UCI vs. UCD Forum

[khaleesi_k]

This is the third time you're going through the "UCI/similar/take-a-year-off" debate. You've been consistently told to take a year off and retake for your goals. Please, start listening.

Not gonna happen bruh. I have solid connections in the California biglaw legal field and I'm not concerned about landing top 10-20 percent of my class if I go to UCI/UCD... hence me asking for the best advice given those two schools (and now Notre Dame as well). So I'd appreciate it if feedback where given based on that - I am not willing to take a year off. Thanks!

This also is an obnoxious statement. Unless these "solid connections" have told you unconditionally that they will give you a job, these connections mean next to nothing aside from maybe getting your resume on top of the stack or getting you a screener. If you don't have the grades, you don't get the job. This is coming from a practicing attorney with experience at two different V50s (including on the recruiting committee).

That brings us to your next statement--grades. Do not assume that you are going to be in top 10-20%. You are a 0L and have no idea what it takes. Having done well in college is no predictor because guess what--all of your other classmates did well too. The curve is the beast that humbles and destroys dreams.

As everyone has said before, you need to reset your expectations.

Big law is definitely the ultimate goal/dream and I want to plan for law school in a way that would be helpful for that - but I'm happy with working in a medium sized private firm as well. I just want to align myself best with something that could potentially open doors for big law, but would be totally ok with working in a medium sized firm as well.

I appreciate people being as blunt as possible and suggesting I take a year off but I am not willing to do that. I got a solid LSAT score and my college GPA is not going to change very much from this point on. My prospects will most likely stay about the same. Based on the options I currently have, I'm trying to figure out my best move.

[cavalier1138]

Big law is definitely the ultimate goal/dream and I want to plan for law school in a way that would be helpful for that - but I'm happy with working in a medium sized private firm as well. I just want to align myself best with something that could potentially open doors for big law, but would be totally ok with working in a medium sized firm as well.

I appreciate people being as blunt as possible and suggesting I take a year off but I am not willing to do that. I got a solid LSAT score and my college GPA is not going to change very much from this point on. My prospects will most likely stay about the same. Based on the options I currently have, I'm trying to figure out my best move.

Just to make sure you understand: mid-law is almost harder to get than biglaw. Your options for private practice are usually biglaw, small firm, or solo.

But good luck on landing top 10-20% of your class. I've heard that a misplaced sense of confidence is the best tool for doing well on exams.

[amta]

Big law is definitely the ultimate goal/dream and I want to plan for law school in a way that would be helpful for that - but I'm happy with working in a medium sized private firm as well. I just want to align myself best with something that could potentially open doors for big law, but would be totally ok with working in a medium sized firm as well.

I appreciate people being as blunt as possible and suggesting I take a year off but I am not willing to do that. I got a solid LSAT score and my college GPA is not going to change very much from this point on. My prospects will most likely stay about the same. Based on the options I currently have, I'm trying to figure out my best move.

ill trash U C D law up and down this board, but i am really curious what you consider a "solid" LSAT score if your top three choices are UCD, UCI, and NDLS (which im sure offered you an unjustifiably low scholly).

[khaleesi_k]

I guess another question to ask at this point would be whether ND would give me better job options than the UCs, even if it means staying outside of California? I had wanted to stay in my home state but if ND will offer better job prospects in other parts of the country than the UCs would then that's something I want to take into consideration.

[SmokeytheBear]

I guess another question to ask at this point would be whether ND would give me better job options than the UCs, even if it means staying outside of California? I had wanted to stay in my home state but if ND will offer better job prospects in other parts of the country than the UCs would then that's something I want to take into consideration.

This information can be more easily, factually, and reliably found on the job literature provided by the schools rather than asking for the wisdom of people on here, which is about as good as old baseball scouts.

[Gitaroo_Dude]

I guess another question to ask at this point would be whether ND would give me better job options than the UCs, even if it means staying outside of California? I had wanted to stay in my home state but if ND will offer better job prospects in other parts of the country than the UCs would then that's something I want to take into consideration.

Ehhhh....

ND has a higher biglaw percentage, but a lot of it goes to Chicago, and I don't think it's higher enough to offset a cheap education from Davis & Irvine.

They punch above their weight on clerkships, but so does UCI.

Honestly, I think your choice is pretty simple at this point:

Would you be happy with a starting salary of $60k with the possibility of some upward mobility over the span of your life?

If your answer is "Yes", go with whichever of Irvine/Davis feels best to you on a personal "fit" level.

if your answer is "No", take some time off, retake and try for at least Berk but maybe settle for UCLA.

[khaleesi_k]

I guess another question to ask at this point would be whether ND would give me better job options than the UCs, even if it means staying outside of California? I had wanted to stay in my home state but if ND will offer better job prospects in other parts of the country than the UCs would then that's something I want to take into consideration.

This information can be more easily, factually, and reliably found on the job literature provided by the schools rather than asking for the wisdom of people on here, which is about as good as old baseball scouts.

True, thank you.

[khaleesi_k]

I guess another question to ask at this point would be whether ND would give me better job options than the UCs, even if it means staying outside of California? I had wanted to stay in my home state but if ND will offer better job prospects in other parts of the country than the UCs would then that's something I want to take into consideration.

Ehhhh....

ND has a higher biglaw percentage, but a lot of it goes to Chicago, and I don't think it's higher enough to offset a cheap education from Davis & Irvine.

They punch above their weight on clerkships, but so does UCI.

Honestly, I think your choice is pretty simple at this point:

Would you be happy with a starting salary of $60k with the possibility of some upward mobility over the span of your life?

If your answer is "Yes", go with whichever of Irvine/Davis feels best to you on a personal "fit" level.

if your answer is "No", take some time off, retake and try for at least Berk but maybe settle for UCLA.

That makes sense, thank you!

[amta]

OP, are you independently wealthy?

[khaleesi_k]

OP, are you independently wealthy?

no, but I went to a very cheap public school for undergrad which saved me money to use on law school and UCI/UCD are offering practically a full ride.

I got Notre Dame's scholly info today as well and it was actually more than I had expected, so that's helpful.

And in response to your previous question, I did well enough to be a competitive applicant on the LSAT. For my highest "reach" schools I've been at or above median for LSAT. What's really screwing me over in the application process is my very average GPA. I'm usually sitting at 25th percentile or a little below. There was something going on in my family during my first two years of undergrad and I was very distracted by it and messed up hard school-wise. Thankfully that is no longer a factor in my life and I've done very well my last two years but it's not enough to repair the damage done from my first two.

For that reason, I don't believe that taking a year off and getting a point or two higher on the LSAT is really going to improve my prospects THAT much as my undergrad GPA is going to essentially stay the same. I'm expecting to get all A's in my last term at undergrad but at this point that will only bump it up a tiny bit.

[amta]

For that reason, I don't believe that taking a year off and getting a point or two higher on the LSAT is really going to improve my prospects THAT much as my undergrad GPA is going to essentially stay the same. I'm expecting to get all A's in my last term at undergrad but at this point that will only bump it up a tiny bit.

maybe not, but 5 points will. you need to sit out if you want california big law. the UCs and NDLS are not viable options, and UCD/UCI carry considerable risk.

[SmokeytheBear]

OP, are you independently wealthy?

no, but I went to a very cheap public school for undergrad which saved me money to use on law school and UCI/UCD are offering practically a full ride.

I got Notre Dame's scholly info today as well and it was actually more than I had expected, so that's helpful.

And in response to your previous question, I did well enough to be a competitive applicant on the LSAT. For my highest "reach" schools I've been at or above median for LSAT. What's really screwing me over in the application process is my very average GPA. I'm usually sitting at 25th percentile or a little below. There was something going on in my family during my first two years of undergrad and I was very distracted by it and messed up hard school-wise. Thankfully that is no longer a factor in my life and I've done very well my last two years but it's not enough to repair the damage done from my first two.

For that reason, I don't believe that taking a year off and getting a point or two higher on the LSAT is really going to improve my prospects THAT much as my undergrad GPA is going to essentially stay the same. I'm expecting to get all A's in my last term at undergrad but at this point that will only bump it up a tiny bit.

Retaking, as you've been told a number of times, is the right answer. A few points will indeed improve your odds at UCLA or USC tremendously, which will accordingly improve your prospects at your career goals.

We're just trying to help you play the odds better. Fold this hand. Save your chips. Play the next hand where you might get better cards.

[amta]

Retaking, as you've been told a number of times, is the right answer. A few points will indeed improve your odds at UCLA or USC tremendously, which will accordingly improve your prospects at your career goals.

We're just trying to help you play the odds better. Fold this hand. Save your chips. Play the next hand where you might get better cards.

this. you're K-JD. get a job, have a life for a couple years, and give some serious time to a retake.

[Veil of Ignorance]

Davis is a better city than irvine.

Agreed. Irvine has to be one of the most boring cities ever. However, Irvine is closer to way more cool stuff in proximity.

My cousin asked me where she should go to school. I told her if she has a car, UCI. If she doesn't, UCD for sure.

I hate SoCal and agree that Irvine is boring, but have you been to Davis?
Seriously, has it drastically changed in the last 2 years (I have family there)?

Davis is a friendly, safe, liberal college town, probably a lot like Ann Arbor or Charlottesville. I like it a lot. It's only downfall is the architecture is kinda suburban, even though the town is rural.

[PlanetExpress]

Former UCI undergrad here and can speak to Irvine as a place to live. A car is absolutely necessary, but as long as you have that, Irvine/Orange County is one of the most pleasant places to live. It's a suburb mostly, yes, but it's suburb-utopia. It's got tons of great restaurants at every price point and variety, especially ethnic food (every kind of Asian food and lots of middle eastern). There's lots of shopping, it's close to really good beaches, and it's not far from many other great things (San Diego a few hours south, LA an hour north without traffic, Vegas about 5 hours' drive).

Can't speak to employability coming out of UCI law, though. Good luck, OP.

[SmokeytheBear]

Davis is a better city than irvine.

Agreed. Irvine has to be one of the most boring cities ever. However, Irvine is closer to way more cool stuff in proximity.

My cousin asked me where she should go to school. I told her if she has a car, UCI. If she doesn't, UCD for sure.

I hate SoCal and agree that Irvine is boring, but have you been to Davis?
Seriously, has it drastically changed in the last 2 years (I have family there)?

Davis is a friendly, safe, liberal college town, probably a lot like Ann Arbor or Charlottesville. I like it a lot. It's only downfall is the architecture is kinda suburban, even though the town is rural.

I can say for certain that Davis is nothing like AA or C'ville.

[Veil of Ignorance]

Davis is a better city than irvine.

Agreed. Irvine has to be one of the most boring cities ever. However, Irvine is closer to way more cool stuff in proximity.

My cousin asked me where she should go to school. I told her if she has a car, UCI. If she doesn't, UCD for sure.

I hate SoCal and agree that Irvine is boring, but have you been to Davis?
Seriously, has it drastically changed in the last 2 years (I have family there)?

Davis is a friendly, safe, liberal college town, probably a lot like Ann Arbor or Charlottesville. I like it a lot. It's only downfall is the architecture is kinda suburban, even though the town is rural.

I can say for certain that Davis is nothing like AA or C'ville.

Huh, well I've never been to the other two cities. But all three are college towns at least, and college towns are uniformly pretty cool.

[B90]

Davis is a better city than irvine.

Agreed. Irvine has to be one of the most boring cities ever. However, Irvine is closer to way more cool stuff in proximity.

My cousin asked me where she should go to school. I told her if she has a car, UCI. If she doesn't, UCD for sure.

I hate SoCal and agree that Irvine is boring, but have you been to Davis?
Seriously, has it drastically changed in the last 2 years (I have family there)?

Davis is a friendly, safe, liberal college town, probably a lot like Ann Arbor or Charlottesville. I like it a lot. It's only downfall is the architecture is kinda suburban, even though the town is rural.

This is exactly what I was getting at. My post was sarcastic. The comment was directed at the implication that you don't need a car in Davis and that Irvine is a vast wasteland while Davis is a buzzing metropolis. They are BOTH rural.
I love Davis. It's a great town. I couldn't stand to live there for 3 years because I'm a city girl (which is why I chose to go to undergrad in Boston rather than stay in CA), but if you like rural suburbs it's perfect for you. My brother and sister-in-law both went to UC Davis and loved it.

The last time I was there was 2015 and I will be returning in a few weeks. I was (sarcastically) just checking to see if it somehow modernized in the last 2 years.

[Gitaroo_Dude]

Davis is a better city than irvine.

Agreed. Irvine has to be one of the most boring cities ever. However, Irvine is closer to way more cool stuff in proximity.

My cousin asked me where she should go to school. I told her if she has a car, UCI. If she doesn't, UCD for sure.

I hate SoCal and agree that Irvine is boring, but have you been to Davis?
Seriously, has it drastically changed in the last 2 years (I have family there)?

Davis is a friendly, safe, liberal college town, probably a lot like Ann Arbor or Charlottesville. I like it a lot. It's only downfall is the architecture is kinda suburban, even though the town is rural.

This is exactly what I was getting at. My post was sarcastic. The comment was directed at the implication that you don't need a car in Davis and that Irvine is a vast wasteland while Davis is a buzzing metropolis. They are BOTH rural.
I love Davis. It's a great town. I couldn't stand to live there for 3 years because I'm a city girl (which is why I chose to go to undergrad in Boston rather than stay in CA), but if you like rural suburbs it's perfect for you. My brother and sister-in-law both went to UC Davis and loved it.

The last time I was there was 2015 and I will be returning in a few weeks. I was (sarcastically) just checking to see if it somehow modernized in the last 2 years.

Wait, what, how is Irvine rural?

[loslakers]

Davis is a better city than irvine.

Agreed. Irvine has to be one of the most boring cities ever. However, Irvine is closer to way more cool stuff in proximity.

My cousin asked me where she should go to school. I told her if she has a car, UCI. If she doesn't, UCD for sure.

I hate SoCal and agree that Irvine is boring, but have you been to Davis?
Seriously, has it drastically changed in the last 2 years (I have family there)?

Davis is a friendly, safe, liberal college town, probably a lot like Ann Arbor or Charlottesville. I like it a lot. It's only downfall is the architecture is kinda suburban, even though the town is rural.

This is exactly what I was getting at. My post was sarcastic. The comment was directed at the implication that you don't need a car in Davis and that Irvine is a vast wasteland while Davis is a buzzing metropolis. They are BOTH rural.
I love Davis. It's a great town. I couldn't stand to live there for 3 years because I'm a city girl (which is why I chose to go to undergrad in Boston rather than stay in CA), but if you like rural suburbs it's perfect for you. My brother and sister-in-law both went to UC Davis and loved it.

The last time I was there was 2015 and I will be returning in a few weeks. I was (sarcastically) just checking to see if it somehow modernized in the last 2 years.

Wait, what, how is Irvine rural?

currently live in irvine, and yeah its probably the furthest thing from rural. there is literally a shopping center with an albertsons/targets/wholefoods + restaurants for every mile in every direction.

[amta]

Wait, what, how is Irvine rural?

dude, stop trying to make irvine happen.

[B90]

Davis is a better city than irvine.

Agreed. Irvine has to be one of the most boring cities ever. However, Irvine is closer to way more cool stuff in proximity.

My cousin asked me where she should go to school. I told her if she has a car, UCI. If she doesn't, UCD for sure.

I hate SoCal and agree that Irvine is boring, but have you been to Davis?
Seriously, has it drastically changed in the last 2 years (I have family there)?

Davis is a friendly, safe, liberal college town, probably a lot like Ann Arbor or Charlottesville. I like it a lot. It's only downfall is the architecture is kinda suburban, even though the town is rural.

This is exactly what I was getting at. My post was sarcastic. The comment was directed at the implication that you don't need a car in Davis and that Irvine is a vast wasteland while Davis is a buzzing metropolis. They are BOTH rural.
I love Davis. It's a great town. I couldn't stand to live there for 3 years because I'm a city girl (which is why I chose to go to undergrad in Boston rather than stay in CA), but if you like rural suburbs it's perfect for you. My brother and sister-in-law both went to UC Davis and loved it.

The last time I was there was 2015 and I will be returning in a few weeks. I was (sarcastically) just checking to see if it somehow modernized in the last 2 years.

Wait, what, how is Irvine rural?

currently live in irvine, and yeah its probably the furthest thing from rural. there is literally a shopping center with an albertsons/targets/wholefoods + restaurants for every mile in every direction.

I see you took the bait.

[Gitaroo_Dude]

Wait, what, how is Irvine rural?

dude, stop trying to make irvine happen.

I won't deny Irvine is boring, but we have South Coast Plaza which is fetch af.

[loslakers]

Agreed. Irvine has to be one of the most boring cities ever. However, Irvine is closer to way more cool stuff in proximity.

My cousin asked me where she should go to school. I told her if she has a car, UCI. If she doesn't, UCD for sure.

I hate SoCal and agree that Irvine is boring, but have you been to Davis?
Seriously, has it drastically changed in the last 2 years (I have family there)?

Davis is a friendly, safe, liberal college town, probably a lot like Ann Arbor or Charlottesville. I like it a lot. It's only downfall is the architecture is kinda suburban, even though the town is rural.

This is exactly what I was getting at. My post was sarcastic. The comment was directed at the implication that you don't need a car in Davis and that Irvine is a vast wasteland while Davis is a buzzing metropolis. They are BOTH rural.
I love Davis. It's a great town. I couldn't stand to live there for 3 years because I'm a city girl (which is why I chose to go to undergrad in Boston rather than stay in CA), but if you like rural suburbs it's perfect for you. My brother and sister-in-law both went to UC Davis and loved it.

The last time I was there was 2015 and I will be returning in a few weeks. I was (sarcastically) just checking to see if it somehow modernized in the last 2 years.

Wait, what, how is Irvine rural?

currently live in irvine, and yeah its probably the furthest thing from rural. there is literally a shopping center with an albertsons/targets/wholefoods + restaurants for every mile in every direction.

I see you took the bait.

hahahahahha bit hard

[ManoftheHour]

This is exactly what I was getting at. My post was sarcastic. The comment was directed at the implication that you don't need a car in Davis and that Irvine is a vast wasteland while Davis is a buzzing metropolis. They are BOTH rural.
I love Davis. It's a great town. I couldn't stand to live there for 3 years because I'm a city girl (which is why I chose to go to undergrad in Boston rather than stay in CA), but if you like rural suburbs it's perfect for you. My brother and sister-in-law both went to UC Davis and loved it.

The last time I was there was 2015 and I will be returning in a few weeks. I was (sarcastically) just checking to see if it somehow modernized in the last 2 years.

I am not sure if I implied you do not need a car in Davis. My point was say you did not have a car and you had to choose between the two. I was not saying that Davis is some buzzing metropolis. My point was put it this way: Say you had no car, and you had to spend 3 years in one of those cities, which would you choose? In a vacuum, Davis is objectively the better city out of the two. Personally for me, I would choose Irvine over Davis any day of the week.