Top Law Schools

Dear TLS,

Allow me to beg for some of your advice/insight/etc. I applied to too many schools (or rather, didn't diversify my range of schools enough) and now I'm struggling to whittle down my list before seat deposits are due (i.e. in the next 3 days). I am hoping that your collective love for polls is alive and well so as to help my cause (BTW I appreciate whatever input I can get).

As it stands now, my list is six schools deep. The list of schools + their respective scholarship offers + their respective COA (not including COL) are as follows:

Arizona ($14k/year w/ no stips, $81,000 COA)
UC Hastings ($11k/year w/ no stips, $87,000 COA)
Pacific ($27k/year w/ top 1/3 stip, $36,000 COA)
Pittsburgh ($17k/year w/ no stips, $34,000 COA)
San Diego ($21k/year w/ top 1/2 stip, $54,000 COA)
Seton Hall ($35k/year w/ top 1/2 stip, $30,000 COA)

(Note: Arizona price is 3 years out-of-state, Hastings price is in-state with "Hastings grant", and Pitt price is in-state after 1 year)

Why I'm considering these schools: Hastings and Arizona are my "prestige" schools (a.k.a. highest ranked); Pacific, Pitt, and Seton Hall are my "economy" schools (Pacific= most money for CA, Pitt= most money guaranteed, Seton Hall= most money overall); and San Diego is kind of a wild card (one of my best friends who I share an uncannily similar academic record with goes there and has done very well).

Some background info: I'm a CA native and I have a SLIGHT preference for staying here, but being employed (ideally, meaningfully employed) is more important to me than being in any particular location. I'm primarily interested in doing something related to environmental/land-use law or business/corporate law, but considering I'm a 0L I'm keeping an open mind. I have zero debt from undergrad but essentially zero savings to contribute towards covering school costs.

So... what would you do if you were me?

Hastings. No-brainer. GPA stips are bad, very bad.

You wanna be in NorCal or SoCal?

Also keep in mind COL added to your COAs...

Cade McNown wrote:Hastings. No-brainer. GPA stips are bad, very bad.

TITCR , I voted for Hastings, but I'm gonna be at Arizona.

I think that for you, staying in CA is the smart move.

Now if that is Hastings or SD, I do not feel qualified to answer either way. B

cool of law wrote:You wanna be in NorCal or SoCal?

Also keep in mind COL added to your COAs...

Either/or. They both have their ups and downs and I'm from Central CA so I don't have any inborn loyalty one way or the other. And yeah the fact that rent in SF is at least double that of every other city on this list has been a major factor in the indecision that led to this poll.

Hastings, with SD as a somewhat close second. The gpa stip and exclusive placement in a smaller market turn me off a little

San Diego. Based on killer surfing opportunities, a super rad zoo, and totally sweet weather that never ever ends.




Also, what idiot gave UCI a lawl school but not UCSD? We could have all been tanned and toned Tritons together.

Hastings will give you the best job opportunities (at least in CA ) and SF is an amazing city. USD is great if you know you wanna be in SD. Otherwise Hastings still seems to place better everywhere else in the state, even LA.

You could always join my lonely University of Arizona class of 2014 thread too...

Attorney wrote:San Diego. Based on killer surfing opportunities, a super rad zoo, and totally sweet weather that never ever ends.

I swear every time I'm in San Diego it winds up raining at least one day... when it's nice though its niiiiiice. I just spent a week down there and had some good times but that bar passage dip to 61% is of some notable concern to me.

Attorney wrote:Also, what idiot gave UCI a lawl school but not UCSD? We could have all been tanned and toned Tritons together.

Donald Bren? In its defense, UCI is pretty close to the OC beaches, but I'm trying not to think about that unless I get off their waitlist.

cool of law wrote:You could always join my lonely University of Arizona class of 2014 thread too...

I'll get on it

enjoy hastings, i'm confused why you're even considering the others.

glewz wrote:enjoy hastings, i'm confused why you're even considering the others.

If Hastings cost what it did 5 years ago it would be easier to commit. Basically the poll was a roundabout way of asking "Is attending Hastings worth 2-3 times as much as any of these other schools?" (the answer apparently being "yes", meaning I get to keep rocking my Giants hat)

If you don't mind living and working in AZ after graduation,
And if you don't mind hang out with cool of law in his UA thread,
then, give UA a second look.

COL in SF is more expensive than in Tucson. So, the total COA difference may be higher between the two schools.

If you must go then Hastings.

WhiteCochran wrote:

glewz wrote:enjoy hastings, i'm confused why you're even considering the others.

If Hastings cost what it did 5 years ago it would be easier to commit. Basically the poll was a roundabout way of asking "Is attending Hastings worth 2-3 times as much as any of these other schools?" (the answer apparently being "yes", meaning I get to keep rocking my Giants hat)

I think you've misinterpreted what we're saying. Because your other scholarships come with stipulations, you can't count on maintaining those scholarships. fwiw, You have to consider the COA at Hastings and San Diego to be about equal in your case (b/c one year scholly at SD roughly equals 3 years scholly at Hastings).