Location Dilemma: Law School vs. Career
Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2017 11:31 am
Hi Everyone,
I am looking to start law school next fall. I graduated from a T20 non-Ivy with a 3.6 and scored a 166 on the June LSAT. Currently working in NYC as a Biglaw paralegal. With my score, GPA and work experience I feel confident in my chances of getting into a good law school. However, I feel like I could find myself in a bit of a dilemma in choosing the schools I will apply too versus my career aspirations.
Ideally, I want to end up in New York. It's where I'm from, where my family is and it's important to me to be close to them. If I were to choose another city it would be Boston, DC, or Chicago, but New York remains my top choice. That being said, I don't think my application is strong enough for NYU/Columbia. I like my chances for Fordham/Brooklyn/Cardozo, but I also feel like I can get into some good law schools outside of NYC (lower T-14/T-25). Part of me also wants to have the chance to explore a new city one last time since I may very well end up in New York permanently.
How should I approach the application process? Would going to a target outside of NYC (for me, that would be schools like BU and GW, Georgetown/Northwestern/Michigan/Texas are my reaches) affect my chances of being placed into NYC Biglaw? Or should I aim for a lower ranked school like Fordham that has more clout in New York? Any advice is appreciated. Thanks all!
I am looking to start law school next fall. I graduated from a T20 non-Ivy with a 3.6 and scored a 166 on the June LSAT. Currently working in NYC as a Biglaw paralegal. With my score, GPA and work experience I feel confident in my chances of getting into a good law school. However, I feel like I could find myself in a bit of a dilemma in choosing the schools I will apply too versus my career aspirations.
Ideally, I want to end up in New York. It's where I'm from, where my family is and it's important to me to be close to them. If I were to choose another city it would be Boston, DC, or Chicago, but New York remains my top choice. That being said, I don't think my application is strong enough for NYU/Columbia. I like my chances for Fordham/Brooklyn/Cardozo, but I also feel like I can get into some good law schools outside of NYC (lower T-14/T-25). Part of me also wants to have the chance to explore a new city one last time since I may very well end up in New York permanently.
How should I approach the application process? Would going to a target outside of NYC (for me, that would be schools like BU and GW, Georgetown/Northwestern/Michigan/Texas are my reaches) affect my chances of being placed into NYC Biglaw? Or should I aim for a lower ranked school like Fordham that has more clout in New York? Any advice is appreciated. Thanks all!