Arizona vs ASU Forum

[Mw22390]

I'm going to one of the two but can't decide which would be better. Money is not an issue and I would like to live in AZ, don't really care whether in Phx or Tucson. Which one is more respected by local employers? I've been looking for a related thread but couldn't find one, so please direct me to one if it exists.

[BeautifulSW]

I wouldn't pay sticker at either school unless I was an Arizona resident and maybe not even then. $40K a year for nonresidents is just too much.

Both schools are well respected here in New Mexico. Don't know about Arizona except to say that I think the state is a pretty good place to pursue a career in law, much less heavily lawyered than California or the Northeast. Arizona was hit very hard by the 2008 Crash and ensuing Great Recession but the state has so much going for it that it won't stay down forever.

Tucson is a beautiful place to live. Phoenix...not so much...

[bandenjamin]

I recently visited both and would recommend doing this. The two schools/cities couldn't have been more different.

[Ramius]

I'm going to one of the two but can't decide which would be better. Money is not an issue and I would like to live in AZ, don't really care whether in Phx or Tucson. Which one is more respected by local employers? I've been looking for a related thread but couldn't find one, so please direct me to one if it exists.

Why do people say this so often?!

If it's because you have a full ride+stipend, go ahead and say so. But otherwise, money should ALWAYS be an issue. Even if you are financially comfortable now, that gives no excuse to make a financially irresponsible (and possibly even ruinous) decision now. Either good fortune or smart decisions have gotten you to the point where "money is not an issue," and neither of them are worth wasting.

EDIT: As for AZ or ASU, they seem to be peers per LST. Whichever is the better financial decision and lower CoA, go with that.

[Aroldis105]

I'm going to one of the two but can't decide which would be better. Money is not an issue and I would like to live in AZ, don't really care whether in Phx or Tucson. Which one is more respected by local employers? I've been looking for a related thread but couldn't find one, so please direct me to one if it exists.

Why do people say this so often?!

If it's because you have a full ride+stipend, go ahead and say so. But otherwise, money should ALWAYS be an issue. Even if you are financially comfortable now, that gives no excuse to make a financially irresponsible (and possibly even ruinous) decision now. Either good fortune or smart decisions have gotten you to the point where "money is not an issue," and neither of them are worth wasting.

EDIT: As for AZ or ASU, they seem to be peers per LST. Whichever is the better financial decision and lower CoA, go with that.

No one wants to spend money they don't have to, so yes, money is always an issue, but how important it is varies from person to person. Some students have their tuition or entire COA paid for by their parents or an education trust. I venture that this is the case with OP or others on the boards who are accosted for being irresponsible or ignorant of the costs and risks of law schools. Personal finances are just that, personal. Regent or Thomas Jefferson will never be a wise investment, but the T1/T2 are much easier to swallow when one's financial well-being isn't at stake.
Back to the question at hand, UA actually has very strong JD employment numbers given it's rank. If you want to practice in AZ it's a great choice. I'd also echo the sentiments of a previous poster who suggested that Tucson may be more desirable than Phoenix.

[Ramius]

I'm going to one of the two but can't decide which would be better. Money is not an issue and I would like to live in AZ, don't really care whether in Phx or Tucson. Which one is more respected by local employers? I've been looking for a related thread but couldn't find one, so please direct me to one if it exists.

Why do people say this so often?!

If it's because you have a full ride+stipend, go ahead and say so. But otherwise, money should ALWAYS be an issue. Even if you are financially comfortable now, that gives no excuse to make a financially irresponsible (and possibly even ruinous) decision now. Either good fortune or smart decisions have gotten you to the point where "money is not an issue," and neither of them are worth wasting.

EDIT: As for AZ or ASU, they seem to be peers per LST. Whichever is the better financial decision and lower CoA, go with that.

No one wants to spend money they don't have to, so yes, money is always an issue, but how important it is varies from person to person. Some students have their tuition or entire COA paid for by their parents or an education trust. I venture that this is the case with OP or others on the boards who are accosted for being irresponsible or ignorant of the costs and risks of law schools. Personal finances are just that, personal. Regent or Thomas Jefferson will never be a wise investment, but the T1/T2 are much easier to swallow when one's financial well-being isn't at stake.
Back to the question at hand, UA actually has very strong JD employment numbers given it's rank. If you want to practice in AZ it's a great choice. I'd also echo the sentiments of a previous poster who suggested that Tucson may be more desirable than Phoenix.

I never meant to imply that this specific poster was making an objectively poor decision, but that the whole idea of money not mattering in a decision like this comes up constantly. Whether you're paying for it, your parents are paying for it or you have some sort of rich trust to dip into for the CoA, the point is it should always be factored in. It's not any better to waste that trust or waste your parents' money on something that is a fruitless endeavor. Again, given the OP goals, that isn't necessarily the case, but money SHOULD ALWAYS be an issue.

[Aroldis105]

I'm going to one of the two but can't decide which would be better. Money is not an issue and I would like to live in AZ, don't really care whether in Phx or Tucson. Which one is more respected by local employers? I've been looking for a related thread but couldn't find one, so please direct me to one if it exists.

Why do people say this so often?!

If it's because you have a full ride+stipend, go ahead and say so. But otherwise, money should ALWAYS be an issue. Even if you are financially comfortable now, that gives no excuse to make a financially irresponsible (and possibly even ruinous) decision now. Either good fortune or smart decisions have gotten you to the point where "money is not an issue," and neither of them are worth wasting.

EDIT: As for AZ or ASU, they seem to be peers per LST. Whichever is the better financial decision and lower CoA, go with that.

No one wants to spend money they don't have to, so yes, money is always an issue, but how important it is varies from person to person. Some students have their tuition or entire COA paid for by their parents or an education trust. I venture that this is the case with OP or others on the boards who are accosted for being irresponsible or ignorant of the costs and risks of law schools. Personal finances are just that, personal. Regent or Thomas Jefferson will never be a wise investment, but the T1/T2 are much easier to swallow when one's financial well-being isn't at stake.
Back to the question at hand, UA actually has very strong JD employment numbers given it's rank. If you want to practice in AZ it's a great choice. I'd also echo the sentiments of a previous poster who suggested that Tucson may be more desirable than Phoenix.

I never meant to imply that this specific poster was making an objectively poor decision, but that the whole idea of money not mattering in a decision like this comes up constantly. Whether you're paying for it, your parents are paying for it or you have some sort of rich trust to dip into for the CoA, the point is it should always be factored in. It's not any better to waste that trust or waste your parents' money on something that is a fruitless endeavor. Again, given the OP goals, that isn't necessarily the case, but money SHOULD ALWAYS be an issue.

I'm sorry if it seemed like I was attacking you, that wasn't the case. I think we're both in agreement that it is unwise to completely ignore the COA, regardless of the situation. Although, sometimes when people come on here for advice, they are completely stonewalled because others see their decisions as financially unsound. I just want to answer OP's question to the best of my ability and let him handle the money. I assume that's why (s)he specified that money wasn't a concern.

[buddyt]

I'm accepted to both for the fall. UofA is transparent about how horrible the economy is for new lawyers. They aren't doing anything stupid like expanding class size, adding new programs, touting the prestige of their faculty, etc. Their attitude seems to be: a legal education at UofA is what it is.

Compare this with ASU. In a letter from Dean Sylvester, it had a bunch of crap like (paraphrasing since I'm at work and don't have the letter) "don't listen to the nay-saying pundits" and "ASU offers one of the best values in the nation" (at almost 30k/yr for a public school). They are adding new centers, programs, etc. and they're proud of it. They are going private, and in the process building a brand-friggin'-new monstrosity of a building in downtown Phoenix. They plan to drastically boost enrollment numbers to fund it. wat.

That's probably not a dealbreaker, at least it's not for me. I'm still undecided between the two and BYU. But it's something to consider.

[Dr. Dre]

retake

[Mw22390]

retake

No not going to. Thank you for the advice everyone else. The reasons I say money is not an issue is not for any of the reasons mentioned in the previous postings and because the two schools would be virtually the same dirt cheap price. But I agree that it is no one's business but mine.

ASU going private does concern me though, and I am wondering does anyone know whether that is near to happening or 5+ years down the road?

[buddyt]

retake

No not going to.

lol

ASU going private does concern me though, and I am wondering does anyone know whether that is near to happening or 5+ years down the road?

I was at admitted students day last year. Assuming that the privatization and the new building are connected, they said there was a chance that our 3L year would be at the new building. So c/o 2016 might be in the new building as early as 2L. It's happening for sure, and soon.

[Lord Randolph McDuff]

Looks like more Zona grads go into state appellate clerkships and the larger firms, but it is close and I only looked at one year. I always thought they were about the same. If it were me, I couldn't go to ASU due to horridly immoral deanster.