Top Law Schools

So far I have been admitted to Loyola, USD, UofArizona all with pretty large scholarships (32/yr at loyola, 31/yr at USD, 18/yr as resident at UofA), and admitted to Hastings but still waiting on my package to come in the mail (in by phone call yesterday). I have been waitlisted at UCLA. I am still waiting on Arizona State and USC, my dream school. I obviously don't know if I'll get into USC, but judging by my waitlist at UCLA I think I should either get waitlisted or admitted. 164/3.81 gpa, strong letters of rec, resume, and personal statement.

I am having a HUGE mental dilemma because paying only like 10,000 dollars a year in loans for Loyola etc. sounds amazing, but HOW does one decide between paying full price at a great school (USC), or taking a scholarship at still a good school, Loyola (and other schools of that caliber)?

On one hand, I tell myself that if I do really well at any school I'll be successful, and it will probably be easier to be near the top of my class at a school like Loyola. I tell myself that a law school is a law school, that people go to all kinds of tier 1s and 3s and 4s etc. and at the end of the day, you are still a lawyer if you pass the bar. But on the other hand, I tell myself that I should follow my dreams and go to USC (or UCLA, or Hastings, you get the picture-- assuming I get in to USC/UCLA, or, rather, pursue the wait-list to try to get myself in) because I will be more confident, proud of myself, and excel in an environment where I am challenged. But the thought of taking 150,000+ in debt versus like 40,000 in debt is just too big of a question to answer on my own.

What are your opinions? I really know nothing about law practice other than the research I've been doing leading up to law school, so any information/advice would be helpful. I will say though, that the older generations of people I ask seem to tend towards taking the scholarship and running with it, and the younger generations i.e. people I know that are in law school now seem to say follow your dreams, gain the alumni network, it's an investment in your future, etc...


THANKS!

What are your goals? Do you want big law, or are you more PI or criminal law oriented? If your deadset on big or midlaw and subsequently USC/UCLA, I'd recommend a retake (4-5 points could you get you $$ at USC) w/ an early application next cycle. Sticker outside the T14 is a huge risk ITE.

That Loyola scholarship comes with stips, doesn't it. Retake bro

anne922 wrote:So far I have been admitted to Loyola, USD, UofArizona all with pretty large scholarships (32/yr at loyola, 31/yr at USD, 18/yr as resident at UofA), and admitted to Hastings but still waiting on my package to come in the mail (in by phone call yesterday). I have been waitlisted at UCLA. I am still waiting on Arizona State and USC, my dream school. I obviously don't know if I'll get into USC, but judging by my waitlist at UCLA I think I should either get waitlisted or admitted. 164/3.81 gpa, strong letters of rec, resume, and personal statement.

I am having a HUGE mental dilemma because paying only like 10,000 dollars a year in loans for Loyola etc. sounds amazing, but HOW does one decide between paying full price at a great school (USC), or taking a scholarship at still a good school, Loyola (and other schools of that caliber)?

On one hand, I tell myself that if I do really well at any school I'll be successful, and it will probably be easier to be near the top of my class at a school like Loyola. I tell myself that a law school is a law school, that people go to all kinds of tier 1s and 3s and 4s etc. and at the end of the day, you are still a lawyer if you pass the bar. But on the other hand, I tell myself that I should follow my dreams and go to USC (or UCLA, or Hastings, you get the picture-- assuming I get in to USC/UCLA, or, rather, pursue the wait-list to try to get myself in) because I will be more confident, proud of myself, and excel in an environment where I am challenged. But the thought of taking 150,000+ in debt versus like 40,000 in debt is just too big of a question to answer on my own.

What are your opinions? I really know nothing about law practice other than the research I've been doing leading up to law school, so any information/advice would be helpful. I will say though, that the older generations of people I ask seem to tend towards taking the scholarship and running with it, and the younger generations i.e. people I know that are in law school now seem to say follow your dreams, gain the alumni network, it's an investment in your future, etc...


THANKS!

2 posts... Maybe you should look around TLS a bit more. Your law school matters... a lot. Everyone else on TLS will tell you the same thing: job prospects coming out of T14 are a whole different kettle of fish from job prospects coming out of USD or Loyola. Same with UCLA/USC/Vandy/WUSTL. These schools are pretty strong regionally, and can easily get you into biglaw but lack portability.
TCR is that you should not attend outside T14 w/o significant $$$, and even then it's not always cut-and-dried. What are your scholarship stips? Because I'm pretty sure Loyola stacks (or stacked) sections, which is sketchy and I would suggest you steer clear of any school that engages in such a practice. Even then you're going to accrue debt from COL and leftover tuition. UCLA & USC at sticker are arguably the better option here, but still not great. CA market is risky. You should seriously consider taking a year off and reapplying.

tl;dr Retake.

While I agree that ranking DOES matter, your future goals are something to consider. Aiming for Biglaw? Okay, aim for UCLA/USC, and completely forget about Loyola. But if you're specifically looking for public interest work, and you know you want to stay in Los Angeles, maybe Loyola isn't so bad after all. But then again, you have to consider that your scholarship is on stipulations (A HUGE FACTOR), and that Loyola doesn't have the LRAP program that UCLA (or even USC) has.