... Forum

sad_squirrel · Post by **sad_squirrel** » Tue Apr 05, 2011 1:17 pm

I don't see any reason to go to Duke (unless you're absolutely in love with the campus and program or you're dying to leave SoCal for a couple of years) if you ultimately want to end up back in SoCal. Duke's local alumni network would be nowhere near as strong as those of USC and UCLA, plus you'd be taking on more debt.

If 7 years at USC seems like too much, I'd say try your best to squeeze a little more money out of UCLA. Best of luck in making your decision!

bhan87 · Post by **bhan87** » Tue Apr 05, 2011 1:22 pm

If getting back to CA is a must then definitely UCLA. You'll have a tough time getting back with Duke and the cost difference between USC and UCLA is negligible so you should go with the more reputable school of the two. Seems pretty clear to me

bk1 · Post by **bk1** » Tue Apr 05, 2011 1:26 pm

Pick your favorite of USC or UCLA. I think an argument could be made for Duke but the way I see it is that if you do badly with grades, you can network your way more easily or to a better SoCal job out of USC/UCLA than out of Duke. The cost difference between USC and UCLA is negligible so you should pick the one you like (or pick USC because you prefer the $13k).

bhan87 wrote:If getting back to CA is a must then definitely UCLA. You'll have a tough time getting back with Duke and the cost difference between USC and UCLA is negligible so you should go with the more reputable school of the two. Seems pretty clear to me

USC and UCLA are peers. UCLA does not have better employment than USC, they are equal.

DancesWithSmurfs · Post by **DancesWithSmurfs** » Tue Apr 05, 2011 1:31 pm

NYU/Columbia is the clear choice here.

1. You compete with fewer people who wish to practice in the area you mentioned
2. You won't have your friends distracting you during 1L
3. If you ever want a job anywhere outside of CA later on in the future, kiss that goodbye.
4. You already have the best alumni network on your side for getting CA jobs
5. Many UCLA people I know did get jobs, but not top firms.
6. And most importantly, by choosing any of those other schools, you give up 20% points in your odds of getting biglaw. http://pdfserver.amlaw.com/nlj/goto%20l ... s_main.pdf

keg411 · Post by **keg411** » Tue Apr 05, 2011 1:31 pm

Did you apply to Berkeley?

99.9luft · Post by **99.9luft** » Tue Apr 05, 2011 1:33 pm

mikunta · Post by **mikunta** » Tue Apr 05, 2011 1:39 pm

Berkeley is my only flat-out rejection. Waitlisted at Chi/GTown/Columbia/NYU

I really like Duke (big basketball fan) but I've been going back and forth between there and UCLA. I want to make sure I'm not screwing myself by not going T-14, especially since the cost is similar. I know it's easy to get caught up in the TLS prestige pissing contest but I guess my main question is:

below median/at median/top third/top ten at Duke vs UCLA, which gives me better employment opportunity and choices and eventually/immediately gets me back to southern California?

bk1 · Post by **bk1** » Tue Apr 05, 2011 1:42 pm

mikunta wrote:Berkeley is my only flat-out rejection. Waitlisted at Chi/GTown/Columbia/NYU

I really like Duke (big basketball fan) but I've been going back and forth between there and UCLA. I want to make sure I'm not screwing myself by not going T-14, especially since the cost is similar. I know it's easy to get caught up in the TLS prestige pissing contest but I guess my main question is:

below median/at median/top third/top ten at Duke vs UCLA, which gives me better employment opportunity and choices and eventually/immediately gets me back to southern California?

Below median, as I said above, is definitely in favor of UCLA due to networking opportunities that you don't have at Duke.

mikunta · Post by **mikunta** » Tue Apr 05, 2011 1:57 pm

DancesWithSmurfs wrote:NYU/Columbia is the clear choice here.

1. You compete with fewer people who wish to practice in the area you mentioned
2. You won't have your friends distracting you during 1L
3. If you ever want a job anywhere outside of CA later on in the future, kiss that goodbye.
4. You already have the best alumni network on your side for getting CA jobs
5. Many UCLA people I know did get jobs, but not top firms.
6. And most importantly, by choosing any of those other schools, you give up 20% points in your odds of getting biglaw. http://pdfserver.amlaw.com/nlj/goto%20l ... s_main.pdf

Good points, would you say that 1-5 also apply to Duke over UCLA?

c_dubya_s · Post by **c_dubya_s** » Tue Apr 05, 2011 2:13 pm

I would go with UCLA. It doesn't sound like you would love to spend another 3 years at USC, and I don't think Duke's good enough that you should consider leaving the west coast for it. With that having been said, definitely look at some employment statistics (by region if you can) to get a sense of how well Duke places in California. If it places well, then maybe you should put it back in the conversation.

BarbellDreams · Post by **BarbellDreams** » Tue Apr 05, 2011 3:25 pm

I honestly would wait a year and apply september 1st to Berkley. Otherwise, USC.

2things2 · Post by **2things2** » Tue Apr 05, 2011 3:44 pm

BarbellDreams wrote:I honestly would wait a year and apply september 1st to Berkley. Otherwise, ~~USC~~ UCLA.

mikunta · Post by **mikunta** » Tue Apr 05, 2011 7:47 pm

Thanks to everyone so far, I'm not gonna reapply - I feel good about being able to repay 100k from #11 or #16.

For anyone who is interested, I did a set of searches on NLJs employer finder for employers that pay 100k or above for entry level that do OCI at Duke, UCLA, and USC and then another set of searches with the same criteria but for firms only in CA. Intriguing results, not necessarily representative of who gets hired, but it's a thing to consider:

All firms (including multiple branches) with entry level over 100k:
UCLA: 231
USC: 175
Duke: 235

CA firms (including multiple branches) with entry level over 100k:
UCLA: 120
USC: 95
Duke: 48

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