SMU Forum

[Okie25]

160/162/163 3.1

Total COA: 120k, I won't have any debt

I want to live and work in North Texas. I'd like to work in a small/mid-sized firm

I've got better offers from UIUC/IUB/Iowa/Baylor but Dallas is really where I want to be. I won't have any debt upon graduating but the cost just seems too high to me. I don't really have any other career options.

[BigZuck]

Why's it too high for you? Are you paying it out of pocket yourself or is a rich benefactor doing it for you?

[rdawkins28]

In the absence of any other info, SMU sounds like a reasonable idea.

Disclosure: tiny firm lawyer in the DFW area.

[zombie mcavoy]

If you're not going to have any debt, you don't have any other real career options, you have good reason to think you would like being a practicing attorney, and you want to be in DFW/the surrounding area for a long time, I don't see any reason not to attend SMU here. Seems like a pretty legit setup to me (current UT 1L fwiw)

Even if you're gonna pay your benefactor back like 60K, you're not making a horrible investment.

[BVest]

If you want to live and work in North Texas, first forget about all the other offers you have except Baylor. Those are useless.

Next, we have no information about your offer from Baylor, but realistically, unless it's significantly better, SMU is the choice here, and SMU at COA 120k with no debt is not a bad proposition, especially for your numbers. Plus, IMO, you've outkicked your numbers this cycle, so sitting out a cycle would actually cost you money.

(Disclosure: 3L at UT who started at SMU with 130k COA which I was paying myself)

[Okie25]

My concern is that I could go to a school such as UIUC, which offers pretty similar job prospects, for half the cost, so why pay so much more for SMU. in addition both schools have about 30% of their class not getting actual jobs as lawyers, which is pretty scary. Yeah I'd rather work in Dalas but id also rather waste only 60k than 120k

[BigZuck]

Who is paying for your law school?

None of those other schools will really help you get a small firm job in Dallas. You'll likely have to hustle for those jobs which you can't really do from halfway across the country. You'd be way behind the 8 ball there. You'd probably be better off going to A&M or North Texas or even the dreaded Baylor.

[Okie25]

My parents will be paying. They are pretty comfortable paying for school but don't completly understand the fact that law school doesn't guarantee a good job. My scholly at Baylor isn't a lot better and after everything I've read about it, I really don't want to attend

[zombie mcavoy]

My concern is that I could go to a school such as UIUC, which offers pretty similar job prospects, for half the cost, so why pay so much more for SMU. in addition both schools have about 30% of their class not getting actual jobs as lawyers, which is pretty scary. Yeah I'd rather work in Dalas but id also rather waste only 60k than 120k

You can't look at the statistics of regional schools in a vacuum. Because you're a DFW native, you're more likely to be on the bright side of SMU's employment statistics. Because you have no ties to Illinois or the Midwest, generally, you're far more likely to be on the bad side of UIUC's employment statistics. Once you are not looking at biglaw, grades are not a huge consideration. Nobody is going to want some dude from Dallas who only went to UIUC to save some money, and you'll be on the outside looking in to get back to DFW because 1) why didn't you go to a texas school if you wanted to be here, and 2) you lost huge networking advantages compared to the people who did stay in Texas. The SMU grads are going to be practicing together, for decades, in the same city and referring clients to their buddies (which at the small firm level constitutes a huge percentage of the work you do), and you're out of that club now.

And again, if you have someone paying for you and you feel bad making them pay an extra 60K for you to go to SMU, either retake, or pay the extra 60K yourself. 60K debt is not a bad move at all for SMU in your situation. Don't go to Illinois unless you want to be there for a long time and can create a compelling narrative as to why. 60K is less valuable than the cumulative advantage of going to your local school, over the long run.

[BVest]

I want to live and work in North Texas. I'd like to work in a small/mid-sized firm

My concern is that I could go to a school such as UIUC, which offers pretty similar job prospects, for half the cost, so why pay so much more for SMU.

Because UIUC does not offer even remotely similar job prospects in N Texas, which is all that matters for you.

[Ladzach]

If you're not going to have any debt, you don't have any other real career options, you have good reason to think you would like being a practicing attorney, and you want to be in DFW/the surrounding area for a long time, I don't see any reason not to attend SMU here. Seems like a pretty legit setup to me (current UT 1L fwiw)

Even if you're gonna pay your benefactor back like 60K, you're not making a horrible investment.

I don't intend to be a passive asshole, but I have to ask. Why, as someone who is a 1L ( the most important year) at UT, on TLS as often as you are? I would just think that someone in your position would be a bit too busy for this.

[BVest]

I don't intend to be a passive asshole, but I have to ask. Why, as someone who is a 1L ( the most important year) at UT, on TLS as often as you are? I would just think that someone in your position would be a bit too busy for this.

You're a 0L, so you've yet to have your opportunity to learn how much free time you actually have during 1L. Especially when you're procrastinating.

[zombie mcavoy]

If you're not going to have any debt, you don't have any other real career options, you have good reason to think you would like being a practicing attorney, and you want to be in DFW/the surrounding area for a long time, I don't see any reason not to attend SMU here. Seems like a pretty legit setup to me (current UT 1L fwiw)

Even if you're gonna pay your benefactor back like 60K, you're not making a horrible investment.

I don't intend to be a passive asshole, but I have to ask. Why, as someone who is a 1L ( the most important year) at UT, on TLS as often as you are? I would just think that someone in your position would be a bit too busy for this.

Well I am not really on TLS that often, one. It takes like no time to thumb out some choosing advice, either (which is pretty much all I do), and it's something to do during class, which I find to be pretty much useless.

Also, I take it you are a 0L (a law student wouldn't ask this question b/c lol). Until you get to about this point in the semester, there is literally not enough work to keep you busy for more than 40 hours a week. Maybe if you're a really inefficient worker/reader, I guess. I am not.

[BigZuck]

If you're not going to have any debt, you don't have any other real career options, you have good reason to think you would like being a practicing attorney, and you want to be in DFW/the surrounding area for a long time, I don't see any reason not to attend SMU here. Seems like a pretty legit setup to me (current UT 1L fwiw)

Even if you're gonna pay your benefactor back like 60K, you're not making a horrible investment.

I don't intend to be a passive asshole, but I have to ask. Why, as someone who is a 1L ( the most important year) at UT, on TLS as often as you are? I would just think that someone in your position would be a bit too busy for this.

Well I am not really on TLS that often, one. It takes like no time to thumb out some choosing advice, either (which is pretty much all I do), and it's something to do during class, which I find to be pretty much useless.

Also, I take it you are a 0L (a law student wouldn't ask this question b/c lol). Until you get to about this point in the semester, there is literally not enough work to keep you busy for more than 40 hours a week. Maybe if you're a really inefficient worker/reader, I guess. I am not.

Also, it's not hard to TLS when you're riding a bus or sitting on the toilet or whatevs but it might be kind of a pain to crack open a 5 pound case book during those times

I agree though, Zom Mac should spend less time trying to give people advice and more time facebooking and buzz feeding like a self-respecting internet user.

[zombie mcavoy]

i am appalled by the number of my classmates that read buzzfeed. and that they don't even try to hide it.

[Big Red]

It seems a little impertinent to berate the people taking the time to give you advice for taking the time to give you advice

Idk where you UG'd but I'd say ~90% of people who appear to be busy all the time are in that situation because they can't do the hour or two of focused work a day that need to get done