University of Washington v. UMich/GULC/Cornell Forum

[jwwoodma]

Hi all! I was accepted into the UW last year, but opted not to go so I could improve my LSAT and potentially get into a better school. I've been accepted into the T14 and am in the same boat as everyone else in waiting for scholarship offers.

Last cycle, I got a half scholarship from UW + a 9k state grant. I have a better LSAT and GPA, and I intend to apply for one of their Diversity Scholarships this year which would be almost too lucrative to pass up. As someone who is and wants to continue living in Seattle, I'm torn between the better ranked, but more expensive schools and the UW's instate tuition. I want to go into BigLaw, but I anticipate staying in Seattle to do so.

Would a lower ranked T14 improve my chances in the Seattle job market more than the local university? Would Seattle's payscale even justify the loans needed to attend the T14 without significant scholarships?

[xael]

There are not many jobs in Seattle. You would have to be top quarter (at the least, probably closer to top 15%) to be competitive for biglaw, and if you strike out, you are boned.

TBH, it's probably just as difficult to get a job in Seattle coming from UW and, say, top quarter, and being median at the lower T14. The difference, however, is that if you don't get biglaw in Seattle from UW, you are out of luck, but if you don't get it from the lower t14, you can also bid NYC and are much less likely to strike out there. A full ride though is hard to pass up, but know that--especially if you've spent your whole life on the west coast--going to UW (if you've never lived on the east coast) could virtually preclude you from getting a job in NYC. NYC doesn't care about ties...until they see a resume of someone whose zip code has always started with a 9.

What are your numbers?

PM me for more if you want to talk about it.

[Glasseyes]

You probably have to weigh whether you care more about the city or the type of job you get. If you could deal with small firm or local government work so long as it's in Seattle, UW might be worthwhile if you can go for little expense. Sticker at a T14 won't be worth it either way, but if you get a substantial amount of money, it's a harder call. For what it's worth, Seattle firms like Perkins Coie and Davis Wright Tremaine do participate in east coast T14 OCI's, but hardly any others do (at least at my school). I think whichever path you choose you'll need to be somewhat flexible regarding your ultimate location (T14) or type of job/salary level (UW).

One last note: people often mistake T14 employment scores with the idea that the degree is truly location flexible. Sure, any T14 can land you biglaw, but if your grades aren't high enough or you don't have ties to the desired market, it can be difficult to land anything besides NY.

[californiauser]

T14 at sticker should be out of the question. IMO, it comes down to your priorities.

If you want Seattle big law > any (might as well assume NYC) big law > any Seattle job, then T14 w/ a scholly makes sense. If your preferences are Seattle big law > any Seattle job > anywhere else, then I'd go to UW with a big scholarship.

[krads153]

Also it seems to be a lot easier lateraling to Seattle than it is to start there. A fair number of people at my NYC firm lateraled there in recent years (usually with some ties, which you have). If you're okay starting elsewhere then lateraling to Seattle, then T-14 with a scholarship may be worth it. NO school is worth sticker price though (not even Yale). (If your parents are rich and willing to fund - then whatever, but I assume that's not the case.)

[hangingtree]

You seem to have the prima facie case for choosing strong regional with $$$ over T14 sticker. But you still need to cover all of your bases. There's a (much?) greater risk of not acquiring gainful employment from UW. How much would a shitlaw job bother you? How much, if at all, would you prefer biglaw non-Seattle over non-biglaw Seattle? How much happier would you be going to school at UW over these other schools? To what extent does prestige matter to you? We have a prestige-obsessed profession, so how much will it bother you (and future you) that you only attended UW?

That is probably totally unhelpful and basically just an iteration of everything you gather from reading TLS. But that is what my thought process would be if I were you. Good luck!