Rutgers Law- Newark vs. Widener Commonwealth Law Forum

[a_novak]

Hello all,

I know this may seem like an obvious choice - deciding between Rutgers Law or Widener Law- however, there are things I am considering other than rank or reputation. I am originally from NEPA and recently moved to NJ about a year ago. I don't have to tell you that some things are obviously different - traffic, amount of people, etc. The opinions I have received so far have been from my brother who is an attorney & gradutaed from Penn State Dickinson, (biased toward Widener) and my boyfriend, born and raised in NJ (biased toward Rutgers). I am looking to practice law in both PA & NJ, so it's hard to base my decision on that. So, I am looking for a totally unbiased opinion. I know my decision isn't necessarily permanent, but the last thing I want to do is choose a law school expecting to transfer after the first year.

Any and all advice is appreciated.

Thanks!

[ronanOgara]

Unless Widener is for free and your scholarship doesn't require you to keep a certain GPA, and you have a job lined up for you after school or have some serious connections, and you have somewhere cheap to live while in Harrisburg, you should never consider that school. Widener only does relatively well in the Harrisburg area, and even that's a stretch. Widener fails like a third of its 1L class too. I can promise you that you won't find a job in NJ coming from Widener.

Sounds like you need to retake and aim for the Philly schools (Temple, Nova, Rutgers-Camden, Drexel--all for free) if you want to do PA/NJ.

Welcome to TLS

[ronanOgara]

Unless Widener is for free and your scholarship doesn't require you to keep a certain GPA, and you have a job lined up for you after school or have some serious connections, and you have somewhere cheap to live while in Harrisburg, you should never consider that school. Widener only does relatively well in the Harrisburg area, and even that's a stretch. Widener fails like a third of its 1L class too. I can promise you that you won't find a job in NJ coming from Widener.

Sounds like you need to retake and aim for the Philly schools (Temple, Nova, Rutgers-Camden, Drexel--all for free) if you want to do PA/NJ.

Welcome to TLS

And I mention all of this without even knowing what you want to do with your JD--but you need to do some heavy research into why going to Widener is a terrible idea, and why going to Rutgers without a full scholarship is a terrible idea.

[a_novak]

Unless Widener is for free and your scholarship doesn't require you to keep a certain GPA, and you have a job lined up for you after school or have some serious connections, and you have somewhere cheap to live while in Harrisburg, you should never consider that school. Widener only does relatively well in the Harrisburg area, and even that's a stretch. Widener fails like a third of its 1L class too. I can promise you that you won't find a job in NJ coming from Widener.

Sounds like you need to retake and aim for the Philly schools (Temple, Nova, Rutgers-Camden, Drexel--all for free) if you want to do PA/NJ.

Welcome to TLS

Thanks! The price difference between Rutgers and Widener is minuscule- maybe a $2,500-$3,000 difference with Widener being the more expensive school. My brother knows people in Harrisburg and I'd be set with a paid internship if I attended Widener, but I can't really decide that alone is enough for me to go there. Nova and Drexel were actually pretty expensive. I was accepted to both, but the cost didn't make sense for me. Where did you get the info that Widener fails a thrid of its 1L class? Do you know someone that went there?

[lymenheimer]

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 1&t=206299

[a_novak]

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 1&t=206299

Here is the info that actually matters:

-The schools you are considering: Rutgers Law- Newark vs. Widener Commonwealth Law
-The total Cost of Attendance (COA) of each: Has no bearing on decision, cost is about equal.
-How you will be financing your COA, i.e. loans, family, or savings : Loan
-Where you are from and where you want to work, and other places where you have significant ties (if any) : From PA, living in NJ, want to work in PA/NJ area.
-Your general career goals: Health Care Law (my current interest)


I am not asking you what law school I should go to, I am asking you for opinons about one or both of the above, so my LSAT and how many times I have taken it is not relevant.

[ronanOgara]

Unless Widener is for free and your scholarship doesn't require you to keep a certain GPA, and you have a job lined up for you after school or have some serious connections, and you have somewhere cheap to live while in Harrisburg, you should never consider that school. Widener only does relatively well in the Harrisburg area, and even that's a stretch. Widener fails like a third of its 1L class too. I can promise you that you won't find a job in NJ coming from Widener.

Sounds like you need to retake and aim for the Philly schools (Temple, Nova, Rutgers-Camden, Drexel--all for free) if you want to do PA/NJ.

Welcome to TLS

Thanks! The price difference between Rutgers and Widener is minuscule- maybe a $2,500-$3,000 difference with Widener being the more expensive school. My brother knows people in Harrisburg and I'd be set with a paid internship if I attended Widener, but I can't really decide that alone is enough for me to go there. Nova and Drexel were actually pretty expensive. I was accepted to both, but the cost didn't make sense for me. Where did you get the info that Widener fails a thrid of its 1L class? Do you know someone that went there?

If you are paying money to go to Widener you should not go. Widener grads are struggling to find jobs. A paid internship is not enough for you to go there. You can find info about Widener on its website, ABA reporting, Law school transparency, etc. I know a handful of Widener grads, all great attorneys, but that still doesn't justify you attending. It's public information that only 66% of 1Ls return for their 2L year. Also, the curve at Widener is unforgiving (something like a 2.6-2.8?), so if the scholarship you received from there is to keep a 3.0, that will be very tough to achieve--hence why kids drop out.

Cost is absolutely the most important consideration. Financing an education at either Widener or Rutgers through loans is a terrible and irresponsible decision. Save yourself and retake the LSAT so you can get a better scholarship at these schools. I took the LSAT three times and was able to attend law school for free and receive a stipend for living expenses.

[Mikey]

Here is the info that actually matters:

-The schools you are considering: Rutgers Law- Newark vs. Widener Commonwealth Law
-The total Cost of Attendance (COA) of each: Has no bearing on decision, cost is about equal.
-How you will be financing your COA, i.e. loans, family, or savings : Loan
-Where you are from and where you want to work, and other places where you have significant ties (if any) : From PA, living in NJ, want to work in PA/NJ area.
-Your general career goals: Health Care Law (my current interest)


I am not asking you what law school I should go to, I am asking you for opinons about one or both of the above, so my LSAT and how many times I have taken it is not relevant.

But your total COA is important for people to know in order to help you.

[cavalier1138]

Where did you get the info that Widener fails a thrid of its 1L class?

Read their ABA 509 report: http://commonwealthlaw.widener.edu/file ... report.pdf

Look at the top-right of the second page. They failed 32 students in a class of about 100 (going by the overall percentage of students noted in the attrition rate). That is very, very, very, very, very bad. It is a technique employed by scam schools in order to take a year of tuition from students who they will fail out in order to keep their accreditation (by keeping their bar passage rate up).

And seriously, provide the information people are asking for. What you've said so far indicates that you may not have done enough research on schools and your job prospects in the field you want to work in.

[Nachoo2019]

OP, read the thread I linked in this post and every time you see "Campbell Law" replace it with "Widener Law" and you will know exactly how you'll be feeling in 3-4 years.

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 2&t=264667

[Mikey]

OP, read the thread I linked in this post and every time you see "Campbell Law" replace it with "Widener Law" and you will know exactly how you'll be feeling in 3-4 years.

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 2&t=264667

I read that earlier and was just like "Damn".

[Nachoo2019]

OP, read the thread I linked in this post and every time you see "Campbell Law" replace it with "Widener Law" and you will know exactly how you'll be feeling in 3-4 years.

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 2&t=264667

I read that earlier and was just like "Damn".

Yeah I really felt bad for the guy, but that's exactly why I want people like OP to read it and know what they're getting into.

[Mikey]

OP, read the thread I linked in this post and every time you see "Campbell Law" replace it with "Widener Law" and you will know exactly how you'll be feeling in 3-4 years.

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 2&t=264667

I read that earlier and was just like "Damn".

Yeah I really felt bad for the guy, but that's exactly why I want people like OP to read it and know what they're getting into.

Yeah definitely, I think it's good for basically any law school applicant to be aware of things like that.

[PJam1989]

Really, I think it comes down to what you want to do. Don't get too caught up in being afraid of "failing out" of Widener. Here is why: 33% of the 1L class leaves Widener, but the median LSAT is 149 and the median GPA is 3.0. That means those low numbers are the 50/50 bracket. I would like to think that the majority of the 33% of students who "fail out" of Widener are those who had numbers lower than 3.0 GPA and lower than 149 LSAT. In other words, people who should not go to law school or be lawyers. So, if your numbers are higher than 3.0 and 149, I think you don't have to worry about failing out for the most part.

This leads me to the next argument of being depressed about attending a law school. Well, if you do some research, you'll see that someone just created a post like a week ago because they are "depressed" about attending UVA, a T14 school with a good reputation. The post is entitled "Graduation = Worst Day of My Life." Granite, his/her depression stems not from failing to collect a job, but hating the job he/she got. But at the end of the day, depression is depression baby!

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 1&t=264286

It all comes down to what you want to do, I think. If you want BigLaw, than both Widener and Rutgers are poor choices. If you want to be a county DA, go where you'll accumulate the least debt possible.

[ronanOgara]

Really, I think it comes down to what you want to do. Don't get too caught up in being afraid of "failing out" of Widener. Here is why: 33% of the 1L class leaves Widener, but the median LSAT is 149 and the median GPA is 3.0. That means those low numbers are the 50/50 bracket. I would like to think that the majority of the 33% of students who "fail out" of Widener are those who had numbers lower than 3.0 GPA and lower than 149 LSAT. In other words, people who should not go to law school or be lawyers. So, if your numbers are higher than 3.0 and 149, I think you don't have to worry about failing out for the most part.

This leads me to the next argument of being depressed about attending a law school. Well, if you do some research, you'll see that someone just created a post like a week ago because they are "depressed" about attending UVA, a T14 school with a good reputation. The post is entitled "Graduation = Worst Day of My Life." Granite, his/her depression stems not from failing to collect a job, but hating the job he/she got. But at the end of the day, depression is depression baby!

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 1&t=264286

It all comes down to what you want to do, I think. If you want BigLaw, than both Widener and Rutgers are poor choices. If you want to be a county DA, go where you'll accumulate the least debt possible.

No, you cannot assume those with lower gpas and lsats will be the ones who fail out. That is awful logic. Do not attend a law school thinking you are good to go since you had a higher profile than your classmates. That reeks of impending failure. Regardless, any school that fails out a third of its class should never be attended. If retaking the LSAT frightens OP, imagine how she'll feel going into exams knowing she's got a 33% chance of getting the boot from her school. Terrifying.

Knowing what you want to do with your JD is just one part of the answer. Cost is a major concern. If OP wanted to do small law or public interest, and she has a full ride with no stipulations, then Widener wouldn't be that horrid of a decision--it's likely she won't have a job come graduation, but hey at least she's not in debt. But if OP wants to do small law or public interest, and will be financing her education with loans, that makes Widener the worst possible decision she could make--it's likely she won't have a job come graduation and will be in a boatload of debt.

[cavalier1138]

Really, I think it comes down to what you want to do. Don't get too caught up in being afraid of "failing out" of Widener. Here is why: 33% of the 1L class leaves Widener, but the median LSAT is 149 and the median GPA is 3.0. That means those low numbers are the 50/50 bracket. I would like to think that the majority of the 33% of students who "fail out" of Widener are those who had numbers lower than 3.0 GPA and lower than 149 LSAT. In other words, people who should not go to law school or be lawyers. So, if your numbers are higher than 3.0 and 149, I think you don't have to worry about failing out for the most part.

This leads me to the next argument of being depressed about attending a law school. Well, if you do some research, you'll see that someone just created a post like a week ago because they are "depressed" about attending UVA, a T14 school with a good reputation. The post is entitled "Graduation = Worst Day of My Life." Granite, his/her depression stems not from failing to collect a job, but hating the job he/she got. But at the end of the day, depression is depression baby!

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 1&t=264286

It all comes down to what you want to do, I think. If you want BigLaw, than both Widener and Rutgers are poor choices. If you want to be a county DA, go where you'll accumulate the least debt possible.

OP wants healthcare law, which is not going to happen at Widener. No one at Widener gets employed at a firm that's large enough to handle something like healthcare law. And very few of them even get government positions, which also casts doubt on the ability to snag a county DA position right out of the gates (incidentally, DAs usually require bar passage before you start work there, so you'd better have a 9-month plan or a clerkship lined up if that's your goal).

But most importantly, your entire argument hinges on the OP doing well in their class, when we already know that 1/3 of the class fails out. That's an absolutely brutal curve, and no, you can't predict that someone won't be in the bottom third of their class by their LSAT. It's a good indicator, but not good enough to bet tens of thousands of dollars on. You should never, ever go to a law school that fails out that many students, let alone one with the bleak job prospects that Widener offers. It's simply a bad idea, no matter how well you do in school.

[jp1447]

I think Rutgers is a no-brainer here. They tend to do better in the Philly/North Jersey market.

Another thing to consider: I'm not sure what the current rankings are, but when it comes to New Jersey, there is really only Rutgers and Seton Hall. While I thought Seton Hall tends to do better (more federal judges on the faculty, probably higher employment [check that]), I think it is a fair statement to say that you're likely not going to WOW anyone with your legal education. From my experience, however, Rutgers still carries a decent appreciation (certainly more so than Widener) from small and mid-sized firms. Philly also tends to have a lot of Rutgers grads, perhaps more from Camden than Newark. This bull-shit prestige nonsense is really only a factor when it comes to getting your first job. After that, I highly doubt any second employer is going to put Widener over Rutgers or vice versa.

Also, and this is important, don't let these know-it-all, pretentious, poop-dick posters distract your decision. Not everyone can get a full-ride and go to a T14 for free or with a stipend or whatever-the-shit. And to be honest, that may one day be a blessing. If you work somewhere smaller out of the gates, sure you will make less money at first, but you may really develop your skills and set yourself up for a nice career. Let TLS's best brag about their cutting-edge work on SEC compliance and LLC agreements for the next 5 years.

Also, you should read some of the threads on here. Do your best to separate the incessant, pretentious nonsense and the bull shit from the practical. Given your situation, you want to consider both employment prospects and costs, as well as bar passage rates. If you have any local connection to a small or midsized firm, that may be enough to put Widener over Rutgers––– assuming you're confident you could get a job (ie, its your uncle or you know someone at the company). Apart from that, go read about how to ask for money and negotiate. That may be late for this cycle, but be ruthless on that front.

Good luck.

[cavalier1138]

I think Rutgers is a no-brainer here. They tend to do better in the Philly/North Jersey market.

Another thing to consider: I'm not sure what the current rankings are, but when it comes to New Jersey, there is really only Rutgers and Seton Hall. While I thought Seton Hall tends to do better (more federal judges on the faculty, probably higher employment [check that]), I think it is a fair statement to say that you're likely not going to WOW anyone with your legal education. From my experience, however, Rutgers still carries a decent appreciation (certainly more so than Widener) from small and mid-sized firms. Philly also tends to have a lot of Rutgers grads, perhaps more from Camden than Newark. This bull-shit prestige nonsense is really only a factor when it comes to getting your first job. After that, I highly doubt any second employer is going to put Widener over Rutgers or vice versa.

Also, and this is important, don't let these know-it-all, pretentious, poop-dick posters distract your decision. Not everyone can get a full-ride and go to a T14 for free or with a stipend or whatever-the-shit. And to be honest, that may one day be a blessing. If you work somewhere smaller out of the gates, sure you will make less money at first, but you may really develop your skills and set yourself up for a nice career. Let TLS's best brag about their cutting-edge work on SEC compliance and LLC agreements for the next 5 years.

Also, you should read some of the threads on here. Do your best to separate the incessant, pretentious nonsense and the bull shit from the practical. Given your situation, you want to consider both employment prospects and costs, as well as bar passage rates. If you have any local connection to a small or midsized firm, that may be enough to put Widener over Rutgers––– assuming you're confident you could get a job (ie, its your uncle or you know someone at the company). Apart from that, go read about how to ask for money and negotiate. That may be late for this cycle, but be ruthless on that front.

Good luck.

Yeah! Stick it to the man! Not everyone can get a full ride at a school where the median is in the 140s! After all, who has the time to actually study for the LSAT?

Seriously, you're giving flat-out dangerous advice when you tell people things like this. The OP is facing debt at Widener, and yes, the school they go to will matter down the line. Even if it didn't, their first job won't affect their future job prospects much if they can't actually get a job as an attorney. And at Widener, they have about a 50/50 shot of being employed as an attorney at all, even if they aren't in the 1/3 of the class that gets failed out. But hey, at least they really stuck it to all those assholes telling them that maybe they shouldn't take on mountains of debt on a less-than-50% chance at actually getting a job as a lawyer out of law school.

Jesus Christ. There's certainly something to be said for going against the grain, but the blinders people put on when they refuse to accept "No" for an answer are absolutely stunning.

[Nachoo2019]

I think Rutgers is a no-brainer here. They tend to do better in the Philly/North Jersey market.

Another thing to consider: I'm not sure what the current rankings are, but when it comes to New Jersey, there is really only Rutgers and Seton Hall. While I thought Seton Hall tends to do better (more federal judges on the faculty, probably higher employment [check that]), I think it is a fair statement to say that you're likely not going to WOW anyone with your legal education. From my experience, however, Rutgers still carries a decent appreciation (certainly more so than Widener) from small and mid-sized firms. Philly also tends to have a lot of Rutgers grads, perhaps more from Camden than Newark. This bull-shit prestige nonsense is really only a factor when it comes to getting your first job. After that, I highly doubt any second employer is going to put Widener over Rutgers or vice versa.

Also, and this is important, don't let these know-it-all, pretentious, poop-dick posters distract your decision. Not everyone can get a full-ride and go to a T14 for free or with a stipend or whatever-the-shit. And to be honest, that may one day be a blessing. If you work somewhere smaller out of the gates, sure you will make less money at first, but you may really develop your skills and set yourself up for a nice career. Let TLS's best brag about their cutting-edge work on SEC compliance and LLC agreements for the next 5 years.

Also, you should read some of the threads on here. Do your best to separate the incessant, pretentious nonsense and the bull shit from the practical. Given your situation, you want to consider both employment prospects and costs, as well as bar passage rates. If you have any local connection to a small or midsized firm, that may be enough to put Widener over Rutgers––– assuming you're confident you could get a job (ie, its your uncle or you know someone at the company). Apart from that, go read about how to ask for money and negotiate. That may be late for this cycle, but be ruthless on that front.

Good luck.

Can you please reference one thread where someone says that you HAVE to go to a T-14 for free or no law school at all?

Thanks.

Edit: also. OP, please do no listen to this advice. Cavalier is absolutely right.

[ronanOgara]

I think Rutgers is a no-brainer here. They tend to do better in the Philly/North Jersey market.

Another thing to consider: I'm not sure what the current rankings are, but when it comes to New Jersey, there is really only Rutgers and Seton Hall. While I thought Seton Hall tends to do better (more federal judges on the faculty, probably higher employment [check that]), I think it is a fair statement to say that you're likely not going to WOW anyone with your legal education. From my experience, however, Rutgers still carries a decent appreciation (certainly more so than Widener) from small and mid-sized firms. Philly also tends to have a lot of Rutgers grads, perhaps more from Camden than Newark. This bull-shit prestige nonsense is really only a factor when it comes to getting your first job. After that, I highly doubt any second employer is going to put Widener over Rutgers or vice versa.

Also, and this is important, don't let these know-it-all, pretentious, poop-dick posters distract your decision. Not everyone can get a full-ride and go to a T14 for free or with a stipend or whatever-the-shit. And to be honest, that may one day be a blessing. If you work somewhere smaller out of the gates, sure you will make less money at first, but you may really develop your skills and set yourself up for a nice career. Let TLS's best brag about their cutting-edge work on SEC compliance and LLC agreements for the next 5 years.

Also, you should read some of the threads on here. Do your best to separate the incessant, pretentious nonsense and the bull shit from the practical. Given your situation, you want to consider both employment prospects and costs, as well as bar passage rates. If you have any local connection to a small or midsized firm, that may be enough to put Widener over Rutgers––– assuming you're confident you could get a job (ie, its your uncle or you know someone at the company). Apart from that, go read about how to ask for money and negotiate. That may be late for this cycle, but be ruthless on that front.

Good luck.

Nobody is telling her to get a full ride to a T14. And encouraging OP to retake to see if she can get more $$ at a school isn't a pretentious opinion. I didn't go to a T14, but I was initially looking at going to Widener without a substantial scholarship. I decided to retake the LSAT, studied like hell, and greatly improved my LSAT. I got into some great schools but I ended up going to lower-ranked school for free. I was even encouraged by the TLS pretentious crowd to attend my school for free, since my employment goals weren't crazy. I'm certainly not part of the "T14 for free or don't go" crowd, but going to a low-ranked school with terrible employment outcomes while taking out 200k in loans is a life-changing decision. OP needs to be aware of this.

It sounds like OP could spend a lot of money to attend either of these schools, which inherently is not a good idea. A substantial scholarship at Rutgers (which isn't that hard to obtain) would be a no-brainer. Taking 150k in debt to attend Rutgers is reckless. I would highly encourage OP to get as much scholarship money as possible before attending these schools.

[jp1447]

I don't think the advice was dangerous at all, and as far as the HAVE to point, I didn't say that. I simply said not every can hit the TLS standard. Perhaps I jumped the gun on that, but I don't think it was entirely out of left field considering a prior comment mentioned a stipend. And the point stands with respect to Rutgers v. Widener. Certainly if you're basking in your glory doing SEC compliance and LLC agreements at a vault ranked firm, then where you went is always going to matter. However, if you're working in Monmouth County, NJ for someone you may know, it really isn't going to matter whether she chooses Widener or Rutgers. So, suck on that.

AND you can tell her to retake all you want, but she asked about weighing the schools. You want to tell her to retake and study, thats fine. I'm on board with that. It's the TLS default. ***OP if you can do better and pay less, then do better and pay less.*** I thought that was implied.

And I will say again, if the OP has a tie in a small market, putting one of these schools over the other is essentially moot (hence my parenthetical about the uncle).

You all need to chill your tits. You're still TLS wizards and I'm just some guy.

[HonestAdvice]

You shouldn't be concerned about a third of the class failing out. The one-third failing out is mutually beneficial - these people have poor odds of passing the bar. Between the 2 Rutgers is clearly the better school, because there are many Rutgers graduates securing some form of employment. However, it's not a good decision and the odds are heavily stacked against you. Speaking to alumni isn't helpful, because you're only going to meet those from an unrepresentative sample.

[cavalier1138]

You shouldn't be concerned about a third of the class failing out. The one-third failing out is mutually beneficial - these people have poor odds of passing the bar. Between the 2 Rutgers is clearly the better school, because there are many Rutgers graduates securing some form of employment. However, it's not a good decision and the odds are heavily stacked against you. Speaking to alumni isn't helpful, because you're only going to meet those from an unrepresentative sample.

Please read the following thread (already linked, but apparently you skipped it): http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 2&t=264667

Then read this thread: http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 2&t=264448

The latter isn't about failing out, per se, but it's about the same type of practice using conditional scholarships. A school that fails 1/3 of its class is a bad school, period. It's not "mutually beneficial". It's a bad practice.

[ronanOgara]

I don't think the advice was dangerous at all, and as far as the HAVE to point, I didn't say that. I simply said not every can hit the TLS standard. Perhaps I jumped the gun on that, but I don't think it was entirely out of left field considering a prior comment mentioned a stipend. And the point stands with respect to Rutgers v. Widener. Certainly if you're basking in your glory doing SEC compliance and LLC agreements at a vault ranked firm, then where you went is always going to matter. However, if you're working in Monmouth County, NJ for someone you may know, it really isn't going to matter whether she chooses Widener or Rutgers. So, suck on that.

AND you can tell her to retake all you want, but she asked about weighing the schools. You want to tell her to retake and study, thats fine. I'm on board with that. It's the TLS default. ***OP if you can do better and pay less, then do better and pay less.*** I thought that was implied.

And I will say again, if the OP has a tie in a small market, putting one of these schools over the other is essentially moot (hence my parenthetical about the uncle).

You all need to chill your tits. You're still TLS wizards and I'm just some guy.

Yeah, it won't matter where you went to school if you're looking at those kind of jobs. I know my school sure as hell didn't matter when I was looking for jobs. But again, nobody here is telling her to retake the LSAT and go to a higher ranked school. I wouldn't discourage OP from attending Widener or Rutgers if she wasn't taking out 150 THOUSAND DOLLARS in loans to do so. Getting a job in Monmouth County when you have connections won't be a problem for OP if she chooses Rutgers or Widener. Again, because where you went to school doesn't mean anything. But how much you paid to go to school will have life-lasting implications. Don't kid yourself, she won't be making anything over $60k a year in Monmouth County or the like, and if she has $150k in loans she will be in a rough spot.

But keep name-calling dude, you seem like you're in a good spot.

[jbagelboy]

You are asking which of the two schools you should go to, but restricting yourself to a false dichotomy: there's a third, vastly superior option, which is to attend neither if you have to pay/loan for it at all. You can always improve your candidacy and try to apply in a better position next year.