Top Law Schools

Hey all...
so i dont post alot but im looking for some insight
1. Cornell $$
2. USC $$
3. UMich $

I don't have a preference for where i want to end up--but right now i'm thinking the northeast..however, i love cali--so I wanted to have that option open if i want to practice there in the future (not originally from the socal area)...Money is also a major factor..thats why i'm even remotely questioning michigan....
(quick tidbit, i really dislike ithaca as a city.....)
any advice would be appreciated! thankkksss =)

edited to add: i want biglaw

U should also list your future goal as well: Biglaw? looking for clerkship?

But for the debate sake, since you want to end up in Cali and are debt-averse, I would go 1)USC, 2)Michigan, and 3) Cornell.
I am pretty sure there are posters here who could back you up with hard statistics about CA firms that come out to OCIs at Michigan and Cornell. But generally, I have heard good things about Michigan's job prospect in Cali. If you don't mind some debt and expect more marginal opportunities such as clerkship, etc etc - i would go for Michigan

I wouldn't go to Cornell if you really dislike Ithaca. It's not worth it if you have $ from Mich.

whymeohgodno wrote:I wouldn't go to Cornell if you really dislike Ithaca. It's not worth it if you have $ from Mich.

Yeah, for sure. If you've been to Ithaca and didn't like it, then you'll likely dislike Ann Arbor too though. They're fairly similar (though AA is a bit more run by the UM than Ithaca is by Cornell). So I'm starting to think USC? But it depends ... how much money are you choosing between and what's your debt situation like otherwise? Have you visited all three schools?

woeisme wrote:

whymeohgodno wrote:I wouldn't go to Cornell if you really dislike Ithaca. It's not worth it if you have $ from Mich.

Yeah, for sure. If you've been to Ithaca and didn't like it, then you'll likely dislike Ann Arbor too though. They're fairly similar (though AA is a bit more run by the UM than Ithaca is by Cornell). So I'm starting to think USC? But it depends ... how much money are you choosing between and what's your debt situation like otherwise? Have you visited all three schools?

Just so you know, Ann Arbor is almost 4x the size of Ithaca (and 8x the size on Fall Saturdays). Ann Arbor may be a college town, but it's not Ithaca. Not quite sure why USC would be the answer if OP said she wants to begin practice in the Northeast, but would like the geographic mobility to get to southern California.

FlightoftheEarls wrote:

woeisme wrote:

whymeohgodno wrote:I wouldn't go to Cornell if you really dislike Ithaca. It's not worth it if you have $ from Mich.

Yeah, for sure. If you've been to Ithaca and didn't like it, then you'll likely dislike Ann Arbor too though. They're fairly similar (though AA is a bit more run by the UM than Ithaca is by Cornell). So I'm starting to think USC? But it depends ... how much money are you choosing between and what's your debt situation like otherwise? Have you visited all three schools?

Just so you know, Ann Arbor is almost 4x the size of Ithaca (and 8x the size on Fall Saturdays). Ann Arbor may be a college town, but it's not Ithaca. Not quite sure why USC would be the answer if OP said she wants to begin practice in the Northeast, but would like the geographic mobility to get to southern California.

Thanks for ur input!!
so yea ive been to all schools..and i kinda got the same vibe from cornell/michigan...in terms of location--BUT ann arbor definitely has more to offer than ithaca ever will...the money situation is definitely the determining factor though as usc/cornell gave me about the same, (a little more from cornell) and michigan gave me significantly less...my other concern is that i love usc but i'm uneasy about how it fairs in other legal markets besides LA.. when i went to visit i was assured that i could find a job elsewhere..but i mostly got the vibe that "LA is great and noone ever wants to leave..and if u think u do..dont go to school here...buttt if u have any chance that u want to practice here..its hard to tap into the LA market if u go to school outside of cali"

FlightoftheEarls wrote:

woeisme wrote:

whymeohgodno wrote:I wouldn't go to Cornell if you really dislike Ithaca. It's not worth it if you have $ from Mich.

Yeah, for sure. If you've been to Ithaca and didn't like it, then you'll likely dislike Ann Arbor too though. They're fairly similar (though AA is a bit more run by the UM than Ithaca is by Cornell). So I'm starting to think USC? But it depends ... how much money are you choosing between and what's your debt situation like otherwise? Have you visited all three schools?

Just so you know, Ann Arbor is almost 4x the size of Ithaca (and 8x the size on Fall Saturdays). Ann Arbor may be a college town, but it's not Ithaca. Not quite sure why USC would be the answer if OP said she wants to begin practice in the Northeast, but would like the geographic mobility to get to southern California.

I've spent time in both AA and Ithaca. I get why one could prefer one over the other (in fact, I do prefer one over the other). But I'm just saying that they have pretty similar feels all things considered. They're both kind of artsy towns that cater to universities. Similar weather. Etc.

And I totally overlooked the mention of preferring the northeast in the OP. To me, this really depends on the difference in money. I think Cornell would ordinarily be TCR, but it's hard to know for sure without knowing: (a) the $ difference and (b) how OP feels about Michigan. So my vote is Cornell pending further illumination on the unknowns. But Michigan would certainly be a solid, solid option as well, especially if the money difference isn't substantial.

ETA: Just read OP's latest post. The money situation is still pretty vague, but it's sounding like it's a substantial difference. I'm going to say Cornell here. I'm not sure what AA has on Ithaca that's going to be so important during three years of law school study. OP, you seem to be primarily concerned with the fact that you feel there's more to do in AA than Ithaca (and this very well may be true). But I personally can't imagine that there's so much more going on in AA to make it tip the balance. This sounds like it's coming down to personal preference, but having more going on in a given town probably shouldn't be the deciding factor (IMHO). What you might want to do is try to get Michigan to match Cornell's offer. If they do, head to AA. If they don't, head to Ith. Good luck!