Top Law Schools

merichard87 wrote:Personally I would probably stick with Alabama and re-evaluate after my first year to see if transferring could be an option. You're in a great situation right now though. Don't stress.

ArthurEdens wrote:

$200,000 in loans would cost you $2300/month for 10 years! That is ridiculous.

Assuming CoL loans at UA, you'd be looking at ~$600/month for 10 years. Much more manageable.

Personally, I'd graduate from UA, get a nice job in Birmingham, and live like a king.

legalease9 wrote:

ArthurEdens wrote:

$200,000 in loans would cost you $2300/month for 10 years! That is ridiculous.

Assuming CoL loans at UA, you'd be looking at ~$600/month for 10 years. Much more manageable.

Personally, I'd graduate from UA, get a nice job in Birmingham, and live like a king.

Yep. Go Alabama. This one isn't even close. The obscene debt you would be racking up at sticker with Vandy simply isn't worth the difference between the schools' job prospects. If it were Columbia or something (or even Duke/UVA) the conversation would be more debatable. But there is no way you can give up a free ride like that in this case, given that you are comfortable working in Alabama.

hwstewart wrote:Do you think that graduating middle of the pack at Vandy would still provide better opportunities than being in the top third of Bama? Trying to figure out what opportunities would exist under all scenarios here.

Heeeeeeeelp!

CanadianWolf wrote:Regardless of where you want to work, Alabama is the better choice for well over 200,000 reasons. A law degree from the Univ. of Alabama does not restrict you to working in Alabama, but to a large extent being a member of only the Alabama State Bar does.
If you attend Alabama but want to work elsewhere, then be prepared to work hard to obtain internships in your desired geographic area. Or consider working for the federal government which will allow you to live in various locations throughout the country.
To some extent, how well you do in law school at Alabama will determine the extent of portability of your degree beyond the state borders. Taking the bar exam in the state where you want to practice will also enhance portability.
As a poster above suggested, try your first year at Alabama & see how things work out.

hwstewart wrote:Do you think that graduating middle of the pack at Vandy would still provide better opportunities than being in the top third of Bama? Trying to figure out what opportunities would exist under all scenarios here.

Heeeeeeeelp!

CanadianWolf wrote:Regardless of where you want to work, Alabama is the better choice for well over 200,000 reasons. A law degree from the Univ. of Alabama does not restrict you to working in Alabama, but to a large extent being a member of only the Alabama State Bar does.
If you attend Alabama but want to work elsewhere, then be prepared to work hard to obtain internships in your desired geographic area. Or consider working for the federal government which will allow you to live in various locations throughout the country.
To some extent, how well you do in law school at Alabama will determine the extent of portability of your degree beyond the state borders. Taking the bar exam in the state where you want to practice will also enhance portability.
As a poster above suggested, try your first year at Alabama & see how things work out.
There are circumstances under which I would recommend Vanderbilt over a full tuition, fees & books scholarship at Alabama, but they don't come into play under the particulars of your situation as shared in this thread.

sundevil77 wrote:Also, I'm pretty sure that many people voting for Vandy are people that couldn't stand the thought of working in Birmingham, fyi.

legalease9 wrote:

hwstewart wrote:Do you think that graduating middle of the pack at Vandy would still provide better opportunities than being in the top third of Bama? Trying to figure out what opportunities would exist under all scenarios here.

Heeeeeeeelp!

Don't assume that you will necessarily do better at Alabama than Vandy.

However, in terms of opportunities, bear in mind how debt effects opportunities. If you graduate from Vandy at sticker you are more or less obligated to go Big law (which you may or may not get). If you don't get Big law, you're screwed (Vandy's public service Loan Repayment program is ok but not spectacular. On the other hand, if you graduate from Alabama, you will have a lot more freedom to do whatever you want. It will be hard to get a job outside of Alabama and maybe the deep south (if you do well), but you can get just about any type of job you can find that satisfies you, without worrying about having to pay back an extra 140 or so k in high interest debt.

CanadianWolf wrote:Regardless of where you want to work, Alabama is the better choice for well over 200,000 reasons.