DePaul ($$) vs. Chicago-Kent (zero) for IP law Forum

[smdewart]

Hi guys, I'm having a bit of a dilemma. I've been accepted to all the part-time programs in Chicago and have narrowed my choices down to DePaul and Chicago-Kent. I'm a working professional with quite a few years of marketing/advertising/online experience and intend to pursue IP law (copyright, TM, branding, etc.).

What does everyone think? Details below. (And assuming I *am* going... please no remarks about how it's not necessary to go to either school...

DePaul:
+ Offered $15k per year (first year unconditional, subsequently requires 3.2 GPA)
+ Good IP program
- Lower ranked
- Questionable career prospects
- Blah building
- No summer 1L classes

Chicago-Kent:
+ GREAT IP program
+ Keeps climbing in the rankings and seems to have a very positive trajectory generally
+ Great faculty/building
+ Seems to have better career prospects vs. DePaul
+ Can start 1L in the summer (takes huge weight off fall semester)
- No scholarship

[MrKappus]

45 G's running at 6-8% ain't no tea party. I'd take DePaul. The workload PT isn't ever going to be that bad, so I wouldn't go ~50 grand more in debt just to take some summer courses. Rankings after the top 20 or so don't really matter. If you're PT and a professional, your GPA, WE, regional ties, and extracurric's will make or break you (not 20 or so spots in the rankings). Just my $0.02. Also, probably obvious, but you should ask to get the scholarship stips removed. Can't hurt.

[smdewart]

Thanks for the constructive feedback. DePaul said no removal of stipulations, unfortunately. Anyone else have a perspective?

[carrier]

It sounds like you'd take Kent if the costs were the same. If you are willing wait a year and improve your LSAT a bit, you could easily be in Kent's scholarship range. I'm 164/2.95 and got $15k/year from Kent part-time. Kent scholarships also are tiered, so it was something like $15k w/ a 3.2, $7500 w/ a 3.0, or just $9k guaranteed.

That being said, I don't think job prospects in IP are all that much different between the two. Your experience, existing connections, and networking ability while in school will be bigger driving factors.

[smdewart]

Hi, anyone else have advice?

[MrKappus]

Retake?

[09042014]

Hi, anyone else have advice?

Nobody cares about how good the IP program is at your school.

You are going to need top10% grades to have a decent shot at getting into a firm that litigates IP.

[jpSartre]

Depaul is much better known among Chicago lawyers, and are giving you money. Its easily depaul

[administrator]

From my experience, many employers definitely care about Kent IP. Most of the people I know who got good IP jobs from Kent were not in the top 10 percent. Kent has a really good reputation for IP, so take the advice of Kent students who are actually studying/practicing IP rather than outsiders who don't have any actual experience with the program/school. Kent also places IP people nationally, but this appears to be more the case for patent law rather than copyright and trademark.