CA law schools Forum

[imsoharmat]

So let me propose a hypothetical...

Let's say you may not get into Hastings but want to practice law in California. Let's say your GPA is not what it should be to get into Hastings, or Boalt, or Gould for that matter. Let's say you had friends in undergrad. Let's say you had a life. I know this last restriction will be an issue for many of you.

It seems to me that one's options would be first and foremost:

Loyola Law & San Diego Law.

Now add the caveat that one wishes to practice IP law, preferrably in San Francisco.

Then you have the much lower ranked:

Santa Clara and University of San Francisco/

What should one choose? Any comments? Am I a troll? Is your life a total waste of time? I'm kinda thinking Santa Clara but is it just too much of a TTT as you kids call it? If one were to attend a TTT would it matter if that TTT was Loyola or Santa Clara?????? As you can probably tell from my multiple question marks, I'm in desperate need of answers...

Thanks.

[Knock]

So let me propose a hypothetical...

Let's say you may not get into Hastings but want to practice law in California. Let's say your GPA is not what it should be to get into Hastings, or Boalt, or Gould for that matter. Let's say you had friends in undergrad. Let's say you had a life. I know this last restriction will be an issue for many of you.

It seems to me that one's options would be first and foremost:

Loyola Law & San Diego Law.

Now add the caveat that one wishes to practice IP law, preferrably in San Francisco.

Then you have the much lower ranked:

Santa Clara and University of San Francisco/

What should one choose? Any comments? Am I a troll? Is your life a total waste of time? I'm kinda thinking Santa Clara but is it just too much of a TTT as you kids call it? If one were to attend a TTT would it matter if that TTT was Loyola or Santa Clara?????? As you can probably tell from my multiple question marks, I'm in desperate need of answers...

Thanks.

Why would anyone want to help you when you insult us like that? .

Also, lol @ you if you were incapable of both having friends and getting good grades in undergrad, lots of people have managed to pull this off .

[esq]

Am I a troll? Is your life a total waste of time?

LOL, but to answer your questions, yes and yes.

[Duralex]

Davis, maybe? It's ranked higher than Hastings but has slightly easier numbers. Probably because it's quite literally surrounded by bullshit.

http://www.law.ucdavis.edu/academics-cl ... y-law.html

Last cycle some people who got into Hastings got dinged at LLS, for whatever that's worth. Probably an aberration.

[General Tso]

even if you went to Hastings, your odds of landing a job in SF proper are pretty tough these days. I think Santa Clara is a good school, but it doesn't place much outside of the South Bay and it is usually too expensive.

If you can score one of those monster schollys at USD or Loyola ($22k+ per year), then do that. If not, you might want to reconsider attending law school in CA.

[imsoharmat]

Also, lol @ you if you were incapable of both having friends and getting good grades in undergrad, lots of people have managed to pull this off .

Just FYI I wouldn't have been friends with you. You are clearly a loser.

Thanks for the help others. I don't think I'd want to study at Davis due to the surrounding bullshit.

I also forgot to add I'm not looking for a biglaw job. But then, I don't know if that changes anything.

Peace, love and blunts. Three things entirely lacking amongst TLS users.

[Marionberry]

Peace, love and blunts. Three things entirely lacking amongst TLS users.

Identified: Much more likely explanation for lackluster GPA than having lots of friends.

Also, do you have an LSAT score yet? If not, there's not really any way for anyone to determine what your chances are. But probably TTTT, as we call it. With no $.

[bk1]

You're probably a troll or an idiot, but most likely both. Because I am a sucker for troll bait and actually think this may be a legitimate question for some people, here is the answer:

1. You should go to UCD or UCI. It is stupid to cross these off the list.

2. Obviously it is preferable to avoid Loyola and SCU, but if you have no other choices then pick whether you prefer norther or southern CA.

3. However, the best possible choice is to do well on the LSAT, become a splitter, and attend an out-of-state T14 that can reach back to CA. UVa and UMich are probably ideal. NU if you have w/e.

Anyways, if you're a fan of peace, love, and blunts I don't know why you want to go into law. All we have is hookers and blow.

[094320]

..

[MrAdams]

I am curious. People seems to talk very highly of Hastings - placing it almost always along side Bloat and Gould. Yet, the school's rank is very low by comparison. Why is this?

[bk1]

I am curious. People seems to talk very highly of Hastings - placing it almost always along side Bloat and Gould. Yet, the school's rank is very low by comparison. Why is this?

Hastings is not on the level of Boalt or Gould. It, along with Davis, are the strongest regional schools in the northern CA and their admissions requirements are much lower than the T20. Thus for people who could never get into Boalt or Stanford, their best option is often UCD or UCH. Which may not be the best but is certainly better than SCU/McGeorge/etc.

[imsoharmat]

I just wanted to thank all of you who took time out of your very busy schedules, and clearly important lives, to reach out and offer me some advice.

This thread is such a valuable resource to all of us who are not such stellar super-stars as yourselves. Not only have you proved your intelligence by not giving a shit about schools not in the T14 but you have proven the realities of the job market with all your wit and infallible reason.

You will all always be in my heart.

Tender thoughts and warm kisses,
Me.

[MrAdams]

Thank you BK. Meh, UCD, at rank 28, cant be 'that' bad, in spite of its location. I am certainly applying to UCD in case certain LA schools don't want to pick me up. I don't see why people don't consider it as much as they seem to consider Hastings,... I'd certainly be happy if UCD passed on an acceptance letter.

[jtemp320]

It is never a good idea if you want actual advice to start off by insulting people... but from what I have learned through this process:

Davis and Irvine (though that might be tough - I don't know your numbers) are worthy of consideration if you cant get into Boalt, UCLA, USC, Hastings ect.

between Santa Clara and Loyola its probably all about what region you want to practice in...

People on this forum sometimes make it seem like if you don't go to a T14 there is no point in going to law school..anecdotally I have not observed this to be true. If you do go to a lower ranked law school you will likely have narrower potential career paths and if you want a shot at a highly lucrative position right away you will need to be at the very top of your class. That said, you can have a great legal career coming from many middle tier law schools. Looking at some of the biggest law firms in LA they have many associates and partners from Loyola.

I'd apply broadly and visit the places you are seriously interested in

Good luck

[General Tso]

Thank you BK. Meh, UCD, at rank 28, cant be 'that' bad, in spite of its location. I am certainly applying to UCD in case certain LA schools don't want to pick me up. I don't see why people don't consider it as much as they seem to consider Hastings,... I'd certainly be happy if UCD passed on an acceptance letter.

oh its great. they manage a 98% employment rate despite having lower OCI attendance than Hastings.

if you look at placement data, Hastings places far more graduates in coastal California, and that is probably why it gets more love on TLS. Davis is a good school but you have to keep in mind that your ultimate destination might be Sacramento or Fresno or something. ITE though even Hastings students should be looking at firms in the valley as well.

[jmjones]

I kinda have to agree with the poster aka Funny Guy.
This forum is geared toward t14 type. But then again it says TOP-law-schools.com
Can't hate on ambition and drive, ya dig.

[MrAdams]

Hastings is down at rank 42 ha. I would have thought that UCD students would have a better chance in SF/LA than Hastings. Anyway, haha, even if there are a lot of coast lovers here, UCD could be worse.... it could be a UCBakersfield... haha.

[hijodehombre]

Just FYI I wouldn't have been friends with you. You are clearly a loser.

Thanks for the help others. I don't think I'd want to study at Davis due to the surrounding bullshit.

I also forgot to add I'm not looking for a biglaw job. But then, I don't know if that changes anything.

Peace, love and blunts. Three things entirely lacking amongst TLS users.

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 6&t=127340

[jmjones]

Dude no way. Blunts r a plenty in TLS. Im high at this moment. Do u think I'd be on TLS if I wasn't totally TOASTED.

[bk1]

Hastings is down at rank 42 ha. I would have thought that UCD students would have a better chance in SF/LA than Hastings. Anyway, haha, even if there are a lot of coast lovers here, UCD could be worse.... it could be a UCBakersfield... haha.

The rankings are pretty much irrelevant in this case. Hastings has been dropping ever since they decided not to give their numbers to USNWR one year but it isn't like this drop in their USNWR has changed how well their graduates do at all. The reality is that UCD and UCH have roughly equal placement power, though there may be a preference for UCH in SF and UCD in Sac. I would expect similar class ranks at both of them to have similar job prospects.

[MrAdams]

The reality is that UCD and UCH have roughly equal placement power, though there may be a preference for UCH in SF and UCD in Sac. I would expect similar class ranks at both of them to have similar job prospects.

Thank you for your reply BK. Seems odd for Hastings to do that when LS rankings seem to be so important in the USA. Well, it can only makes acceptance there more accessible, so no complaints.

I kinda have to agree with the poster aka Funny Guy.
This forum is geared toward t14 type. But then again it says TOP-law-schools.com
Can't hate on ambition and drive, ya dig.

I am having a civilised discussion regarding Hastings (42) and Davis (28), in this same thread. It seems apparent that it is more than possible to discuss non-t14 schools if you aren't a prick about it like op was.

[bk1]

I don't know why UCH did that, it was about 10 years ago IIRC.

Rankings doesn't necessarily change the application process. According to LSN their numbers are quite similar:

http://davis.lawschoolnumbers.com/stats ... Cycle=1011

http://hastings.lawschoolnumbers.com/st ... Cycle=1011

[Pleasye]

I'm disappointed that this thread turned out to be a trooolll...I feel like CA schools aren't discussed nearly enough on TLS

[General Tso]

they aren't really all that different. if you want biglaw, you won't have a good shot coming out of either Davis or Hastings, although in recent years it seems that large firms are more willing to visit SF than Davis.

the reputation scores are a wash...generally admissions data too. the real reason for Davis' bump up in USNWR is things like expenditures/student (Hastings is a big school, Davis probably has more money, and is probably counting the new building construction cost towards this figure), faculty: student ratio (again, Hastings is a big school), and Davis claiming 98% employed at graduation.

I am of the opinion that this last figure is outright fraud. If you look at USNWR from years past, Davis never claimed a significantly higher employment rate than Hastings. That makes sense, since they are peer schools. In the 2009 rankings they jumped up from the long-time 70-75% employment rate up to 85%. In 2010 (the real whopper), Davis claimed 98% employed at graduation, higher than Boalt and almost 30% higher than Hastings (which claimed a realistic and consistent with past reportings 69% employment rate).

[Knock]

I'm disappointed that this thread turned out to be a trooolll...I feel like CA schools aren't discussed nearly enough on TLS

I agree, there's a definitely East Coast bias/leaning. I'm from Cali as well. We can have a non-troll CA LS discussion sometime though .