Top Law Schools

I am an Illinois resident, so that would be lower tuition. BUT, would the job prospects be better out of BC? I live in Chicago and seem to hear very little about U of I. Is it not very prestigious, despite being ranked 3 positions higher than BC?

Absolutely, unequivocally, Illinois is the better choice for practicing law in Chicago. Hands down.

Absolutely, unequivocally, BC is the better choice for practicing law in Boston. Hands down.

On a side note, anything outside the T-14 I would consider a regional school. 3 ranking points, or even 10, is nothing. BC, BU, Fordham, GW, Illinois and any other school ranked from 20-30 are peer schools.

latinolaw wrote:I am an Illinois resident, so that would be lower tuition. BUT, would the job prospects be better out of BC? I live in Chicago and seem to hear very little about U of I. Is it not very prestigious, despite being ranked 3 positions higher than BC?

Illinois is actually quite prestigious and does very well in Chicago, especially during up-economies. It's just that U. of Chicago and Northwestern are very prestigious nationally, and Michigan gets a lot of action in Chicago too. So you might not hear as much, but when it comes time to look for a job, Illinois on your JD will carry a good amount of weight in the Midwest.

Do you want to work in Chicago or in Boston? Then go there.

Pretty easy choice, I guess. If you want to work in Chicago, go to UIUC. If you want to work in Boston/Northeast, go to BC.

With that said, you are looking at 39k/year v 33k/year, plus a lower COL at Illinois. I can also tell you that in my contact with professors, administrators, and students at UIUC, I have been nothing but impressed! I think you are going to face similar job prospects at either school, meaning that while UIUC and BC are both great schools, they face competition from a lot of higher ranked schools in their respective regions. At either school I think you need to be shooting for top 20% of your class, at least.

Hope that helps.

All: Thanks for the responses. I do not care where I live or practice.

tram988 wrote:On a side note, anything outside the T-14 I would consider a regional school. 3 ranking points, or even 10, is nothing. BC, BU, Fordham, GW, Illinois and any other school ranked from 20-30 are peer schools.

This is helpful, thanks.

Illinois is actually quite prestigious and does very well in Chicago, especially during up-economies. It's just that U. of Chicago and Northwestern are very prestigious nationally, and Michigan gets a lot of action in Chicago too. So you might not hear as much, but when it comes time to look for a job, Illinois on your JD will carry a good amount of weight in the Midwest.[/quote]

So, are Illinois and Michigan competitors in Chicago, versus UChicago and NW mostly go elsewhere?

As an Illinois 2L, let me agree with everyone else. U of I does well in Chicago, notwithstanding the current state of the economy. If you want to work in Chicago, or anywhere in the midwest for that matter, go to Illinois. A degree from a Boston school won't help you out here, unless it's Harvard.

latinolaw wrote:I am an Illinois resident, so that would be lower tuition. BUT, would the job prospects be better out of BC? I live in Chicago and seem to hear very little about U of I. Is it not very prestigious, despite being ranked 3 positions higher than BC?

UIUC carries more prestige than you might imagine. For Chicago, UIUC is a clear-cut choice. Outside of maybe the Northeast, I think that UIUC offers better national placement. Having been admitted into both UIUC and BC, have you entertained ND?

chadwick218 wrote:

latinolaw wrote:I am an Illinois resident, so that would be lower tuition. BUT, would the job prospects be better out of BC? I live in Chicago and seem to hear very little about U of I. Is it not very prestigious, despite being ranked 3 positions higher than BC?

UIUC carries more prestige than you might imagine. For Chicago, UIUC is a clear-cut choice. Outside of maybe the Northeast, I think that UIUC offers better national placement. Having been admitted into both UIUC and BC, have you entertained ND?

BC carries a ton of prestige as well though-- especially in Boston/ New England. They are ranked 34 as a national university according to US News for their undergrad. 3 places in the rankings is trivial (23 v. 26) especially when the rankings fluctuate so frequently.. It comes down to $$ and where you want to work.