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Need some good peer pressure to help me make a decision here. Classic situation: Lower ranked school closer to family and beautiful area, or higher ranked school.

I am from the pacific northwest and would like to live in Seattle some day, but I can also see living in Arizona. I wouldn't say that I am strictly tied down geographically, but I do have family in Seattle.

If I had to break it down into percentages as far as where I want to live, it would be 75% Seattle 25% Arizona.

Is the difference in quality of education significant enough to warrant attending Arizona? Job prospects out of college? Arizona is cheaper and seems better positioned to land jobs in its respective market.

I would prob stick with Seattle University if you want to stay in WA. But actually, I've got a buddy at U of A who got a Fed Judge externship in Seattle for this summer (he's from there originally too); he was hired along with a Seattle U. student. So I think U of A. and Seattle U. may place similarly even in Seattle (U of A. does do outreach into WA market). But prob Seattle U. has a slight edge I would guess just due to proximity. And yeah- I think the quality of edu at UA will be better, but Seattle U. is still a pretty decent school, so I doubt it will be any sort of earth-shattering difference. Also, you'll prob be a stronger student overall at Seattle U., which could be to your advantage.

Lawquacious wrote:I would prob stick with Seattle University if you want to stay in WA. But actually, I've got a buddy at U of A who got a Fed Judge externship in Seattle for this summer (he's from there originally too); he was hired along with a Seattle U. student. So I think U of A. and Seattle U. may place similarly even in Seattle (U of A. does do outreach into WA market). But prob Seattle U. has a slight edge I would guess just due to proximity. And yeah- I think the quality of edu at UA will be better, but Seattle U. is still a pretty decent school, so I doubt it will be any sort of earth-shattering difference. Also, you'll prob be a stronger student overall at Seattle U., which could be to your advantage.

Ya I was thinking that SU has an edge over the Seattle market due to the local alum and proximity. It's good to get some opinions on this because after reading so many posts on TSL I feel like anything below rank 50 is essentially financial suicide.

You have some good points in your post, I never really considered the degree to which I would stand out at either school. Also, the more I think about it the more I'd rather live in the northwest than in the desert.

If you want to live & work in Seattle, then the answer is obvious.

I am in a very similar dilemma. Its sucks.

The consensus, however, is

CanadianWolf wrote:If you want to live & work in Seattle, then the answer is obvious.

I have lived in both AZ and WA. Once you live in AZ, you will NOT want to go back to WA, trust me. If you think you want to end up in WA, then go to Seattle, because if you go to Arizona, you won't go back to WA. IMHO. PM me if you want more info...

Do you have scholarships to either of these places? If so, how much and do they have any stipulations?

uzpakalis wrote:I have lived in both AZ and WA. Once you live in AZ, you will NOT want to go back to WA, trust me.

Well this is pretty ridiculous to assume.

bk187 wrote:

uzpakalis wrote:I have lived in both AZ and WA. Once you live in AZ, you will NOT want to go back to WA, trust me.

Well this is pretty ridiculous to assume.

I'm basing this assumption on my personal experience, experience of friends, retirees, and many guests that I have conversed with in my prior job.

Additionally, AZ will be way cheaper in the long run. Tuition is lower, COL is way lower (unless living with relatives in WA or something), and UA is top dog in the Southwest (better placement). Seattle is a distant 2nd to UW.

bk187 wrote:Do you have scholarships to either of these places? If so, how much and do they have any stipulations?

uzpakalis wrote:I have lived in both AZ and WA. Once you live in AZ, you will NOT want to go back to WA, trust me.

Well this is pretty ridiculous to assume.

bk: I am a big fan, but I have to say "boo" to this, he is stating his opinion that he and people he knows from WA have fallen in love with AZ. He is not making an argument that everyone who has ever gone to AZ from WA and has never gone back... allow uzpakalis a little room for hyperbole...

I have a hard time imagining someone who could like both Seattle and Arizona. Unless you plan to live in Flagstaff, the cultures are radically different.

Sounds like you want Seattle. I would go that way.

There is one more thing, given the current environment: Move to AZ if conservative, move to WA if liberal. If moderate, both are good choices.

cool of law wrote: bk: I am a big fan, but I have to say "boo" to this, he is stating his opinion that he and people he knows from WA have fallen in love with AZ. He is not making an argument that everyone who has ever gone to AZ from WA and has never gone back... allow uzpakalis a little room for hyperbole...

He said "you," and by that he meant the OP. He implied that it was a fact before referencing that it was based on anecdotal evidence that was added in a subsequent post. In either case it is wholly irrelevant considering whether OP prefers AZ or WA is something that only the OP knows and I am sure there are plenty of people (for instance me) who actually would prefer living in the PNW over the southeast.

Anyways getting back to the OP's dilemma, I think I would easily take Seattle considering OP has spent plenty of time there as opposed to a place OP hasn't spent time. Actually I think deciding based on CoA after scholarships is most important but if they are equal then what I said before stands.

firemed wrote:Sounds like you want Seattle. I would go that way.

There is one more thing, given the current environment: Move to AZ if conservative, move to WA if liberal. If moderate, both are good choices.

Yes, because one state has 60% conservatives and 40% liberals and the other has 60% liberals and 40% conservatives, they are radically different places and you should make major life choices based on these two polar opposite political envrionments.

bk187 wrote:

cool of law wrote: bk: I am a big fan, but I have to say "boo" to this, he is stating his opinion that he and people he knows from WA have fallen in love with AZ. He is not making an argument that everyone who has ever gone to AZ from WA and has never gone back... allow uzpakalis a little room for hyperbole...

He said "you," and by that he meant the OP. He implied that it was a fact before referencing that it was based on anecdotal evidence that was added in a subsequent post. In either case it is wholly irrelevant considering whether OP prefers AZ or WA is something that only the OP knows and I am sure there are plenty of people (for instance me) who actually would prefer living in the PNW over the southeast.

Anyways getting back to the OP's dilemma, I think I would easily take Seattle considering OP has spent plenty of time there as opposed to a place OP hasn't spent time. Actually I think deciding based on CoA after scholarships is most important but if they are equal then what I said before stands.

are you serious?

RVP11 wrote:

firemed wrote:Sounds like you want Seattle. I would go that way.

There is one more thing, given the current environment: Move to AZ if conservative, move to WA if liberal. If moderate, both are good choices.

Yes, because one state has 60% conservatives and 40% liberals and the other has 60% liberals and 40% conservatives, they are radically different places and you should make major life choices based on these two polar opposite political envrionments.

I dunno, if you're Mexican and don't like getting pulled over that difference could be huge.

cool of law wrote:are you serious?

Yes?

RVP11 wrote:

firemed wrote:Sounds like you want Seattle. I would go that way.

There is one more thing, given the current environment: Move to AZ if conservative, move to WA if liberal. If moderate, both are good choices.

Yes, because one state has 60% conservatives and 40% liberals and the other has 60% liberals and 40% conservatives, they are radically different places and you should make major life choices based on these two polar opposite political envrionments.

I'd say Seattle is significantly more liberal than 60%.

Outside of the major cities of Tacoma, Vancouver, and to a lesser extent, Spokane, politics get very conservative very quickly. If you got rid of Seattle, Washington would be more like Idaho, with Tacoma being the relatively liberal Boise.

bk187 wrote:

cool of law wrote:are you serious?

Yes?

Can we still be friends?

OGR3 wrote:

RVP11 wrote:

firemed wrote:Sounds like you want Seattle. I would go that way.

There is one more thing, given the current environment: Move to AZ if conservative, move to WA if liberal. If moderate, both are good choices.

Yes, because one state has 60% conservatives and 40% liberals and the other has 60% liberals and 40% conservatives, they are radically different places and you should make major life choices based on these two polar opposite political envrionments.

I'd say Seattle is significantly more liberal than 60%.

Outside of the major cities of Tacoma, Vancouver, and to a lesser extent, Spokane, politics get very conservative very quickly. If you got rid of Seattle, Washington would be more like Idaho, with Tacoma being the relatively liberal Boise.

So if we're comparing CITIES, we're comparing Seattle with Tucson? Then the political difference is even smaller.

RVP11 wrote:

OGR3 wrote:

RVP11 wrote:

firemed wrote:Sounds like you want Seattle. I would go that way.

There is one more thing, given the current environment: Move to AZ if conservative, move to WA if liberal. If moderate, both are good choices.

Yes, because one state has 60% conservatives and 40% liberals and the other has 60% liberals and 40% conservatives, they are radically different places and you should make major life choices based on these two polar opposite political envrionments.

I'd say Seattle is significantly more liberal than 60%.

Outside of the major cities of Tacoma, Vancouver, and to a lesser extent, Spokane, politics get very conservative very quickly. If you got rid of Seattle, Washington would be more like Idaho, with Tacoma being the relatively liberal Boise.

So if we're comparing CITIES, we're comparing Seattle with Tucson? Then the political difference is even smaller.

I would imagine Seattle U has considerably less pull outside of Seattle than UA has outside of Tucson. UA is a flagship university that transports much easier to other parts of the state. If you're going to Seattle U, you better be okay with practicing in the very liberal Seattle.

RVP11 wrote:

firemed wrote:Sounds like you want Seattle. I would go that way.

There is one more thing, given the current environment: Move to AZ if conservative, move to WA if liberal. If moderate, both are good choices.

Yes, because one state has 60% conservatives and 40% liberals and the other has 60% liberals and 40% conservatives, they are radically different places and you should make major life choices based on these two polar opposite political envrionments.

I stand by my advice. If you are moving somewhere it would help if you felt like your neighbors were on the same page as you. I know that my time spent in states in which my political orientation was the minority I felt uncomfortable... and not just because I generally disagreed politically.... if I was disagreeing there, I felt like I would probably disagree on way more things with those people.

Also I generally like feeling like my vote counted. Ie. if I lived in Oklahoma I wouldn't even bother to vote in national elections. It would be a waste of my time to vote democrat.

firemed wrote:

RVP11 wrote:

firemed wrote:Sounds like you want Seattle. I would go that way.

There is one more thing, given the current environment: Move to AZ if conservative, move to WA if liberal. If moderate, both are good choices.

Yes, because one state has 60% conservatives and 40% liberals and the other has 60% liberals and 40% conservatives, they are radically different places and you should make major life choices based on these two polar opposite political envrionments.

I stand by my advice. If you are moving somewhere it would help if you felt like your neighbors were on the same page as you. I know that my time spent in states in which my political orientation was the minority I felt uncomfortable... and not just because I generally disagreed politically.... if I was disagreeing there, I felt like I would probably disagree on way more things with those people.

Also I generally like feeling like my vote counted. Ie. if I lived in Oklahoma I wouldn't even bother to vote in national elections. It would be a waste of my time to vote democrat.

Okay, but:

A) Tucson, and much of AZ and the Southwest, is liberal, especially socially

B) Law students at just about every school not named Regent or Liberty are liberal

cool of law wrote:

bk187 wrote:

cool of law wrote:are you serious?

Yes?

Can we still be friends?

Depends, how long you can keep this question train going?

Side Note: I loathe temperatures above 60-70 degrees so I am heavily biased in my choice of climate.