Top Law Schools

160/163/162 3.27

From Oklahoma

Want to work at a small/mid sized firm. Would do big law but I know it's unlikely from these schools.

Total COA:

IUB: 45k
UIUC: 75k
SMU: 120k

I will not have any debt upon graduating

SMU makes the most sense in terms of ties to the region and I'd prefer to end up in Dallas or Oklahoma however is it worth the cost over the other two. I have absolutely no ties to eithee Illinois/Indiana

I'd probably roll with OU if you want to work in Oklahoma.

I don't want to stay in OK. I wouldn't mind coming back but I would prefer to live/work elsewhere.

Cooldude17 wrote:I don't want to stay in OK. I wouldn't mind coming back but I would prefer to live/work elsewhere.

Where do you want to live and work long term? Wherever that place is, you need to go to the local school that feeds into that region.

So if I'd rather work in Dallas than Chicago/Indy, take SMU?

Cooldude17 wrote:So if I'd rather work in Dallas than Chicago/Indy, take SMU?

If cost of attendance is all 0, then go to SMU. It is in an area you have ties to, which is better for a social life and finding jobs.

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If you would rather work in Dallas, go to SMU. But IMO, 120k is way too much. Those are good COAs for IUB and UIUC, ask SMU to get closer to that and then go there. Otherwise, you should wait and retake the LSAT

How will you have zero debt?
I wouldn't go to IUB. SMU could make sense here.

definitely not IUB or UIUC at least

Although the cost is significant, if your goal is Dallas, then SMU is the best option of the three. If you have strong connections to the area, it might be possible to break into the market from one of the other two schools, but it'd be very difficult. Go to IUB or UIUC if you wouldn't mind ending up in Indianapolis or Chicago.

Putting aside the fact that OP says zero debt at graduation* regardless of the COAs listed...

I'd say Oklahoma Law would be a no-brainer. I get that you don't want to stay in Oklahoma, but sometimes you have to suck it up and make the grown-up, practical choice. OU actually places decent in DFW. The raw numbers look small, but that's mostly a function of self-selection than the school's reach. For someone paying their own way and facing $120k in debt at graduation at SMU, I assume that figure would be way less at OU. A lot would really depend on exactly how much less, though (i.e. $120k vs. $100k then might as well do SMU; $120k vs. $50k, OU all the way).

Why Indiana or Illinois? Why apply at schools in places you have absolutely no connection to? Because you think you might want to live in Chicago?

*EDIT: Oh wait, do you mean you won't have any UNDERGRAD debt upon graduating? That would make what you wrote make more sense...

Dean Perez