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I was hoping that I could get some input from you guys, any advice is greatly appreciated.

Pitt is offering me a 14k/yr scholarship, and I'll be paying in-state tuition.
ASU only gave me 5k the first year, and I doubt they'll increase it, but I'm going to try. I'm also thinking that I'll be able to get in-state after the first year

I'm from PIttsburgh, and I wouldn't mind staying here. However, I really like it in AZ and would rather be out there.

Also, I'm not sure if this should be taken into consideration, but I just finished undergrad at a big party school and I think I would enjoy/fit in at a place like ASU better.

I guess I'm just looking for some input on this situation and if you think there is a way to justify taking out a lot more in loans to go to ASU. Is it worth it to go to ASU when they're offering so little money?

I'd go to Pitt since you said you'd want to end up there. It might be difficult finding a job in AZ without prior connections. I've also read that it's somewhat difficult to get a job out of Pitt without Pittsburgh connections, but since you have those, you would, presumably, have an easier time getting a job. Plus they're offering more money.

Peer schools, you just need to decide where you'd rather live and go there if the CoA is comparable. If Pitt is significantly cheaper I would go to Pitt as long as you dont hate the idea of working in Pittsburgh.

BarbellDreams wrote:Peer schools, you just need to decide where you'd rather live and go there if the CoA is comparable. If Pitt is significantly cheaper I would go to Pitt as long as you dont hate the idea of working in Pittsburgh.

This.
It's all about where you wanna work when you're done.

Depends upon where you want to live & work after graduation from law school. Judging from your post, it seems that Pitt is the better & safer choice.

Ya I am leaning towards Pitt mainly because its going to be cheaper and probably a safer choice.

It just seems to me that there are more job opportunities out in AZ because its so much bigger and ASU is the only good school in Phoenix. Its just tough to say that its worth paying so much extra money.

And I'm sure the weather is nicer, seems like its rained everyday in PIttsburgh the last 2 months.

Thank you for your input it really helps.

Arizona is a much bigger market. It's probably going to grow more in the next 10 years than Pittsburgh will in your lifetime. I'd choose AZ. I'd also look at what the requirements are to get instate tuition.

see you at pitt then!

IF you have a network allready in place- then maybe theres a way for you to come back from pittsburgh if arizona doesnt work out for you like you hoped. However, If pittsburgh is where you want to end up, and you know it- then its the most logical choice for you. If you think you would like Arizona better- then ASU would be a great option. Its all going to come down to where you want to be, and how comfortable you would be going to school across the country from where you grew up. I personally would choose Pitt- but Im a homebody, and I know living 2,000 miles( or so) away from home would be an extrea stressor/ worry that isnt needed. But maybe it would work for you( or you have relatives/close friends out there to ease the homesickness). If costs were the same- where would you go? What does your heart and gut tell you? If it screams AZ then go there, if not- then join me at Pitt! Yes AZ would cost more to go, but if thats where you want to be- then it would open up the door to opportunities out there that PItt cant.

best of luck- this is a tough decision( especially because you have to figure out where you want to spend the majority of your career).

Fred_McGriff wrote:Arizona is a much bigger market. It's probably going to grow more in the next 10 years than Pittsburgh will in your lifetime. I'd choose AZ. I'd also look at what the requirements are to get instate tuition.

Great advice. No wonder you have won back-to-back-to-back AAU National Championships

Go to Pittsburgh, ASU is not worth the extra debt. If you finish with a high class rank you can always apply to Phoenix firms. Also, the Phoenix legal market is not off limits to outsiders as other markets are. It is possible to get a legal job in Phoenix with a Pitt law Degree, but it would be difficult to a legal job in Pittsburgh with a ASU law degree.

Here are some Pitt Law grads at Phoenix law firms:

http://www.lrlaw.com/professionals/xprP ... sional=122

http://www.quarles.com/roger_morris/

http://www.gtlaw.com/People/EJeffreyWalsh

legalresearch wrote:Go to Pittsburgh, ASU is not worth the extra debt. If you finish with a high class rank you can always apply to Phoenix firms. Also, the Phoenix legal market is not off limits to outsiders as other markets are. It is possible to get a legal job in Phoenix with a Pitt law Degree, but it would be difficult to a legal job in Pittsburgh with a ASU law degree.

Here are some Pitt Law grads at Phoenix law firms:

http://www.lrlaw.com/professionals/xprP ... sional=122

http://www.quarles.com/roger_morris/

http://www.gtlaw.com/People/EJeffreyWalsh

Note that at least 2 of the 3 were on Law Review at Pitt. If you aren't Phx will be a much more difficult market than if you are an ASU grad

Thanks for the advice everyone.

My thought is ASU has about 200 students in its class and is in the 5th largest city in the country.
Whereas Pitt has an entering class of 245 and it is in a smaller market.
This makes ASU more tempting, although it is expensive and I don't know if its worth the extra money.

It also seems that, as was said earlier, the AZ market has more potential for growth and future opportunities.

Since you are from pittsburgh- if you were to decide later that you want to come back- you have ties to the area and it would be fine in employer's eyes. If you think you would like to give AZ a shot- now is the time- as by going to school there you will establish ties and you can start your legal networking. It will be very very hard ( if not almost impossible) to go from Pitt to AZ unless you have ties there ( born and raised, or went to UG)


If you want to go there- dont worry so much about the extra cost. That is what it will take to get you there.