Top Law Schools

So far I have been accepted into WashU-STl and Wayne State Law School. I did my undergrad at Wayne State and performed very well.

My dream school is UM but I am on their waitlist currently.

At WUSTL, I received a 75k scholarship, so I would come out with about 105k debt if I attend. WSU gave me a 30k scholarship, so I would come out with about 40k debt.

My goal is to get a big law job in Michigan directly after law school, work it for a few years, then open my own firm in Michigan.

Im a 23yo woman and still live it home with my family, which has its pros and cons. I have never lived on my own. Moving and living on my own would be a stressor but may be good for my personal development. I am a minority with an old fashioned family, and my parents would rather me stay local.

However I don’t want to sacrifice my education and possible career goals.

What do you guys think?

Between these two schools, it isn't even a choice. WUSTL is 100% the better option.

That said, what are your current numbers? Michigan is obviously the best school for your goals, and depending on your LSAT/GPA, retaking and reapplying may be the right course of action here.

You should ask Wayne State about the gpa/class ranking cutoffs for firms like Honigman, Dykema etc. My guess is that you'll at a minimum need to be top 30%. So odds are you're more likely to be disappointed than not given your goals. The only real "biglaw" in Michigan is Jones Day and they only take top UMich students so you'll probably need to be one of the top 1-3 people of your class at Wayne State to have a shot.

If you're dead set on Michigan I'm not sure WUSTL makes much sense; it's not a school with the biggest brand name so I doubt they have a much better pull than the second best school in Michigan (which, unlike the best school, actually sends its graduates to jobs in state). However if living/working outside of Michigan is at all an option for you then WUSTL is a no brainer. Their students have a shot at market paying biglaw from median; median Wayne State students probably have no shot at all.

Although I am not recommending WSU, if you decide to attend WSU, then use your scholarship offer from WUSTL as a basis for requesting a full tuition scholarship from WSU.

I think you should write a personal email to Sarah Zearfoss, explaining that you absolutely want to stay in Michigan after graduating. It might help (just a little) in getting off the waitlist. Did you also apply to Michigan State? If they offer you a full ride, it might be worthwhile.

WUSTL, why is this a question?