Top Law Schools

Hi all!

I'm a December 2013 PSU grad living in the Philadelphia area. I am definitely going to law school in fall 2014. I'm seriously considering PSU, Villanova, Drexel, and Rutgers-Camden. I've been waitlisted at UPenn and preferred waitlisted at Georgetown. I would obviously go to one of those schools if I got in, but I'm assuming I won't.

I want to work in the Philadelphia area (if I could work in NY or DC that would be great but let's be honest, that probably won't happen). Wherever I go, I do NOT want to go the biglaw route. Unless I become extremely jaded after 3 years of law school, I'm not changing my mind about biglaw. I'm liberal and I know I wouldn't fit in at a big corporate firm.

That said, my ideal career is PI (not sure what type yet). That's followed closely by working in a DA's office, preferably the Philadelphia DA. But I'm flexible and willing work in a suburban DA's office. If neither of those options are feasible, I'm also interested in labor/employment (employee side) or family law.

Of the schools I visited, I had a gut feeling that I would fit in best at Villanova. But I just received a nice scholarship from Rutgers-Camden and of the schools I've gotten into, it has the best employment prospects. In short, I'm very confused.

I would not have to pay COL at Drexel or Villanova. Both are close enough that I could commute and live at home with my mom (as pathetic as that sounds). But I'm willing to sacrifice my dignity to save money haha. If I go to Rutgers-Camden it's feasible (although not particularly easy) to commute. But on-campus housing might be better so I can get NJ in-state tuition. I'd be living in my old undergrad apartment if I went to PSU.

Tuition breakdown:

PSU: $16,000/year, plus $6,000/year COL, good standing scholarship stip
Drexel: $13,000/year, no COL, good standing scholarship stip
Villanova: $24,000/year, no COL, good standing scholarship stip
Rutgers Camden: $24,000/year, plus possible COL. If I acquire NJ residency, I'd be paying $12,000/year plus COL. Top 60% (3.1 GPA) scholarship stip.

Where should I go to law school, considering my geographic and employment preferences?

Thank you for any and all advice

stats?

Also, do total COA for all 3 years using a loan calculator.

Stats are 155 and 3.95. I know you'll all say retake.

Why wouldn't you retake?

ConLawNerd91 wrote:Stats are 155 and 3.95. I know you'll all say retake.

Waitlisted at Penn with a 155 is impressive/confusing...

ConLawNerd91 wrote:Stats are 155 and 3.95. I know you'll all say retake.

That GPA
For the pete's sake retake that damn test!!! You should be ashamed of yourself if you don't

ConLawNerd91 wrote:Stats are 155 and 3.95. I know you'll all say retake.

lol yup. hate to do it but retake is really the only right answer here.

ConLawNerd91 wrote:Stats are 155 and 3.95. I know you'll all say retake.

I only lurk this subforum and I'm a relatively new user, so when I say this I mean it: for the love of god, retake. You could easily get into the T-14 with a better score, and if it's good enough you'd be looking at some pretty nice scholarship offers.

ConLawNerd91 wrote:Stats are 155 and 3.95. I know you'll all say retake.

I would do terrible, horrible things to have that GPA.

At least re-take in June -- you'll have a better shot at Penn/GULC off the waitlists if your score goes up, and it won't hurt you if it doesn't.

Why not Temple, OP?

Mauve.Dino wrote:Why not Temple, OP?

I was waitlisted and withdrew because they have basically the same employment stats as Villanova.

deuceindc wrote:

ConLawNerd91 wrote:Stats are 155 and 3.95. I know you'll all say retake.

I would do terrible, horrible things to have that GPA.

At least re-take in June -- you'll have a better shot at Penn/GULC off the waitlists if your score goes up, and it won't hurt you if it doesn't.

You're right, I just registered for June. But do you really think they'll still be accepting people off the waitlist by the time June scores come out?

ConLawNerd91 wrote:

deuceindc wrote:

ConLawNerd91 wrote:Stats are 155 and 3.95. I know you'll all say retake.

I would do terrible, horrible things to have that GPA.

At least re-take in June -- you'll have a better shot at Penn/GULC off the waitlists if your score goes up, and it won't hurt you if it doesn't.

You're right, I just registered for June. But do you really think they'll still be accepting people off the waitlist by the time June scores come out?

If you score better on June you will be much better off reapplying in September ( at least so you get a full scholarship at your options). If you really want Phillly, you ought to apply to Temple as well.

Why is being "liberal" inconsistent with working in biglaw? Assuming you mean you are liberal wherein you are not fiscally liberal (like a libertarian is). Successful private practice attorneys are not marxists, sure, but it's a profession that skews left in general. It's not like you wouldn't fit in at a personal level, and if you're doing transactional work or the like, it's not like you exist to screw over the little guy.

Also, retake or don't go.

ConLawNerd91 wrote: You're right, I just registered for June. But do you really think they'll still be accepting people off the waitlist by the time June scores come out?

Going WL -> Admit depends entirely on 1) who leaves the existing Admit pool and 2) how far down the WL your name is. You can't control 1), but you can improve 2) with a better LSAT score. It's far from a guarantee, but the upside is huge.

And yes, schools usually take a handful of people over the summer (exactly when depends on deposit deadlines) and then a few more around the time classes start.

Will_McAvoy wrote:Why is being "liberal" inconsistent with working in biglaw? Assuming you mean you are liberal wherein you are not fiscally liberal (like a libertarian is). Successful private practice attorneys are not marxists, sure, but it's a profession that skews left in general. It's not like you wouldn't fit in at a personal level, and if you're doing transactional work or the like, it's not like you exist to screw over the little guy.

Also, retake or don't go.

This. Most firms (at least in the NE) are overwhelmingly on the progressive side of the spectrum in word if not deed.