Emory $$ or retake for Vandy? Forum

[lawschoolwoohoo]

I am a senior in undergrad, about to finish. I have a 3.65 gpa and a 167 LSAT score from October 2012. I only took it once. I really want to practice in SC (though would also be happy with GA or NC) because I am from there and have many ties to the state. I want to do PI, prosecution, or family law.

I have 29k at Emory per year and enough money saved that I will not be taking debt. Cost of living will be covered by my very generous family.

My problem is this, my heart from day one was set on Vandy. I got waitlisted there, but am seeing on other threads that they're okay taking 168's off the waitlist this year, which is kind of breaking my heart, so I'm thinking it's probably a no go. So, question is, do I shoot for Vandy next year or just suck it up and go to Emory this year? I already put a deposit down on an apartment and have absolutely no future plans or options other than that (except to move back to my small suburban town with no jobs/prospects) so I'm feeling pretty lost. Nothing interests me other than law so it's not like I can take the year to explore other careers. I don't really care much about the experience I get at a law school, I just want to be able to graduate and get a moderate-paying job somewhere in the Southeast. I'm not looking for prestige or millions of dollars.

I was initially going to re-take this June, but I loved a beloved aunt in April and just totally messed up and stopped studying completely so I really don't think it would be worth it.

[Doorkeeper]

Retake the LSAT, get a 170, get a job for a year to save money, and get into UVA, Duke and Vandy with scholarship money. Thank me next year.

[bearjew]

First off congrats! I'm sorry to hear about your aunt.

I am on the Emory WL, but I cannot speak highly enough of the school and Atlanta. So please don't think I would try to sway you away from Emory for my benefit. If you have any questions about Emory or Atlanta please don't hesitate to PM me. I would recommend the school and city to everyone.

Will you regret not going to Vandy? I took a year off from UG and I am happy I did it, it seems like a lot of people on this site also did it and most are happy with that decision. I might even take another one off depending on my WLs.

If your heart is set on something I think you should go for Vandy. Worst case scenario is you retake, don't get Vandy, still get Emory and get a year to clear your head. You should never sell yourself short especially still being in UG and being so young.

Do you prefer Nashville to Atlanta?

Good luck again.

edit. I saw you've only taken the LSAT once, you definitely owe it to yourself to take it once more!

[dawyzest1]

Retake the LSAT, get a 170, get a job for a year to save money, and get into UVA, Duke and Vandy with scholarship money. Thank me next year.

+1. You have got to retake. Sometimes the best response to feeling a little lost is to just be lost for a minute or two. Take the year, clear your head, crush the October LSAT and profit. Emory, to me, is too expensive and I don't think it is going to place strongly in SC. Since you're set on SC, I am wondering if the University of South Carolina Law School is an option worth considering. From what I know SC is an insular place and connections will matter. I can imagine that firms there are stuffed to the gills with U of SC grads. Also, with your numbers I am sure you could go for free. Just food for thought.

You don't go wrong by killing that October LSAT and choosing between Vandy, Duke and UVA.

[lawschoolwoohoo]

Thanks everyone. I'm definitely contemplating a re-take-not 100% sure I'll do it yet, but I am certainly open to it.

I was just wondering if it is almost silly to try for Vandy>Emory when they have roughly the same employment stats on Law School Transparency, and Emory's is actually a bit higher than Vandy's. I checked the "school-funded jobs" section, and they both had roughly the same number for that too.

Also, to the person who talked about South Carolina, I actually did get a great offer there and apply this year, but chose to deposit instead at Emory at the advice of a few lawyer family friends/relatives who work in SC who said that my ties to the region would be better utilized with a degree from Emory than South Carolina. It was actually a really hard choice.

Mostly my biggest concern is being employable. I know this is a big no-no to admit on TLS but I feel like I don't know what I'll do for a year if I re-take. Am I going to be a whole lot more employable at Vandy than at Emory? I actually prefer ATL as a city but got taken in by Vandy's charm and it just seemed like everyone really liked their experiences there, so that's why I fell in love.

I don't want to come off combattive, I just want to try and make sure I understand the implications of everything I'm doing before I make a decision and was really surprised by the similar numbers on Law School Transparency. Maybe I'm putting too much stock in the LST stats?

[empyreanrrv]

The biggest difference in LST stats is ~38% A3+biglaw at Vanderbilt vs ~26% at Emory. 2011 was 40% vs 25%. If you aren't interested in biglaw the main benefit of a retake would be for more scholarship money and a chance at a T14 school. If you are willing to throw your savings at law school this year Emory with no debt is not a bad place to be.

[Tom Joad]

Obviously, retaking never hurts, but if you want to do family law, no debt from Emory with ties to the region is solid.