Notre Dame vs. University of Houston Forum

[ehbiglawmaybe]

OK, TLS, please help me decide between two schools:

Notre Dame (16K per year scholly): 152K CoA
University of Houston (in-state, 13.3K per year scholly): 98K CoA
CoA includes current undergrad debt of 24K and personal savings.

160 LSAT, 3.7 GPA, URM: MA
Already scheduled for a retake in June. On UT and Vandy waitlists.

From Texas and want to work in Texas, San Antonio, Austin (if OAG), or Houston. Looking at the public sector. I've heard that Texas can be very insular, and UH doesn't have bad placement in Texas, but ND really calls to me. I know they are both deemed to be regional, but it seems many people are who attend ND are able to get back to their region, plus their employment is literally twice as good as UH. However, I'm not sure if 54K more debt is worth it especially because I'm looking to work for the state.

Additionally, would ideally like to clerk after law school. Not making a decision based on this, but ND is WAY better in this area.

This seems like a no-brainer, but any insight is appreciated.

[Devlin]

Retake the LSAT and get into UT.

[ehbiglawmaybe]

Retake the LSAT and get into UT.

Working on it (See above post).

[BigZuck]

Neither school really makes sense based on cost and goals. How much will you be paying out of pocket? If you want to work in TX I would cross Notre Dame off the list altogether. Also, why do you want to clerk? I would ignore whatever that reason is unless you're able to get into a tippy top school. Just assume you'll get an average outcome from either school. Would you be ok with that?

[ehbiglawmaybe]

Neither school really makes sense based on cost and goals. How much will you be paying out of pocket? If you want to work in TX I would cross Notre Dame off the list altogether. Also, why do you want to clerk? I would ignore whatever that reason is unless you're able to get into a tippy top school. Just assume you'll get an average outcome from either school. Would you be ok with that?

15K out of pocket. Graduated in December and got a job on the Hill that's basically all gone to savings outside of food/rent. Will be starting school in the fall (depending on new LSAT score). CoA is more like debt at graduation then CoA I guess.

[BirdLawExpert]

If you've got a job on the Hill, and you're interested in clerking, you need to retake the LSAT and sit out a cycle. Build connections in DC for an extra year, take an LSAT class or use new materials. If you bring your LSAT up 7 points you're competitive for UT, bring it up 10 and you're looking really good, break 170+ and you're a shoe-in with $$$. The outcomes you'll get in Texas from UH or ND are sub-optimal for where you're at right now.

UT is one of the best schools for clerkships, and your experience in DC will help you make in-roads all over Austin. UT is where you should be going if you're interested in public sector, not UH which is to an extent a feeder school for O&G attorneys.

To quote a friend of mine who was a top graduate from UH a few years ago, went Big Law, and is in-house at a Fortune 50 company now. He sent me a message when I decided to go to law school after getting my LSAT score back last June and I was considering starting in the Fall, "I took a late acceptance with a full-ride and stipend at UH over sitting out a cycle and applying to T-14 schools or UT. I should not have done that. If I had waited a year I could have gone to UT for next to nothing, or maybe even somewhere better for just as cheap. Time is money. Sure, whatever. But if you're in the position to drastically change your future outcomes with a few months of work, then don't even think about it."

The difference between UH and UT, especially in Texas, is astronomical. The LSAT is the only thing in law school admissions that you can really, truly change to a great degree. Take the time to get your score up and you're going to end up with infinitely better options than you have now.