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it's totally potable.

I'm a 0L, so grain of salt and whatnot... but I did interview with alumnus who's practiced in the Northeast, Southeast and West-coast and we talked a lot about this.

Vandy holds weight anywhere east of the Mississippi except for Boston and DC. Even there, it's not like it's a bad degree or anything, it's just they have similarly ranked feeder schools already in place. New York has plenty of Vandy alumni, so you have a decent shot there. The south thing comes up because a lot of southern firms are more impressed by Vandy than say Cornell or UPenn, which may be ranked higher but are seen as "yankee schools." Again, take this all with a grain of salt, because there are medians/grades/softs to consider. But all else being equal, the south leans towards Vandy because it's usually ranked higher than any regional and it's still a "good ol' school"

West of the Mississippi it's tougher. Texas has UTofA and a bunch of regionals. There are plenty of schools in California and Chicago that they don't need to look elsewhere. And most of the other markets are too small and you'd probably need local connections.

*edit* realized I contradicted myself on DC. Vandy does pretty well in Clerkships, but if you want DC/VA/MD biglaw you're competing against UVA and about a million starving georgetown students... not to mention anyone from HYSCCN that wants to live in warmer weather.

kuttlefish wrote:I'm a 0L, so grain of salt and whatnot... but I did interview with alumnus who's practiced in the Northeast, Southeast and West-coast and we talked a lot about this.

Vandy holds weight anywhere east of the Mississippi except for Boston and DC. Even there, it's not like it's a bad degree or anything, it's just they have similarly ranked feeder schools already in place. New York and DC both have plenty of Vandy alumni, so you have a decent shot there. The south thing comes up because a lot of southern firms are more impressed by Vandy than say Cornell or UPenn, which may be ranked higher but are seen as "yankee schools." Again, take this all with a grain of salt, because there are medians/grades/softs to consider. But all else being equal, the south leans towards Vandy because it's usually ranked higher than any regional and it's still a "good ol' school"

West of the Mississippi it's tougher. Texas has UTofA and a bunch of regionals. There are plenty of schools in California and Chicago that they don't need to look elsewhere. And most of the other markets are too small and you'd probably need local connections.

As someone from TN I would not be surprised at all to learn that Vandy is given more weight in the South than other schools simply for it being a southern school. The South still has a very insular culture in some ways so while Vandy might be just as good as a similarly ranked school up north, that northern school won't do as well down here simply because of the South's culture.

eric922 wrote: As someone from TN I would not be surprised at all to learn that Vandy is given more weight in the South than other schools simply for it being a southern school. The South still has a very insular culture in some ways so while Vandy might be just as good as a similarly ranked school up north, that northern school won't do as well down here simply because of the South's culture.

Yeah, this is what I was trying to say. As a yankee ex-pat, I may be a little more sensitive to the good ol' boy culture than some. While talking to the lawyers at my current firm about my applications, lots of eyes glazed over when I mentioned Northwestern and Cornell. When I mentioned Vandy all of a sudden everyone was like "Oh wow, really? Good for you!"

And to the OP I want to reiterate that grades/LR matter more than slight preferences towards certain schools. Top 15% at a peer school will get you a lot further than below median at Vandy.... even in the south. Also, Duke and UVA do pretty well down here too, so it's not like there aren't any competitors.

kuttlefish wrote:

eric922 wrote: As someone from TN I would not be surprised at all to learn that Vandy is given more weight in the South than other schools simply for it being a southern school. The South still has a very insular culture in some ways so while Vandy might be just as good as a similarly ranked school up north, that northern school won't do as well down here simply because of the South's culture.

Yeah, this is what I was trying to say. As a yankee ex-pat, I may be a little more sensitive to the good ol' boy culture than some. While talking to the lawyers at my current firm about my applications, lots of eyes glazed over when I mentioned Northwestern and Cornell. When I mentioned Vandy all of a sudden everyone was like "Oh wow, really? Good for you!"

And to the OP I want to reiterate that grades/LR matter more than slight preferences towards certain schools. Top 15% at a peer school will get you a lot further than below median at Vandy.... even in the south. Also, Duke and UVA do pretty well down here too, so it's not like there aren't any competitors.

So you are from the north, but working in the South, correct? I actually want to work in New York one day so I was curious about something. Is the north as insular as the South in regards to schools and such, in your opinion?

eric922 wrote: Is the north as insular as the South in regards to schools and such, in your opinion?

I moved away from the North at age 18 and the only job I held up there was working in an eight screen movie theater. From what I hear, NY is pretty open to outsiders assuming you have the grades/prestige. Boston is tough and insular... it also has Harvard in the middle of it. I don't know much about Philly. I'm assuming the rest of the northeast is like other small markets... it depends on regional ties more than prestige and you probably won't find anything that will pay off your debts if you pay sticker at a private school.

And just so that no one takes me too seriously, I'm working as a paralegal at a midsized firm in the south. I have been asking the lawyers I work with a ton of questions and I have taken a few alumni interviews for law school, however I have not yet tried to get work as a lawyer or attended any OCI events. So if someone with some real experience chimes in, you should probably listen to them.

I talked to a grad who works biglaw in NYC.. I don't know his numbers or anything like that. He definitely wasn't top of his class though FWIW.

Thanks for replying everyone.

I know some of you mentioned New York, can you make NYC work with a Vanderbilt JD, assuming you're above the median or top 25% etc?

It's portable to places you have preexisting ties, but will almost assuredly not open up new secondary markets (maybe Birmingham your 1L summer if you have really good grades).

Large firms in NYC, DC, CA, Chi are pretty hard to get from Vandy. You're gonna want to be significantly above the median to have a good shot.

National portability to non-NYC/DC markets you don't have preexisting ties to is largely a myth even from more prestigious schools.

CR2012 wrote:Thanks for replying everyone.

I know some of you mentioned New York, can you make NYC work with a Vanderbilt JD, assuming you're above the median or top 25% etc?

Unless you have something else going for you like cool work experience in consulting/banking, being a desirable (from the perspective of legal hiring) minority, etc., large NYC firms are pretty much a nonstarter from median.

Vandy places around 8% in both DC and NY but hardly anybody goes to California. The next most popular states are Texas and Georgia. 20% still stay in TN.

nebula666 wrote:Vandy places around 8% in both DC and NY but hardly anybody goes to California. The next most popular states are Texas and Georgia. 20% still stay in TN.

Please forgive my complete ignorance on that issue, but is an 8% placement rate considered good or bad? 8% seems low, but then again I don't know their overall stats or the % of those who want to work in NY or DC, but fail to get jobs there. I do think there is a bit of self-selection in regards to Vandy grads. Since it is a school so deeply rooted in Southern culture it makes sense that a lot of the grads might prefer to work in the South.

I only know one Vandy grad. Average to less than average grades, but still got big law in Texas without ties. She is pretty and has a personality though, so theres that.

I interviewed with a Vandy alum in what I think was Utah biglaw, if there is such a thing. Don't know grades, but he had ties and sent resumes/networked and did all right. I'm sure it's fairly portable with good grades and ties.