Ole Miss vs. LSU vs. Houston vs. Baylor - Battle Royale Forum

[Bird Law Enthusiast]

Just trying to pick the brains of some of you:

Originally from Texas with a great amount of ties to the state, but at the same time very open to the idea of going out of state. Baylor has offered $15,000/year, LSU has offered resident tuition, and Ole Miss has offered resident tuition along with $7,000/year. I haven't the slightest idea of what type of law I would like to practice, if at all, but have always been very interested in government work and had early aspirations in lobbying. I do have a very strong foundation of family members working in the energy sector, which would seem to be a nod to LSU or Houston. However, I do feel the most comfortable at Ole Miss. I would like to somehow make my way back to Texas eventually (which of course I know means I should go to Houston or Baylor), but something about Ole Miss is very appealing to me.

LSAT: 160
GPA: 3.0

Someone please just pick for me?

[StylinNProfilin]

that something at Ole Miss is called the grove

what is your Total COA for each school?

[Presidentjlh]

How many times have you taken the LSAT?

[Bird Law Enthusiast]

I've taken the LSAT twice now, with 160 being my score both times.

Fortunately, my grandparents on both sides, who have always been the strongest supporters of a potential law school career for myself, have told me that they would like to take care of the entirety of COA at wherever I choose, within reason. These four schools would fall within that reason.

[StylinNProfilin]

Houston makes the most sense. Best school in the market you want to be in. I would never advise anyone to attend Baylor.

[nebula666]

Gun to my head I'd take Houston

[kalvano]

Houston.

[jselson]

Houston makes the most sense. Best school in the market you want to be in. I would never advise anyone to attend Baylor.

I wish someone could explain to me why anyone would ever matriculate to Baylor.

[romothesavior]

Do you have any money to Houston?

[wert3813]

If they all cost the same Houston or LSU. LSU's job score is off the charts but it seems like that is because it's a very insular market whereas you seem to want to return to Texas.

However, this quote is really concerning for me:

I haven't the slightest idea of what type of law I would like to practice, if at all

Even for free, if you don't think you want to practice some type of law then the opportunity cost of three years of law school is probably a waste.

Oh and (unrelated) how good are these family connections? Are they going to lead to a job?

[Ti Malice]

Houston makes the most sense. Best school in the market you want to be in. I would never advise anyone to attend Baylor.

I wish someone could explain to me why anyone would ever matriculate to Baylor.

Same. I don't understand how they even fill a class.

[BigZuck]

For freesies due to rich benefactors? Houston, no question.

[txdude45]

Houston makes the most sense. Best school in the market you want to be in. I would never advise anyone to attend Baylor.

I wish someone could explain to me why anyone would ever matriculate to Baylor.

Same. I don't understand how they even fill a class.

If you know the kind of people who go to Baylor, you know that those people are all over TX/OK & the bible belt.

[Ti Malice]

Houston makes the most sense. Best school in the market you want to be in. I would never advise anyone to attend Baylor.

I wish someone could explain to me why anyone would ever matriculate to Baylor.

Same. I don't understand how they even fill a class.

If you know the kind of people who go to Baylor, you know that those people are all over TX/OK & the bible belt.

Yeah, I know why people go there for undergrad. I just don't understand why anyone would go to a law school that prides itself on making the law school experience uniquely miserable when it doesn't even provide some kind of advantage in employment outcomes over its direct competitors (quite the contrary, actually). And, from what I've heard, the law school student body culture is much more mainstream than that of the undergrad, so there are plenty of people subjecting themselves to this hellish experience who have no interest in the larger University's arch-conservative Baptist climate.

[Devlin]

Houston makes the most sense. Best school in the market you want to be in. I would never advise anyone to attend Baylor.

I wish someone could explain to me why anyone would ever matriculate to Baylor.

Same. I don't understand how they even fill a class.

According to some interns at the courthouse I'm at claim that "Baylor dominates Dallas." Who knew?


OP- this is not even a debate- choose Houston. If you want energy law Houston is the place to be out of those choices.

[kalvano]

I'm looking at my SMU Symplicty page, and there are oodles of jobs in Houston.

[romothesavior]

Houston may be the best option listed, but I know I wouldn't feel comfortable spending $200k of my family's dough on a UH degree.

[bearjew]

Did you apply to Tulane? I think they send 10% of their grads to Texas and does okay in Houston. But obviously should be avoided at full sticker.

[bearjew]

Houston makes the most sense. Best school in the market you want to be in. I would never advise anyone to attend Baylor.

I wish someone could explain to me why anyone would ever matriculate to Baylor.

Same. I don't understand how they even fill a class.

If you know the kind of people who go to Baylor, you know that those people are all over TX/OK & the bible belt.

The only person I know of from Baylor is RG3. And he's the man.

[BigZuck]

Houston may be the best option listed, but I know I wouldn't feel comfortable spending $200k of my family's dough on a UH degree.

Of course. But LSU and Ole Miss are non-starters and I would gladly spend a little extra of my family's wads of cash money to not have to endure Baylor.

What's a poor rich splitter kid to do? Retake and ED UVA?

[mroper09]

Retaking the LSAT is always an option but it doesn't seem like you have too much room left for movement. Also, this delays your entrance into law school by a year which isn't the best option.

Like everyone else has said... Baylor is a joke (source: email sent last year to admitted students with all the names, contact info, LSAT scores, scholarship money, etc. of everyone who had been admitted)

I would recommend not going to LSU because they are bound to teach Louisiana law there and frankly Louisiana law is extremely strange. Also, LSU, while ranked in the top 100, is no where near Baylor or UHLC in the rankings and rankings tend to matter when you're looking for a job.

If you feel like you have to go to Ole Miss then go. But, like you said, it is better to go to school where you plan on practicing. Also, Ole Miss isn't even ranked in the top 100 so job prospects might not be so great... (I also have some not so great personal stories about a visiting prof from Ole Miss but I digress).

Personally, I would go to the highest ranking school (UHLC) because it seems like money isn't an issue (and the cost to attend is relatively the same for all institutes anyways) and you want to practice in Texas. Also, have you visited UHLC? Despite the poor architecture, the people there are pretty great.

OP feel free to PM me if you have any questions. Good luck making a decision!

[BigZuck]

Retaking the LSAT is always an option but it doesn't seem like you have too much room left for movement. Also, this delays your entrance into law school by a year which isn't the best option.

Like everyone else has said... Baylor is a joke (source: email sent last year to admitted students with all the names, contact info, LSAT scores, scholarship money, etc. of everyone who had been admitted)

I would recommend not going to LSU because they are bound to teach Louisiana law there and frankly Louisiana law is extremely strange. Also, LSU, while ranked in the top 100, is no where near Baylor or UHLC in the rankings and rankings tend to matter when you're looking for a job.

If you feel like you have to go to Ole Miss then go. But, like you said, it is better to go to school where you plan on practicing. Also, Ole Miss isn't even ranked in the top 100 so job prospects might not be so great... (I also have some not so great personal stories about a visiting prof from Ole Miss but I digress).

Personally, I would go to the highest ranking school (UHLC) because it seems like money isn't an issue (and the cost to attend is relatively the same for all institutes anyways) and you want to practice in Texas. Also, have you visited UHLC? Despite the poor architecture, the people there are pretty great.

OP feel free to PM me if you have any questions. Good luck making a decision!

Not a fan of this post for a few reasons

Also isn't Baylor ranked the highest? (I am too lazy to do a simple google search to see if that's correct but I thought they were higher than UH)

OP, don't go to Ole Miss. Or LSU. Or Baylor.

[romothesavior]

Rankings mean virtually nothing and should not factor into this decision at all. Its 2013. We have LST. Use it instead of relying on worthless rankings.

[wert3813]

Rankings mean virtually nothing and should not factor into this decision at all. Its 2013. We have LST. Use it instead of relying on worthless rankings.

Always awesome when it takes people less than ten days on TLS to move from seeking advice to giving it.

[buttes]

Worked support for biglaw in Houston for a year. UH is your answer if you want to do energy. Also, Waco/Baylor is pretty much the worst. They'll expell their female (undergrad) students for working at the local Hooters. Travesty.