Albany vs Widener Forum

[aimo5656]

I'm trying to decide which of these law schools to attend. I recently visited Albany for their ASD and I liked the energy of the school but I wasn't in love with the neighborhood. I haven't visited Widener's DE campus yet because their ASD is in April but I live in DE so I've heard some things about the school. Both of these schools are not that great in rankings (Widener is not even ranked on US News while Albany is 113). I know that rankings at this point don't really matter for these schools but I am concerned about job prospects coming out of them. I know with Albany since it's the state capital for NY and the only law school in the area you are surrounded by federal and state job opportunities, however I am worried that because it's the only law school that the area is already over-saturated. Furthermore, when I went to the ASD I noticed that many of the the alumni went to SUNY Albany for undergrad and just went to Albany Law. It was pretty much the same thing for the students who spoke on ASD. I felt disappointed that there wasn't a lot of geographical variety. I mean I'm not expecting alumni from Alaska or anything but I at least would have liked to hear from people who are currently working in PA/NJ which I don't think is too far out of reach since it is a school located in NY. My plan is to work in PA, DE, or NJ after graduating from law school. Widener is also a mixed bag. I've read that their grading curve is harsh, as a result it's hard to find an internship or a job when you're competing with other law schools such as UPenn, PennState, Temple, Rutgers, etc. However, some people have commented to me that in spite of its perceived reputation there are job opportunities out there for Widener law grads. Anyway, my dilemma is that I don't know which school to attend. Both schools are not offering me any scholarships so I guess it depends on tuition cost which is the same for both because Widener charges the same whether you live in DE or not. I am deeply conflicted about which school to attend so I would really like it for someone who is currently attending or know anyone attending either one of these schools to comment, especially recent grads. Please make any comments about job prospects, internships, classes, profs, lifestyle, etc. about these schools.

[bdole2]

I would only consider either of those schools with significant scholarships. Unfortunately, since you did not receive substantial scholarships I would recommend retaking the LSAT. I know you probably don't want to take a year off, but it will be worth it. With a higher LSAT score you could not only get scholarships at these schools, but you could also get into (and get money at) schools that will have better job prospects.

[rinehart27]

People are generally going to say retake or don't go. Neither one of these schools have decent employment prospects. However, if you HAD to choose here, I would say Widener, just because you're from the area. I'm not advocating either, but Widener will allow you to at least get to meet some people and make connections in your area.

I've also heard the curve at Widener is rough, as it is with most TTT's. Also, with no scholarship, it's hard to tell you to go to either place. If it were free, maybe, but even then it's a tough call. It's your life, though, so I won't tell you what to do. It's not unheard of to do real well at a TTT and do alright for yourself after graduation. It's just really effin hard, and you are taking a huge risk. As long as you know that, the rest is on you.

How much is tuition at Widener, anyways? A ton, I would imagine?

[flem]

For fuck's sake don't go to Widener

Read through this

[dingbat]

They've both got issue, but at least Widener is the only law school in Delaware, which should count for something (don't ask me what)
Albany is a different pickle and unless you have significant ties to Albany, I'd be wary

[aimo5656]

Thanks for all the replies so far. Please keep them coming.

[Scottie2Hottie]

Yea i got a scholly from widener but it might as well mean shit bc ive heard there curve is around 2.3 and the scholly stip is 3.0<. I know a grad of that school from last years class, who struggled to find work, started his own firm in our neighborhood, and gets cases thrown to him from one of the attorneys he interned for. Kinda rough, but he is making it work. I know another 2L who doesnt have anything lined up after graduation either. Also, was gambling with a guy in AC who went to widener and he is in litigation outside of philly and hates it. That is all of my experience from Widener. Take it as is

[john1990]

I am from Albany, NY and i know that Albany law is unique in that it has comand over a large market. Albany is a decent sized city with a lot of goverment and only one law school. In fact the closest law school is in NYC or in Buffalo. Because of this Albany Law tends to do alright compared to T3's I would go to Albany Law, if i couldn't retake

[quiver]

would only consider either of those schools with significant scholarships. Unfortunately, since you did not receive substantial scholarships I would recommend retaking the LSAT. I know you probably don't want to take a year off, but it will be worth it. With a higher LSAT score you could not only get scholarships at these schools, but you could also get into (and get money at) schools that will have better job prospects.

This is the TCR. But if you absolutely have to go to law school next year then Widener because of this:

My plan is to work in PA, DE, or NJ after graduating from law school.

An Albany degree will not travel well (if at all) outside upstate NY. At least Widener is in DE.

[Sherlock1708]

I grew up in DE and currently work at the Department of Justice in Wilmington. There are several Widener grads working here. However, I guarantee you they all graduated at the top of their class. I have a friend that is finishing up at Widener right now. She said you need to be ranked #1-5 in order to interview with the top DE firms that start associates at $145,000. If you look at the profiles of the associates at these firms, they all graduated magna or summa. Even for government jobs, you need top grades. There is a NYU grad working in my office as a DAG, so it's not like Widener has a lock on DE jobs. My mom went to Widener in the early 80's when tuition was like $5,000. Tuition, fees, books, COL is now around $51,000. I applied to Widener and even she does not want me to attend, even though my parents would love it if I remained in DE. I do have significant ties to the legal community in Delaware, and I will most likely return to DE after law school, but even with a substantial scholarship from Widener, I don't think it's worth it.

For what it's worth, I know someone that graduated from Widener and passed the bar in DE, PA and NJ and after 2 years still hasn't found a legal job. IMO, it's just not worth attending a school like Widener without a significant scholarship and very strong ties to the legal community... and even under these circumstances, it's a huge gamble. If you must attend one of these schools, ask them for a scholarship. If they won't give you money, it's definitely worth your time to retake the LSAT and try again next year.

[Scottie2Hottie]

Yea i got a scholly from widener but it might as well mean shit bc ive heard there curve is around 2.3 and the scholly stip is 3.0<. I know a grad of that school from last years class, who struggled to find work, started his own firm in our neighborhood, and gets cases thrown to him from one of the attorneys he interned for. Kinda rough, but he is making it work. I know another 2L who doesnt have anything lined up after graduation either. Also, was gambling with a guy in AC who went to widener and he is in litigation outside of philly and hates it. That is all of my experience from Widener. Take it as is

Also, my great aunt is a widener grad who works at a 100+ attorney law firm in princeton doing quite well for herself financially

[quiver]

I am from Albany, NY and i know that Albany law is unique in that it has comand over a large market. Albany is a decent sized city with a lot of goverment and only one law school. In fact the closest law school is in NYC or in Buffalo. Because of this Albany Law tends to do alright compared to T3's I would go to Albany Law, if i couldn't retake

Welp that's wrong. Syracuse is the closest and Cornell is about the same as NYC. Albany does do okay compared to other T3s since they essentially have a monopoly over Albany but Widener is the only law school in the state of DE. The prospects are about the same from either of these schools...not good.

[john1990]

I am from Albany, NY and i know that Albany law is unique in that it has comand over a large market. Albany is a decent sized city with a lot of goverment and only one law school. In fact the closest law school is in NYC or in Buffalo. Because of this Albany Law tends to do alright compared to T3's I would go to Albany Law, if i couldn't retake

Welp that's wrong. Syracuse is the closest and Cornell is about the same as NYC. Albany does do okay compared to other T3s since they essentially have a monopoly over Albany but Widener is the only law school in the state of DE. The prospects are about the same from either of these schools...not good.

Whatever, Syracuse is 2.5 hours away. The main point of the argument lol was that Albany Law has command over a large market

[john1990]

My plan is to work in PA, DE, or NJ after graduating from law school.

.

Retake unless offered a very large scholly

[aimo5656]

.

[tr8877]

I live in a busy court district in NJ and it is filled with Widener grads (they probably outnumber the Rutgers grads). The alum bass is pretty solid in the tri-state area which comes in handy if you dont have strong legal ties.

[mixmasterehd]

Don't go to widener. I was at widener last year at sticker.
The facilities suck.
The student body sucks.
The area sucks. Its literally located between two strip malls.
The curve is terrible.
The journals are medicore. even the corporate one.
the top 25% transfer out anyway.
- no one WANTS to be there. We all know that this is our one shot to own it and never let it go. EVERYONE is trying to transfer out.
Alumni events have like 4 alum and like 8 students
if a speaker comes to campus there are like 10 people attending its embarassing.
The guy who did the fracking documentary was at the harrisberg campus and they teleconferenced us in on the large screen in the huge auditorium. It was me and the property professor (he left early) and i was the only one left.

any school on the planet (outside of cooley) is better than widener.
I will say the Profs are good. They realize that they are teaching to a bunch of dumbasses so they just tell you what you need to know.

I transferred out to a T40 and looking back I realize that my year at widener was the most miserable year of my life.

Edit: OCI had like 3 public defenders offices and some legal aid places.
also no gym on campus. to work out you have go a mile down concord piek to the kewish community center. o wait they do have a gym in the dorms. it consists of on room a couple of tredmills one set of 20lbs free weights and an ab roller.
the student body is generally a bunch of misfits. Just weird ass people from small weird ass colleges. most are totally retarded. The one or two people from ivy league undergrad you can tell just want to to hop out on the the free way in front of a bus

The one redeeming factor about the school is frank.
he is a janitor there and he is a fantastic human being and friend.

[aimo5656]

.

[tr8877]

Don't go to widener. I was at widener last year at sticker.
The facilities suck.
The student body sucks.
The area sucks. Its literally located between two strip malls.
The curve is terrible.
The journals are medicore. even the corporate one.
the top 25% transfer out anyway.
- no one WANTS to be there. We all know that this is our one shot to own it and never let it go. EVERYONE is trying to transfer out.
Alumni events have like 4 alum and like 8 students
if a speaker comes to campus there are like 10 people attending its embarassing.
The guy who did the fracking documentary was at the harrisberg campus and they teleconferenced us in on the large screen in the huge auditorium. It was me and the property professor (he left early) and i was the only one left.

any school on the planet (outside of cooley) is better than widener.
I will say the Profs are good. They realize that they are teaching to a bunch of dumbasses so they just tell you what you need to know.

I transferred out to a T40 and looking back I realize that my year at widener was the most miserable year of my life.

Edit: OCI had like 3 public defenders offices and some legal aid places.
also no gym on campus. to work out you have go a mile down concord piek to the kewish community center. o wait they do have a gym in the dorms. it consists of on room a couple of tredmills one set of 20lbs free weights and an ab roller.
the student body is generally a bunch of misfits. Just weird ass people from small weird ass colleges. most are totally retarded. The one or two people from ivy league undergrad you can tell just want to to hop out on the the free way in front of a bus

The one redeeming factor about the school is frank.
he is a janitor there and he is a fantastic human being and friend.

not to be a dick but can you explain the 90% + bar passage rate at widener?

[bdole2]

not to be a dick but can you explain the 90% + bar passage rate at widener?

Just because you can pass the bar does not mean that you can get a job.

Also, widener is the only school in Delaware which has the easiest state bar exam BY FAR (just kidding)

[CanadianWolf]

It's not wise to pay full price for either law school. Based on your choices, I assume that your LSAT score was in the high 140s or low 150s. Did you take a LSAT prep course ? If not, consider enrolling in PowerScore, Manhattan, Princeton Review or BluePrint & retaking the LSAT.

[HeavenWood]

Don't go to widener. I was at widener last year at sticker.
The facilities suck.
The student body sucks.
The area sucks. Its literally located between two strip malls.
The curve is terrible.
The journals are medicore. even the corporate one.
the top 25% transfer out anyway.
- no one WANTS to be there. We all know that this is our one shot to own it and never let it go. EVERYONE is trying to transfer out.
Alumni events have like 4 alum and like 8 students
if a speaker comes to campus there are like 10 people attending its embarassing.
The guy who did the fracking documentary was at the harrisberg campus and they teleconferenced us in on the large screen in the huge auditorium. It was me and the property professor (he left early) and i was the only one left.

any school on the planet (outside of cooley) is better than widener.
I will say the Profs are good. They realize that they are teaching to a bunch of dumbasses so they just tell you what you need to know.

I transferred out to a T40 and looking back I realize that my year at widener was the most miserable year of my life.

Edit: OCI had like 3 public defenders offices and some legal aid places.
also no gym on campus. to work out you have go a mile down concord piek to the kewish community center. o wait they do have a gym in the dorms. it consists of on room a couple of tredmills one set of 20lbs free weights and an ab roller.
the student body is generally a bunch of misfits. Just weird ass people from small weird ass colleges. most are totally retarded. The one or two people from ivy league undergrad you can tell just want to to hop out on the the free way in front of a bus

The one redeeming factor about the school is frank.
he is a janitor there and he is a fantastic human being and friend.

not to be a dick but can you explain the 90% + bar passage rate at widener?

Not to be a dick, but any TTTT can have a 90%+ bar passage rate when they incorporate bar prep into the curriculum.

[rad lulz]

.

[LiberalLaw]

Don't go to widener. I was at widener last year at sticker.
The facilities suck.
The student body sucks.
The area sucks. Its literally located between two strip malls.
The curve is terrible.
The journals are medicore. even the corporate one.
the top 25% transfer out anyway.
- no one WANTS to be there. We all know that this is our one shot to own it and never let it go. EVERYONE is trying to transfer out.
Alumni events have like 4 alum and like 8 students
if a speaker comes to campus there are like 10 people attending its embarassing.
The guy who did the fracking documentary was at the harrisberg campus and they teleconferenced us in on the large screen in the huge auditorium. It was me and the property professor (he left early) and i was the only one left.

any school on the planet (outside of cooley) is better than widener.
I will say the Profs are good. They realize that they are teaching to a bunch of dumbasses so they just tell you what you need to know.

I transferred out to a T40 and looking back I realize that my year at widener was the most miserable year of my life.

Edit: OCI had like 3 public defenders offices and some legal aid places.
also no gym on campus. to work out you have go a mile down concord piek to the kewish community center. o wait they do have a gym in the dorms. it consists of on room a couple of tredmills one set of 20lbs free weights and an ab roller.
the student body is generally a bunch of misfits. Just weird ass people from small weird ass colleges. most are totally retarded. The one or two people from ivy league undergrad you can tell just want to to hop out on the the free way in front of a bus

The one redeeming factor about the school is frank.
he is a janitor there and he is a fantastic human being and friend.

I am a 1L here and except for the comments about Frank, the rest is highly inaccurate.

Honestly, it is not even doing a point to point discussion of your statements.

Back to outlining.

[HeavenWood]

Don't go to widener. I was at widener last year at sticker.
The facilities suck.
The student body sucks.
The area sucks. Its literally located between two strip malls.
The curve is terrible.
The journals are medicore. even the corporate one.
the top 25% transfer out anyway.
- no one WANTS to be there. We all know that this is our one shot to own it and never let it go. EVERYONE is trying to transfer out.
Alumni events have like 4 alum and like 8 students
if a speaker comes to campus there are like 10 people attending its embarassing.
The guy who did the fracking documentary was at the harrisberg campus and they teleconferenced us in on the large screen in the huge auditorium. It was me and the property professor (he left early) and i was the only one left.

any school on the planet (outside of cooley) is better than widener.
I will say the Profs are good. They realize that they are teaching to a bunch of dumbasses so they just tell you what you need to know.

I transferred out to a T40 and looking back I realize that my year at widener was the most miserable year of my life.

Edit: OCI had like 3 public defenders offices and some legal aid places.
also no gym on campus. to work out you have go a mile down concord piek to the kewish community center. o wait they do have a gym in the dorms. it consists of on room a couple of tredmills one set of 20lbs free weights and an ab roller.
the student body is generally a bunch of misfits. Just weird ass people from small weird ass colleges. most are totally retarded. The one or two people from ivy league undergrad you can tell just want to to hop out on the the free way in front of a bus

The one redeeming factor about the school is frank.
he is a janitor there and he is a fantastic human being and friend.

I am a 1L here and except for the comments about Frank, the rest is highly inaccurate.

Honestly, it is not even doing a point to point discussion of your statements.

Back to outlining.

His basic premise is quite sound.