DOJ Honors Program-- school ranking Forum

[gobosox]

I am currently torn between attending Georgetown and U Penn. I am very interested in the DOJ Honors Program, and I am wondering which school will help me land a job there more. I understand Penn has the better reputation and employment numbers, but I am wondering if being in DC will help me to get a job here more effectively because I'll be able to network better.

Input from people who actually work there or have gone through the process would be highly valued! Thank you!

[Anonymous User]

Your grades in school and your experience/commitment to government work matter much more for the Honors program than the school ranking. I know lots of people outside the t14 who got Honors gigs. That said, being able to intern in DC during the school year at GULC might be a plus. On the other hand, clerking first is rapidly becoming expected to get an Honors gig, so if Penn gives you a better shot at clerking (I have no idea if it does), then that's another consideration.

But I would really pick whichever is cheaper as either should provide you the opportunities to make yourself competitive (to the extent that that's even possible).

Also, what are you actually interested in doing in the honors program? My sense is that you will have a much better shot targeting a specific division (or divisions with overlapping kinds of missions) than just aiming for honors. Getting a gig with antitrust is very different from getting a gig with BOP which is very different from getting an immigration gig etc.

(Went through the honors program to get my current job.)

[bk1]

Moved to appropriate forum.

Reminder: the legal employment forum is not for 0Ls.