Georgia vs. Georgia State Forum

[atlhomie16]

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[Rigo]

Neither at sticker. Retake.

[Roundhill]

Neither at sticker. Retake.

I remember seeing you at Dec 2014 LSAT thread! (Lurker here)

[Rigo]

Neither at sticker. Retake.

I remember seeing you at Dec 2014 LSAT thread! (Lurker here)

Hi! Dang I've been here awhile.

[Roundhill]

Neither at sticker. Retake.

I remember seeing you at Dec 2014 LSAT thread! (Lurker here)

Hi! Dang I've been here awhile.

Missing your grinch avatar...

[atlhomie16]

Post deleted.

[ck3]

I think if you are strictly looking for law firm employment in Atlanta, I would go with the lower sticker price at GSU. I am currently a 3L at UGA and think we place well in GA and have a great network but I think GA State can place you in a firm in Atlanta and cost you less money. If you want regional/national placement I would go with UGA and if you get into Emory, that school increases your chances at placement outside Georgia.

[atlhomie16]

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[Nachoo2019]

neither is worth sticker.

[Nachoo2019]

neither is worth sticker.

I would say that both would be defensible with 70%+ scholarship and a desire to stay in Georgia.

[NonTradHealthLaw]

Do well (top 10%) at either place and you'll be fine in Georgia. Do pretty well (top 25%) and you might have a stressful 3L but you'll land on your feet. Much lower and the onus will be on you to hustle, intern, network, work part time, etc. But you'll still likely pass the bar on your first try and find a satisfying job. It's those who think a job will find them or who shrug off bar prep who are struggling.

Both are solid schools that recognize their place as vocational preparation schools and focus the bulk of curriculum on producing (mal)practice-ready lawyers.

Whether to pay sticker is something only you can answer. Whether you'd prefer to live in Athens (cheaper COL, more robust alumni network, better "brand") or Atlanta (more opportunities in every sense of the word) is something only you can answer. But, there is not really a wrong decision in most Georgia practitioners' minds, other than alma mater loyalty.

[cavalier1138]

Do well (top 10%) at either place and you'll be fine in Georgia. Do pretty well (top 25%) and you might have a stressful 3L but you'll land on your feet. Much lower and the onus will be on you to hustle, intern, network, work part time, etc. But you'll still likely pass the bar on your first try and find a satisfying job. It's those who think a job will find them or who shrug off bar prep who are struggling.

Both are solid schools that recognize their place as vocational preparation schools and focus the bulk of curriculum on producing (mal)practice-ready lawyers.

Whether to pay sticker is something only you can answer. Whether you'd prefer to live in Athens (cheaper COL, more robust alumni network, better "brand") or Atlanta (more opportunities in every sense of the word) is something only you can answer. But, there is not really a wrong decision in most Georgia practitioners' minds, other than alma mater loyalty.

I'm extremely wary of any advice that involves telling someone to just get in the top 10-25% of their class. There's no way to guarantee that kind of ranking, especially when someone hasn't been in law school yet. So gambling hundreds of thousands of dollars on maybe being a really good student is not a good idea.

[atlhomie16]

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[atlhomie16]

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[A. Nony Mouse]

And let's be clear: "placement" is probably the most tired term, outside of "retake", on TLS. If you aren't willing to network, hustle, and create opportunities for yourself outside of what a career office is able to line up for you, you might as well take your JD out of its frame and send it through the paper shredder. When I read some of these threads full of 2Ls and 3Ls with their hands out waiting for jobs to fall from the sky I can only feel better and better about my chances because my expectations are so low and I fully expect to grind it out (employment-wise) during my 2L and 3L years.

I think this is unfair.

[atlhomie16]

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[Mr. Archer]

I already have contacts ready to hire should I decide to interview with them in 2019 - and they are all, and I mean ALL, from personal networking (whether that be through volunteer work at the local Little League or chatting up people's parents at Parents Weekend in undergrad).

Thinking you already have people willing to hire you is naive. You have no idea what will happen in three years. If you're talking about small firms or non-profits, those places might not exist or might not be able to hire anyone based on a number of reasons. Or, those places might not want you. There's a big difference between meeting someone and them liking your personality and them justifying hiring your over another candidate based on credentials. You also really shouldn't comment on the job hunts of 2Ls and 3Ls because you're not even in law school yet. That job hunt struggle is real.

That being said, Georgia State could be the better option given that you're leaning towards PI, the cost is lower, and you have other reasons to be in Atlanta. Georgia State might allow you to get more experience in PI through externships during the semester, although I'm sure there are some opportunities at UGA.

[lawhopeful10]

And let's be clear: "placement" is probably the most tired term, outside of "retake", on TLS. If you aren't willing to network, hustle, and create opportunities for yourself outside of what a career office is able to line up for you, you might as well take your JD out of its frame and send it through the paper shredder. When I read some of these threads full of 2Ls and 3Ls with their hands out waiting for jobs to fall from the sky I can only feel better and better about my chances because my expectations are so low and I fully expect to grind it out (employment-wise) during my 2L and 3L years.

Also a 3L at UGA. If you are taking out loans sticker is too expensive. Law school transparency has current debt at repayment for sticker coming out to $140,000. Probably need to get that down to at least $100,000 and preferably less. Regarding hustling for jobs, sure that helps but I know plenty of people who hustle and apply to everything but are still about to graduate jobless. There are just a finite number of positions and no amount of hustling can change that. You mentioned you might already have people lined up to hire you in 2019. A lot can change in 3 years but if that is a guarantee it sounds like your circumstance is very different then most prospective students.

[atlhomie16]

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[cavalier1138]

I appreciate the advice, guys. I want to be clear that in no way do I see myself as competitive for a position in a biglaw setting. I completely understand my chances for such an outcome given my undergraduate institution, regional ties to the Southeast, and school prospects at this juncture are slim at best. It isn't my goal to make 6-figures a year, or even 5 years, out of school. I know many TLSers will laugh, scoff, or even berate me for saying this, but I want to go into public interest work. I'm fine living modestly. I don't come from money - and am perfectly happy with how my life has gone thus far. One thing I will say, that may sway my decision, is that my girlfriend is in GA State's MPH program now and is set to finish at the same time I will. She'll be leaving school debt-free, ready to work, and we can split COL in half by living together in a 1BR type deal in Atlanta these next three years. Maybe that provides the additional context necessary to receive relevant advice. The fact of the matter is I'll be paying in-state sticker at either. I can't do much about that now. And while conventional wisdom dictates I sit out a year, retake, etc., I already have contacts ready to hire should I decide to interview with them in 2019 - and they are all, and I mean ALL, from personal networking (whether that be through volunteer work at the local Little League or chatting up people's parents at Parents Weekend in undergrad).

PI is great. I'm definitely going for PI. But realistically, you need to consider how you're going to repay the debt of going to these schools at sticker.

You haven't mentioned LRAP yet, and if you're going into PI, it's absolutely crucial. It looks like UGA has a (not very impressive, but at least present) LRAP program, but Georgia State has none. Bluntly put: you will either spend 30 years paying off your loans, or you'll have to just direct-deposit your checks to your loan repayment if you want to do the 10-year plan.

So yes, the answer is still wait and retake. Get yourself a scholarship to either school so that you can evaluate which one will be best for getting the job placement you want. And don't rely on hypothetical job offers in 2019 (although presumably if they were willing to hire you in three years, it makes no sense that they wouldn't want to hire you in four).

[barkschool]

Why do 0Ls always fight advice....

[atlhomie16]

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[cron1834]

I appreciate the advice, guys. I want to be clear that in no way do I see myself as competitive for a position in a biglaw setting. I completely understand my chances for such an outcome given my undergraduate institution, regional ties to the Southeast, and school prospects at this juncture are slim at best. It isn't my goal to make 6-figures a year, or even 5 years, out of school. I know many TLSers will laugh, scoff, or even berate me for saying this, but I want to go into public interest work. I'm fine living modestly. I don't come from money - and am perfectly happy with how my life has gone thus far. One thing I will say, that may sway my decision, is that my girlfriend is in GA State's MPH program now and is set to finish at the same time I will. She'll be leaving school debt-free, ready to work, and we can split COL in half by living together in a 1BR type deal in Atlanta these next three years. Maybe that provides the additional context necessary to receive relevant advice. The fact of the matter is I'll be paying in-state sticker at either. I can't do much about that now. And while conventional wisdom dictates I sit out a year, retake, etc., I already have contacts ready to hire should I decide to interview with them in 2019 - and they are all, and I mean ALL, from personal networking (whether that be through volunteer work at the local Little League or chatting up people's parents at Parents Weekend in undergrad).

PI is great. I'm definitely going for PI. But realistically, you need to consider how you're going to repay the debt of going to these schools at sticker.

You haven't mentioned LRAP yet, and if you're going into PI, it's absolutely crucial. It looks like UGA has a (not very impressive, but at least present) LRAP program, but Georgia State has none. Bluntly put: you will either spend 30 years paying off your loans, or you'll have to just direct-deposit your checks to your loan repayment if you want to do the 10-year plan.

So yes, the answer is still wait and retake. Get yourself a scholarship to either school so that you can evaluate which one will be best for getting the job placement you want. And don't rely on hypothetical job offers in 2019 (although presumably if they were willing to hire you in three years, it makes no sense that they wouldn't want to hire you in four).

Awesome advice. Much appreciated. My final question is whether negotiating a scholarship is off the table if I'm able to communicate need or the like. And I don't want to continue to come off as defensive of my networking comment (which I am), but the point of that tidbit was not to say I have something lined up, but that I want to take into account the type of personality I have (one that seems to work well with older professionals looking to mentor and take a chance on). That probably sounds ridiculous, but that's as close to an adequate description of that aspect of my job prospects upon graduation.

Also, is there anyone that graduated from a regional school at sticker that has any advice?

The fact that there aren't many people who do this should suggest something about how sound of a strategy it is. Basic mathematics would indicate it's not a wise move unless you have a rich family.

[NonTradHealthLaw]

I'm extremely wary of any advice that involves telling someone to just get in the top 10-25% of their class. There's no way to guarantee that kind of ranking, especially when someone hasn't been in law school yet. So gambling hundreds of thousands of dollars on maybe being a really good student is not a good idea.

And I'm extremely wary of critique from a 0L unfamiliar with the Atlanta market or these schools, neither of which cost "hundreds of thousands of dollars" to attend for in-state residents. Nevertheless, I gave true advice across all tiers of GPA.

[Foghornleghorn]

Georgia Tuition is about 90k for 3 years. With CoL and loan interest, it does indeed cost six figures.