Top Law Schools

Just got the scholarship letter from GW which makes it even more difficult. and the deposit date is approaching. need help!!
Three schools offer some scholarships:
Emory: 135,000
Notre Dame: 105,000
GW: 105,000

Northwestern has a separate scholarship application process; still waiting for their offer.

took LSAT once, 170. I'm Chinese so guess GPA doesn't make that much of a sense. undergraduate transcript was evaluated as outstanding. three years of working experience after graduate school.

my career goal is to work in a big law firm and hopefully make the most of my background by focusing on China-US exchanges. both of my parents are teachers so financial aid matters.

my current top choice is northwestern.

pro: i know i shouldn't be that obsessive with ranking. but northwestern IS within the so-called T14 section. so, to what extent does graduating from a T14 affect chances of being hired by a big-law?
another plus point with northwestern is that Chicago seems to be vibrant with legal opportunities (I'm binge watching the good wife these days...) and as a city person, a metropolitan like Chicago does appeal to me.

con: from what i heard, Chicago is F*&king cold. and it's expensive to live there. its crime rate also makes it bit intimidating. and to make things more difficult, the school may offer the least amount of scholarship.

Emory:
pro: money. and the city seems to be very habitable, warmer weather, lower cost of living, etc.
con: lower ranking. and the political climate seems to be more conservative down there?

GW:
pro: i spent two months in DC three years ago and i absolutely love it there. and abundant career opportunities in the US capital?
con: lower ranking

notre dame:
pro: money
con: lower ranking

once again, basing my choices on the ranking is stupid. but I'm also running out of time to conduct individual case studies of each school. I'm asking for help here. any insider perspective regarding career opportunities or general aspects of living is highly welcome!!

gazillions of thanks!!!

Would wait for NU's offer. But it is going to be so much easier to get biglaw from NU than any of these other schools.

If not NU, then GW. Discard the others.

BTW, GW has some classes specifically tailored to Chinese business law, if you're interested in that sort of thing.

cecily2015 wrote:chances of being hired by a big-law

Here's a rough proxy for elite placement outcomes (Big Law and Clerking).

Spoiler alert: NU (like Columbia, Penn, and Cornell) has stronger placement power than its relative mag ranks.

Financing your education is a personal decision - so not going to speculate. But if you can swing it financially, NU is the ideal choice if you have Big Law aspirations.

TheOnePercent wrote:

cecily2015 wrote:chances of being hired by a big-law

Here's a rough proxy for elite placement outcomes (Big Law and Clerking).

Spoiler alert: NU (like Columbia, Penn, and Cornell) has stronger placement power than its relative mag ranks.

Financing your education is a personal decision - so not going to speculate. But if you can swing it financially, NU is the ideal choice if you have Big Law aspirations.

I would echo this, and personally, as someone on the NU hold list, I will gladly pay sticker to go there just because their employment outcomes are stellar.

just heard from northwestern. they offer 90,000. so NU is the school to go to? may i ask what's the downside with Emory? they do give the most money...

lawdoggy wrote:

TheOnePercent wrote:

cecily2015 wrote:chances of being hired by a big-law

Here's a rough proxy for elite placement outcomes (Big Law and Clerking).

Spoiler alert: NU (like Columbia, Penn, and Cornell) has stronger placement power than its relative mag ranks.

Financing your education is a personal decision - so not going to speculate. But if you can swing it financially, NU is the ideal choice if you have Big Law aspirations.

I would echo this, and personally, as someone on the NU hold list, I will gladly pay sticker to go there just because their employment outcomes are stellar.

well I'm an international student so chances are high that i will be kicked back to china after working for a year...

cecily2015 wrote:just heard from northwestern. they offer 90,000. so NU is the school to go to? may i ask what's the downside with Emory? they do give the most money...

Yep. That's a pretty solid offer. The down side is you are very unlikely to get biglaw from Emory.

OMG you cannot be helped.

Tell you what, take the Emory seat because I need the NU seat.

Wait, you're going back to China? Why do you care about US student loan debt?

cecily2015 wrote:just heard from northwestern. they offer 90,000. so NU is the school to go to? may i ask what's the downside with Emory? they do give the most money...

Nice. Yeah, NU at $140k (your ~total cost of attendance with scholarship factored) is not horrible in return for landing BigLaw at median. But again, that's a personal decision.

75% of Emory's class doesn't land BL or clerkship. Unless you're comfortable with that outcome, not sure why that's on the table.

Considering Emory with an offer like that from NU is bonkers.

lawdoggy wrote:Considering Emory with an offer like that from NU is bonkers.

Agreed.

If NU is undervalued (job placement relative to rankings), Emory is significantly overvalued.

TheOnePercent wrote:

lawdoggy wrote:Considering Emory with an offer like that from NU is bonkers.

Agreed.

If NU is undervalued (job placement relative to rankings), Emory is significantly overvalued.

Well yeah, look at the ATL rankings. And even those are generous to Emory, IMO.

thanks for all the wonderful advice guys! really appreciate it!!