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Hello all, I am writing this post as I am having a hard time choosing between Pitt Law and Duquesne Law. Both of these schools have offered full tuition scholarships, so COA is not an issue here. I realize that both of these degrees are held about equally in Pittsburgh and do not really travel outside of the Pittsburgh region. Any helpful advice for choosing one over the other (currently a Duquesne undergrad)?

Pitt is decisively better than Duquesne in the Pittsburgh market, particularly with the major firms (Reed Smith, K&L Gates, Cohen, Buchanan, etc . . .). I think Pittsburgh is the easy choice here.

cheaptilts wrote:Pitt is decisively better than Duquesne in the Pittsburgh market. I think Pittsburgh is the easy choice here.

Not really.
http://www.lstscorereports.com/compare/pitt/duquesne/

reasonableperson wrote:

cheaptilts wrote:Pitt is decisively better than Duquesne in the Pittsburgh market. I think Pittsburgh is the easy choice here.

Not really.
http://www.lstscorereports.com/compare/pitt/duquesne/

Hm. That wasn't my impression while summering in the Pitt market and talking to partners/associates/other summers, but ymmv

For what it's worth, there are 60 DU lawyers vs. 92 UP lawyers @ RS ; 38 DU to 58 UP at K&L . . . then again, the market is much bigger than those two firms.

Pitt if you're deadset on pittsburgh, but you're honestly better off going to a T14 then returning to the pittsburgh market if pittsburgh biglaw is your goal.

FSK wrote:Pitt if you're deadset on pittsburgh, but you're honestly better off going to a T14 then returning to the pittsburgh market if pittsburgh biglaw is your goal.

Thanks for the response. Naturally that would be my goal, but I'm concerned about the debt that I would incur by going to a more prestigious school at the sticker price versus little to no debt at Pitt, Duquesne, or Penn State. I'm currently waiting to hear back from Notre Dame (which I know isn't quite T14), but with my numbers (160, 3.76) it might be about as high as close as I could get to T14 while still paying the sticker.

Definitely don't go to either if big law is the goal and definitely retake the LSAT

I've never heard of Duquesne and I'm guessing that Pitt is closer to a strong regional but if you figure out which is better (via Law school transparency, etc.) then that school would probably fine if it's cheap and you have modest career aspirations (small firm, local government, things like that)

PetersonL wrote:

FSK wrote:Pitt if you're deadset on pittsburgh, but you're honestly better off going to a T14 then returning to the pittsburgh market if pittsburgh biglaw is your goal.

Thanks for the response. Naturally that would be my goal, but I'm concerned about the debt that I would incur by going to a more prestigious school at the sticker price versus little to no debt at Pitt, Duquesne, or Penn State. I'm currently waiting to hear back from Notre Dame (which I know isn't quite T14), but with my numbers (160, 3.76) it might be about as high as close as I could get to T14 while still paying the sticker.

1. Retake
2. Assuming PAYE still exists, I wouldn't worry about it.
3. Retake.

PetersonL wrote:

FSK wrote:Pitt if you're deadset on pittsburgh, but you're honestly better off going to a T14 then returning to the pittsburgh market if pittsburgh biglaw is your goal.

Thanks for the response. Naturally that would be my goal, but I'm concerned about the debt that I would incur by going to a more prestigious school at the sticker price versus little to no debt at Pitt, Duquesne, or Penn State. I'm currently waiting to hear back from Notre Dame (which I know isn't quite T14), but with my numbers (160, 3.76) it might be about as high as close as I could get to T14 while still paying the sticker.

OP, you have a 3.76?! You should retake.

You have a pretty good LSAT already, so you've clearly shown that you have a very good baseline and/or aptitude for learning how to take the LSAT. With 5-8 more questions right, you could be looking at some very good money at the lower t-14 with a very strong chance at getting biglaw. I wouldn't/couldn't blame you for not retaking, but I think going to law school without retaking the LSAT would be a mistake in your situation.

http://mylsn.info/7bojd2/

I would not--under any circumstances--go to Notre Dame thinking that it will carry you all the way back to Pittsburgh.

FSK wrote:

PetersonL wrote:

FSK wrote:Pitt if you're deadset on pittsburgh, but you're honestly better off going to a T14 then returning to the pittsburgh market if pittsburgh biglaw is your goal.

Thanks for the response. Naturally that would be my goal, but I'm concerned about the debt that I would incur by going to a more prestigious school at the sticker price versus little to no debt at Pitt, Duquesne, or Penn State. I'm currently waiting to hear back from Notre Dame (which I know isn't quite T14), but with my numbers (160, 3.76) it might be about as high as close as I could get to T14 while still paying the sticker.

1. Retake
2. Assuming PAYE still exists, I wouldn't worry about it.
3. Retake.

C'mon, no. Let's not advise this.

cheaptilts wrote:

FSK wrote:

PetersonL wrote:

FSK wrote:Pitt if you're deadset on pittsburgh, but you're honestly better off going to a T14 then returning to the pittsburgh market if pittsburgh biglaw is your goal.

Thanks for the response. Naturally that would be my goal, but I'm concerned about the debt that I would incur by going to a more prestigious school at the sticker price versus little to no debt at Pitt, Duquesne, or Penn State. I'm currently waiting to hear back from Notre Dame (which I know isn't quite T14), but with my numbers (160, 3.76) it might be about as high as close as I could get to T14 while still paying the sticker.

1. Retake
2. Assuming PAYE still exists, I wouldn't worry about it.
3. Retake.

C'mon, no. Let's not advise this.

I still think T6 is worth sticker to some people, but you have to know if you're that kind of person. But yeah, that position is too agressive.

Aside from the possibility of retaking and applying to T14 schools-- which is a realistic possibility at this point, I just want to know more general opinions about the Pitt/Duquesne decision for the time being. Any more insight on that?

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... e#p8467042

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... e#p7542283

Good luck, OP! Hope you really do decide to retake but best of luck in any event

PetersonL wrote:Aside from the possibility of retaking and applying to T14 schools-- which is a realistic possibility at this point, I just want to know more general opinions about the Pitt/Duquesne decision for the time being. Any more insight on that?

Pittsburgh native here. I went to a T14 and am returning to the city. I know some students at Pitt and Duquesne though, so I am familiar with their job outcomes in Pittsburgh. 1) Are you from Pittsburgh or a surrounding area? If not, going to Pitt/Duq might not be enough to convince firms of your ties to the region--I was asked about my ties in every single interview. 2) As far as I know, 80% of the class at Pitt does not even qualify for OCI--so if you do not end up in the top 20% of your class, the odds are very much stacked against you, particularly for the large firms; I assume Duquesne's threshold is similar, but I don't know the exact number. 3) Although there are a ton of Pitt and Duq lawyers at the firms in Pittsburgh, remember that a lot of them have been there for a decade or more and entered into a very different legal market than today.

I know it sucks to put things off, but I would echo the advice above and retake the LSAT. You can get a full ride or close to it at a T14, and then you will have a much easier time getting to Pittsburgh.