Top Law Schools

Career goal: Eventually work for a state prosecutor. I realize that I have to minimize debt and show an interest in criminal law very early on.

Regional ties: Grew up in Chicago. Did my undergrad at U Iowa. Have family in IL & the Pacific Northwest region. I only applied to schools that are in a region that appeals to me (as varied as it may appear). I would be fine remaining in all of these areas.

My options:

Iowa - scholarship info won't be given until the end of March or April. I did my undergrad here and love the area. I would love to live in Iowa post-college.

MSU - 75% tuition. 2.5 stip (this pretty much means I need to stay in the top 3/4 of the class). I like the Midwest and wouldn't mind having a career there. Although their ranking is low, I am intrigued by their criminal law program. It seems very practical and offers various clinics.

U Oregon - 10,000/year. However, their tuition is relatively low and the money is good considering that. I love the PNW and have always dreamed of moving there.

L&C - 8,000/year. Same logic as above.

Chicago - Kent - 15,000/year with no grade stip. Obviously the lack of a grade stip is tempting, but Kent's reputation sucks and their tuition is one of the highest on my list. However, it is the only school (besides Iowa and DePaul) that I have a regional tie to.

DePaul - 25,000/year. Like Kent, their tuition is quite high so debt is likely and the grade stip is more difficult. However, I do have regional ties.

San Diego - 28,000/year, top 50% grade stip. Like Kent and DePaul, USD has a pretty high tuition. Also, CA's legal market is not the most desirable.

Washington & Lee - waitlisted

William & Mary - still waiting to hear back

U Tennessee - waiting to hear back on scholarship money

llachans wrote:Career goal: Eventually work for a state prosecutor. I realize that I have to minimize debt and show an interest in criminal law very early on.

Regional ties: Grew up in Chicago. Did my undergrad at U Iowa. Have family in IL & the Pacific Northwest region. I only applied to schools that are in a region that appeals to me (as varied as it may appear). I would be fine remaining in all of these areas.

My options:

Iowa - scholarship info won't be given until the end of March or April. I did my undergrad here and love the area. I would love to live in Iowa post-college.

MSU - 75% tuition. 2.5 stip (this pretty much means I need to stay in the top 3/4 of the class). I like the Midwest and wouldn't mind having a career there. Although their ranking is low, I am intrigued by their criminal law program. It seems very practical and offers various clinics.

U Oregon - 10,000/year. However, their tuition is relatively low and the money is good considering that. I love the PNW and have always dreamed of moving their.

L&C - 8,000/year. Same logic as above.

Chicago - Kent - 15,000/year with no grade stip. Obviously the lack of a grade stip is tempting, but Kent's reputation sucks and their tuition is one of the highest on my list. However, it is the only school (besides Iowa and DePaul) that I have a regional tie to.

DePaul - 25,000/year. Like Kent, their tuition is quite high so debt is likely and the grade stip is more difficult. However, I do have regional ties.

San Diego - 28,000/year, top 50% grade stip. Like Kent and DePaul, USD has a pretty high tuition. Also, CA's legal market is not the most desirable.

Washington & Lee - waitlisted

William & Mary - still waiting to hear back

U Tennessee - waiting to hear back on scholarship money

sounds like iowa is probably your best choice if you can get a decent scholly or in state

srfngdd6 wrote: sounds like iowa is probably your best choice if you can get a decent scholly or in state

I won't have in-state during 1L but was told from an Iowa student that everyone receives in-state if they accept an RA position. He said that almost everyone does so.

Taking this into consideration (but not counting on any scholly money b/c getting in was a surprise in itself), how does that change things?

If you want to work in Iowa, then obviously that would be a great school. However, isn't in-state still like 28,000? Two years of that plus another at sticker is still a lot of money for that school...

If you can get any kind of scholarship there, though, probably your best option.

I'm not going to say don't go to UT-Knoxville, since I have very limited knowledge of the other schools on the list (or even UT for that matter). What I do know is that East Tennessee is in a pretty rough spot at the moment, and I know a few unemployed (unemployed in the legal field that is) law school grads in the area - I live about 30 minutes from Knoxville - some from UT and some from farther away schools. Knoxville itself is pretty small as far as cities (large towns) go, and while people in general are friendly, they very aware of people from outside of the area (I get comments on my accent all the time, and people jokingly call me a "damned Yankee" even though I've been here since grade school).

Again, I won't say don't go to UT, but make sure you research the school and what other areas in the South that it generally sends its graduates to. My guess is that especially since you weren't offered a scholarship with your acceptance, some of your other schools will turn out to be much better options.

I'd really appreciate if people explained their reasoning. Especially those that voted for Oregon, MSU, and UTK : )

llachans wrote:I'd really appreciate if people explained their reasoning. Especially those that voted for Oregon, MSU, and UTK : )

it just honestly seems like you pulled the schools out of a hat go to school where you want to live and work and have a good reason for it none of those schools is providing you any bang bang for your buck

Sounds like your best choices are between Iowa and Oregon. I think you just need to see what kind of aid you get from Iowa and reconcile that with where you would rather live. I voted for Oregon because I'm from/live in the PNW and am biased.

Well where do you want to live Broseiden, king of the Brocean? That would be the determining factor.

tfleming09 wrote:Well where do you want to live Broseiden, king of the Brocean? That would be the determining factor.

I really have no preference. I really like laid back, wooded/hilly areas that allow me to go camping/fishing/swimming if the weather is right. Growing up in Chicago, I've learned to dislike huge cities. Distance from family isn't an issue, so my regional limitation isn't the same that others seem to have.

Since you like living in Iowa, have you thought about Drake? It's obviously not portable, but people from the state (I'm an IA resident) wet themselves over that school. You'd probably get a decent scholarship, too.

nickjive wrote:Since you like living in Iowa, have you thought about Drake? It's obviously not portable, but people from the state (I'm an IA resident) wet themselves over that school. You'd probably get a decent scholarship, too.

I was toying around with it recently, but I'm not sure when their deadline is. I'll look more into it.

I actually went to MSU's ASW this week and was shocked by how much I liked it. They presented a very real view of the legal market and were highly transparent. Their clinical programs were very attractive. My optimism has improved greatly. I'll look into Drake though! Thanks for the advice!

Edit: The deadline is April 1st. I'll do it and see how the money is!

MSU because of the generous scholarship & your impression of MSU after visiting. Drake is great for Iowa. You might receive a full tuition scholarship based on your 160/3.5. Did you consider Nebraska ? I mention Nebraska because it is similiar to the state of Iowa & needs lawyers.

CanadianWolf wrote:MSU because of the generous scholarship & your impression of MSU after visiting. Drake is great for Iowa. You might receive a full tuition scholarship based on your 160/3.5. Did you consider Nebraska ? I mention Nebraska because it is similiar to the state of Iowa & needs lawyers.

I've been to Omaha multiple times and it wasn't really my cup of tea. I haven't been to the rest of the state though.

llachans wrote:

CanadianWolf wrote:MSU because of the generous scholarship & your impression of MSU after visiting. Drake is great for Iowa. You might receive a full tuition scholarship based on your 160/3.5. Did you consider Nebraska ? I mention Nebraska because it is similiar to the state of Iowa & needs lawyers.

I've been to Omaha multiple times and it wasn't really my cup of tea. I haven't been to the rest of the state though.

...Omaha is the sugar cube in the cup of tea that is Nebraska...

OP: Are you attracted to Iowa or to the college town of Iowa City ?

nickjive wrote:

llachans wrote:

CanadianWolf wrote:MSU because of the generous scholarship & your impression of MSU after visiting. Drake is great for Iowa. You might receive a full tuition scholarship based on your 160/3.5. Did you consider Nebraska ? I mention Nebraska because it is similiar to the state of Iowa & needs lawyers.

I've been to Omaha multiple times and it wasn't really my cup of tea. I haven't been to the rest of the state though.

...Omaha is the sugar cube in the cup of tea that is Nebraska...

hahaha. so i guess i made the right decision in not applying there!

If cows, cattle & corn aren't your thing, then you probably were wise to save the application fee. Nevertheless, what is the attraction to Iowa ? The agriculture industry or the college town of Iowa City ? I ask because Iowa is not the same as Iowa City.

CanadianWolf wrote:If cows, cattle & corn aren't your thing, then you probably were wise to save the application fee. Nevertheless, what is the attraction to Iowa ? The agriculture industry or the college town of Iowa City ? I ask because Iowa is not the same as Iowa City.

I love Iowa City but I also love downtown Des Moines. It's much more progressive than "cows, cattle, and corn". It has a vibrant LGBTQ scene and allows same-sex marriage which is a HUGE plus for me. I've been to many of the small cities in Iowa and they're refreshing in comparison to Chicago and much more exciting than the country cornfields. It's also nice to be able to get away and watch the stars in the middle of a field. I definitely wouldn't be okay with living in the country though.

The "cows, cattle & corn" phrase refers to Nebraska ( that's why I note that you saved the app fee--thought you would understand since you did apply to Iowa &, therefore, presumably incurred application costs).

CanadianWolf wrote:The "cows, cattle & corn" phrase refers to Nebraska ( that's why I note that you saved the app fee--thought you would understand since you did apply to Iowa &, therefore, presumably incurred application costs).

Sorry about that! I'm used to getting Chicago friends asking how Iowa's corn is. I don't know much about Nebraska but from what I've heard Omaha is the main city. Iowa has a couple cities dispersed throughout. In general, that's what appeals to me.