UIUC vs. William & Mary vs. Iowa Forum

[awawa]

If the aid package is identical, which do you all think is the best law school of the 3?

How would you rank the 3 programs?

UIUC vs. W&M vs. Iowa

I am thinking:

UIUC
W&M
Iowa

UPDATE: Career prospects and overall prestige are what I am talking about. The rest of the stuff is not quite important enough.

[Slimpee]

If the aid package is identical, which do you all think is the best law school of the 3?

How would you rank the 3 programs?

UIUC vs. W&M vs. Iowa

I am thinking:

UIUC
W&M
Iowa

You should know the drill by now! Do you know what kind of law you want to practice? Where you want to live? What kind of students do you want to be with?

Of the three, I think Iowa is underrated, but that's based on living my life in the midwest...

[im_blue]

UIUC
W&M
Iowa

[richmondguy3000]

There is USNWR and there is common sense and understanding of real world. If you go to UIUC or Iowa you will be stuck in midwest competing with University of Chicago folks. If you go to W&M you will encounter friendly collegial atmosphere and will have a shoe in to the DC biglaw market. If you go to the other two, not sure what you will get. Many people say that if they do not get into T14 they are goin to W&M and after a little research I see why.

[pjo]

Many people say that if they do not get into T14 they are goin to W&M and after a little research I see why.

Can you elaborate on that?

[im_blue]

There is USNWR and there is common sense and understanding of real world. If you go to UIUC or Iowa you will be stuck in midwest competing with University of Chicago folks. If you go to W&M you will encounter friendly collegial atmosphere and will have a shoe in to the DC biglaw market. If you go to the other two, not sure what you will get. Many people say that if they do not get into T14 they are goin to W&M and after a little research I see why.

How exactly is a W&M grad a shoo-in to DC biglaw when even UVA and GULC grads are getting shut out of DC? What about Duke, Penn, and GWU, which all place heavily into DC? W&M isn't even the best non-T14 for DC, but Illinois is the best non-T14 for Chicago.

[Slimpee]

There is USNWR and there is common sense and understanding of real world. If you go to UIUC or Iowa you will be stuck in midwest competing with University of Chicago folks. If you go to W&M you will encounter friendly collegial atmosphere and will have a shoe in to the DC biglaw market. If you go to the other two, not sure what you will get. Many people say that if they do not get into T14 they are goin to W&M and after a little research I see why.

How exactly is a W&M grad a shoo-in to DC biglaw when even UVA and GULC grads are getting shut out of DC? What about Duke, Penn, and GWU, which all place heavily into DC? W&M isn't even the best non-T14 for DC, but Illinois is the best non-T14 for Chicago.

I was going to ask the same thing...

[PDaddy]

There is USNWR and there is common sense and understanding of real world. If you go to UIUC or Iowa you will be stuck in midwest competing with University of Chicago folks. If you go to W&M you will encounter friendly collegial atmosphere and will have a shoe in to the DC biglaw market. If you go to the other two, not sure what you will get. Many people say that if they do not get into T14 they are goin to W&M and after a little research I see why.

How exactly is a W&M grad a shoo-in to DC biglaw when even UVA and GULC grads are getting shut out of DC? What about Duke, Penn, and GWU, which all place heavily into DC? W&M isn't even the best non-T14 for DC, but Illinois is the best non-T14 for Chicago.

Good point!

[Slimpee]

I think it's hilarious that USNWR ranking mean everything on TLS until you start talking about the midwest or west coast (hmm...2/3 of the country) and then all of the sudden you're a moron for choosing Iowa over BC or WM even though, hey, look at that, they're ranked the same!

Placement in big cities blah blah blah...there is so much anti-midwest on TLS it's ridiculous

[richmondguy3000]

richmondguy3000 wrote:
Many people say that if they do not get into T14 they are goin to W&M and after a little research I see why.


Can you elaborate on that?

W&M:

1. You are going to the oldest law school in the US (does not mean much since e.g. RCA invented TV, which does not mean they make the best ones but still)
2. cheap as hell - I am in-state and after a lil my annual tuition will be around 16K. Not bad for T30.
3. nationwide acclaim for its ug program and its status as the original Public Ivy may help you out a bunch when getting a corporate job (not sure if corporate executives are brushed up on the rankings and will catch that University of Minessota is a ton better...); overall lay appeal appears pretty high.
4. I have not seen a single negative comment about job placement at W&M despite legal market ITE. Only 22% or so end up in biglaw, but it appears that most people from WM get jobs that they like. My wife's friend's husband went to W&M and he has been employed in decent paying legal jobs from day one up until now for three years (no law review or top 50%...). Anecdotal as it is I am on TLS and a couple of other sites every day and I just have not seen any bad comments on W&M job placement. At the same time Fordham alums pore out their bile all over the place how if you bottom half at Fordham you are facked. Schools are similarly ranked (28 and 30).
5. W&M is not a typical law school in that it is incredibly collegial - no cut throat competition like most law school, but welcome environment where everyone is helping each other out. Gunners not welcome and surprisingly do not do well. Not sure why.