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Best for the Midwest Market
Posted: Sun Jan 27, 2013 3:15 pm
by TimeToChoose
Hey guys, I have a quick question, just looking for some opinions from fellow law applicants. I have been accepted to the following schools, with scholarships listed as a per year value:
Illinois (5k)
Ohio State (10k, 2.5 GPA Stip)
Chicago-Kent (25k)
Depaul (20k)
Michigan State (75% tuition, 3.0 GPA Stip)
Penn State (30k)
Loyola-Chicago (still awaiting scholarship info)
Marquette (still awaiting)
If I theoretically wanted to stay in the Midwest area (such as Chicago, Milwaukee, etc), which of these schools would you choose, taking into consideration the scholarships I have received and future job outlooks in the region? Thanks for all of your opinions!
Re: Best for the Midwest Market
Posted: Sun Jan 27, 2013 3:25 pm
by moonman157
ibtRetake
Re: Best for the Midwest Market
Posted: Sun Jan 27, 2013 3:31 pm
by cinephile
TimeToChoose wrote:Hey guys, I have a quick question, just looking for some opinions from fellow law applicants. I have been accepted to the following schools, with scholarships listed as a per year value:
Illinois (5k)
Ohio State (10k, 2.5 GPA Stip)
Chicago-Kent (25k)
Depaul (20k)
Michigan State (75% tuition, 3.0 GPA Stip)
Penn State (30k)
Loyola-Chicago (still awaiting scholarship info)
Marquette (still awaiting)
If I theoretically wanted to stay in the Midwest area (such as Chicago, Milwaukee, etc), which of these schools would you choose, taking into consideration the scholarships I have received and future job outlooks in the region? Thanks for all of your opinions!
Where are you from? Are you getting the in-state rate at any of the public schools?
Working in Chicago is probably out.
Re: Best for the Midwest Market
Posted: Sun Jan 27, 2013 3:34 pm
by rinkrat19
Scholarship amounts are less useful than the total cost of attendance (minus the scholarship) for each school.
That said, there are UChi and NU students worrying about getting jobs in Chicago. It's a tough market to crack from all of those schools.
Re: Best for the Midwest Market
Posted: Sun Jan 27, 2013 3:37 pm
by TimeToChoose
Sorry, I did not specify that I am from Wisconsin. I am still waiting to hear back from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, but I am sort of borderline with a 159 LSAT and a 3.67 GPA. In state there would be nice, but I was just looking for opinions on the schools that I have already been admitted to. Thanks again for your thoughts!
Re: Best for the Midwest Market
Posted: Sun Jan 27, 2013 3:41 pm
by rad lulz
For WI, none of those schools.
Re: Best for the Midwest Market
Posted: Sun Jan 27, 2013 3:45 pm
by dr123
gotta retake that LSAT my man
Re: Best for the Midwest Market
Posted: Sun Jan 27, 2013 3:58 pm
by nebula666
If you want to work in WI, retake until you have enough money to make UW economically feasible or go to a T14.
Re: Best for the Midwest Market
Posted: Sun Jan 27, 2013 5:58 pm
by Paul Campos
You would be racking up north of $200K in debt for either Illinois or OSU, which would be very reckless. You would be incurring $180K in debt from DePaul and $155K from Chicago Kent, which would be insane.
These are horrible choices at these prices, period.
Re: Best for the Midwest Market
Posted: Sun Jan 27, 2013 6:36 pm
by OutCold
dr123 wrote:gotta retake that LSAT my man
Re: Best for the Midwest Market
Posted: Wed Jan 30, 2013 10:05 pm
by mattviphky
retake. 164 and you'll have a half-ride to UIUC, based on last years scholarships
Re: Best for the Midwest Market
Posted: Fri Feb 01, 2013 4:01 pm
by romothesavior
Paul Campos wrote:You would be racking up north of $200K in debt for either Illinois or OSU, which would be very reckless. You would be incurring $180K in debt from DePaul and $155K from Chicago Kent, which would be insane.
These are horrible choices at these prices, period.
+1, these are all terrible options.
Re: Best for the Midwest Market
Posted: Fri Feb 01, 2013 4:33 pm
by ndirish2010
To make ND/UIUC/WUSTL legitimate options, they should be at least at half cost. Preferably 1/4 cost or free.
Re: Best for the Midwest Market
Posted: Fri Feb 01, 2013 5:24 pm
by JollyGreenGiant
It has been said, but it's completely true... retake. The very worst school you should be going to is UW-Madison. Anything lower is not a smart investment. Madison is only feasible because of the in-state tuition.
Chicago and Milwaukee are going to be pretty tough to break into for biglaw without either being top of your class or going to a T14 (and depending on the firm, both might be required).
Re: Best for the Midwest Market
Posted: Fri Feb 01, 2013 7:59 pm
by BuckinghamB
OP, PM me.
Re: Best for the Midwest Market
Posted: Sun Feb 03, 2013 5:30 pm
by nba101790
OP never said he wanted to work in big law, just in Chicago. I'm not sure why Kent at 60% off is a terrible idea. Chicago's legal market is also very, very tight and inbred; Kent has some unique local connections even T14 can't offer.
While "retake" seems to be the default response to nearly everything on this board, I'm not sure if that's the best advice given the original question being posed.
Re: Best for the Midwest Market
Posted: Sun Feb 03, 2013 5:52 pm
by iMisto
Retaking has the potential of getting OP a full ride at one of these schools, so it is still the best advice.
Re: Best for the Midwest Market
Posted: Sun Feb 03, 2013 6:03 pm
by somewhatwayward
nba101790 wrote:OP never said he wanted to work in big law, just in Chicago. I'm not sure why Kent at 60% off is a terrible idea. Chicago's legal market is also very, very tight and inbred; Kent has some unique local connections even T14 can't offer.
While "retake" seems to be the default response to nearly everything on this board, I'm not sure if that's the best advice given the original question being posed.
Retaking does not preclude going to Kent - it just (hopefully) means a much bigger scholarship to Kent. 60% off is not a good deal at Kent, which gives you a 48% chance of getting a job. Tuition is 42K/year (will probably be close to 50K/year by the time OP would graduate, but putting that aside) so 60% off would be about 17K/year. Then you add 20K/year in living expenses since he has to eat. That gets you to about 110K before interest and it assumes he doesn't lose the scholarship. Would you pay over 100K for less than a coin's flip chance of a job?
Re: Best for the Midwest Market
Posted: Sun Feb 03, 2013 8:32 pm
by romothesavior
nba101790 wrote:OP never said he wanted to work in big law, just in Chicago. I'm not sure why Kent at 60% off is a terrible idea. Chicago's legal market is also very, very tight and inbred; Kent has some unique local connections even T14 can't offer.
While "retake" seems to be the default response to nearly everything on this board, I'm not sure if that's the best advice given the original question being posed.
Lolno. Just stop.
http://www.lstscorereports.com/?school=chicago-kent
Let's talk data and facts instead of BS platitudes. Chicago is brutal, big law or not, and Kent is a toilet on the Chicago totem pole.
Re: Best for the Midwest Market
Posted: Sun Feb 03, 2013 9:02 pm
by ndirish2010
I wouldn't go to Kent, DePaul, or Loyola unless they were paying me 40K a year.
Re: Best for the Midwest Market
Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2013 1:11 am
by TimeToChoose
How about in-state at UW Madison? I was recently accepted
Re: Best for the Midwest Market
Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2013 1:30 am
by rad lulz
TimeToChoose wrote:How about in-state at UW Madison? I was recently accepted
You debt-financing the whole thing? Total cost of attendance?
Re: Best for the Midwest Market
Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2013 1:49 pm
by romothesavior
TimeToChoose wrote:How about in-state at UW Madison? I was recently accepted
Unless it is very cheap, I wouldn't go. You have a couple of decent options on the table, but the problem is that they're pretty expensive and not at all worth the debt. You need to retake. The Lsat is the most important exam you'll ever take because it determines your school and cost, and to a large extent your job prospects. You have more control over it than law school rank. You should do everything you can now to put yourself in a position to succeed.
Re: Best for the Midwest Market
Posted: Tue Feb 05, 2013 2:44 am
by JollyGreenGiant
Tuition is essentially half price for in-state, but you're still looking at ~$100k total... and 3 years of your life.
I mean, if you really "love the law," I would consider going. But you should know that your career prospects will be boosted significantly if you retake the LSAT and do well. FWIW, I have heard of a healthy portion of unemployed students from UW-Madison.