Top Law Schools

A friend of mine referred me to this site and insisted I get advice, so here goes:

I went to Arizona State for undergrad (graduated 2016) and around that time I decided I wanted to attend law school. I waited out a cycle because I wanted to work/study for the lsat. I took the LSAT last fall and scored a 171. I want to work for a large, corporate firm in M&A law and maybe move to finance later on in my career. I want to work in the south because I absolutely hate the cold, but would be willing to work in New York for a little while.

I'm now trying to decide (at the absolute last minute, I might add) what school to attend. Right now I'm considering Columbia at full price, UMchigan with a very small scholarship, Cornell with a slightly larger scholarship, and Florida Coastal on a full scholarship (I need to maintain above a 2.9 and cannot transfer.)

So this is the crux of my question - how important is it to go to a big school over a small school?

I didn't originally know about FC until a family friend of mine who's a current student mentioned it to me. His experience seems to line up with what I would want for myself. I'm worried that the bigger schools I mentioned will be more theoretical and the professors won't have any time for me. I think FC will give me a better chance at learning a practical skill set and they will also work a lot harder to prepare me for the bar in 3rd year. I understand that I'll definitely lose some prestige by not going to a large, well known school ... but I think that if I can really gain a practical skillset, I'll be able to convince large corporate firms that I know my stuff. (I'll also save a TONNE of money in the process).

Also, I did a little research on the school and I find a few accounts of FC grads who were able to break into Goldman Sachs after graduation. Although I want to practice law for a while, this definitely appeals to my goals.

So here's how I see it:
Cornell/Michigan/Columbia at a high price will give me the benefit of a well known school but the detriment of theoretical teaching a professors who are to busy to help me gain a strong, practical understanding
or
FC at 0 cost will give me the benefit of a practical skillset, bar prep + profs who care, and a chance to break into finance after grad (if my goals change) but the detriment will be that its a lesser known school and I'll have to hussel more to prove myself.


Please let me know what you think! I NEED to make a decision by next week.

JohnSmith1994 wrote:A friend of mine referred me to this site and insisted I get advice, so here goes:

I went to Arizona State for undergrad (graduated 2016) and around that time I decided I wanted to attend law school. I waited out a cycle because I wanted to work/study for the lsat. I took the LSAT last fall and scored a 171. I want to work for a large, corporate firm in M&A law and maybe move to finance later on in my career. I want to work in the south because I absolutely hate the cold, but would be willing to work in New York for a little while.

I'm now trying to decide (at the absolute last minute, I might add) what school to attend. Right now I'm considering Columbia at full price, UMchigan with a very small scholarship, Cornell with a slightly larger scholarship, and Florida Coastal on a full scholarship (I need to maintain above a 2.9 and cannot transfer.)

So this is the crux of my question - how important is it to go to a big school over a small school?

I didn't originally know about FC until a family friend of mine who's a current student mentioned it to me. His experience seems to line up with what I would want for myself. I'm worried that the bigger schools I mentioned will be more theoretical and the professors won't have any time for me. I think FC will give me a better chance at learning a practical skill set and they will also work a lot harder to prepare me for the bar in 3rd year. I understand that I'll definitely lose some prestige by not going to a large, well known school ... but I think that if I can really gain a practical skillset, I'll be able to convince large corporate firms that I know my stuff. (I'll also save a TONNE of money in the process).

Also, I did a little research on the school and I find a few accounts of FC grads who were able to break into Goldman Sachs after graduation. Although I want to practice law for a while, this definitely appeals to my goals.

So here's how I see it:
Cornell/Michigan/Columbia at a high price will give me the benefit of a well known school but the detriment of theoretical teaching a professors who are to busy to help me gain a strong, practical understanding
or
FC at 0 cost will give me the benefit of a practical skillset, bar prep + profs who care, and a chance to break into finance after grad (if my goals change) but the detriment will be that its a lesser known school and I'll have to hussel more to prove myself.


Please let me know what you think! I NEED to make a decision by next week.

How much research have you done into the employment data at these schools? I ask because there is no chance you get a job in biglaw doing M&A out of Florida Coastal. ZERO 2016 graduates got such a job. None. Florida Coastal also won't give you a better practical skillset. That's just marketing hogwash. 34% of Florida Coastal grads from 2016 are gainfully employed as lawyers. I don't think the "practical training" is helping the other 66% very much.

What are the total COAs of Columbia, Michigan and Cornell? Those schools will absolutely help you reach your goals, but how much will it cost you?

I'm a little confused...do you have a 169 or a 171?

Regardless, don't go to Florida Coastal, especially considering you want to do M&A. Your concerns about professors not giving you a practical education are unfounded. Cost is definitely something to consider, but Cornell, Michigan, and Columbia all put you in a great spot for your career goals. How much does each school currently cost? I'd probably go to the cheapest of those three, but it depends on their price differences.

Size of the school does not matter. You want a school with a good network and a good reputation and good job statistics, of which Florida Coastal does not have. There are a ton of other non T14 schools that would give you money and might get you near your goal. WUSTL, Fordham, literally any school other than Florida Coastal.

*Apologies, I fixed the LSAT discrepancy in my post.

Well, what I'm thinking is that I'm paying for a law degree. What I make of school will be based on my commitment/studying etc. I don't think I'll need a big name on my resume to achieve my goals. Also, I'm pretty confident that I'll be around the top of my class. At the end of the day I don't think a lot of other students get full scholarships/have the LSAT score that I do - so I'm not too concerned if a number of students who probably have worse stats and aren't willing to work hard dont find employment. There's always gonna be those people.

Columbia is full price, Michigan is 50% scholarship and Cornell is closer to 75%

JohnSmith1994 wrote:*Apologies, I fixed the LSAT discrepancy in my post.

Well, what I'm thinking is that I'm paying for a law degree. What I make of school will be based on my commitment/studying etc. I don't think I'll need a big name on my resume to achieve my goals. Also, I'm pretty confident that I'll be around the top of my class. At the end of the day I don't think a lot of other students get full scholarships/have the LSAT score that I do - so I'm not too concerned if a number of students who probably have worse stats and aren't willing to work hard dont find employment. There's always gonna be those people.

Columbia is full price, Michigan is 50% scholarship and Cornell is closer to 75%

Assuming that you aren't full-on trolling...

No. None of this is correct. Not your assumption about not needing a good name on your resume. Not your arrogance in thinking that you'll be at the top of your class. None of it.

Pull your head out of your ass and take Cornell.

Stop trolling with these kinds of posts, OP.