UGA (full) vs Alabama (full) Forum

[Wildcats44]

Goals: paid legal employment.

Pipe-dreams: fed clerkship >biglaw ATL > biglaw Birmingham > midlaw in atlantic coastal city > real lawyer job

Out of retakes for now, but will have ability in October.

COL difference is negligible between Athens and Tuscaloosa.

Haven't heard from: Vanderbilt. If accepted to Vanderbilt, will most likely not have $, as these offers from UGA and Alabama are generous for my numbers.

Significant ties to both Alabama and Georgia.

Assuming there is an, albeit small, increase in ATL biglaw chances from UGA over Alabama. Is there a large difference between the two in terms of employment, reputation, educational value? Or is this just a region vs. region?

Is Alabama viewed as a better school than UGA? Vice versa?

Thanks for your help

[SplitMyPants]

Dsiclaimer: 0L here

If Atlanta > Birmingham, then UGA. You'll also have a marginally better, albeit still small, chance at biglaw.

Is Alabama viewed as a better school than UGA? Vice versa?

They're both regional, so this isn't really an issue.

[rad lulz]

Dsiclaimer: 0L here

If Atlanta > Birmingham, then UGA. You'll also have a marginally better, albeit still small, chance at biglaw.

Is Alabama viewed as a better school than UGA? Vice versa?

They're both regional, so this isn't really an issue.

Pretty much this

Chose region and enjoy

[KatyMarie]

I'm extremely biased to GA, so take my advice with a lot of salt, but I would choose UGA in a heartbeat in this scenario. While it's true that you'd have to make top grades to have a chance at ATL biglaw, at least you have the proximity. Plus Athens>>Tuscaloosa every day of the week.

[arklaw13]

I'd say pick by whatever region you want to work in most. Although I will say that I'm pretty sure Birmingham is a tad easier to get from UA than Atlanta would be from UGA. UGA competes with Emory for Atlanta biglaw jobs. UA competes with Cumberland and other regional schools around for B'ham, but most of the bigger firms recruit much more heavily out of UA. B'ham biglaw firms probably fill about half their class with UA, with most of the other spots going to other southern regionals and then a couple UVA/Duke/Vandy kids.

[transferror]

I see it this way: Alabama gives you the best shot at Birmingham biglaw, and you will need outstanding (top 10%) grades at either for ATL, so the difference in ATL biglaw is insignificant. UA Law + GA ties should be enough with those grades, which you will need anyway from UGA. Either choice is defensible with your goals, but UA gives you the best shot at both markets IMO. Birmingham is more insular than ATL.

[rad lulz]

I see it this way: Alabama gives you the best shot at Birmingham biglaw, and you will need outstanding (top 10%) grades at either for ATL, so the difference in ATL biglaw is insignificant. UA Law + GA ties should be enough with those grades, which you will need anyway from UGA. Either choice is defensible with your goals, but UA gives you the best shot at both markets IMO. Birmingham is more insular than ATL.

If you don't get biglaw from either (likely), your best shot at jobs will be in Alabama from Bama and in GA from UGA. So just pick which region you'd rather have a small firm or local govt. job in

[wsparker]

I also had these options (although slightly less at UGA), and talking to many people in the Atlanta legal market, every one of them said no to Alabama, even with a full scholarship. Also, one of the benefits of UGA in Atlanta is the alumni network.

With that said, I echo what everyone else is saying. If you can get top 10% at either then you have a shot at Atlanta, if not, it comes down to if you would prefer to be in Alabama or GA.

Good luck!

[Winston1984]

How can you get full rides to these schools and expect nothing from Vandy? You have to have pretty good numbers/URM status/some kind of crazy softs going on. Either way, I think you are more competitive for a solid aid package at Vandy than you might think.

[cm2015]

Here's the head-to-head comparison on LST. Also, check the stips on your scholarship at both places, LST has 46% of bama folks losing their scholly after 1L year.

http://www.lstscorereports.com/compare/georgia/alabama/

I agree with someone else who said either choice is defensible, mainly consider whether you want to be practicing in Georgia or Alabama.

[Wildcats44]

I'm just worried that I applied too late to Vanderbilt (mid-Feb). I'm feeling good about getting in, just not about significant $.

Should I be worried about UGA's (and Emory's) employment drop this year, or could this be attributable to class interests, cyclicality? It feels like ATL biglaw was on a hiring chill.

[lawhopeful10]

I'm a 1L at UGA and finished near the top after 1st semester (we don't get ranked yet but top 5%ish if I had to guess) and I still worry about not landing a firm job in Atlanta next year at OCI. You're margin for error is slim and the legal market sucks. If you go to either Bama or UGA you need to be comfortable hustling hard for a small firm job since the odds of big law are so low. I know these are your options but if you could hold out and retake or you get good money at Vandy, if biglaw is what you want you should go somewhere else. The stress of trying to do so well here to get a job isn't worth it.