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I am currently trying to convince my sister-in-law that no such reason exists (especially for her lofty international goals).

USNWR ranking: 107
LST employment score: 42.2%
LST "foreign employed" score: 2.8%
Tuition: $47,040

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sublime wrote:Free and want to do small law, PD/DA in the Santa Clara area.

Though this circumstance doesn't apply to my sis, would this be a defensible reason even if it did? Even if she wanted that, she'd still have less than a 50% chance of her desired career outcome. Even if "free" / tuition scholarship, there's a huge opportunity cost of 3 years of law school... not to mention COL and other more tangible costs.

I just don't want her to tank her life, basically.

Yes, if your employer is paying and you can't get into Stanford.

sublime wrote:Free and want to do small law, PD/DA in the Santa Clara area.

This. Except I would say free tuition and no loans for living expenses. Outside of that, no way.

gummy17 wrote:

sublime wrote:Free and want to do small law, PD/DA in the Santa Clara area.

Though this circumstance doesn't apply to my sis, would this be a defensible reason even if it did? Even if she wanted that, she'd still have less than a 50% chance of her desired career outcome. Even if "free" / tuition scholarship, there's a huge opportunity cost of 3 years of law school... not to mention COL and other more tangible costs.

I just don't want her to tank her life, basically.

Less than 50% chance? Based on what, LST?

I bet if someone hustled hard from day 1 and had the debt load to be able to take something relatively low paying, they would have a significantly better chance than 50%. Problem is most law students are either lazy, aspie, don't know what they're doing, or worry about stuff like grades which aren't really very important for small firm/local gov type work.

Of course that exception doesn't apply to like 99% of the kids who will attend SCU and it certainly doesn't apply to your sister. What are her international aspirations and how is a law degree going to get her there?

gummy17 wrote:

sublime wrote:Free and want to do small law, PD/DA in the Santa Clara area.

Though this circumstance doesn't apply to my sis, would this be a defensible reason even if it did? Even if she wanted that, she'd still have less than a 50% chance of her desired career outcome. Even if "free" / tuition scholarship, there's a huge opportunity cost of 3 years of law school... not to mention COL and other more tangible costs.

I just don't want her to tank her life, basically.

No, it's not even worth the loans for COL, as far as I'm concerned. It's only defensible on a full-tuition scholarship with COL covered (living at home with family, etc.) and a clear-eyed understanding of a Santa Clara JD's very limited power. And even then there's the opportunity cost of three possibly wasted years, as you mention, and the fact that having a JD, contrary to erroneous received wisdom, is a significant negative when it comes to looking for work outside of the legal field. On the one hand, you're presumed to be a flight risk; on the other, no one is dying to hire a failed lawyer.

Going to Santa Clara with "lofty international goals," as you say, is sheer madness. There's way too much data available today for anyone to make the incomprehensibly irrational decision of taking on six figures of non-dischargeable debt (and the other consequences) based merely on some dream that reality won't support. Read this short, inexpensive book and then share it with your brother if you don't want to pressure your SIL directly: http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Law-School-U ... roduct_top.

Nope

As with any school with those numbers(Ranking, LST etc) you need to basically go for free and have reasonable expectations for when you graduate.

I wouldn't recommend.

i cannot think of a single good reason to go unless you have an iron-clad guarantee of a job post-graduation
some regionals are worth it with a full-ride
santa clara isn't one of them
she may actually be less employable than when she started
the employment picture there is terrifying

1) Free or very close to it (no more than 75K debt total) with the understanding of what small law/PD/DA entails
2) You work in STEM in the area and your employer is paying.

No offense but your sister-in-law needs to get a better LSAT or rethink her dreams of prosecuting Joseph Kony because it ain't gonna happen out of SCU.

only if they pay her real cash money to attend.

If you have a tech background and can go for 1L free, do OCI, and get a job, then yes. SCU places decently for IP-inclined people.

99% of the time, it's a horrible idea to go to SCU.