Top Law Schools

Hi all,
Right now I am trying to decide between W&L (45k) and Tulane (75k). Unfortunately I won't have the chance to visit either campus before I have to put down the deposits.

I'm leaning towards W&L because it is better academically and ranked more prestigiously. But I'm coming from a big undergraduate school and I live near NYC, so I'm afraid W&L's small campus and Lexington might be a huge culture shock for me. I'm still considering Tulane because I like New Orleans and the school seems not only bigger than W&L but also more diverse and offers more programs and areas of concentration.

Does anyone have any thoughts on my dilemma? I might just have to suck it up and put down the deposits at both schools until I can visit them this summer. My parents will be paying for my tuition, and I think they're leaning towards Tulane just because they had never heard of W&L before I applied.

Also, another option I am considering is just going to Rutgers Newark. I'm from NJ and I have a pretty big scholarship, and I ultimately want to end up living in the Northeast anyway. The thing with that though is that my parents would make me live at home and I would have to commute 45 mins to Newark .. :/

What do you guys think?

Rutgers. You shouldn't move more than 50 miles to attend W&L or Tulane anyway.


You should focus on job prospects, not rankings.

MrAnon wrote:You shouldn't move more than 50 miles to attend W&L or Tulane anyway.

That's somewhat of an exaggeration.

OP - Rutgers is probably best for you.

If you choose not to go there, Tulane is better choice if you are uncertain about whether you want to remain in the state the law school you choose to attend is located in.

W&L seems to be pretty portable. Only 30% or so stay in Virginia.

That said, a 45k scholarship isn't really a great deal at W&L. You're still going to pay 80+ in tuition alone, I don't see how you will come out of it with less than 100k debt.

I personally really like W&L but it isn't worth 100k.

sweetpea123 wrote:
The thing with that though is that my parents would make me live at home and I would have to commute 45 mins to Newark .. :/

What do you guys think?

Aren't you at least 22 years old? How are your parents going to "make" you live at home? Either way, no cost of living expenses is probably the way to go. 45 minutes isn't that bad of a commute. How much total ponies are you looking at from Rutgers? I think Rutgers is the easy choice.

Don't forget about the different legal environment in Louisiana.

Go to Tulane only if you want to work in that state.

sweetpea123 wrote:Also, another option I am considering is just going to Rutgers Newark. I'm from NJ and I have a pretty big scholarship, and I ultimately want to end up living in the Northeast anyway.

Sorry, missed this.

Rutgers. 100%. No CoL, a great scholarship, and a regional school where you want to practice. W&L at 100k+ and Tulane should not even be considered.

Yeah, very true. Thanks for your help

T00L wrote:Don't forget about the different legal environment in Louisiana.

Go to Tulane only if you want to work in that state.

You must be new here, because that's not correct.