04, 2011 1:06 pm

BlakcMajikc wrote:Why Duke v UT, but no Vandy?

Duke is pretty awesome, would give you solid BigLaw prospects, and is portable (southeast included). And it really has the collegial feel.

While Vandy is quasi-national, the reason I excluded it is because Vandy's top two markets are TN/NYC. Since you want TX/CA, I don't think Vandy is a better idea for you than UT.

TheThreader · Post by **TheThreader** » Mon Apr 04, 2011 1:36 pm

Is there any actual evidence that Texas is better than Duke for the top ranked firms in Texas?

bk1 · Post by **bk1** » Mon Apr 04, 2011 2:01 pm

TheThreader wrote:Is there any actual evidence that Texas is better than Duke for the top ranked firms in Texas?

There isn't any hard evidence. The best you will get is comparing anecdotes between Duke students and UT students aiming for TX.

BarbellDreams · Post by **BarbellDreams** » Mon Apr 04, 2011 2:11 pm

Texas easily, @53k thats an amazing deal. Congrats.

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