Top Law Schools

It would seem I am going to do one of these threads......

Background; I only applied to schools in the NYC area that the military GI Bill would cover 100%. That means, Fordham, Cardoza, St Johns, and Rutgers Newark. (Hofstra was mostly covered and was free app so I did apply there as well but they are out because it is not 100% covered.)

With a second left on the clock I have my wide receivers running down the field to score that hail marry at Fordham and if I get in this thread would be mute.

Why only NYC? My wife is from Bayside Queens and works in Newark. Keeping her happy and employed during school is critical to me.

Yes, I could retake and sit out a year with Fordham being the target but I am not sure it is worth sitting a year. (No, I cannot tell you what I practice tested at because I didn't do any; took the LSAT cold. Yeah, bad idea....)

So, the only real question here is between St Johns and Rutgers as Fordham is a long shot and was waitlisted at Cordoza.

Both have advantages for us and keep in mind both are free with the GI Bill/YRP. At St Johns I would get a 2800/month housing allowance while it would be 2000/month. My wife has worked in Newark for 6 years so that should do the ties thing there.

I of course will be in the top 1% where ever I go so jobs will not be an issue, right? No? OK, so assuming I am not in the bottom third, does the reputation Rutgers has in NJ give a better shot of employment than coming out of St Johns and having to compete with all the other NYC schools and the T-14 wanting jobs in NYC? My feeling is that Rutgers would be the stronger choice when it comes time to look for a job but what do yall think aside from retaking and EDing to UVA or Arizona State?

Thanks

JC

JCFindley wrote: Yes, I could retake and sit out a year with Fordham being the target but I am not sure it is worth sitting a year. (No, I cannot tell you what I practice tested at because I didn't do any; took the LSAT cold. Yeah, bad idea....)

What is your GPA? If you studied hard and killed the LSAT would you have a shot at Columbia/NYU?

But of your current options, I would take Rutgers.

bdole2 wrote:

JCFindley wrote: Yes, I could retake and sit out a year with Fordham being the target but I am not sure it is worth sitting a year. (No, I cannot tell you what I practice tested at because I didn't do any; took the LSAT cold. Yeah, bad idea....)

What is your GPA? If you studied hard and killed the LSAT would you have a shot at Columbia/NYU?

But of your current options, I would take Rutgers.

3.4...... The short answer is yes, I would and usually do well on standardized tests so I have no doubt I could. The downside of that is neither of those schools would be well covered by the GI Bill / Yellow Ribbon Program. Meaning, if I did get in it would still cause significant debt. I am to old to be laden with debt so those two schools were off the table from the start. Fordham is the best school within the NYC are I could get without debt. (If location wasn't an issue for me I would actually retake and ED to UVA or Michigan....)

JC

Well if you took the test cold and still scored above the median, 151, then I think it would be a disservice to yourself to not retake. You obviously have some natural aptitude for the test. Im sure you are now aware the LSAT is more importaint than your GPA. If you studied hard for the next 50 days and took the June LSAT, you could surely bump your score a few points, and it could make all the difference at Dozo and Fordham. If you manage to score at or above the medians for these schools, theres a chance you will get off the waitlist this year and an even better chance you will get in next year.

If sitting out a year is the difference between full ride at fordham and full ride at St. Johns, by all means, please give yourself a shot.

ETA: I think this is the first time I have heard of "ED at ASU". Their ranking =/= job placement. They are still basically a peer with AU.

I'd also take Rutgers in your situation.

JCFindley wrote:Yes, I could retake and sit out a year with Fordham being the target but I am not sure it is worth sitting a year. (No, I cannot tell you what I practice tested at because I didn't do any; took the LSAT cold. Yeah, bad idea....)

The answer is unequivocally RETAKE. Seriously, you owe it to yourself. You can go to law school for free if you go to Fordham, and it sounds like it isn't far out of reach. It is far, far better than the schools currently on your radar.

A few months of real studying could easily be a 5-10 increase for you. That would be huge for you man.

Good luck.

Yeah, I think if you find yourself PTing in the low 160s...Fordham, especially PT, could be a very legitimate option. That would be worth the time over RU. However, because your school is all paid for, getting 5 points or so won't help you financially and it still won't get you into Fordham most likely. You'd likely still face the same choice of the Rutgers/St. Johns/Dozo/SHU/Brooklyn etc. grouping and of those, I do think RU offers the best job prospects from the research that I have done.

Long story short...

Confident in your abilities to study your ass off and break 160: Wait a year and try for Fordham

Practice scores are stagnant or you don't want to/can't devote tons of time to studying: Go to Rutgers this year

Rutgers if you don't get Fordham
St johns is just too low on the pecking order for NYC and doesn't carry outside the city

Between the two...Rutgers, but you'll need a healthy dose of luck and an incredibly strong work ethic to land some of the more prestigious legal jobs. Also, keep in mind, few employers will pursue you at Rutgers like they would if you were at Fordham. You'll have to make your own opportunities.

Thank you all for the thoughts. Rutgers was my general thought between the two as well.....

The ASU ED thing was a TLS joke of sorts due to their ranking jump. It is not an option though UVA would be aside from the happy wife thing which is important to me.

Financially I can't do any of the schools part time. The GI Bill only pays the housing allowance if I am a full time student so the PT thing would lose 2800/month while in school. Thus, incurring debt.

Retaking for Fordham is a viable option though. I found 3/4s of the LSAT relatively easy but ran out of time on the logic games and tanked that section. I have no doubts practicing them would lead to a dramatic improvement. I will give that option a LOT of thought and at least start studying for the June test. On the flip side Rutgers meets all of my general requirements for what I want in a law school. Fordham just does it better....

Thank yall again.

JC

You bet, JC. You seem like a legit dude based on what I've seen from you on here, so I'm pulling for you. And thanks for your service.

romothesavior wrote:You bet, JC. You seem like a legit dude based on what I've seen from you on here, so I'm pulling for you. And thanks for your service.

Thanks Romo, you have been a great help on here for me BTW.....

JC

JCFindley wrote:Thank you all for the thoughts. Rutgers was my general thought between the two as well.....

The ASU ED thing was a TLS joke of sorts due to their ranking jump. It is not an option though UVA would be aside from the happy wife thing which is important to me.

Financially I can't do any of the schools part time. The GI Bill only pays the housing allowance if I am a full time student so the PT thing would lose 2800/month while in school. Thus, incurring debt.

Retaking for Fordham is a viable option though. I found 3/4s of the LSAT relatively easy but ran out of time on the logic games and tanked that section. I have no doubts practicing them would lead to a dramatic improvement. I will give that option a LOT of thought and at least start studying for the June test. On the flip side Rutgers meets all of my general requirements for what I want in a law school. Fordham just does it better....

Thank yall again.

JC

Your LSAT experience is good news. LG is the most mechanical and learnable. Tell Fordham you are taking June and kill that test

JCFindley wrote:Thank you all for the thoughts. Rutgers was my general thought between the two as well.....

The ASU ED thing was a TLS joke of sorts due to their ranking jump. It is not an option though UVA would be aside from the happy wife thing which is important to me.

Financially I can't do any of the schools part time. The GI Bill only pays the housing allowance if I am a full time student so the PT thing would lose 2800/month while in school. Thus, incurring debt.

Retaking for Fordham is a viable option though. I found 3/4s of the LSAT relatively easy but ran out of time on the logic games and tanked that section. I have no doubts practicing them would lead to a dramatic improvement. I will give that option a LOT of thought and at least start studying for the June test. On the flip side Rutgers meets all of my general requirements for what I want in a law school. Fordham just does it better....

Thank yall again.

JC

Doing well on the June test could help you get off the Fordham waitlist. If you have the time, I would start cramming like none other to retake in June. (Starting ASAP.)

Yupp, I am perusing the LSAT section now and will start tomorrow.

I have not heard anything from Fordham yet though, so I am not sure I will even make the wait list. I am not sure about Cardoza vs Rutgers if I get off that wait list but am leaning towards Rutgers even there.....

Thinking about it, I believe I will pay the seat deposit at RU as I am happy with Rutgers AND take the June LSAT with a lot of study and see how it goes. (Since I am self employed at the moment, I can have a LOT of time I can set aside for some hard core study.....) If I nail it, then I can always sit out.....

JC

JCFindley wrote:Yupp, I am perusing the LSAT section now and will start tomorrow.

I have not heard anything from Fordham yet though, so I am not sure I will even make the wait list. I am not sure about Cardoza vs Rutgers if I get off that wait list but am leaning towards Rutgers even there.....

Thinking about it, I believe I will pay the seat deposit at RU as I am happy with Rutgers AND take the June LSAT with a lot of study and see how it goes. (Since I am self employed at the moment, I can have a LOT of time I can set aside for some hard core study.....) If I nail it, then I can always sit out.....

JC

Sounds like a good plan.

Why retake if you are getting a full-ride?

The thing about Big Law is that it is one of the few options that can service student loan debt. But without the debt, you don't need Big Law. Unless you are just entering the legal profession for a big pay check - then retake and go t14 or bust.

Regarding SJ vs Rutgers:

I'd say Rutgers and St Johns are near equal for NYC opportunities, with Rutgers a tad ahead.

But Rutgers opens the door to NJ.

ix88 wrote:Why retake if you are getting a full-ride?

The thing about Big Law is that it is one of the few options that can service student loan debt. But without the debt, you don't need Big Law. Unless you are just entering the legal profession for a big pay check - then retake and go t14 or bust.

You're right, that is a nice thing about not having debt. However, it would at least be nice to have that option on the table. And even outside of biglaw, Fordham is still going to place better pretty much across the board.

JCFindley wrote:Yupp, I am perusing the LSAT section now and will start tomorrow.

I have not heard anything from Fordham yet though, so I am not sure I will even make the wait list. I am not sure about Cardoza vs Rutgers if I get off that wait list but am leaning towards Rutgers even there.....

Thinking about it, I believe I will pay the seat deposit at RU as I am happy with Rutgers AND take the June LSAT with a lot of study and see how it goes. (Since I am self employed at the moment, I can have a LOT of time I can set aside for some hard core study.....) If I nail it, then I can always sit out.....

JC

Buy the Powerscore Logic Games bible- I went from up to -12 to 0 wrong on test day. It's a life saver.

timbs4339 wrote:

JCFindley wrote:Yupp, I am perusing the LSAT section now and will start tomorrow.

I have not heard anything from Fordham yet though, so I am not sure I will even make the wait list. I am not sure about Cardoza vs Rutgers if I get off that wait list but am leaning towards Rutgers even there.....

Thinking about it, I believe I will pay the seat deposit at RU as I am happy with Rutgers AND take the June LSAT with a lot of study and see how it goes. (Since I am self employed at the moment, I can have a LOT of time I can set aside for some hard core study.....) If I nail it, then I can always sit out.....

JC

Buy the Powerscore Logic Games bible- I went from up to -12 to 0 wrong on test day. It's a life saver.

Thanks Timbs....

Yeah, it is nice to be debt free when it comes to LS and I am actually pretty happy with the Rutgers option I have. Retaking with Fordham in mind won't cost much besides the LSAT, time and study materials so it is worth doing. There are other factors in sitting out a year as well that I will consider even if I do well on the retake so I may yet wind up in Rutgers anyway which is fine.

The other reason I will retake is pride, plain and simple. I have always been above the 95th percentile on standardized tests and can't stand that 67th I was in on the LSAT.

I haven't been rejected by Fordham yet this cycle so who knows, maybe the hail marry will connect though I am not counting on it.....

JC

As an update, I was admitted to Fordham yesterday.....

JCFindley wrote:As an update, I was admitted to Fordham yesterday.....

Well then let me be the first to offer up a HUGE CONGRATS! That is really fantastic. Fordham for free is an awesome deal and you've got to really be happy with the opportunity. Best of luck OP!

romothesavior wrote:

JCFindley wrote:As an update, I was admitted to Fordham yesterday.....

Well then let me be the first to offer up a HUGE CONGRATS! That is really fantastic. Fordham for free is an awesome deal and you've got to really be happy with the opportunity. Best of luck OP!

+1

Congrats bruh

Fordham for free is about as good as it gets. Congrats and enjoy NYC!

Congrats! Glad everything worked out for you.