Top Law Schools

I've been thinking lately about how to prioritize potential offers -- scholarships versus the various tiers within the T14.

There's obviously a lot of play around the edges, and my thinking has a degree of arbitrariness. (Is CCN worth an extra $50k in debt over MVP? $40k? $60k?)

Here's what I've so far, in terms of what I think would be the most attractive options. Am I way off base?

1 -- Harvard
2 -- $90k+ at MVPN ... OR ... ~$50k at CCN
3 -- ~$50k at MVPN ... OR ... CCN sticker
4 -- Full ride at T30 ... OR ... ~$75-90k at Georgetown/Cornell
5 -- Don't go to law school

EDIT: I didn't put Yale on here because I don't have a prayer there, and I've got an East Coast bias, so I'd just assume go to CCN over Stanford. I'm not an anti-YS troll.

I picked amongst the T14 by attending the one that accepted me.

vanwinkle wrote:I picked amongst the T14 by attending the one that accepted me.

LOL. I might be doing the same thing.

scribelaw wrote:

vanwinkle wrote:I picked amongst the T14 by attending the one that accepted me.

LOL. I might be doing the same thing.

I really think that is almost a luxury in certain ways. There are so many different sources for information about all of these schools and what the best decision will be. I think the decision process is going to take at least 6 months off my life.

Rand M. wrote:

scribelaw wrote:

vanwinkle wrote:I picked amongst the T14 by attending the one that accepted me.

LOL. I might be doing the same thing.

I really think that is almost a luxury in certain ways. There are so many different sources for information about all of these schools and what the best decision will be. I think the decision process is going to take at least 6 months off my life.

and whatever i choose... ill always wonder if i chose right

Rand M. wrote:

scribelaw wrote:

vanwinkle wrote:I picked amongst the T14 by attending the one that accepted me.

LOL. I might be doing the same thing.

I really think that is almost a luxury in certain ways. There are so many different sources for information about all of these schools and what the best decision will be. I think the decision process is going to take at least 6 months off my life.

+1

Considerations:

1) Where do you want to practice?
2) Who gives you money?
3) Feel of the school (big versus small, etc).

I think Chicago/Columbia is probably credited in most scenarios, except maybe if you want west coast, you wouldn't be silly choosing Berkeley over them.

For NYC: NYU and Penn.
For Chicago: NU and Michigan.
DC: UVA and Georgetown.
CA: Berkeley.
South: UVA and Duke.

This makes the T14 seem probably a bit more regional than it is, but when you factor in things like networking opportunities, etc, it's not a bad idea to go to school in the region you want to work, or at least one that puts a lot of alums into that region. Eg: I've been talking to IP firms in DC and they're dominated by Georgetown grads...

Other than that, don't be such a rankings weenie that you choose Michigan over Duke if you want the south or Penn over Northwestern if you want the midwest. It really doesn't make that much of a difference.

.

rayiner wrote:Considerations:

1) Where do you want to practice?
2) Who gives you money?
3) Feel of the school (big versus small, etc).

I think Chicago/Columbia is probably credited in most scenarios, except maybe if you want west coast, you wouldn't be silly choosing Berkeley over them.

For NYC: NYU and Penn.
For Chicago: NU and Michigan.
DC: UVA and Georgetown.
CA: Berkeley.
South: UVA and Duke.

This makes the T14 seem probably a bit more regional than it is, but when you factor in things like networking opportunities, etc, it's not a bad idea to go to school in the region you want to work, or at least one that puts a lot of alums into that region. Eg: I've been talking to IP firms in DC and they're dominated by Georgetown grads...

Other than that, don't be such a rankings weenie that you choose Michigan over Duke if you want the south or Penn over Northwestern if you want the midwest. It really doesn't make that much of a difference.

Does anyone know if UVA or Duke does well in the Midwest, specifically St. Louis? I'd like to have the South as an option, making those two are preferable to Michigan, but I'd like to keep the Midwest open as well.

barrinmb wrote:Does anyone know if UVA or Duke does well in the Midwest, specifically St. Louis? I'd like to have the South as an option, making those two are preferable to Michigan, but I'd like to keep the Midwest open as well.

Do you have ties to St. Louis?

rayiner wrote:Considerations:

1) Where do you want to practice?
2) Who gives you money?
3) Feel of the school (big versus small, etc).

I think Chicago/Columbia is probably credited in most scenarios, except maybe if you want west coast, you wouldn't be silly choosing Berkeley over them.

For NYC: NYU and Penn.
For Chicago: NU and Michigan.
DC: UVA and Georgetown.
CA: Berkeley.
South: UVA and Duke.

This makes the T14 seem probably a bit more regional than it is, but when you factor in things like networking opportunities, etc, it's not a bad idea to go to school in the region you want to work, or at least one that puts a lot of alums into that region. Eg: I've been talking to IP firms in DC and they're dominated by Georgetown grads...

Other than that, don't be such a rankings weenie that you choose Michigan over Duke if you want the south or Penn over Northwestern if you want the midwest. It really doesn't make that much of a difference.

Thank you for this.

You would pick Columbia/Chicago over MVPN with $$?

rayiner wrote:

barrinmb wrote:Does anyone know if UVA or Duke does well in the Midwest, specifically St. Louis? I'd like to have the South as an option, making those two are preferable to Michigan, but I'd like to keep the Midwest open as well.

Do you have ties to St. Louis?

Yup. SO's family is there, and I like the city on its own merits as well. Beyond that, I have no ties to any other city (I live in the middle of nowhere) so I'd like some flexibility. Basically, I want the following 3 options on the table in addition to the gold standards (NY + DC). St. Louis for the aforementioned reason, Atlanta because it isn't far from home and is a cool city, and Nashville because it's been great to me and I may decide I like it enough to pursue it in the end. I've applied to the T-20s in those three cities, but I'd really like to avoid being limited to the city that houses the school I would hypothetically attend if I went to one of those.

barrinmb wrote:Does anyone know if UVA or Duke does well in the Midwest, specifically St. Louis? I'd like to have the South as an option, making those two are preferable to Michigan, but I'd like to keep the Midwest open as well.

I think that they do equally well. Keep in mind though that for St. Louis, you are really going to need to show strong ties (family will do it ... especially if you grew up in the area). From exerpience, it seemed as though I spent half of my interview convincing those that I met with that I truly intended to return to St. Louis after having lived / worked in Los Angeles, New York, DC, and Dallas and attending school in Chicago.

scribelaw wrote:You would pick Columbia/Chicago over MVPN with $$?

It really depends on how much. For personal reasons, MVN, yes; P, no!

chadwick218 wrote:

scribelaw wrote:You would pick Columbia/Chicago over MVPN with $$?

It really depends on how much. For personal reasons, MVN, yes; P, no!

I'd say P and N: yes; M and V: no. But that's also for purely personal reasons....

rayiner wrote:Considerations:

1) Where do you want to practice?
2) Who gives you money?
3) Feel of the school (big versus small, etc).

I think Chicago/Columbia is probably credited in most scenarios, except maybe if you want west coast, you wouldn't be silly choosing Berkeley over them.

For NYC: NYU and Penn.
For Chicago: NU and Michigan.
DC: UVA and Georgetown.
CA: Berkeley.
South: UVA and Duke.

This makes the T14 seem probably a bit more regional than it is, but when you factor in things like networking opportunities, etc, it's not a bad idea to go to school in the region you want to work, or at least one that puts a lot of alums into that region. Eg: I've been talking to IP firms in DC and they're dominated by Georgetown grads...

Other than that, don't be such a rankings weenie that you choose Michigan over Duke if you want the south or Penn over Northwestern if you want the midwest. It really doesn't make that much of a difference.

Rayiner's advice is good. Your grades, interview skills, networking, interest areas, etc. will make a much bigger difference to your personal career path than will the USNWR. Networking and making contacts in the region you'd like to work should be a consideration, as should your personal tastes for big/small, rural/urban/suburban, etc.

IowaGirl wrote:

chadwick218 wrote:

scribelaw wrote:You would pick Columbia/Chicago over MVPN with $$?

It really depends on how much. For personal reasons, MVN, yes; P, no!

I'd say P and N: yes; M and V: no. But that's also for purely personal reasons....

Is it true they have a cow made out of butter in Iowa?

scribelaw wrote:

IowaGirl wrote:

chadwick218 wrote:

scribelaw wrote:You would pick Columbia/Chicago over MVPN with $$?

It really depends on how much. For personal reasons, MVN, yes; P, no!

I'd say P and N: yes; M and V: no. But that's also for purely personal reasons....

Is it true they have a cow made out of butter in Iowa?

Haha, they do indeed. If you were considering law school at Iowa, I would suggest checking it out.

With your 3.75/173, you're pretty much a lock at CCN but have a low chance at HYS. So I would choose the best law school, which is Columbia, unless a T10 offers big money. There's also the possibility that Chicago or NYU offers you money in the range of $30-40k.