Top Law Schools

I got into Syracuse, University of Kentucky, West Virginia University, and Drexel University.

They all seem like decent schools so I am having a hard time deciding.

Help!

Retake

Where do you want to end up practicing law?

Have you toured each school? What was your impression?

Have you talked with Alumni from each school? What was your take away from the conversations?

You have a huge decision to make. The more information you have, the better prepared you will be.

What he said^ and I would heavily weigh your decision on where you want to end up working. University of Kentucky has vey impressive employment and bar passage for their rank, but would you be ok with living in Kentucky or the immediate surrounding area? The school itself is very small and not much to look at but none of that really matters.

I won't be retaking it I am happy where I got in. I am from West Virginia, actually only 2 hours away from Lexington and I am getting pretty significant money from all the schools. I know for a fact that I can get a job in West Virginia if I want one, but I am not sure that is the route I would like to go. I have been thinking that I should go away to diversify my job options. I have toured all the schools except for Drexel.

Syracuse: Had a very impressive building and faculty, though I am not sure the culture surrounding the students. Competitiveness wise. I am also getting the most money from them besides Drexel. It also seemed like they would offer me alot more opportunities.

West Virginia: Had nice facilities and was smaller. It really had a family feel to it. Offered alot of clubs, but I am not if there are as many research opportunities and the like. I have heard from many lawyers that if you are planning on practicing in WV you can't go to a better law school.

UK: Had by far the worst facilities and is the most expensive for me, 20,000 a year. They did seem like they had a good culture surrounding their staff and students, everyone seemed close. They also seemed like they would give me good opportunities.

If you are planning on practicing in WV, go to WV. If you are planning on practicing anywhere else, don't go to WV. If you are planning on practicing in WV, don't go to any of the other schools. Syracuse is not going to offer you more options in WV. It will offer you more options in upstate NY than WV or Kentucky will, but that only matters if you want to practice in upstate NY. None of these will offer you any options outside of their respective states.

So if I might practice in West Virginia, but am not sure, and already have job opportunities in the area I should go elsewhere?

rbradeyb wrote:I won't be retaking it I am happy where I got in. I am from West Virginia, actually only 2 hours away from Lexington and I am getting pretty significant money from all the schools. I know for a fact that I can get a job in West Virginia if I want one, but I am not sure that is the route I would like to go. I have been thinking that I should go away to diversify my job options. I have toured all the schools except for Drexel.

Syracuse: Had a very impressive building and faculty, though I am not sure the culture surrounding the students. Competitiveness wise. I am also getting the most money from them besides Drexel. It also seemed like they would offer me alot more opportunities.

West Virginia: Had nice facilities and was smaller. It really had a family feel to it. Offered alot of clubs, but I am not if there are as many research opportunities and the like. I have heard from many lawyers that if you are planning on practicing in WV you can't go to a better law school.

UK: Had by far the worst facilities and is the most expensive for me, 20,000 a year. They did seem like they had a good culture surrounding their staff and students, everyone seemed close. They also seemed like they would give me good opportunities.

Why is the first thing you mention the quality of the facilities? Unless you are trolling, your priorities are beyond unacceptable. The architecture/aesthetics of the building will not help your employment prospects.

Also, what do you mean diversifying your options?? These schools are regional, and bad ones at that. You need to retake the LSAT.

I mentioned everything about the law schoo

A@M_or_bust wrote:

rbradeyb wrote:I won't be retaking it I am happy where I got in. I am from West Virginia, actually only 2 hours away from Lexington and I am getting pretty significant money from all the schools. I know for a fact that I can get a job in West Virginia if I want one, but I am not sure that is the route I would like to go. I have been thinking that I should go away to diversify my job options. I have toured all the schools except for Drexel.

Syracuse: Had a very impressive building and faculty, though I am not sure the culture surrounding the students. Competitiveness wise. I am also getting the most money from them besides Drexel. It also seemed like they would offer me alot more opportunities.

West Virginia: Had nice facilities and was smaller. It really had a family feel to it. Offered alot of clubs, but I am not if there are as many research opportunities and the like. I have heard from many lawyers that if you are planning on practicing in WV you can't go to a better law school.

UK: Had by far the worst facilities and is the most expensive for me, 20,000 a year. They did seem like they had a good culture surrounding their staff and students, everyone seemed close. They also seemed like they would give me good opportunities.

Why is the first thing you mention the quality of the facilities? Unless you are trolling, your priorities are beyond unacceptable. The architecture/aesthetics of the building will not help your employment prospects.

Also, what do you mean diversifying your options?? These schools are regional, and bad ones at that. You need to retake the LSAT.

I believed I said what I meant by diversifying my options. I have jobs I can get in West Virginia. So would I be better to go to the school that is farther away. UK and WVU are fairly close and would get the same types of jobs. As for my priorities I was naming off everything I could think of. Would I be wrong to assume that a law school that has just recieved a new building is not going to recieve more investment into the programs.

rbradeyb wrote:So if I might practice in West Virginia, but am not sure, and already have job opportunities in the area I should go elsewhere?

No. Going away to a different school can hurt your chances with local employment. Going to another highly regional school without ties to the area can hurt you badly with employment.

One thing I took notice of from Syracuse is that they offer (and push) their dual degree programs. One that caught my eye is with their Maxwell School of Public Policy. This school is #1 in the nation, should this sway my decision any?

Why do you need a master's in public policy? What would you do with it?

A. Nony Mouse wrote:Why do you need a master's in public policy? What would you do with it?

I am very interested in not only politics, but International Law and you can get a joint J.D./ M.A. in International Relations from that school.

rbradeyb wrote:I mentioned everything about the law schoo

A@M_or_bust wrote:

rbradeyb wrote:I won't be retaking it I am happy where I got in. I am from West Virginia, actually only 2 hours away from Lexington and I am getting pretty significant money from all the schools. I know for a fact that I can get a job in West Virginia if I want one, but I am not sure that is the route I would like to go. I have been thinking that I should go away to diversify my job options. I have toured all the schools except for Drexel.

Syracuse: Had a very impressive building and faculty, though I am not sure the culture surrounding the students. Competitiveness wise. I am also getting the most money from them besides Drexel. It also seemed like they would offer me alot more opportunities.

West Virginia: Had nice facilities and was smaller. It really had a family feel to it. Offered alot of clubs, but I am not if there are as many research opportunities and the like. I have heard from many lawyers that if you are planning on practicing in WV you can't go to a better law school.

UK: Had by far the worst facilities and is the most expensive for me, 20,000 a year. They did seem like they had a good culture surrounding their staff and students, everyone seemed close. They also seemed like they would give me good opportunities.

Why is the first thing you mention the quality of the facilities? Unless you are trolling, your priorities are beyond unacceptable. The architecture/aesthetics of the building will not help your employment prospects.

Also, what do you mean diversifying your options?? These schools are regional, and bad ones at that. You need to retake the LSAT.

I believed I said what I meant by diversifying my options. I have jobs I can get in West Virginia. So would I be better to go to the school that is farther away. UK and WVU are fairly close and would get the same types of jobs. As for my priorities I was naming off everything I could think of. Would I be wrong to assume that a law school that has just recieved a new building is not going to recieve more investment into the programs.

Yes, you are wrong on both fronts. Going to an out-of-state, regional law school that doesn't do well in its own region is not going to do you any favors. And a new building does not mean anything with regards to improved programs in the future and in turn, employment prospects.

I highly recommend you sit out a year, retake the LSAT, and gain a better grasp of how to approach the application process and the legal field in general. As TLSers say, law school isn't going anywhere.

rbradeyb wrote:

A. Nony Mouse wrote:Why do you need a master's in public policy? What would you do with it?

I am very interested in not only politics, but International Law and you can get a joint J.D./ M.A. in International Relations from that school.

Why do you need a master's in International Relations? What would you do with it?

And what are you defining as "International Law"? What kinds of jobs are you talking about?

I'm a current student at Drexel--feel free to PM me or ask me questions in this thread. I can't say much about the other schools you are considering except that they are very regional. My numbers were 3.82/164.

I would advise you don't do this ^^^ You probably don't want any advice Manali can offer.

lymenheimer wrote:I would advise you don't do this ^^^ You probably don't want any advice Manali can offer.

I'm a current student at Drexel. I can provide better advice than anyone when it comes to Drexel. Can't speak for the other schools OP is considering.

lymenheimer wrote:I would advise you don't do this ^^^ You probably don't want any advice Manali can offer.

PLEASE LISTEN TO LYMENHEIMER

oops didn't realize the date on this. my bad