UC Davis v. McGeorge v. Arkansas

[nmoor1501]

So, Long time lurker, first time post. I have been weighing options and need input from SOMEONE besides my mom and my friends, who all have their own biases. So here are my options:

-McGeorge: 18k/year (working to get more $$$$)
-UA Little Rock: expected full ride, plus no COL bc I could live with my parents, also concurrently could get a masters in public service from the Clinton School of Public Service
-Davis: my "dream" school when I started out this law school venture, not in yet, but I am hoping

So, If it comes down to McGeorge v. UALR, would taking 60k in loans for McGeorge make sense when I could graduate with 0 from Arkansas? I would have to leave my boyfriend of two years, and effectively end our relationship. Also, all my friends live in Sac, and I just don't know if I can move back to AR and the way of life/thinking there. I am considering moving back there eventually, to raise a family, blah blah blah, but I feel a Cali degree sets me apart in that situation.

So the real question: Would I be crazy to go to McGeorge, which is not significantly higher ranked than UALR, and take on the debt?

[Teapot]

i know nothing about arkansas, but mcgeorge is pretty regional. i hear good and bad things about the place but everyone seems to agree you'll probably be in sac for a good long time

[GOB]

Without taking the $$ into account, this is what I would say:
A degree from AR doesn't mean much in CA... a degree from McGeorge doesn't mean much in AR. Go where you want to get your first job (as your legal career progress, where you got your degree matters less and less compared to what you did with it). It sounds like you want to work in Sac but then raise a family in AR... so go to McGeorge.

The $$ complicates things...
Effectively you have to ask yourself how important it is to you to spend the next three years in Sac and to start your career in Sac, and then you have to compare that to how important the extra money is. If you really don't like the way of life down there, I'd still probably recommend McGeorge, but this is really a question that you have to answer for yourself.

If you get into Davis and post on "Choosing a School" again, then I'll tell you why Davis is awesome and you should go there, but it sounds like you already know that

[20160810]

It sounds like you want to stay in Sac, in which case Arkansas is basically out. Between McGeorge and UCD, both can get you jobs in Sac, and it's hard to turn down the big $, but I'd go with UCD. Good luck making a choice.

[Bankhead]

Do you really want to live in Little Rock...? I would think the money would be worth living in Sacremento with your bf and friends. It's a much nicer area, and McGeorge is a better school. It isn't like you have NO scholarship there.

[nmoor1501]

Thanks for the responses! I really do want to stay in California, at least for now (though LR is actually quite a nice place, and if a political career is in my future, I think politics in my home state would be easier to break in to).

The question remains, assuming I get in to Davis and do not get any more $$ from McGeorge: which is better?

Davis will only cost about 8k more considering I will have in-state tuition. On the other hand, I think I will have a better shot at ranking higher at McGeorge, and I know there are some opportunities to make more $$ in extra scholarships and work study programs there.

ITE, I am wary of taking out student loans, but in 20 years, which school would I rather have on my resume? As a UCSB grad, I love the UC name... grrrrrrr, I guess my choice will be easier if I don't get in to Davis!

[20160810]

Thanks for the responses! I really do want to stay in California, at least for now (though LR is actually quite a nice place, and if a political career is in my future, I think politics in my home state would be easier to break in to).

The question remains, assuming I get in to Davis and do not get any more $$ from McGeorge: which is better?

Davis will only cost about 8k more considering I will have in-state tuition. On the other hand, I think I will have a better shot at ranking higher at McGeorge, and I know there are some opportunities to make more $$ in extra scholarships and work study programs there.

ITE, I am wary of taking out student loans, but in 20 years, which school would I rather have on my resume? As a UCSB grad, I love the UC name... grrrrrrr, I guess my choice will be easier if I don't get in to Davis!

It's been said on this site many times, but you never really know where you will rank in the class before law school starts. Granted someone who got into Yale would probably do damn well at Cooley, but even that isn't the slam dunk it seems. Law school grades tend entirely to be based on the final exam and are thus difficult to predict in advance. Remember: Everyone at McGeorge (or anywhere else) wants to finish in the top-10%, but only 1 in 10 make that goal. As there are no guarantees, and as graduating at the median from UCD offers far more opportunities than the median student at McGeorge would have, my advice is to go to UCD if you get in. The difference in placement opportunities is well worth the extra $24,000 it would end up costing you.

[GOB]

Yeah, for 8k difference it's a no brainer, and I imagine that even a McGeorge student will agree with that.

As for where you'll rank. SBL is right, you can't assume anything based on the rankings. I was admitted off of the waitlist and I'm in the top 15%. I have a friend here with almost identical admit numbers who is in the top 70%, and I know plenty of people with higher numbers who didn't do that well last semester.

[beepermad]

As a Little Rockian (hello!), I wouldn't consider UALR unless you really want to stick in Arkansas. It carries practically no weight outside of the state...and is the second best law school in Arkansas. Out of 2 law schools.

Just sayin'.

[william wallace]

Okay, how is UALR second best? I know UALR is ranked lower than UA. Man this is a hard decision. Almost all the numbers favor UALR except the year it was accredited, average GPA and average LSAT. However, those are three important things.

It's hard to see how one is better than the other. I guess the judges ranked UA better. Maybe because when they were in law school there was no LS in LR.

[thechecker]

Okay, how is UALR second best? I know UALR is ranked lower than UA. Man this is a hard decision. Almost all the numbers favor UALR except the year it was accredited, average GPA and average LSAT. However, those are three important things.

It's hard to see how one is better than the other. I guess the judges ranked UA better. Maybe because when they were in law school there was no LS in LR.

Looking at the numbers over a 6 year average they are close but it seems as though UA has outpaced UALR in Selectivity, LSAT median & 25/75, GPA median & 25/75, bar pass (the most obvious with UA 10% higher than UALR---UA has done appx. a 1% better over the avg while UALR has done 13% below the avg. over the same time span.), and employment at about 9% better over the average, Salary on avg. has been about 4k higher and student:faculty ratio has been almost a point better.

In 2009 numbers UALR did better in some categories--ie. beating them in bar pass by about 1%, but other than that it has been even or advantage to UA, and UALR was a little more selective in 2009 (% accepted) but their numebrs were lower than UA (UA applicants became better/less or UALR had worse applicants applying/more).