Top Law Schools

Rigo wrote:Neither at sticker. Retake.

Roundhill wrote:

Rigo wrote:Neither at sticker. Retake.

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

Rigo wrote:

Roundhill wrote:

Rigo wrote:Neither at sticker. Retake.

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

Hi! Dang I've been here awhile.

kwabedi wrote:neither is worth sticker.

NonTradHealthLaw wrote: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.

stuartfwallace wrote: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.

stuartfwallace wrote: 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).

stuartfwallace wrote: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.

stuartfwallace wrote: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).

stuartfwallace wrote:

cavalier1138 wrote:

stuartfwallace wrote: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?

cavalier1138 wrote:
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.