Top Law Schools

What are the best T14 schools to go to if you want to work in Boston? I'm a 3.9/174. Obviously Harvard but I doubt they will give me much scholarship money even if I get in; BU and BC seem too low-ranked for me to bother with my numbers.

I'd like to go to mid-lower T14 w/ good money if possible. Boston/DC are top choices. Then probably Chicago. I'd rather not NY.

sah wrote:What are the best T14 schools to go to if you want to work in Boston? I'm a 3.9/174. Obviously Harvard but I doubt they will give me much scholarship money even if I get in; BU and BC seem too low-ranked for me to bother with my numbers.

I'd like to go to mid-lower T14 w/ good money if possible. Boston/DC are top choices. Then probably Chicago. I'd rather not NY.

Probably northeast schools. Columbia, Penn, etc.

ph14 wrote:

sah wrote:What are the best T14 schools to go to if you want to work in Boston? I'm a 3.9/174. Obviously Harvard but I doubt they will give me much scholarship money even if I get in; BU and BC seem too low-ranked for me to bother with my numbers.

I'd like to go to mid-lower T14 w/ good money if possible. Boston/DC are top choices. Then probably Chicago. I'd rather not NY.

Probably northeast schools. Columbia, Penn, etc.

I've heard that most of the top Boston firms recruit at UVA, which isn't necessarily true of other T14s.

The good news is, Boston is a highly ties-driven market that's fairly straight forward to bid into if you have have good grades at a T14. The bad news is, there's no one "feeder school" for the region like Penn and UVA are (for Philly and the south respectively)

I'd probably avoid Berkeley, Northwestern, and GULC. But even from there you shouldn't have too much difficulty if you have ties and decent grades.

[Deleted]

The few people I knew at UVA from that area who wanted to go back had no problems doing so. That is not something that I can say about many markets. They seem to be one of the few markets left that puts more stock in ties than grades for someone from the area who attended a top school.

I've also been interested in this, OP. I've got a 3.9 and will be retaking in Dec for 170s. I think I'd like to stay in Massachusetts and possibly would work in Boston, but a BU/BC full ride (or close to it) for their 65% employment is still not that appetizing. Aside from H, it appears UVA and maybe a Penn or Cornell makes the most sense for people debt-averse in our situation.

Its probably not the "Best" T14 for working in Boston, but Cornell does do a recruiting fair in Boston that all the major firms came to (between that and our normal recruiting). People with solid ties seemed to have no trouble.

Would you guys say that TCR is to choose a mid-lower T14 at sticker over BU/BC with good $$?

sah wrote:Interesting. I'm originally from CT, outside of Hartford, but no ties directly to Boston. Ties to New England, I guess. Would that count as ties?

New England is ties to Boston. Boston is the de facto capital of the region.

For someone without lofty aspirations (prestigious clerkship, professorship etc.) that wants work in Boston and has ties, H at sticker appears like a crazy choice if you can get money at the mid/lower t14. No?

Otunga wrote:For someone without lofty aspirations (prestigious clerkship, professorship etc.) that wants work in Boston and has ties, H at sticker appears like a crazy choice if you can get money at the mid/lower t14. No?

H gives need-aid, which is something to consider as well.

stillwater wrote:

Otunga wrote:For someone without lofty aspirations (prestigious clerkship, professorship etc.) that wants work in Boston and has ties, H at sticker appears like a crazy choice if you can get money at the mid/lower t14. No?

H gives need-aid, which is something to consider as well.

Right. I guess I was just assuming little need-based aid, if UG is anything to go by.

Otunga wrote:

stillwater wrote:

Otunga wrote:For someone without lofty aspirations (prestigious clerkship, professorship etc.) that wants work in Boston and has ties, H at sticker appears like a crazy choice if you can get money at the mid/lower t14. No?

H gives need-aid, which is something to consider as well.

Right. I guess I was just assuming little need-based aid, if UG is anything to go by.

its complicated calculus but some money at lower T14 is probably not worth what YHS would give you in need, given the huge increases in chances for gainful employment.

I see. It's purely hypothetical of course, since my chances at HYS are 0 with current LSAT.

Just go to Harvard.

The east coast T-14 will give you great shot at Boston biglaw.

If you're dead set on Boston, Harvard and BC typically have the best placement stats in Boston biglaw, likely by law student preference. But any of the T-14 will give you a good shot, particularly those on the east coast.

Informative wrote:The east coast T-14 will give you great shot at Boston biglaw.

If you're dead set on Boston, Harvard and BC typically have the best placement stats in Boston biglaw, likely by law student preference. But any of the T-14 will give you a good shot, particularly those on the east coast.

LOL at Informative. Rising again to troll for BC.

From an associate in Boston:

Y/S > H >>>>> UVA/Chicago/Cornell/Columbia/Penn (no one cares about these gradations really, median students at any shouldn't have trouble in Boston) > Other T14s (other schools don't have big alumni network in Boston) >> BC/BU >>> other schools.

I would easily take BC/BU $$ over the schools not listed for Boston. H is the gold standard, Y grads are like unicorns here, but firms want them. UVA has a huge alumni network and is probably the best connected Boston school after H/BU/BC.

stillwater wrote:

Informative wrote:The east coast T-14 will give you great shot at Boston biglaw.

If you're dead set on Boston, Harvard and BC typically have the best placement stats in Boston biglaw, likely by law student preference. But any of the T-14 will give you a good shot, particularly those on the east coast.

LOL at Informative. Rising again to troll for BC.

Seriously. Most inapt username ever.

I'm going to Boston from UVA. I think it's pretty doable IF you have good grades. I would imagine it's pretty similar from other t14s. I think you definitely want to be top third to have a good shot. even the less prestigious firms in boston are kind of grade snobby.

Blindmelon wrote: UVA/Chicago/Cornell/Columbia/Penn (no one cares about these gradations really, median students at any shouldn't have trouble in Boston)

Considering that some median students at those schools will struggle in NYC, I doubt "shouldn't have trouble" is an accurate description of how it would go in Boston.

Nelson wrote:

Blindmelon wrote: UVA/Chicago/Cornell/Columbia/Penn (no one cares about these gradations really, median students at any shouldn't have trouble in Boston)

Considering that some median students at those schools will struggle in NYC, I doubt "shouldn't have trouble" is an accurate description of how it would go in Boston.

would you really say median at chicago and columbia "struggle" for NYC? that's not the impression I received watching EIP

jbagelboy wrote:

Nelson wrote:

Blindmelon wrote: UVA/Chicago/Cornell/Columbia/Penn (no one cares about these gradations really, median students at any shouldn't have trouble in Boston)

Considering that some median students at those schools will struggle in NYC, I doubt "shouldn't have trouble" is an accurate description of how it would go in Boston.

would you really say median at chicago and columbia "struggle" for NYC? that's not the impression I received watching EIP

Most people around median will do just fine but some of them will have to hustle pretty hard for just one offer. I think his point isn't that a lot of median students won't get anything, just that it might not be a cakewalk even in the easiest market.

Blindmelon wrote:From an associate in Boston:

Y/S > H >>>>> UVA/Chicago/Cornell/Columbia/Penn (no one cares about these gradations really, median students at any shouldn't have trouble in Boston) > Other T14s (other schools don't have big alumni network in Boston) >> BC/BU >>> other schools.

I would easily take BC/BU $$ over the schools not listed for Boston. H is the gold standard, Y grads are like unicorns here, but firms want them. UVA has a huge alumni network and is probably the best connected Boston school after H/BU/BC.

Interesting that UVA is the non-HYS winner here. You'd think it'd be another northeastern t14.