Top Law Schools

Okay so I got in to over 15 schools and now I'm trying to come to a final decision! Please help! So far, I've narrowed it down to:

WUSTL with a full ride
Emory with 84k
GW with 75k
and BC but no scholarship info as of yet.

I am not one of those big law or bust people at all, though I'd like the possibility of being able to do Big Law in case I find that I don't want to do anything else. I'm a New Yorker who wants to get out of the busy city and settle down in a smaller city, but I might want to move back to NY. I'm really not sure, but I love moving around and being in different places, so it won't be the end of the world if I end up back in NY or not. I was set on WUSTL but after reading through the forums, I get the feeling that it isn't as wonderful as I thought it was. Anyway, I'd love to know what you guys think. BTW I haven't visited ANY of the schools yet but will be going to their ASD in the coming weeks

Imo, I'd go to wustl with a full, for sure. You could make small town connections, go back to new york, and know that if you don't land big law, you're fine because you won't be drowning in debt. Unless you have a specific desire to practice in DC or Atlanta or Boston (Boston is super insular, so I hear), or if you want to network in DC, I'd def say wustl.

It also sucks less than it seems on here. And COL in St. Louis is a sweet deal.

eta:
Don't get me wrong, st louis sort of sucks a lot, but law school sucks a lot, so I would just pick the least risky option. No debt is a dream because if you decide at any point to go a different route, you're not totally screwed. Just my opinion.


-3L at wustl

Sprout wrote:Imo, I'd go to wustl with a full, for sure. You could make small town connections, go back to new york, and know that if you don't land big law, you're fine because you won't be drowning in debt. Unless you have a specific desire to practice in DC or Atlanta or Boston (Boston is super insular, so I hear), or if you want to network in DC, I'd def say wustl.

It also sucks less than it seems on here. And COL in St. Louis is a sweet deal.

eta:
Don't get me wrong, st louis sort of sucks a lot, but law school sucks a lot, so I would just pick the least risky option. No debt is a dream because if you decide at any point to go a different route, you're not totally screwed. Just my opinion.


-3L at wustl

I've been thinking this also. No debt is really appealing in addition to the dirt cheap COL ( compared to NY!!). This might be an easier decision than I thought. I'm curious though, since you are a 3L, what has your experience there been like?

Sprout wrote:Imo, I'd go to wustl with a full, for sure. You could make small town connections, go back to new york, and know that if you don't land big law, you're fine because you won't be drowning in debt. Unless you have a specific desire to practice in DC or Atlanta or Boston (Boston is super insular, so I hear), or if you want to network in DC, I'd def say wustl.

It also sucks less than it seems on here. And COL in St. Louis is a sweet deal.

eta:
Don't get me wrong, st louis sort of sucks a lot, but law school sucks a lot, so I would just pick the least risky option. No debt is a dream because if you decide at any point to go a different route, you're not totally screwed. Just my opinion.


-3L at wustl

I agree with all of this other that "St. Louis sucking a lot." it's no NYC or LA or DC, but it's a pretty cool place if you're willing to take advantage of what it has to offer. And as sprout mentioned, the COL is a great deal here and you will be amazed what even $1000/month in rent can get you.

-2L at Wustl

KDavis95 wrote:Okay so I got in to over 15 schools and now I'm trying to come to a final decision! Please help! So far, I've narrowed it down to:

WUSTL with a full ride
Emory with 84k
GW with 75k
and BC but no scholarship info as of yet.

I am not one of those big law or bust people at all, though I'd like the possibility of being able to do Big Law in case I find that I don't want to do anything else. I'm a New Yorker who wants to get out of the busy city and settle down in a smaller city, but I might want to move back to NY. I'm really not sure, but I love moving around and being in different places, so it won't be the end of the world if I end up back in NY or not. I was set on WUSTL but after reading through the forums, I get the feeling that it isn't as wonderful as I thought it was. Anyway, I'd love to know what you guys think. BTW I haven't visited ANY of the schools yet but will be going to their ASD in the coming weeks

I think wustl is the easy choice here. I think St. Louis is a nice smaller town, and I think it can get you back to NY if you want. Also, with a full ride it is a great option. As for the other schools, Emory has some NY connection, but I don't think it is more than Wustl and I would never recommend paying more for Emory than Wustl if you don't want to stay in Atlanta, and even then I wouldn't pay that much more. I also think GW is way too expensive at that price.

-3L at Wustl.

WUSTL

I'm biased here because I reallyyyy don't like St. Louis, but I'd recommend using your full at WUSTL to bump up BC and GW. I'd also give it a whirl at Emory although they historically don't negotiate, but IMO I think they're lowballing you a lot...someone with a full at WUSTL should easily have netted over $100k from Emory. I'd revisit the question after you hear back from negotiations.

floatie wrote:I'm biased here because I reallyyyy don't like St. Louis, but I'd recommend using your full at WUSTL to bump up BC and GW. I'd also give it a whirl at Emory although they historically don't negotiate, but IMO I think they're lowballing you a lot...someone with a full at WUSTL should easily have netted over $100k from Emory. I'd revisit the question after you hear back from negotiations.

Even if I negotiate, how much would it be worth to attend one of the other schools? I'll try that and see if I can get at least 75% off tuition.

Thank you all for the wonderful answers. I think I'm going to discuss it more with my pre-law advisor and of course visit the schools.

WUSTL, and it's not even close.

WUSTL , for sure

The 3 other schools are not worth that much more debt over WUSTL. Take the full ride!

KDavis95 wrote:I think I'm going to discuss it more with my pre-law advisor

Unless you found a really fucking competent one (and I can't imagine one being better than TLS), don't. They usually give the absolute wrong and outdated advice.

This is quickly becoming a chorus, but WUSTL is clearly the optimal decision here