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SCU or USF?

Posted: Fri Jul 01, 2011 4:23 am
by mcco5672
I've been admitted to both SCU and USF and am having the toughest time deciding which one to go to this Fall...any advice would be much appreciated.

I love the city but the commute (coming from the Peninsula) would be a killer and parking a nightmare as compared to SCU which would be so much easier. I'll be working part-time so although this sounds like a silly factor, it is a consideration for me. I'm not really a fan of the South Bay however and although I wouldn't be opposed to practicing in the SV area, I would potentially want to practice in SF (but not for sure). I also do not want to practice IP or International Law (SCU's strong suits) and would like to go into Family or Corporate Law. It also seems like SCU has a better reputation (from what I've read) than USF but not sure how true that really is. I also have been really impressed with USF's communication with me throughout the admissions process (they emailed/mailed a lot of material) whereas Santa Clara has lacked in this area which makes me worry about their communication/helpfulness to students (they emailed me re: setting up my email account before they even sent me anything saying I had been accepted).

So far I haven't received any scholarships from either SCU or USF but since they are so comparable, that would probably help tip the scales for me. I'm not betting on any money though. They are almost the same tuition, with SCU only being a couple thousand more a year.

For the reputation and ease of going I guess I'm leaning towards SCU but I feel the community environment, fields of study, etc. may suit me better at USF. Any thoughts? :)

Re: SCU or USF?

Posted: Fri Jul 01, 2011 4:24 am
by 071816
I would retake and reapply. Neither school is worth attending, especially without a significant scholarship.

Re: SCU or USF?

Posted: Fri Jul 01, 2011 4:28 am
by bk1
Take a look at their stats on http://www.lawschooltransparency.com and see that both these schools only placed about 1/4 of their grads into full time jobs as lawyers.

Sorry to say but these schools are really bad.

Edit: chimp caught my freudian slip.

Re: SCU or USF?

Posted: Fri Jul 01, 2011 4:35 am
by 071816
Bk did you mean to give OP this link?

Re: SCU or USF?

Posted: Fri Jul 01, 2011 4:50 am
by bk1
chimp wrote:Bk did you mean to give OP this link?
Yes, yes I did. lol I just reflexively typed the other one.

Re: SCU or USF?

Posted: Fri Jul 01, 2011 10:11 am
by bass08
Agree on the retake if that's a possibility. Both of these schools are way overpriced and their placement is terrible. If you want to go to law school, I would retake and then perhaps try a different market, or, at the very least, go to one of these schools with a significant scholarship. The problem is, though, that both of these schools are pretty stingy with scholarship money. Coupled with the high cost of living in the bay area, you're going to be looking at a lot of debt either way, provided of course you're the one paying.

Re: SCU or USF?

Posted: Fri Jul 01, 2011 10:33 am
by ndirish2010
Please, please do not go to either of these schools at sticker.

Re: SCU or USF?

Posted: Fri Jul 01, 2011 3:04 pm
by JimmyThomas
Both are festering dumps.

Re: SCU or USF?

Posted: Sat Jul 02, 2011 1:44 am
by mcco5672
I'm a transfer student so I'll be transferring in (from a Tier 4 school) to either SCU or USF. I'm definitely planning on attending one of these to finish my degree (2.5 years left) but just was wondering if anyone had any insights about which was better given my original posts. Any suggestions?