W&L v. UGA v. Pepperdine v. Baylor Forum

[wannagotolaw]

Any combination- Where should I go?

[Richie Tenenbaum]

Where do you want to work, and what is the coa for each?

[wannagotolaw]

Full tuition at each. I want to either clerk or US Attorney/ D.A.

[CanadianWolf]

If in-state tuition at Georgia, then that is the easy answer. Otherwise, decide between Georgia and W&L.

[top30man]

If in-state tuition at Georgia, then that is the easy answer. Otherwise, decide between Georgia and W&L.

Agreed.

[Richie Tenenbaum]

Full tuition at each. I want to either clerk or US Attorney/ D.A.

Not trying to be harsh, but none of these schools are worth sticker (with the possible exception of UGA at instate rate).

My suggestion would be attend a school for cheap (with no rank/gpa stipulations) in the area you would like to work and shoot for the local DA's office. (USAO is not likely to happen unless you go to a top school and have great grades...and it rarely is a straight-from-Lawschool gig.) Retaking the LSAT and waiting a year is generally TCR as well.

[Blindmelon]

Easy UGA. I don't know how easy it is to get instate, but that would make it a lot cheaper. Definitely not Pepperdine or Baylor and W&L is not worth sticker.

[tfer2222]

don't go to baylor.

[Flappy Scribbleneck]

Haven't applied to Baylor, but would like to hear a critique of Baylor, beyond the usual TLS schpiel

[kalvano]

Haven't applied to Baylor, but would like to hear a critique of Baylor, beyond the usual TLS schpiel

Search my posts for Baylor and you'll find a couple of threads with a lot of information.

[eandy]

Easy UGA. I don't know how easy it is to get instate, but that would make it a lot cheaper. Definitely not Pepperdine or Baylor and W&L is not worth sticker.

Extremely easy. So easy that almost everyone gets an equalization scholarship for 1L year.

[wannagotolaw]

What about W&L and UGA- same price?

[buckilaw]

Full tuition at each. I want to either clerk or US Attorney/ D.A.

Clerking will be very difficult from any of those schools. I don't know how US Attorney / D.A hiring works in southern markets, but if you want to do that you should aim for a school that has a solid LRAP. Paying off sticker debt from any of those schools with a PI salary would be awful.

[de5igual]

What about W&L and UGA- same price?

bad hypo since they're not the same price

[kalvano]

You aren't getting the USAO straight out of law school, or probably even with 5-7 years of law school. It's extraordinarily competitive.

[eandy]

Full tuition at each. I want to either clerk or US Attorney/ D.A.

Clerking will be very difficult from any of those schools. I don't know how US Attorney / D.A hiring works in southern markets, but if you want to do that you should aim for a school that has a solid LRAP. Paying off sticker debt from any of those schools with a PI salary would be awful.

Uga is actually really good for clerking. Look at its numbers.

[deadpanic]

This is really easy, UGA.

Haven't applied to Baylor, but would like to hear a critique of Baylor, beyond the usual TLS schpiel

Talk to any Baylor 2Ls or 3Ls and all will tell you how miserable it is except for maybe one or two. SMU with a large scholarship, or UH with a scholarship or in-state tuition are much better options with much better job prospects.
I think the bad things you hear about it are mostly all true. It is full of gunners who live and breathe law school. It is not that people are going to hide books or anything like that, but it is intense and competitive in the work everyone puts in.

They give out lots of scholarship $, but as I said, the competition is steep (and the class size is small) and the stipulations are not as generous as you think. I have a feeling basically everyone except for a few (literally) are on scholarship, it is their main way to draw people to the school.

If you pay sticker, ever, for any semester there, you are probably screwed. The job situation is terrible there b/c they are the fourth best school in TX in a small market and they mainly place in Government work like prosecutor's offices which have become much more competitive. Or, the other option, which is why they stress knowing how to take cases to trial, is you go open a solo practice in BFE, Texas, and try to pay off your debt doing divorces & DUIs.

They are on a quarter system. 4 sets of exams each year.

The professors are pricks, not personally, it is just part of the school's gimmick. They take pride in humiliating their students and getting the better of them. There is a reason most of their faculty are Baylor Law alums, because they are crazy, and have been through this insane method and believe in it (I will give them that, I do think they believe in it and it probably is helpful to some people, just not all). There was a guy on here who sat in on a class and asked a professor for a syllabus - he refused, for no good reason - they are just like that. Sit in on a class in the first week and see if you still want to attend.

Everything costs a ridiculous amount at the school, to use the Baylor (undergrad) gym, it is something like $300 per quarter. The parking decal is a couple hundred although parking is not an issue. In the first quarter, you have about 12 books, at least 4 to 5 are Texas specific.

Waco is depressing, dirty & seedy. The worst part is that there just doesn't seem to be much of a legal community there. Or, the lawyers that do practice there are a lot of solo practitioners and don't need any help.

The building is really super nice, and the library has a great view so I don't think there are any complaints on the facilities.

Their claim to fame is Leon Jaworski as an alum, and they even have some cutesy museum set up for him in the library. I know, you are probably saying who in the hell is that? He prosecuted Nixon, but he is probably more famous for starting Fulbright & Jaworski, a big law firm. What is more sad, though, is that you only have about a 1% shot of getting a job with that firm.

Bottom line: if you get in to Baylor with a scholarship, you probably have the #s for Houston or SMU with a scholarship, which are much better options. And even more so, if you actually can do well at Baylor, then you are competitive enough to re-take the LSAT and get in to Texas, the best option.

[bartleby]

UGA all day. and doesn't UGA have the exact same 165 wall as SMU?

[biglaw$]

I vote Pepperdine. At least when you graduate w/o a job you'll be able to tell your grandkids you lived in Malibu for three years.

[T00L]

I know TOO MUCH about all of those schools, having been accepted to each last cycle. I also went to undergrad at one of them...PM me if you want to know which one.

Only go to Pepperdine if you are heart set on their dispute resolution program. Malibu is expensive, boring and bubble-like.

Georgia is cheap, respected, and more real.