Top Law Schools

Honestly I am kind of indifferent. Do you think it would be possible to leverage my acceptances at other schools to get merit scholarships? Right now I am doubting I can, because these schools are about equally difficult to get into and none of them strike me as substantially better than another.

As for what I am looking for in law school... job prospects. I just want to not have to stress out about getting a job after graduating. Thank you!

I voted for Michigan, but I think cases for Duke or Berkeley could be made depending on where you want to practice. A bit harder to see the case for GTown, so I personally would rule that out. Though I would let them know about your other offers and see if they offer a scholarship.

If Georgetown is so clearly inferior, why do they have such high LSAT admission statistics?

More commentary please - it helps more than votes. What does UMich have going for it that Berkeley and Duke do not?

In my opinion, Michigan, Duke, and Berkeley are peer schools, and all will get you a great job. However, I think the decision should be based on the location where you want to practice. Berkeley for the West Coast, Michigan for the East Coast, and Duke for the South. Also, however, all can be categorized as "national schools" to some degree, so it will not matter too much if you have decent grades.

UtilityMonster wrote:If Georgetown is so clearly inferior, why do they have such high LSAT admission statistics?

It is the best school in DC which is one of the most desired markets and where a lot of smart people who want to go to law school work before attending. Plus all the locals and you have a lot of people wanting to go to gtown.

You must have a geographic preference for job prospects. Without that information, this question/poll is really a crapshoot.

Visit. Attend your favorite school. Profit.

JustE wrote:Visit. Attend your favorite school. Profit.

I just thought one school might have a clear advantage over the others. I guess that is not the case.

UtilityMonster wrote:

JustE wrote:Visit. Attend your favorite school. Profit.

I just thought one school might have a clear advantage over the others. I guess that is not the case.

They're lower T14s in four different parts of the country. Not sure how it's possible not to have a preference for one location over another.

Biglaw placement power into NYC is probably roughly equivalent among all of these schools. Differences in placement probably come down to self selection and location more than anything else (that and GULC's huge class size means the lower half of the class struggles).

UtilityMonster wrote:If Georgetown is so clearly inferior, why do they have such high LSAT admission statistics?

http://www.usnews.com/education/best-gr ... aw-schools

It's Georgetown :P

And it's more fun to live in a top 5 US city than in a college town :-) (I know this one might be up for debate... You can tell where I stand) I think it's a mixture of that and splitters.

Really though, people want to go there. A lot of them, and badly.

In all seriousness though, go where you like and you'll probably do better in school and you won't have to worry so much about rankings.

JustE wrote:Visit. Attend your favorite school. Profit.

+1

Nobody can answer this without knowing what city you want to work in.

If it helps, DC is possibly the toughest market to get a job. Both Georgetown and George Washington have extremely large classes and DC is very competitive.

I would go to UMich because it will get you New York. New York is where I live, so I like it the best. It also has the largest market for associates.

Where do you want to live?

College town or city? Big law or PI? If Berkeley is out of state then that makes it far and away the most expensive on this list. TLS is one of the few places that hates on Georgetown mainly because it is HUGE and thus never places a high percentage into the NLJ 250. Size and graded legal writing should factor into the calculus.

[quote="UtilityMonster"][/quote]

+1 for handle

If you want California, go to Berkeley.

Don't go to GULC (good school but placement data, from what I recall, is not as strong as the others).

Beyond that, I think it's basically a wash between Michigan and Duke. I'd look to see where the bulk of OCI employers come from, geographically, if there are no other compelling factors.

Don't most schools not release scholarship information until March? I wouldn't say you're definitely paying sticker yet. And it's not like there's a reward for choosing early.

Bro, I personally think GULC PT + full time job is credited as fuck, if you are looking at sticker for schools ranging from T7 to T14. Well, assuming the full time job actually pays like 40-60k. You won't owe as much money, and even if you get fucked at OCI and graduate unemployed, you won't look like another law school dude with a three year gap on his resume and zero marketable skills. I don't know what you did for UG, but try looking for a decent paying jerb in DC.

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Definitely not GULC. Berkley is about equal with Michigan but will cost a boat-load more. Enjoy Michigan!

From speaking to both current and former students I would have to say Michigan as long as you want to practice on the East Coast (and maybe the midwest...I guess...I am not actually positive about the midwest as I have no interest in wheat outside of the family guy gag.) The Quality of Life at Michigan is supposedly just phenomenal. Berk if you want to be out West is supposed to be great but COL is ridiculous. I do think that you should be able to leverage them against each other for some money. Something to the effect of wanting to go to X law school, but having trouble choosing between them and insert the other two or three. Make sure not to make it sound like the other schools have given you offers though, because they will ask to see copies.

With a 169/3.9 from Vanderbilt, you should be comfortable at Duke. Georgetown should not, in my opinion, be in the running in your situation. UCal-Berkeley is a very different environment than Vanderbilt. Select between Duke & Michigan. Visit both before deciding. Congratulations !