University of Arizona--opinions? why high clerkships? Forum

[croser]

I have had some difficulties finding info about U of A on TLS but from the research I've done it seems like a really good top 50 school and I'm just wondering what some other opinions are (I've been accepted there with full tuition, but also at much more highly ranked schools, and am having a hard time with this decision). On Transparency it says that 11% go on to Article III clerkships which seems like a very high number to me, and then another 7.8% are non-Article III clerks. For perspective, at Cornell 5.8% are Article III clerks and 0% are reported as non-Article III clerks. Does anybody know why Arizona has such a high clerkship rate? To me it seems like a good indicator of the school's reputation, but yet it never really comes up on this site.

[JusticeJackson]

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[RVP11]

some of the schools with the highest reported article III clerkship numbers are completely full of shit.

[BeautifulSW]

The State of Arizona is not over-lawyered and (I think) has a bright future. Not everyone agrees with me.

I would jump at the chance for a full scholarship to UA but only if I intended to practice in Arizona or New Mexico. Maybe Utah or Nevada too but I live in N.Mex. and can't speak to that.

Tucson is a seriously cool place to live and work. Nowhere near as wacko as the rest of the Grand Canyon State.

[croser]

Interesting, I didn't even think that those numbers might not be correct. But how could they fudge something like that? Regardless it's a good idea to contact them with more info about it, thanks.

The State of Arizona is not over-lawyered and (I think) has a bright future. Not everyone agrees with me.

I would jump at the chance for a full scholarship to UA but only if I intended to practice in Arizona or New Mexico. Maybe Utah or Nevada too but I live in N.Mex. and can't speak to that.

Tucson is a seriously cool place to live and work. Nowhere near as wacko as the rest of the Grand Canyon State.

It's good to hear that you like Tucson! For some reason I have this gut feeling that I'd really like it there (even though I've never been), which is also making this decision really hard.

[BeautifulSW]

If you decide to go for U. Arizona, you might think about whether you want to live in Tucson for a year first. Wait tables or repair flat tires or sell cell phone plans or something. Two reasons:

-Establishing residency would make UA Law a lot cheaper in the event you don't keep your scholarship all three years and

-Beautiful as it is, summer in the Sonoran Desert is an acquired taste. Frankly, you might not be able to take it but find yourself stuck, not just for law school, but for your career.

I know putting it off a year is hard but the tuition scholarship would probably be there next go-around especially since it would be cheaper to the school and you'd be a resident and therefore favored for admission and aid. (Don't take my word for these things, though; verify before you pass it up this year.)

[Yukos]

Just thought I'd say that Tucson is awesome, not anything like I imagined it would be before I lived there. I don't mind heat though (still, Tucson is cooler than Phoenix since it's at a higher elevation).

[BeautifulSW]

But even Phoenix (which can be 100 degrees at MIDNIGHT!) isn't as hot as Yuma. I LOVE Yuma!

(From a distance.)

[vkgarrett]

If you decide to go for U. Arizona, you might think about whether you want to live in Tucson for a year first. Wait tables or repair flat tires or sell cell phone plans or something. Two reasons:

-Establishing residency would make UA Law a lot cheaper in the event you don't keep your scholarship all three years and

-Beautiful as it is, summer in the Sonoran Desert is an acquired taste. Frankly, you might not be able to take it but find yourself stuck, not just for law school, but for your career.

I know putting it off a year is hard but the tuition scholarship would probably be there next go-around especially since it would be cheaper to the school and you'd be a resident and therefore favored for admission and aid. (Don't take my word for these things, though; verify before you pass it up this year.)

can you get residency after your first year?

[YourCaptain]

'cause o'connor likes the state of arizona

[BeautifulSW]

You have to ask the UofA folks about residency to be sure but in general, the answer seems to be "No". Presence in Arizona as a full-time student does not establish residency:

http://www.registrar.arizona.edu/residency/default.htm

If I read it aright, the total difference between J.D. tuition as a resident and as a non-resident is a bit less than $50,000. That is a LOT of money not borrowed in return for a year of living patiently.

[Mal Reynolds]

Just thought I'd say that Tucson is awesome.

If you travel five minutes away from U of A's campus this statement is just plain wrong.

I LOVE Yuma!

Yuma might possibly be one of the worst places in America-I refuse to call it a city. I say this after having been to multiple cities in New Mexico.

[BeautifulSW]

Umm...that's why I said, "From a distance."?

Never mind.

[Yukos]

Just thought I'd say that Tucson is awesome.

If you travel five minutes away from U of A's campus this statement is just plain wrong.

I LOVE Yuma!

Yuma might possibly be one of the worst places in America-I refuse to call it a city. I say this after having been to multiple cities in New Mexico.

Never been to Yuma, but if it's anything like Needles, it sounds like hell.

And you're right, I should've said "The UA campus/downtown Tucson is awesome. I never had any reason to go beyond those locales, except for the occasional Claim Jumper."

[BeautifulSW]

I think Yuma and Needles are in the same Mojave desert. It's pretty grim, alright. But if you haven't seen the Sonoran Desert in the spring, you have never seen it in its glory. It is filled with color and life. Much more so than our own drab Chihuahuan Desert. Even at its best, the country around where I live is scrub ugly surrounded by occasionally lovely mountains.

The thing some folks find unsettling about all three deserts is that there's no doubt; the landscape will kill you given a chance.