Parents Would Rather Me Go to a Low-Ranking School Forum

[twenty 8]

I easily had high enough marks to go to a T14 with a fair scholarship but instead I stayed in my hometown and opted for a free ride at a low ranking school. The result was no tuition debt or having to financially burden my parents. I ended up with a good firm and I work with a number of Ivy League colleagues who are unhappily saddled with a hefty debt obligation.

[totesTheGoat]

What about on the west coast? Would a school like USC be worth going to when it has a major competitor like UCLA in the same city (as well as Stanford and Berkley grads trickling down after graduation)?

Sure! A law degree from USC still has a fair amount of national play. However, apply to all of them! You never know when Berkeley will offer you more $$$ than USC.

[pancakes3]

Wow, I just about nailed the GPA.


OP, your sole focus should be getting your LSAT sky high, because each point increases the chances of $$$$ at T1 schools. As I posted earlier, you have the potential for 6-figures at WUSTL or NW if you want to stay close to home.

What about on the west coast? Would a school like USC be worth going to when it has a major competitor like UCLA in the same city (as well as Stanford and Berkley grads trickling down after graduation)?

Sounds like you're still holding a candle for breaking into entertainment

[RamTitan]

Wow, I just about nailed the GPA.


OP, your sole focus should be getting your LSAT sky high, because each point increases the chances of $$$$ at T1 schools. As I posted earlier, you have the potential for 6-figures at WUSTL or NW if you want to stay close to home.

What about on the west coast? Would a school like USC be worth going to when it has a major competitor like UCLA in the same city (as well as Stanford and Berkley grads trickling down after graduation)?

Sounds like you're still holding a candle for breaking into entertainment

Sounds like you're making an assumption.

I'd love to live in the west. I've always loved the western United States. But, I plan on going to the best law school I get into. If for financial reasons I can't make that happen, then the best law school that gives me the most money.

[RamTitan]

What about on the west coast? Would a school like USC be worth going to when it has a major competitor like UCLA in the same city (as well as Stanford and Berkley grads trickling down after graduation)?

Sure! A law degree from USC still has a fair amount of national play. However, apply to all of them! You never know when Berkeley will offer you more $$$ than USC.

This is super premature considering I haven't taken an official LSAT yet, but I'm thinking of applying to the following:

Yale, Harvard, Stanford (if I score a 175 or above, which I fully intend to do)
Columbia, Chicago, NYU, Penn, UVA, Duke, Cal-Berkley, Northwestern, Georgetown
UCLA, Vanderbilt, Texas

[RamTitan]

I easily had high enough marks to go to a T14 with a fair scholarship but instead I stayed in my hometown and opted for a free ride at a low ranking school. The result was no tuition debt or having to financially burden my parents. I ended up with a good firm and I work with a number of Ivy League colleagues who are unhappily saddled with a hefty debt obligation.

Interesting; do you mind me asking what city/school?

[A. Nony Mouse]

It would also be interesting to know the proportion of grads from twenty 8's school to Ivy League grads...his anecdote may actually support going to an Ivy League school if you want to work at his firm.

[totesTheGoat]

This is super premature considering I haven't taken an official LSAT yet, but I'm thinking of applying to the following:

Yale, Harvard, Stanford (if I score a 175 or above, which I fully intend to do)
Columbia, Chicago, NYU, Penn, UVA, Duke, Cal-Berkley, Northwestern, Georgetown
UCLA, Vanderbilt, Texas

I think your GPA is going to hurt you at Yale and Stanford, so unless you get a 179 or 180, it may not be worth the application. I had a lower GPA than you (3.45) and a 174 LSAT, and got into UVA and Texas with money. I didn't apply anywhere else in the T14, so I can't help you with the rest of those schools.

[foregetaboutdre]

Honestly if you score well why doesn't OP just ED NW and see if he can go there for essentially free. Not sure what #s you need though, but a 170+ LSAT should be sufficient to make you competitive. Then you can dismiss your dad's irrational argument as NW is close to St. Louie.

[RamTitan]

This is super premature considering I haven't taken an official LSAT yet, but I'm thinking of applying to the following:

Yale, Harvard, Stanford (if I score a 175 or above, which I fully intend to do)
Columbia, Chicago, NYU, Penn, UVA, Duke, Cal-Berkley, Northwestern, Georgetown
UCLA, Vanderbilt, Texas

I think your GPA is going to hurt you at Yale and Stanford, so unless you get a 179 or 180, it may not be worth the application. I had a lower GPA than you (3.45) and a 174 LSAT, and got into UVA and Texas with money. I didn't apply anywhere else in the T14, so I can't help you with the rest of those schools.

Well, thanks for the info you've provided so far! It's been truly informative. I guess we'll have to see what happens in February...I'm going to keep working towards a perfect score, but chances are if I get a 175 I won't retake it.

[RamTitan]

Honestly if you score well why doesn't OP just ED NW and see if he can go there for essentially free. Not sure what #s you need though, but a 170+ LSAT should be sufficient to make you competitive. Then you can dismiss your dad's irrational argument as NW is close to St. Louie.

Is ED binding? Would that make me have to go to Northwestern?

[pancakes3]

Honestly if you score well why doesn't OP just ED NW and see if he can go there for essentially free. Not sure what #s you need though, but a 170+ LSAT should be sufficient to make you competitive. Then you can dismiss your dad's irrational argument as NW is close to St. Louie.

Is ED binding? Would that make me have to go to Northwestern?

Yes, but ED NW also comes with an automatic 150k scholarship.

[mornincounselor]

Post removed.

[aspire2esquire]

Asked a friend from St. Louis who has worked for brand name companies in entertainment, and this is what she said:

1) St. Louis is insular, so have you tried reaching out to your friends' parents who work at Budweiser, Nestle Purina, or for the Cardinals?
2) For movies, have you looked into Allied Integrated Marketing? Publicists are selected from the interns.
3) Square just moved in, and the company is hiring.
4) Wish everything was based on qualifications only, but a better suit or haircut may turn your interview luck around.
5) If you are applying to jobs in LA/NY, all the candidates who live in the area are going to be preferred over you.
6) Review your social media accounts.
7) Have you reached out to alums in Chicago?
Did you apply to the NBC Page Program? There are also writing programs there too.

[RamTitan]

Honestly if you score well why doesn't OP just ED NW and see if he can go there for essentially free. Not sure what #s you need though, but a 170+ LSAT should be sufficient to make you competitive. Then you can dismiss your dad's irrational argument as NW is close to St. Louie.

Is ED binding? Would that make me have to go to Northwestern?

Yes, but ED NW also comes with an automatic 150k scholarship.

Definitely good to have this info. We'll see what happens in the next year in regards to an official LSAT score and if I'm able to show my parents the light, but this is an excellent option; I do know a ton of people in the Chicago area

[RamTitan]

Asked a friend from St. Louis who has worked for brand name companies in entertainment, and this is what she said:

1) St. Louis is insular, so have you tried reaching out to your friends' parents who work at Budweiser, Nestle Purina, or for the Cardinals?
2) For movies, have you looked into Allied Integrated Marketing? Publicists are selected from the interns.
3) Square just moved in, and the company is hiring.
4) Wish everything was based on qualifications only, but a better suit or haircut may turn your interview luck around.
5) If you are applying to jobs in LA/NY, all the candidates who live in the area are going to be preferred over you.
6) Review your social media accounts.
7) Have you reached out to alums in Chicago?
Did you apply to the NBC Page Program? There are also writing programs there too.

Before I address these questions I'd like to make it clear that I do have a full-time position at a digital marketing agency.

1. Your friend is definitely right in that STL is insular. A friend's mom from high school helped me get my foot in the door with the place I'm currently working. Purina and AB-InBev are tough....for marketing positions they typically prefer MBA's, but they're always on my radar.
2. Never heard of them, but their website looks awesome. Definitely doing some more research on them.
3. Square has not made the move quite yet, but yes, about 150 jobs are expected initially.
4. There is no way for me to answer this without sounding conceited, but I'm extremely good looking and have excellent suits. And actually, being good looking can make it hard to get a job - http://www.npr.org/2015/04/20/400929847 ... -to-hiring
5. Learned that one the hard way.
6. If I have privacy settings on for Facebook, and a clean Twitter and Instagram account, do I have anything to worry about?
7. I have, and had some good leads going for a while, especially with advertising and PR agencies, but I didn't make the cut, each for their own reasons.
8. I have not done this, and really not sure why I haven't.

[aspire2esquire]

Asked a friend from St. Louis who has worked for brand name companies in entertainment, and this is what she said:

1) St. Louis is insular, so have you tried reaching out to your friends' parents who work at Budweiser, Nestle Purina, or for the Cardinals?
2) For movies, have you looked into Allied Integrated Marketing? Publicists are selected from the interns.
3) Square just moved in, and the company is hiring.
4) Wish everything was based on qualifications only, but a better suit or haircut may turn your interview luck around.
5) If you are applying to jobs in LA/NY, all the candidates who live in the area are going to be preferred over you.
6) Review your social media accounts.
7) Have you reached out to alums in Chicago?
Did you apply to the NBC Page Program? There are also writing programs there too.

Before I address these questions I'd like to make it clear that I do have a full-time position at a digital marketing agency.

1. Your friend is definitely right in that STL is insular. A friend's mom from high school helped me get my foot in the door with the place I'm currently working. Purina and AB-InBev are tough....for marketing positions they typically prefer MBA's, but they're always on my radar.
2. Never heard of them, but their website looks awesome. Definitely doing some more research on them.
3. Square has not made the move quite yet, but yes, about 150 jobs are expected initially.
4. There is no way for me to answer this without sounding conceited, but I'm extremely good looking and have excellent suits. And actually, being good looking can make it hard to get a job - http://www.npr.org/2015/04/20/400929847 ... -to-hiring
5. Learned that one the hard way.
6. If I have privacy settings on for Facebook, and a clean Twitter and Instagram account, do I have anything to worry about?
7. I have, and had some good leads going for a while, especially with advertising and PR agencies, but I didn't make the cut, each for their own reasons.
8. I have not done this, and really not sure why I haven't.

The same friend wrote back:

Good to hear, but you are unhappy enough to study for the LSAT.

1.) Definitely know kids straight out of college who have jobs at Purina and Budweiser, so keep looking.
3.) Square has already started the interviewing and hiring process for St. Louis.
4.) Not about being good looking, all about being professional--never heard anybody advise somebody to get a bad haircut or ill-fitting suit.
6.) If you have less than 100 followers or no big companies follow you, then make your Twitter private and delete your "witty" summary.
8.) Hustle to network. Reach out to alums who work(ed) for NBC for informational interviews.

--

Did not read until now that you are set on law school. Good luck!

[RamTitan]

Asked a friend from St. Louis who has worked for brand name companies in entertainment, and this is what she said:

1) St. Louis is insular, so have you tried reaching out to your friends' parents who work at Budweiser, Nestle Purina, or for the Cardinals?
2) For movies, have you looked into Allied Integrated Marketing? Publicists are selected from the interns.
3) Square just moved in, and the company is hiring.
4) Wish everything was based on qualifications only, but a better suit or haircut may turn your interview luck around.
5) If you are applying to jobs in LA/NY, all the candidates who live in the area are going to be preferred over you.
6) Review your social media accounts.
7) Have you reached out to alums in Chicago?
Did you apply to the NBC Page Program? There are also writing programs there too.

Before I address these questions I'd like to make it clear that I do have a full-time position at a digital marketing agency.

1. Your friend is definitely right in that STL is insular. A friend's mom from high school helped me get my foot in the door with the place I'm currently working. Purina and AB-InBev are tough....for marketing positions they typically prefer MBA's, but they're always on my radar.
2. Never heard of them, but their website looks awesome. Definitely doing some more research on them.
3. Square has not made the move quite yet, but yes, about 150 jobs are expected initially.
4. There is no way for me to answer this without sounding conceited, but I'm extremely good looking and have excellent suits. And actually, being good looking can make it hard to get a job - http://www.npr.org/2015/04/20/400929847 ... -to-hiring
5. Learned that one the hard way.
6. If I have privacy settings on for Facebook, and a clean Twitter and Instagram account, do I have anything to worry about?
7. I have, and had some good leads going for a while, especially with advertising and PR agencies, but I didn't make the cut, each for their own reasons.
8. I have not done this, and really not sure why I haven't.

The same friend wrote back:

Good to hear, but you are unhappy enough to study for the LSAT.

1.) Definitely know kids straight out of college who have jobs at Purina and Budweiser, so keep looking.
3.) Square has already started the interviewing and hiring process for St. Louis.
4.) Not about being good looking, all about being professional--never heard anybody advise somebody to get a bad haircut or ill-fitting suit.
6.) If you have less than 100 followers or no big companies follow you, then make your Twitter private and delete your "witty" summary.
8.) Hustle to network. Reach out to alums who work(ed) for NBC for informational interviews.

--

Did not read until now that you are set on law school. Good luck!

1. What kind of jobs though? I'm sure for IT and other technical areas that's true, but I don't have many hard skills (part of the reason why I took the digital job so I can get some). I regularly check the career centers of these companies, and a lot of the jobs in the areas I'm qualified for (PR, Marketing) typically ask for 4-6 years of experience and advanced analytical knowledge (my biggest shortcoming).
3. I'll look into that as well. Edit - just applied for a job with them
4. Trust me, I'm professional. Like I said, I do have a job, and I don't think how I presented myself was ever the issue...lack of hard skills definitley was (I was an English major...granted I had 5 internships, but those only reinforced my soft skills).
6. That's good advice.
8. Good advice which I followed and continue to follow.

And yes, I am dead set on law school.

[aspire2esquire]

Asked a friend from St. Louis who has worked for brand name companies in entertainment, and this is what she said:

1) St. Louis is insular, so have you tried reaching out to your friends' parents who work at Budweiser, Nestle Purina, or for the Cardinals?
2) For movies, have you looked into Allied Integrated Marketing? Publicists are selected from the interns.
3) Square just moved in, and the company is hiring.
4) Wish everything was based on qualifications only, but a better suit or haircut may turn your interview luck around.
5) If you are applying to jobs in LA/NY, all the candidates who live in the area are going to be preferred over you.
6) Review your social media accounts.
7) Have you reached out to alums in Chicago?
Did you apply to the NBC Page Program? There are also writing programs there too.

Before I address these questions I'd like to make it clear that I do have a full-time position at a digital marketing agency.

1. Your friend is definitely right in that STL is insular. A friend's mom from high school helped me get my foot in the door with the place I'm currently working. Purina and AB-InBev are tough....for marketing positions they typically prefer MBA's, but they're always on my radar.
2. Never heard of them, but their website looks awesome. Definitely doing some more research on them.
3. Square has not made the move quite yet, but yes, about 150 jobs are expected initially.
4. There is no way for me to answer this without sounding conceited, but I'm extremely good looking and have excellent suits. And actually, being good looking can make it hard to get a job - http://www.npr.org/2015/04/20/400929847 ... -to-hiring
5. Learned that one the hard way.
6. If I have privacy settings on for Facebook, and a clean Twitter and Instagram account, do I have anything to worry about?
7. I have, and had some good leads going for a while, especially with advertising and PR agencies, but I didn't make the cut, each for their own reasons.
8. I have not done this, and really not sure why I haven't.

The same friend wrote back:

Good to hear, but you are unhappy enough to study for the LSAT.

1.) Definitely know kids straight out of college who have jobs at Purina and Budweiser, so keep looking.
3.) Square has already started the interviewing and hiring process for St. Louis.
4.) Not about being good looking, all about being professional--never heard anybody advise somebody to get a bad haircut or ill-fitting suit.
6.) If you have less than 100 followers or no big companies follow you, then make your Twitter private and delete your "witty" summary.
8.) Hustle to network. Reach out to alums who work(ed) for NBC for informational interviews.

--

Did not read until now that you are set on law school. Good luck!

1. What kind of jobs though? I'm sure for IT and other technical areas that's true, but I don't have many hard skills (part of the reason why I took the digital job so I can get some). I regularly check the career centers of these companies, and a lot of the jobs in the areas I'm qualified for (PR, Marketing) typically ask for 4-6 years of experience and advanced analytical knowledge (my biggest shortcoming).
3. I'll look into that as well. Edit - just applied for a job with them
4. Trust me, I'm professional. Like I said, I do have a job, and I don't think how I presented myself was ever the issue...lack of hard skills definitley was (I was an English major...granted I had 5 internships, but those only reinforced my soft skills).
6. That's good advice.
8. Good advice which I followed and continue to follow.

And yes, I am dead set on law school.

Hopefully this game of telephone ends soon:

1.) Marketing jobs, not CS/engineering majors.
4.) Take a class.

[RamTitan]

Asked a friend from St. Louis who has worked for brand name companies in entertainment, and this is what she said:

1) St. Louis is insular, so have you tried reaching out to your friends' parents who work at Budweiser, Nestle Purina, or for the Cardinals?
2) For movies, have you looked into Allied Integrated Marketing? Publicists are selected from the interns.
3) Square just moved in, and the company is hiring.
4) Wish everything was based on qualifications only, but a better suit or haircut may turn your interview luck around.
5) If you are applying to jobs in LA/NY, all the candidates who live in the area are going to be preferred over you.
6) Review your social media accounts.
7) Have you reached out to alums in Chicago?
Did you apply to the NBC Page Program? There are also writing programs there too.

Before I address these questions I'd like to make it clear that I do have a full-time position at a digital marketing agency.

1. Your friend is definitely right in that STL is insular. A friend's mom from high school helped me get my foot in the door with the place I'm currently working. Purina and AB-InBev are tough....for marketing positions they typically prefer MBA's, but they're always on my radar.
2. Never heard of them, but their website looks awesome. Definitely doing some more research on them.
3. Square has not made the move quite yet, but yes, about 150 jobs are expected initially.
4. There is no way for me to answer this without sounding conceited, but I'm extremely good looking and have excellent suits. And actually, being good looking can make it hard to get a job - http://www.npr.org/2015/04/20/400929847 ... -to-hiring
5. Learned that one the hard way.
6. If I have privacy settings on for Facebook, and a clean Twitter and Instagram account, do I have anything to worry about?
7. I have, and had some good leads going for a while, especially with advertising and PR agencies, but I didn't make the cut, each for their own reasons.
8. I have not done this, and really not sure why I haven't.

The same friend wrote back:

Good to hear, but you are unhappy enough to study for the LSAT.

1.) Definitely know kids straight out of college who have jobs at Purina and Budweiser, so keep looking.
3.) Square has already started the interviewing and hiring process for St. Louis.
4.) Not about being good looking, all about being professional--never heard anybody advise somebody to get a bad haircut or ill-fitting suit.
6.) If you have less than 100 followers or no big companies follow you, then make your Twitter private and delete your "witty" summary.
8.) Hustle to network. Reach out to alums who work(ed) for NBC for informational interviews.

--

Did not read until now that you are set on law school. Good luck!

1. What kind of jobs though? I'm sure for IT and other technical areas that's true, but I don't have many hard skills (part of the reason why I took the digital job so I can get some). I regularly check the career centers of these companies, and a lot of the jobs in the areas I'm qualified for (PR, Marketing) typically ask for 4-6 years of experience and advanced analytical knowledge (my biggest shortcoming).
3. I'll look into that as well. Edit - just applied for a job with them
4. Trust me, I'm professional. Like I said, I do have a job, and I don't think how I presented myself was ever the issue...lack of hard skills definitley was (I was an English major...granted I had 5 internships, but those only reinforced my soft skills).
6. That's good advice.
8. Good advice which I followed and continue to follow.

And yes, I am dead set on law school.

Hopefully this game of telephone ends soon:

1.) Marketing jobs, not CS/engineering majors.
4.) Take a class.

Okay, I'll keep my eye out for those jobs.

By class, do you mean a class developing hard skills? Like I said, I do have a full-time digital marketing job which is addressing those deficiencies (certified in Google AdWords and Google Analytics). Or do you mean a class on professionalism? If that's the case, I'm curious as to why you continue to think I'm unprofessional. I can assure you that is the not the case.

Thanks for your input though; it's definitely appreciated.