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Depends on the in-state school, I'll assume you're talking about UGA and Georgia State. I don't think there's a right or wrong answer here (except don't go to Georgia State).

Emory is not drastically better (or more portable) than UGA. Personally I would pay 50k more for the slightly better employment prospects and portability, but that's a personal preference.

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What is your GPA? What is your LSAT score?

hopelessapplicant wrote:I should have been more specific, by in state, I meant the state I currently live in. Not Georgia. I live in a southern state with a very small legal market. I unfortunately did not apply to UGA, I jusy recently realized how competive it is within Atlanta. Would Emory be better for places outside of GA? I should have included that I have also applied to Houston (Accepted, no aid info yet) & Baylor & SMU are still pending.

It will depend on which Southern state you are talking about. Some State Flagships are great options with a full-ride, while others aren't as strong. It really depends on which schools you are talking about.

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CoffeeIsLife wrote:

hopelessapplicant wrote:I should have been more specific, by in state, I meant the state I currently live in. Not Georgia. I live in a southern state with a very small legal market. I unfortunately did not apply to UGA, I jusy recently realized how competive it is within Atlanta. Would Emory be better for places outside of GA? I should have included that I have also applied to Houston (Accepted, no aid info yet) & Baylor & SMU are still pending.

It will depend on which Southern state you are talking about. Some State Flagships are great options with a full-ride, while others aren't as strong. It really depends on which schools you are talking about.

Frankly, I can't think of any state school in the South that is going to give you any geographic flexibility whatsoever. I guess Alabama would be the closest, but I would definitely pay 50K and do Emory as opposed to doing any southern state school for free unless you are sure you are okay with staying in whatever state it is. If you can get Vandy at a reasonable price, that would be better, but I think 50K for Emory is a good bet given where you say you want to end up working. Best of luck.

LET'S GET IT wrote:

CoffeeIsLife wrote:

hopelessapplicant wrote:I should have been more specific, by in state, I meant the state I currently live in. Not Georgia. I live in a southern state with a very small legal market. I unfortunately did not apply to UGA, I jusy recently realized how competive it is within Atlanta. Would Emory be better for places outside of GA? I should have included that I have also applied to Houston (Accepted, no aid info yet) & Baylor & SMU are still pending.

It will depend on which Southern state you are talking about. Some State Flagships are great options with a full-ride, while others aren't as strong. It really depends on which schools you are talking about.

Frankly, I can't think of any state school in the South that is going to give you any geographic flexibility whatsoever. I guess Alabama would be the closest, but I would definitely pay 50K and do Emory as opposed to doing any southern state school for free unless you are sure you are okay with staying in whatever state it is. If you can get Vandy at a reasonable price, that would be better, but I think 50K for Emory is a good bet given where you say you want to end up working. Best of luck.

I agree. When you're looking at lower ranked/less prestigious schools, you need to be ok with practicing in the state (and sometimes the metropolitan area) where the school is.

You should just say the school you're talking about so people can adequately respond.

Where do you want to practice?

And why is retaking impossible? I can't think of any situation where that's the case.

romothesavior wrote:You should just say the school you're talking about so people can adequately respond.

Where do you want to practice?

And why is retaking impossible? I can't think of any situation where that's the case.

I'm not saying it is impossible, It is very impractical. I was just saying that I would like any advice on my current situation without retaking, in case I do make the decision not to (right or wrong) so that I can make a more informed decision

I go to UGA undergrad and I get the impression that UGA has sufficiently strong placement in Atlanta.

Application deadline for UGA scholarship consideration is Feb 2, I believe? You may want to double check me on that and then throw together a UGA app. They love out-of-state students.They may give a fee waiver if you call and ask.

Otherwise I wish you would just tell us the in-state school. If it is Alabama, FSU, or UF I think they do well in Atlanta too. Otherwise I'm not sure one way or the other.

Good Luck.

pto1993 wrote:I go to UGA undergrad and I get the impression that UGA has sufficiently strong placement in Atlanta.

Application deadline for UGA scholarship consideration is Feb 2, I believe? You may want to double check me on that and then throw together a UGA app. They love out-of-state students.They may give a fee waiver if you call and ask.

Otherwise I wish you would just tell us the in-state school. If it is Alabama, FSU, or UF I think they do well in Atlanta too. Otherwise I'm not sure one way or the other.

Good Luck.

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"The south" isn't some monolithic region. State flagship schools are pretty good at placing in that state and usually only that state. You need to give up on the geographic flexibility dream if you refuse to retake.

BigZuck wrote:"The south" isn't some monolithic region. State flagship schools are pretty good at placing in that state and usually only that state. You need to give up on the geographic flexibility dream if you refuse to retake.

Not necessarily that I would be able to practice in any, but I meant I would be comfortable in these areas, or basically I wouldn't like to practice outside of this area.

hopelessapplicant wrote:

pto1993 wrote:I go to UGA undergrad and I get the impression that UGA has sufficiently strong placement in Atlanta.

Application deadline for UGA scholarship consideration is Feb 2, I believe? You may want to double check me on that and then throw together a UGA app. They love out-of-state students.They may give a fee waiver if you call and ask.

Otherwise I wish you would just tell us the in-state school. If it is Alabama, FSU, or UF I think they do well in Atlanta too. Otherwise I'm not sure one way or the other.

Good Luck.

Thanks for the advice on UGA, how does it place outside of Georgia, this is my only apprehension between UGA VS. Emory. I was apprehensive to put the state because I wanted to focus on the full tuition part, but I realize it's necessary to help, so the state is Arkansas

That I don't know how to answer. Probably not very well outside of the Southeast. But then again I can't think of many southeastern legal markets besides Atlanta either.

hopelessapplicant wrote:

pto1993 wrote:I go to UGA undergrad and I get the impression that UGA has sufficiently strong placement in Atlanta.

Application deadline for UGA scholarship consideration is Feb 2, I believe? You may want to double check me on that and then throw together a UGA app. They love out-of-state students.They may give a fee waiver if you call and ask.

Otherwise I wish you would just tell us the in-state school. If it is Alabama, FSU, or UF I think they do well in Atlanta too. Otherwise I'm not sure one way or the other.

Good Luck.

Thanks for the advice on UGA vs Emory

hopelessapplicant wrote:

BigZuck wrote:"The south" isn't some monolithic region. State flagship schools are pretty good at placing in that state and usually only that state. You need to give up on the geographic flexibility dream if you refuse to retake.

Not necessarily that I would be able to practice in any, but I meant I would be comfortable in these areas, or basically I wouldn't like to practice outside of this area.

With your numbers, you have to choose a state and hope

Just go to the state flagship in the state that you're from. Or better yet, retake and then reassess.

BigZuck wrote:"The south" isn't some monolithic region. State flagship schools are pretty good at placing in that state and usually only that state. You need to give up on the geographic flexibility dream if you refuse to retake.

Agreed. Though it also depends to some degree on the school, which OP for whatever reason refuses to say.

Assuming it's a school like, say, Ole Miss, Alabama, LSU, etc., geographic portability will be pretty limited.

Thanks everyone for the helpful advice!

Geographic flexibility is tough to come by. New York biglaw is very willing to take top candidates with no New York ties. But pretty much everyone else prefers ties. Ties matter to biglaw firms because they give an indication that you'll be invested in the area enough to hopefully stay until you're a profitable midlevel or senior associate. Ties matter to smaller firms because they want you to start developing business earlier in your career, and its much easier to do that if you have a large network of friends and family.

Ex 1:If you are from Mississippi and you attend Emory (or UGA, UNC, South Carolina, etc.), you are going to have a hard time finding work in Nashville or Richmond.

Ex 2: If you are from Arkansas and you go to the USC you will obviously have a chance at getting jobs in South Carolina, but students who are from South Carolina will have a leg up on you.

You're a URM with a 3.9 and you refuse to retake? You realize with like a low-mid 160s we're talking CCN w/ big $$$ or Harvard, right?

I'm from Arkansas, but relocated to Texas for college/law school/work. If you want to practice in Arkansas, go to school there. The attorneys I know in Arkansas went to UofA or UALR. I don't any Arkansas grads practicing in Texas, and I suspect the same applies to other states. Of course, Arkansas is a small market, and you won't be doing biglaw, but Fayetteville is awesome, LR is decent, and the small town attorneys I know do very well for themselves--especially considering the cost of living.

Ron Don Volante wrote:You're a URM with a 3.9 and you refuse to retake? You realize with like a low-mid 160s we're talking CCN w/ big $$$ or Harvard, right?

You're going to keep getting this Q until you explain why it's impractical. Because I've seen people come on here saying that it's "impossible" and what they really mean is "I took it once and it was really hard and stuff and I don't want to do it again."

Emory for $50k is not a terrible situation.

Still, a few more multiple choice questions and you could get Harvard, Duke, or Virginia. Think it through dude...

Ron Don Volante wrote:You're a URM with a 3.9 and you refuse to retake? You realize with like a low-mid 160s we're talking CCN w/ big $$$ or Harvard, right?

This.

Killer GPA + URM + Good LSAT = T14 for free, Maybe Harvard/Yale/Stanford. Refusing to retake is passing up on the opportunity of a lifetime.