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Okay, I know that I have posted something along these lines several times...but now I actually have offers! So .... I want biglaw, but not necessarily NYC. I want to work for a v50 --->partner/in-house at a f500 company. I would only need loans for tuition ( unless I got to GULC ...DC is expensive). I don't know exactly what city I want to practice in just yet ( but def a larger city) so I am wondering which school is more portable. Give me all your opinions!!

They're all semi-regional, so you should probably figure that out. If you want:

1) Texas BigLawl, UT
2) ATL BigLawl, Vandy
3) NYC BigLawl, Cornell
4) A life of debt-ridden servitude, GULC

Congrats on nice options

Is the $45K figure for Cornell your total scholaship money over 3 years ?

Regardless, Georgetown should not be considered since you have three better options.

tfleming09 wrote:They're all semi-regional, so you should probably figure that out. If you want:

1) Texas BigLawl, UT
2) ATL BigLawl, Vandy
3) NYC BigLawl, Cornell
4) A life of debt-ridden servitude, GULC
5) No preference to which region to practice biglaw in, Cornell
Congrats on nice options

Just thought I should add that in.

Yea, everything is for 3 years

If no preference for location, Cornell for sure. For C/O 2010, it looks like they outplaced even H (which I find very surprising)

Do you have ties to a large Southern market? If so, Vandy. If truly no preference, Cornell.

I have no preference...but I don't think I want NYC...does that change anything?

You do have 3 good options. GULC is a slightly less good option. I think if you just want to get a biglaw job your best options are 1. Cornell, 2. TX/Vandy. If you do have a preference for the South or for TX, either of the latter options would save you a nice chunk of $.

If I ever decided that I do want the South, would I be SOL with Cornell?

How badly do you not want NYC? Where do you have ties? Cornell will be slightly more portable, but its real strength is in NYC/Northeast. Where do you think you want to work for a v50 - D.C.? Chicago? LA? All will be tough from those schools (except maybe GT-DC) without ties or truly stellar grades.

msblaw89 wrote:I have no preference...but I don't think I want NYC...does that change anything?

If you don't want NYC, you can pretty much nix Cornell. Then again, without ties to a larger Southern market, the appeal of Vandy for you would be its relatively good placement into... NYC. In that case, assuming you have ties to Texas and wouldn't mind working there, UT hands down.

msblaw89 wrote:If I ever decided that I do want the South, would I be SOL with Cornell?

Not SOL, but it is not your best choice for the South.

HeavenWood wrote:

msblaw89 wrote:I have no preference...but I don't think I want NYC...does that change anything?

If you don't want NYC, you can pretty much nix Cornell. Then again, without ties to a larger Southern market, the appeal of Vandy for you would be its relatively good placement into... NYC. In that case, assuming you have ties to Texas and wouldn't mind working there, UT hands down.

This is my situation...My fiance has a good job that has little to no work in NYC..but just about every other major US city ( Syracuse, Chicago, San Diego, San Antonio, Atlanta, Charlotte, Boston, Philly, etc.) and there is a chance we will be relocating every so often.

msblaw89 wrote:

HeavenWood wrote:

msblaw89 wrote:I have no preference...but I don't think I want NYC...does that change anything?

If you don't want NYC, you can pretty much nix Cornell. Then again, without ties to a larger Southern market, the appeal of Vandy for you would be its relatively good placement into... NYC. In that case, assuming you have ties to Texas and wouldn't mind working there, UT hands down.

This is my situation...My fiance has a good job that has little to no work in NYC..but just about every other major US city ( Syracuse, Chicago, San Diego, San Antonio, Atlanta, Charlotte, Boston, Philly, etc.) and there is a chance we will be relocating every so often.

In which of these potential cities do you have ties?

HeavenWood wrote:

msblaw89 wrote:

HeavenWood wrote:

msblaw89 wrote:I have no preference...but I don't think I want NYC...does that change anything?

If you don't want NYC, you can pretty much nix Cornell. Then again, without ties to a larger Southern market, the appeal of Vandy for you would be its relatively good placement into... NYC. In that case, assuming you have ties to Texas and wouldn't mind working there, UT hands down.

This is my situation...My fiance has a good job that has little to no work in NYC..but just about every other major US city ( Syracuse, Chicago, San Diego, San Antonio, Atlanta, Charlotte, Boston, Philly, etc.) and there is a chance we will be relocating every so often.

In which of these potential cities do you have ties?

From Florida.... so none

msblaw89 wrote: From Florida.... so none

Florida's enough of a southern tie for Atlanta.

f0bolous wrote:

msblaw89 wrote: From Florida.... so none

Florida's enough of a southern tie for Atlanta.

True, but I have a feeling getting traction in Chicago, SoCal, Syracuse, Boston, or Philly will be very difficult if you're from FL with a Vandy degree. I think the Cornell degree is slightly more portable than either of the two others, so if OP wants to be able to relocate a lot, it may be the better choice.

Another scenario. If I go to Cornell and my fiance is in Charlotte, would that be tie enough?

Cornell, Vanderbilt & Texas differ greatly in both location & placement. Visit all three (or four if still considering the massive debt option) before deciding. If open to Texas, The South & NYC, then there is no wrong choice--just very different choices.

P.S. If you fiance is in Charlotte & you like The South, then Vanderbilt seems to be the logical choice.

msblaw89 wrote:Another scenario. If I go to Cornell and my fiance is in Charlotte, would that be tie enough?

I know next to nothing about the Charlotte job market, so I wouldn't want to hazard a guess. Honestly, very few schools place well in almost any market, but my instinct tells me Cornell is not as regional as the other two, with Vandy being more regional than Texas.

The vast majority of Cornell students self-select into NYC, but the people I know from here who focused their job search on other markets got them, including Chicago, SF, LA, Boston, DC, Houston, etc. Most of the ones I know had some sort of ties, though.

Lincoln wrote:

msblaw89 wrote:Another scenario. If I go to Cornell and my fiance is in Charlotte, would that be tie enough?

I know next to nothing about the Charlotte job market, so I wouldn't want to hazard a guess. Honestly, very few schools place well in almost any market, but my instinct tells me Cornell is not as regional as the other two, with Vandy being more regional than Texas.

The vast majority of Cornell students self-select into NYC, but the people I know from here who focused their job search on other markets got them, including Chicago, SF, LA, Boston, DC, Houston, etc. Most of the ones I know had some sort of ties, though.

And a tie would include finance living there correct?

msblaw89 wrote:

Lincoln wrote:

msblaw89 wrote:Another scenario. If I go to Cornell and my fiance is in Charlotte, would that be tie enough?

I know next to nothing about the Charlotte job market, so I wouldn't want to hazard a guess. Honestly, very few schools place well in almost any market, but my instinct tells me Cornell is not as regional as the other two, with Vandy being more regional than Texas.

The vast majority of Cornell students self-select into NYC, but the people I know from here who focused their job search on other markets got them, including Chicago, SF, LA, Boston, DC, Houston, etc. Most of the ones I know had some sort of ties, though.

And a tie would include finance living there correct?

It may not be a great tie, especially if she is not from there, and you can't sell it as your long-term home. If Charlotte is your goal, Vandy may be the way to go. Too bad Duke is not on the list.

HeavenWood wrote:

msblaw89 wrote:I have no preference...but I don't think I want NYC...does that change anything?

If you don't want NYC, you can pretty much nix Cornell. Then again, without ties to a larger Southern market, the appeal of Vandy for you would be its relatively good placement into... NYC. In that case, assuming you have ties to Texas and wouldn't mind working there, UT hands down.

Agree w this.

Your tie is decent to Charlotte, but Charlotte is competitive and ties sensitive. I'd go to Vanderbilt (would rather be at Vandy than Cornell in the South), but due to the ties sensitive nature of legal hiring everywhere, I predict you're gonna have a less than ideal time at all of these frankly (none of these are really portable to places without ties). Especially since your best shot at getting a job is in FL, and you don't want to be there.

Also why is V50 a relevant cutoff?

Answer: it's not.

Also depending on how often you move around, making partner at a large or medium sized firm is gonna be difficult.

Edit: just incidentally, wanting to work at a V50 firm means you'd rather work for dla piper than Alston & Bird, Troutman, Kilpatrick, McGuire Woods, K&L Gates etc. (all strong firms in CLT and ATL).