U. Denver vs. U. Pittsburgh - INPUT PLEASE!!!! Forum

[scionb4]

I've gotten into Denver and I'm pretty sure I'll get into Pitt. Any thoughts? I don't know much beyond what I've read on the internet having never been to either city. PLEASE HELP!!! They both look really appealing.

[TTH]

Are you a resident of either state?

Where do you want to practice after LS?

The answers to these questions should guide your decision. Everything else being equal, I think I'd rather spend three years in Denver versus Pittsburgh.

[Lonagan]

I am in the same position as you OP, and for what it's worth I'm leaning Pitt (in the unlikely event my choice really comes down to these two schools alone).

-Pitt dominates its market, while Denver is competing with Boulder.
-Denver's issues with bar passage in recent years scares the crap out of me.
-Pitt has a generally more solid academic reputation, at least from what I have heard, than Denver.
-I liked Pitt better when I visited. Their admissions director didn't blow smoke up my butt, was very straightforward and honest, and I appreciate that.
-Pitt is in a better part of its city than DU.

All of this is said with all else being equal w/r/t $$, etc. I would also be happy living and practicing in either city.

Edit: I like the DU building a lot more than Pitt's though.

[scionb4]

I am in the same position as you OP, and for what it's worth I'm leaning Pitt (in the unlikely event my choice really comes down to these two schools alone).

-Pitt dominates its market, while Denver is competing with Boulder.
-Denver's issues with bar passage in recent years scares the crap out of me.
-Pitt has a generally more solid academic reputation, at least from what I have heard, than Denver.
-I liked Pitt better when I visited. Their admissions director didn't blow smoke up my butt, was very straightforward and honest, and I appreciate that.
-Pitt is in a better part of its city than DU.

All of this is said with all else being equal w/r/t $$, etc. I would also be happy living and practicing in either city.

Edit: I like the DU building a lot more than Pitt's though.

Thanks, dude. It's cool that you've visited both places. Two questions: What was the admissions director really honest about, and just how shitty is the Pitt building?

[Lonagan]

Honestly, the Pitt building was not as dank and depressing as the BU building (though it does lack the sweet view from the top floor.) It is just a functional, if not impressive, academic building. Just don't walk through the Cathedral (where undergrad classes meet) first or you will feel let down.

The admissions director told me a number of things regarding employment prospects that impressed me. She was very honest about the fact that Pitt doesn't generally place into Biglaw. She didn't try to make the argument that a J.D. is a J.D. She noted that you have to do some legwork when it comes to job placement. That isn't to say that she undersold the place or made it sound like there are no jobs coming out of Pitt; rather, I felt she gave an honest picture of what the employment picture looked like. She plugged Pitt's local dominance and the quality of life there. She emphasized that she moved to Pittsburgh from elsewhere and fell in love with the city. All in all, I feel like Pitt is a very solid law school from which one can launch a respectable career, and when I talked to her that is the picture she tried to paint. I have a lot of respect for people who don't try to shine applicants on and invent a rosy picture that never materializes.

Like I said, I hope I get offers from schools ranked well above these two. However, if it comes to these, I think I would be pretty happy at Pitt.

[James Bond]

Pitt DOMINATES the Pittsburgh market, does decent in Ohio and West Virginia, and does OK in Western New York and Maryland.

For a school ranked in the 70's it takes care of business.

[scionb4]

Honestly, the Pitt building was not as dank and depressing as the BU building (though it does lack the sweet view from the top floor.) It is just a functional, if not impressive, academic building. Just don't walk through the Cathedral (where undergrad classes meet) first or you will feel let down.

The admissions director told me a number of things regarding employment prospects that impressed me. She was very honest about the fact that Pitt doesn't generally place into Biglaw. She didn't try to make the argument that a J.D. is a J.D. She noted that you have to do some legwork when it comes to job placement. That isn't to say that she undersold the place or made it sound like there are no jobs coming out of Pitt; rather, I felt she gave an honest picture of what the employment picture looked like. She plugged Pitt's local dominance and the quality of life there. She emphasized that she moved to Pittsburgh from elsewhere and fell in love with the city. All in all, I feel like Pitt is a very solid law school from which one can launch a respectable career, and when I talked to her that is the picture she tried to paint. I have a lot of respect for people who don't try to shine applicants on and invent a rosy picture that never materializes.

Like I said, I hope I get offers from schools ranked well above these two. However, if it comes to these, I think I would be pretty happy at Pitt.

Once again, thank you very much for your input. I've only driven through Denver on my way to a backpacking trip in the Rockies and I've never been Northeast of South Carolina, so I'm a layman on these two seemingly very livable cities. Like you, I'm holding out for admission to a higher ranked school, IU Bloomington first and foremost, then Arizona, then Case Western Reserve. However, like you said, you could do a lot worse than these two cities!

[Lonagan]

And boom, Wash U. today. So I guess I don't have to actually make this choice. Denver is out for me for sure now, but Pitt will still get a look assuming they accept me.

[tallboone]

Unless you get into a "national" law school you should definitely go to the best school in the region where you want to practice. Pay no attention to the rankings beyond that.

[scionb4]

And boom, Wash U. today. So I guess I don't have to actually make this choice. Denver is out for me for sure now, but Pitt will still get a look assuming they accept me.

Congratulations dude!

[FunkyJD]

And boom, Wash U. today. So I guess I don't have to actually make this choice. Denver is out for me for sure now, but Pitt will still get a look assuming they accept me.

Props for the acceptance. I would still keep Pitt alive. WashU sticker/$ vs. Pitt $$$ would be an interesting discussion, no?