University of Buffalo SUNY Forum

[umarzulqarnain]

I am finding mixed opinions online.
Is it a good school, worth going to?
Is it tier 1?

I'm only considering it because tuition is pretty low (compared to the ridiculously high tuition at Hofstra Law where I am also considering)

[sach1282]

If you want to work in the city of Buffalo, UB is a great place to attend (especially if you're a NY resident!). If you do not want to work in the city of Buffalo, no, it's not a great choice. With that said, I think tuition cost should be your main concern when looking at schools in that range.

[rklafehn]

If you are dead-set on law school and these are the schools you are looking at, it is a no-brainer to go with UB if you are an in-state resident.

It may not get you to NYC but neither will Hofstra and it is exponentially cheaper (COL + tuition). The law school building is OK but they have a really good faculty, place well in Western NY, and Buffalo (while not a glamorous place) is a lot of fun.

[BEAST_mode]

If you want to work in the city of Buffalo, UB is a great place to attend (especially if you're a NY resident!). If you do not want to work in the city of Buffalo, no, it's not a great choice. With that said, I think tuition cost should be your main concern when looking at schools in that range.

UB runs a bit deeper than Buffalo alone. It's a solid option for nearly all Upstate NY cities. Significantly better than Albany and Cuse, although Albany outdoes UB for NYS Gov jobs. Only real competition comes from Cornell grads who don't want NYC, and other T1 students who, like myself, want to return to the area. Not many others dying to move Upstate.

[sach1282]

Another consideration: Aside from tuition, Buffalo has one of the lowest costs of living in the entire country. When you add that into the equation SUNY Buffalo is one of the lowest cost law schools in the United States.

Also, Buffalo is my hometown and I really love the city.

[john1990]

Is it tier 1?

84-50=NO

[bogart]

If you want to work in the city of Buffalo, UB is a great place to attend (especially if you're a NY resident!). If you do not want to work in the city of Buffalo, no, it's not a great choice. With that said, I think tuition cost should be your main concern when looking at schools in that range.

UB runs a bit deeper than Buffalo alone. It's a solid option for nearly all Upstate NY cities. Significantly better than Albany and Cuse, although Albany outdoes UB for NYS Gov jobs. Only real competition comes from Cornell grads who don't want NYC, and other T1 students who, like myself, want to return to the area. Not many others dying to move Upstate.

I agree that UB extends further than buffalo, but it is totally inaccurate to say that it is a"significantly better" option than cuse or albany; the upstate schools (exception being cornell) are all about the same employment wise. If you have ny residence than it is hard to argue agains ub's low tuition. Also, Buffalo is a great city with a lot going on.

[quiver]

I agree that UB extends further than buffalo, but it is totally inaccurate to say that it is a"significantly better" option than cuse or albany; the upstate schools (exception being cornell) are all about the same employment wise. If you have ny residence than it is hard to argue against ub's low tuition.

I agree with this

[umarzulqarnain]

Is it tier 1?

84-50=NO

explain?

[umarzulqarnain]

thanks for the advice everyone!
I'm still applying to other schools as well, just wanted to get a good idea between those two. I guess this decision matters more on where I want to work. I figured your ranking/grades upon graduating mattered more in terms of job opportunity compared to your school location. I'm not even sure where I want to work after I'm done so I guess I should decide that first.

[john1990]

Is it tier 1?

84-50=NO

explain?

T1 is defined as the top 50 schools in the usnews rankings

http://www.top-law-schools.com/rankings.html

[akarenina]

I am having a hard time with this as well.

I got into better schools such as Penn State and am waiting on Wake Forest and American U but for example one year at Penn State = $33K compared to all three years at Buffalo (with the scholarship they're offering me) being about $36K (in-state resident). So yes, Buffalo's lower ranking puts it at a disadvantage but I feel like I would be an idiot to not seriously consider going to a school where I'd be paying half of what I paid for my undergraduate tuition.

[john1990]

Only 8% of UB grads report making over 100k

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 1&t=150681

[bogart]

I am having a hard time with this as well.

I got into better schools such as Penn State and am waiting on Wake Forest and American U but for example one year at Penn State = $33K compared to all three years at Buffalo (with the scholarship they're offering me) being about $36K (in-state resident). So yes, Buffalo's lower ranking puts it at a disadvantage but I feel like I would be an idiot to not seriously consider going to a school where I'd be paying half of what I paid for my undergraduate tuition.

Usnews may rank ub lower than penn state, but rest assured, no employer will know/care/base a decision on that ranking. My advice, take the money and run.