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Currently I am considering accepting admission to either the University of Houston Law Center or Emory Law in Atlanta. I am originally from Memphis, TN and went to undergrad at Ole Miss. However, I am not a SUPER REBEL fan like many at Ole Miss; I just want a quality education and great job opportunities after school. I want to hear from students, lawyers, or professionals in Houston or Atlanta on the job prospects between the two and their reputation in and outside of the cities where they are located. As for cost, I received in-state tuition and a $45,000 scholarship at Houston and a $105,000 scholarship at Emory. That leaves me having to take out about the same to cover the rest of tuition for each school($15,000 a year each). Living expenses would be about the same. And I can see myself beginning my legal career in either Atlanta or Houston(similar climates, cost of living, bad traffic, etc). Any help, advice, or guidance would be greatly appreciated. It can be broad or specific--just whatever you feel like sharing or feel that may be important to a potential student of law in these two cities. If it matters, I am black; but I am definitely cultured and get along with anybody. I just want to be in a place that will give me a good education and job prospects, be in a place that I can afford, and be in a place that I can enjoy the last 3 years of my non-career-working life. Thanks for all comments.

P.S. PLEASE DON'T TURN THIS INTO A BATTLE OF THE CITIES WITHOUT FACTS(though the battle rants are quite amusing). I don't mind contrasting the two and telling me the differences, but please don't just be ranting about how one is better than the other without supporting facts.

In part it depends on what you want to do after law school beyond having good job opportunities (i.e. what type). But, for most things, Emory is going to be the better bet. In addition, Emory appears to offer more mobility (about half of Emory grads stay in GA, as opposed to 4/5 of UH grads), but that's got to be at least partly due to Emory's more national profile relative to Houston's and the fact that Texas has more legal markets for UH grads to go to without leaving the state.

ETA: I like Houston a lot. I like Atlanta too, but not as much. Just so you know my geographic biases lie in opposition to my advice above.

in which city you have stronger ties? Houston or Emory?

Emory is probably the better bet if we're just looking at debt vs. job prospects. But UH only plays second-fiddle (along with SMU) to UT-Austin in the second largest and probably fastest growing state in the country, so it's not a bad bet either way IMO.

Unless you'd really prefer to live in/have stronger ties to Houston, I'd go with Emory.

Disclaimer: I'm also considering scholarship offers at both schools.

BVest wrote:In part it depends on what you want to do after law school beyond having good job opportunities (i.e. what type). But, for most things, Emory is going to be the better bet. In addition, Emory appears to offer more mobility (about half of Emory grads stay in GA, as opposed to 4/5 of UH grads), but that's got to be at least partly due to Emory's more national profile relative to Houston's and the fact that Texas has more legal markets for UH grads to go to without leaving the state.

ETA: I like Houston a lot. I like Atlanta too, but not as much. Just so you know my geographic biases lie in opposition to my advice above.

Thanks for the input. And idk why, but your disclaimer made me chuckle. Maybe it's because we have to take all advice on here with a grain of salt lol. But again, thanks.

kobe1020 wrote:in which city you have stronger ties? Houston or Emory?

I have several friends who are lawyers in Atlanta. I have semi-distant relatives in Houston. Only ties I have to either.

AT9 wrote:Emory is probably the better bet if we're just looking at debt vs. job prospects. But UH only plays second-fiddle (along with SMU) to UT-Austin in the second largest and probably fastest growing state in the country, so it's not a bad bet either way IMO.

Unless you'd really prefer to live in/have stronger ties to Houston, I'd go with Emory.

Disclaimer: I'm also considering scholarship offers at both schools.

Congrats. I am leaning towards Emory, but just want to be sure on what both offer holistically. Good luck on your decision! If you think of anything you think may be relevant, don't hesitate to share.

I would only go to UH if I were a lifelong Houstonian who was committed to staying in Texas forever. Except I am and still didn't because UT.

Retake

Please tell me I am not the only one who found this off-putting:

LRAdams7474 wrote:I am black; but I am definitely cultured

Anyway, UH is definitely out for the reasons Shifty stated. I think Emory is fine if you want to work in the south and its not too expensive. What will your total cost of attendance be?

Waitlisted anywhere ?

15k/yr tuition for Emory is not bad.

I'd take the 100k scholly but also sign up for another shot at the lsat in June.

BigZuck wrote:Please tell me I am not the only one who found this off-putting:

LRAdams7474 wrote:I am black; but I am definitely cultured

Anyway, UH is definitely out for the reasons Shifty stated. I think Emory is fine if you want to work in the south and its not too expensive. What will your total cost of attendance be?

Yeah, that was definitely an unnecessary thing to say. What does being cultured have to do with anything?

Mojosodope wrote:

BigZuck wrote:Please tell me I am not the only one who found this off-putting:

LRAdams7474 wrote:I am black; but I am definitely cultured

Anyway, UH is definitely out for the reasons Shifty stated. I think Emory is fine if you want to work in the south and its not too expensive. What will your total cost of attendance be?

Yeah, that was definitely an unnecessary thing to say. What does being cultured have to do with anything?

I currently go to Ole Miss and have faced racism, severe racism for my four years of undergrad. It wasn't 100 percent but many whites despised blacks and many blacks secretly despised wires. I put that part in because racism is real here. I don't want that problem elsewhere. I like people who are diverse and cultured. Sorry if that offended anyone.

In that and many other respects, Emory is not Ole Miss.

In my opinion, you have two solid options & need to base your decision on where you prefer to live & work.

You can be cultured and racist, can't you?

Mojosodope wrote:You can be cultured and racist, can't you?

True. Maybe the word choice I was looking for is "culturally diverse". I just want a welcoming atmosphere. Thanks for the correction.

LRAdams7474 wrote:

Mojosodope wrote:You can be cultured and racist, can't you?

True. Maybe the word choice I was looking for is "culturally diverse". I just want a welcoming atmosphere. Thanks for the correction.

I have no clue what UH is like, but I know Emory, Decatur, and Atlanta are diverse and welcoming (at least from what I have experienced).

wsparker wrote:

LRAdams7474 wrote:

Mojosodope wrote:You can be cultured and racist, can't you?

True. Maybe the word choice I was looking for is "culturally diverse". I just want a welcoming atmosphere. Thanks for the correction.

I have no clue what UH is like, but I know Emory, Decatur, and Atlanta are diverse and welcoming (at least from what I have experienced).

Houston is a very diverse city, and I would say more so than ATL. ATL has a larger AA population (by %), but Houston's AA population is not small and Houston is a more international city with a very large immigrant population (Latin American, Asian, and even European). UH is often talked about as being in a bad part of town, but that tends to be an statement made out racial perceptions. It is in a largely black part of town and is largely working class, but it's not a bad neighborhood.

FYI:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Houston
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Atlanta

LRAdams7474 wrote:Currently I am considering accepting admission to either the University of Houston Law Center or Emory Law in Atlanta. I am originally from Memphis, TN and went to undergrad at Ole Miss. However, I am not a SUPER REBEL fan like many at Ole Miss; I just want a quality education and great job opportunities after school. I want to hear from students, lawyers, or professionals in Houston or Atlanta on the job prospects between the two and their reputation in and outside of the cities where they are located. As for cost, I received in-state tuition and a $45,000 scholarship at Houston and a $105,000 scholarship at Emory. That leaves me having to take out about the same to cover the rest of tuition for each school($15,000 a year each). Living expenses would be about the same. And I can see myself beginning my legal career in either Atlanta or Houston(similar climates, cost of living, bad traffic, etc). Any help, advice, or guidance would be greatly appreciated. It can be broad or specific--just whatever you feel like sharing or feel that may be important to a potential student of law in these two cities. If it matters, I am black; but I am definitely cultured and get along with anybody. I just want to be in a place that will give me a good education and job prospects, be in a place that I can afford, and be in a place that I can enjoy the last 3 years of my non-career-working life. Thanks for all comments.

P.S. PLEASE DON'T TURN THIS INTO A BATTLE OF THE CITIES WITHOUT FACTS(though the battle rants are quite amusing). I don't mind contrasting the two and telling me the differences, but please don't just be ranting about how one is better than the other without supporting facts.

This thread was a discussion of UH v. Emory v. ASU: http://top-law-schools.com/forums/viewt ... 1&t=225267

If you want BigLaw, neither are great options as UH places 15.41% in BigLaw and Emory 13.7% (Source: 2013 NLJ 250 numbers). Put another way, you will likely be the 8 or 9 people out of 10 who would not get BigLaw. Although if you did get it, Houston market is 160K and Atlanta is ~145K.

Both are relatively low COL so sub-100K salaries can go a long way, especially with lower debt levels. Houston is energy-driven so if you are interested in energy, go to Houston. Houston also has a very strong healthcare sector, if that is of interest.

downinDtown wrote:

LRAdams7474 wrote:Currently I am considering accepting admission to either the University of Houston Law Center or Emory Law in Atlanta. I am originally from Memphis, TN and went to undergrad at Ole Miss. However, I am not a SUPER REBEL fan like many at Ole Miss; I just want a quality education and great job opportunities after school. I want to hear from students, lawyers, or professionals in Houston or Atlanta on the job prospects between the two and their reputation in and outside of the cities where they are located. As for cost, I received in-state tuition and a $45,000 scholarship at Houston and a $105,000 scholarship at Emory. That leaves me having to take out about the same to cover the rest of tuition for each school($15,000 a year each). Living expenses would be about the same. And I can see myself beginning my legal career in either Atlanta or Houston(similar climates, cost of living, bad traffic, etc). Any help, advice, or guidance would be greatly appreciated. It can be broad or specific--just whatever you feel like sharing or feel that may be important to a potential student of law in these two cities. If it matters, I am black; but I am definitely cultured and get along with anybody. I just want to be in a place that will give me a good education and job prospects, be in a place that I can afford, and be in a place that I can enjoy the last 3 years of my non-career-working life. Thanks for all comments.

P.S. PLEASE DON'T TURN THIS INTO A BATTLE OF THE CITIES WITHOUT FACTS(though the battle rants are quite amusing). I don't mind contrasting the two and telling me the differences, but please don't just be ranting about how one is better than the other without supporting facts.

This thread was a discussion of UH v. Emory v. ASU: http://top-law-schools.com/forums/viewt ... 1&t=225267

If you want BigLaw, neither are great options as UH places 15.41% in BigLaw and Emory 13.7% (Source: 2013 NLJ 250 numbers). Put another way, you will likely be the 8 or 9 people out of 10 who would not get BigLaw. Although if you did get it, Houston market is 160K and Atlanta is ~145K.

Both are relatively low COL so sub-100K salaries can go a long way, especially with lower debt levels. Houston is energy-driven so if you are interested in energy, go to Houston. Houston also has a very strong healthcare sector, if that is of interest.

That wasn't me and that discussion turned into a discussion on how the poster should definitely only go to UT so it wasn't particularly helpful to me.