Advice From a 3L on Choosing a Law School Forum

[swc27]

I'll keep this short, because it's really simple: Go where you will be comfortable, and happy.

Assuming you applied wisely, you are choosing between a handful of schools that are within a few ranking points of each other. If you go to a higher-ranked school you'll finish lower in your class; if you go to a lower-ranked school, you'll be higher in your class.

You should go to ASWs, talk to students, get a feel for the town and its culture, and pick a place where you will be happy. You will be a better student when you are happy, which translates to better return on investment. You will be a better student when you're not wishing you were in a bigger town, or a smaller town, or closer to family or your girlfriend, or with more people of color, or with a more conservative student body, or whatever. Do not decide based on rankings. Do not decide based on money, unless there is a HUGE difference. Do not decide based on a specific program or professor that you think you're passionate about now, because unless you have serious experience in a given field, your interests will change.

Go where you will be comfortable and happy, and you cannot lose.

[holmesboy]

I'll keep this short, because it's really simple: Go where you will be comfortable, and happy.

Assuming you applied wisely, you are choosing between a handful of schools that are within a few ranking points of each other. If you go to a higher-ranked school you'll finish lower in your class; if you go to a lower-ranked school, you'll be higher in your class.

You should go to ASWs, talk to students, get a feel for the town and its culture, and pick a place where you will be happy. You will be a better student when you are happy, which translates to better return on investment. You will be a better student when you're not wishing you were in a bigger town, or a smaller town, or closer to family or your girlfriend, or with more people of color, or with a more conservative student body, or whatever. Do not decide based on rankings. Do not decide based on money, unless there is a HUGE difference. Do not decide based on a specific program or professor that you think you're passionate about now, because unless you have serious experience in a given field, your interests will change.

Go where you will be comfortable and happy, and you cannot lose.

Isn't there a formula for this?

[megagnarley]

I'll keep this short, because it's really simple: Go where you will be comfortable, and happy.

Assuming you applied wisely, you are choosing between a handful of schools that are within a few ranking points of each other. If you go to a higher-ranked school you'll finish lower in your class; if you go to a lower-ranked school, you'll be higher in your class.

You should go to ASWs, talk to students, get a feel for the town and its culture, and pick a place where you will be happy. You will be a better student when you are happy, which translates to better return on investment. You will be a better student when you're not wishing you were in a bigger town, or a smaller town, or closer to family or your girlfriend, or with more people of color, or with a more conservative student body, or whatever. Do not decide based on rankings. Do not decide based on money, unless there is a HUGE difference. Do not decide based on a specific program or professor that you think you're passionate about now, because unless you have serious experience in a given field, your interests will change.

Go where you will be comfortable and happy, and you cannot lose.

Credentials?

[eav1277]

Agree with the happiness. Happy ppl are often more motivated (doesn't mean ull do better but likely. Idk about the higher school lower in class ranking). I feel like ppl r often very close in lsat and gpa

[rickgrimes69]

I do not think this is good advice because of its potential for misinterpretation. If all else is equal, it's fine for somebody to, hypothetically, choose Berk over UVa because they like California. But I can see a ton of 0Ls reading this and thinking it makes sense for them to fly across the country for ND because it's their 'dream school' even though they want to work in Iowa (I knew a girl who did this). The time for spreading wings and exploring was in undergrad. "Fit" should be a secondary consideration, only after location, cost, and employment stats are factored in. It's a tie-breaker, nothing more.

Also, the whole "you will place higher at a lower ranked school" thing has little basis in reality.

[Dr. Dre]

I do not think this is good advice

[quiver]

The time for spreading wings and exploring was in undergrad. "Fit" should be a secondary consideration, only after location, cost, and employment stats are factored in. It's a tie-breaker, nothing more.

This.

Also, the whole "you will place higher at a lower ranked school" thing has little basis in reality.

And this. Sorry OP, your post makes almost no sense.

[swc27]

Credentials: graduating top 25% from a T9, respected by my peers and professors, employed doing what I want to do. Also, still glad I went to law school, which is more than can be said for many of my classmates. I waited till my late 20s to start law school, so my wing-spreading days were well behind me.

No matter how brilliant you are, or how good your school's job stats are (hint: within ranking bands, they're pretty much the same), if you're miserable, you won't succeed.

[envisciguy]

I agree you should go to a school where you'll be happy, but scholarships, cost of living, and the region you're interested in are all extremely important considerations as well. Also, if schools are within a few ranking points of each other, I don't think that makes you more or less likely to do well. That would be like saying someone would do better if they went to Cornell instead of Berkeley. If it's a huge gap, maybe there's a difference, but still not very likely.

[PRgradBYU]

Go where you will be comfortable and happy, and you cannot lose.

What if I'm comfortable and happy attending Cooley for sticker?

I do not think this is good advice

[Ludo!]

Crazy to think someone could be two months away from graduating and still give out retarded advice about law school

[sinfiery]

People miss the assumption he made in this scenario where the specified person applied widely and is choosing between a few ranking points difference.


I would agree to the personal preference at the same cost of schools on similar ranking bands.


But when you get to cost, I think their better be a damn substantial reason for you to leave 75k+ on the table. Which could include school preference but rarely does such a distinction exist in proper extreme to override the cash

[bizzybone1313]

The advice about being happy seems credited. TLS gave me a lot of ish because I created a thread seeking to avoid the most conservative T-14 schools. Based on that thread, I definitely know I do not want to attend Virginia and probably neither U of Chicago. Why should I pay $200K to be in an environment where I will be miserable?

[bizzybone1313]

What does "T-9" mean? Lol. Is that suppose to be Michigan or Virginia?

[EvilClinton]

The advice about being happy seems credited. TLS gave me a lot of ish because I created a thread seeking to avoid the most conservative T-14 schools. Based on that thread, I definitely know I do not want to attend Virginia and probably neither U of Chicago. Why should I pay $200K to be in an environment where I will be miserable?

This is a stupid reason to choose any school. There are other factors that will matter much more in the long run.

[eav1277]

I think it's pretty clear that OP's advice applies to school's in similar positions/rankings to one another. If they are close, you are probably going to get similar aid packages (or negotiate to make them similar). Ex. Berk v Michigan. If you hate the cold, get sick all the time, and love the mountains (or if your fam or SO will be much farther away), it's going to be a bit harder to enjoy your time, study, and focus at Michigan.

[Emma.]

The advice about being happy seems credited. TLS gave me a lot of ish because I created a thread seeking to avoid the most conservative T-14 schools. Based on that thread, I definitely know I do not want to attend Virginia and probably neither U of Chicago. Why should I pay $200K to be in an environment where I will be miserable?

IDK. Keep in mind that school reputations don't necessarily reflect reality too well. I really thought I would hate UChicago and love Boalt, but ended up picking UChi and I've never regretted it.

[bizzybone1313]

The advice about being happy seems credited. TLS gave me a lot of ish because I created a thread seeking to avoid the most conservative T-14 schools. Based on that thread, I definitely know I do not want to attend Virginia and probably neither U of Chicago. Why should I pay $200K to be in an environment where I will be miserable?

This is a stupid reason to choose any school. There are other factors that will matter much more in the long run.

There are still about 10-12 other schools to choose from in the T-14. Being surrounded by intolerant peeps in undergrad probably cost me a few A's. I cannot afford that type of environment in LS. Almost everyone that applies to the T-14 does not apply to some of the T-14.

[Mr. Frodo]

Credentials: graduating top 25% from a T9, respected by my peers and professors, employed doing what I want to do. Also, still glad I went to law school, which is more than can be said for many of my classmates. I waited till my late 20s to start law school, so my wing-spreading days were well behind me.

No matter how brilliant you are, or how good your school's job stats are (hint: within ranking bands, they're pretty much the same), if you're miserable, you won't succeed.

lmao he said T9

[sinfiery]

Has to be Michigan.

[Mr. Frodo]

Has to be Michigan.

+1 most def

[swc27]

Has to be Michigan.

+1 most def

And?

[EvilClinton]

There are still about 10-12 other schools to choose from in the T-14. Being surrounded by intolerant peeps in undergrad probably cost me a few A's. I cannot afford that type of environment in LS. Almost everyone that applies to the T-14 does not apply to some of the T-14.

You aren't going to make it in law school.

[Richie Tenenbaum]

I do not think this is good advice because of its potential for misinterpretation. If all else is equal, it's fine for somebody to, hypothetically, choose Berk over UVa because they like California. But I can see a ton of 0Ls reading this and thinking it makes sense for them to fly across the country for ND because it's their 'dream school' even though they want to work in Iowa (I knew a girl who did this). The time for spreading wings and exploring was in undergrad. "Fit" should be a secondary consideration, only after location, cost, and employment stats are factored in. It's a tie-breaker, nothing more.

Also, the whole "you will place higher at a lower ranked school" thing has little basis in reality.

^This.

[Mr. Frodo]

Has to be Michigan.

+1 most def

And?

we're just mocking the fact that T9 doesn't actually exist