Top Law Schools

Already retaken twice to no avail. I have a *slight* regional preference for Texas, but not because of ties. My only meaningful ties are in NC. Dream job would be large firm. All costs are total COA, accounting for interest and tuition hikes. I'm not that debt averse; got out of undergrad with no debt.

SMU for $100k isn't bad for some people. SMU for $100k with no ties to Texas is not a bet I'd make under any circumstances. Notwithstanding the ties thing, SMU and Wake have shockingly similar biglaw (100+ attorney firms) placements.

Personally? I'd go with Wake. It's dirt cheap at that price, located in a state you have ties to, and has decent (albeit not great by any means) job placement. If you do well there, you'll have job opportunities that are at least significant. You might also have transfer opportunities, during which you can spend the money you're not worried about spending.

If you don't do well at Wake, you'll be able to drop out with little to no debt or graduate with very little debt to repay with the reasonable job prospects you'll face.

http://www.lstscorereports.com/?school=wake&show=chars

http://www.lstscorereports.com/?school= ... =employers

patrickd139 wrote:SMU for $100k isn't bad for some people. SMU for $100k with no ties to Texas is not a bet I'd make under any circumstances. Notwithstanding the ties thing, SMU and Wake have shockingly similar biglaw (100+ attorney firms) placements.

Personally? I'd go with Wake. It's dirt cheap at that price, located in a state you have ties to, and has decent (albeit not great by any means) job placement. If you do well there, you'll have job opportunities that are at least significant. You might also have transfer opportunities, during which you can spend the money you're not worried about spending.

If you don't do well at Wake, you'll be able to drop out with little to no debt or graduate with very little debt to repay with the reasonable job prospects you'll face.

http://www.lstscorereports.com/?school=wake&show=chars

http://www.lstscorereports.com/?school= ... =employers

Basically this

I agree that SMU should be dropped out of the running. Any thoughts on UGA being worth 15k more total? I feel like Athens would be much preferable to Winston Salem (live near WS and am not too fond).

sdmelzer wrote:I agree that SMU should be dropped out of the running. Any thoughts on UGA being worth 15k more total? I feel like Athens would be much preferable to Winston Salem (live near WS and am not too fond).

You need to be looking at this as a decision to maximize your job prospects, not where you want to spend three years living. Law school is professional school, not vacation school.

patrickd139 wrote:

sdmelzer wrote:I agree that SMU should be dropped out of the running. Any thoughts on UGA being worth 15k more total? I feel like Athens would be much preferable to Winston Salem (live near WS and am not too fond).

You need to be looking at this as a decision to maximize your job prospects, not where you want to spend three years living. Law school is professional school, not vacation school.

Job prospects are more less the same. Thus, the decision moves to other factors. I'm not delusional. I am willing to travel wherever is necessary for a good job.

sdmelzer wrote:

patrickd139 wrote:

sdmelzer wrote:I agree that SMU should be dropped out of the running. Any thoughts on UGA being worth 15k more total? I feel like Athens would be much preferable to Winston Salem (live near WS and am not too fond).

You need to be looking at this as a decision to maximize your job prospects, not where you want to spend three years living. Law school is professional school, not vacation school.

Job prospects are more less the same. Thus, the decision moves to other factors. I'm not delusional. I am willing to travel wherever is necessary for a good job.

For you, the job prospects are not the same. You have ties to NC. You do not have ties to Georgia. Both schools are very regional and GA region ≠ Wake region.

I agree w Patrick D 100%