Fordham w/ $$ or Georgetown Forum

[northwood]

You want a 100K/ year job. Your choices are either Fordham or Georgetown. Where else did you apply, or did you only apply to these schools? If you applied to any other t14, then I would wait to see their response to your application. Since you want to go back to NY ( but would be okay with DC) there are other schools that may be better options to get that route ( i.e. Michigan, Cornell, Penn, UVA, etc) Did you apply to those schools as well? If not, then I would strongly urge you to send them an application, either this cycle or not.

If I were in your shoes, I would personally spend more time researching where you want to go, and what schools are more likely to get you there, then ranking that list of schools and going to the most economically efficient school for your goal. It could be GULC, it could be Fordham, or it could be another school that you have not yet applied to. Since you do not want to retake the LSAT, I'm not going to waste any more time telling you to retake... but I will say that if you haven't taken it 3 times in the past 3 years, and thus are eligible to take it again, you may not be foreclosed from any school yet ( and thus waiting out a year may be a viable option, given your goals.)

Whatever you decided to do, you need to take into consideration the cost of living, and add that to your total cost fro the school. That may make any scholarship offer less of an offer, which basically leaves you in a large financial obligation to get the chance of achieving your career goals.

To answer your question bluntly: As of right now, I would go to whatever school is the cheapest if I absolutely had to decide today. otherwise, I would not decide until I have all information at my fingertips, which may take about 14 more months to compile.

[midwest17]

This thread delivered, thank you.

Lol @ the "I demand that the people giving me free advice do so in exactly the way I demand" attitude. This is why people hate Millenials.

[Fiero85]

This thread delivered, thank you.

Seriously OP, good luck. Although this got off track at times, you gotta realize just how bad the job market is compared to the debt taken out by many law students. Pardon us for being brutally honest, but it's way more useful advice to you since you have probably heard plenty from the boomer-and-Disney-movies side of ignorant encouragement. The fact of the matter is: There are better options out there for you, which are attainable and worthy of your time to research and pursue them. Just take it for what it's worth and try to make the best decision for you.

[redsox]

If you just want people to pick, make a poll. But please also continue to throw a tantrum for our entertainment.

[FlanAl]

I went on this thread hoping to find an answer to this question haha. OP you should start a poll. There's really not a ton of information on Fordham on this site and I have a few friends seriously considering it.

[BigZuck]

I went on this thread hoping to find an answer to this question haha. OP you should start a poll. There's really not a ton of information on Fordham on this site and I have a few friends seriously considering it.

Really? You've been here longer than me but I feel like I've heard more about Fordham than most schools not in the T14/UT/Vandy/WUSTL.

It's expensive, cost of living is very high, and job placement is decent. But their stinginess means it is rarely the best choice for anyone.

Ditto Georgetown in basically every way. Their job placement is obviously much better than Fordham (or any school not in the T14 really) but if you can get into GULC there is a decent chance you can get into a school with significantly better placement for cheaper, again rarely making it the best option for anyone. I can only think of one person ever who proposed a choosing thread where GULC was actually his best option.

Both schools are overpriced traps given their relative job placement, their cost, and the fact that you almost always either already have much better options for your numbers, or you can have much better options by squeezing out a couple extra points on the LSAT.

[Hutz_and_Goodman]

I would honestly sit out a year and retake. With a gun to my head I'd pick Fordham. The best option really is to just work for a year, study the LSAT, and raise your score.

[Ti Malice]

If you just want people to pick, make a poll. But please also continue to throw a tantrum for our entertainment.

[giantsfan564789]

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[giantsfan564789]

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[FlanAl]

I went on this thread hoping to find an answer to this question haha. OP you should start a poll. There's really not a ton of information on Fordham on this site and I have a few friends seriously considering it.

Really? You've been here longer than me but I feel like I've heard more about Fordham than most schools not in the T14/UT/Vandy/WUSTL.

It's expensive, cost of living is very high, and job placement is decent. But their stinginess means it is rarely the best choice for anyone.

Ditto Georgetown in basically every way. Their job placement is obviously much better than Fordham (or any school not in the T14 really) but if you can get into GULC there is a decent chance you can get into a school with significantly better placement for cheaper, again rarely making it the best option for anyone. I can only think of one person ever who proposed a choosing thread where GULC was actually his best option.

Both schools are overpriced traps given their relative job placement, their cost, and the fact that you almost always either already have much better options for your numbers, or you can have much better options by squeezing out a couple extra points on the LSAT.

TBF this is one of the few Fordham threads I've looked at other than their OCI thread. Obviously OP will get more scholarships and better offers later in the cycle, he's probably just trying to figure out who to give his deposit to while he waits it out. OP if I were you I'd deposit at gtown and try to use that acceptance to pressure other schools into letting you in based of that.

Also, make sure you actually talk to Cornblatt about scholarship stuff. I got a call from his assistant who sucked and I'm sure that if I actually talked to him I could have worked out a decent scholly.

[20141023]

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[Steveloblaw]

Well, that was glorious.

[SteelPenguin]

As someone in a similar situation to you last year, retaking and reapplying a year later was one of the most frustrating, yet rewarding decisions I've ever made

[nickb285]

..

[ManoftheHour]

Giants suck.

[crimson34]

I personally would pick Georgetown. I like the area better, the statistics point to having better employment chances, and Georgetown is the best school in DC, where Fordham has NYU and Columbia to compete with.

However I am shocked at all the advice you have gotten. So it seems unless you get into a top 6 program or get basically a full scholarship to a school all of you would suggest not going to Law School. It just seems a bit dramatic to me. That essentially says unless you are one of the top 6,000 applicants for law school absolutely do not go to law school without a full scholarship. To me that would say almost everyone on this site would need to give up immediately and go get a job doing something different.

I will tell you that a lot of people on this site are extremely negative. I understand that taking on a school at sticker is a daunting idea, and I agree with them that you should wait to see what other schools you get into and if you get any money from Georgetown. But I just think a lot of the answers you have received are rather unrealistic views.

I'll probably get torn apart for this but oh well.

[twenty]

However I am shocked at all the advice you have gotten. So it seems unless you get into a top 6 program or get basically a full scholarship to a school all of you would suggest not going to Law School.

If you're going attempt to straw-man, at least straw-man well. The universal advice OP received was to study and retake. How dare we.

It just seems a bit dramatic to me. That essentially says unless you are one of the top 6,000 applicants for law school absolutely do not go to law school without a full scholarship. To me that would say almost everyone on this site would need to give up immediately and go get a job doing something different.

It's almost as if there were people that, like, objectively should not go to law school!

[BigZuck]

I personally would pick Georgetown. I like the area better, the statistics point to having better employment chances, and Georgetown is the best school in DC, where Fordham has NYU and Columbia to compete with.

However I am shocked at all the advice you have gotten. So it seems unless you get into a top 6 program or get basically a full scholarship to a school all of you would suggest not going to Law School. It just seems a bit dramatic to me. That essentially says unless you are one of the top 6,000 applicants for law school absolutely do not go to law school without a full scholarship. To me that would say almost everyone on this site would need to give up immediately and go get a job doing something different.

I will tell you that a lot of people on this site are extremely negative. I understand that taking on a school at sticker is a daunting idea, and I agree with them that you should wait to see what other schools you get into and if you get any money from Georgetown. But I just think a lot of the answers you have received are rather unrealistic views.

I'll probably get torn apart for this but oh well.

The OP picked out two of the biggest traps in all of law schooldom, we were suspicious and told him to get better options, and somehow that means law school is only worthwhile if its a T6 or free?

We didn't make that stupid meaningless distinction, why did you?

[20141023]

.

[twenty]

I personally would pick Georgetown. I like the area better, the statistics point to having better employment chances, and Georgetown is the best school in DC, where Fordham has NYU and Columbia to compete with.

However I am shocked at all the advice you have gotten. So it seems unless you get into a top 6 program or get basically a full scholarship to a school all of you would suggest not going to Law School. It just seems a bit dramatic to me. That essentially says unless you are one of the top 6,000 applicants for law school absolutely do not go to law school without a full scholarship. To me that would say almost everyone on this site would need to give up immediately and go get a job doing something different.

I will tell you that a lot of people on this site are extremely negative. I understand that taking on a school at sticker is a daunting idea, and I agree with them that you should wait to see what other schools you get into and if you get any money from Georgetown. But I just think a lot of the answers you have received are rather unrealistic views.

I'll probably get torn apart for this but oh well.

Here are the best indicators we have for people who are happy with their outcomes coming out of top law schools (and then one other law school just for fun); these are pretty scary to look at consider how much law school costs:

Georgetown (Class of 2012)
Seeking a different job: 13.6% (85/626)
Not seeking a different job: 78.6% (492/626)
Not reported: 7.8% (49/626)

Northwestern (Class of 2012)
Seeking a different job: 6.1% (18/295)
Not seeking a different job: 84.7% (250/295)
Not reported: 9.2% (27/295)

Michigan (Class of 2012)
Seeking a different job: 8.2% (32/388)
Not seeking a different job: 83.2% (323/388)
Not reported: 8.5% (33/388)

Berkeley (Class of 2012)
Seeking a different job: 4.2% (13/312)
Not seeking a different job: 73.1% (228/312)
Not reported: 22.8% (71/312)

Columbia (Class of 2012)
Seeking a different job: 1.1% (5/469)
Not seeking a different job: 72.3% (339/469)
Not reported: 26.7% (125/469)

Florida Coastal (Class of 2011)
Seeking a different job: 25.7% (116/451)
Not seeking a different job: 47.2% (213/451)
Not reported: 27.1% (122/451)

Something else that you must take into account is the fact that 20% (127/626) of the people at GULC are part-time students who are likely able to rely on their current jobs to get boosted into a new position with their JD degree. These students are also making money while going to school to help offset the costs of attendance, so someone looking at going full-time at sticker shouldn't really compare himself to 1/5th of the rest of his class.

Off topic, but any idea why Columbia and Berkeley students are less than forthcoming on information? That 22%/26% is a pretty big wild card.

[20141023]

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[wbrother]

Both choices are bad, but I'd personally take GULC. Either one, you're definitely going to need biglaw, and while neither one gives you anything close to a "sure thing" in that regard, GULC is more likely to get you biglaw than Fordham is.

You should almost definitely retake, though. And that's without even knowing what your LSAT score is, or how many times you've taken it (hint hint.)

Isn't Georgetown potentially free if you do PI though? Not saying OP even wants or could do PI, but why would OP need biglaw at GULC?

[20141023]

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[timbs4339]

OP: I'm a lawyer. Graduated a couple years ago from one of CCN. Struck out at OCI and spent two years looking for that "100K+(nonbiglaw) jerb". It's not there. That's just not how it works.