Need a little input to help me decide!!! Forum

[broncosfan]

Ok, first post here. .... after several grueling months I have been accepted to UF, UNC, Wake Forest, University of Colorado at Boulder. I was denied Minnesota (encouraged to apply for transfer? so the email said) anyways....


I am interested in a couple different areas of law... Civil Rights/ Constitutional / Medical

I am a resident of NC so the in-state tuition is a little cheaper although that is not a major factor.


Here is my dilemma. I always had my heart set on Carolina. However, before I was actually admitted there, I visited Boulder. At Boulder the facilities are amazing! I love the area (I was born there), I love the people/lifestyle, I love everything. However, I am concerned that the job opportunities are not going to be the same as with Carolina. Also, they do not really specialize in any of my interests from what I can tell. UF also intrigues me, but from the research it seems as if the job market after graduation there is very limited.

I am a little confused. My mind is telling me go to Carolina. However, my desire is to go to Boulder because I felt so at home there.

Am I being stupid for allowing feelings to influence my decision? Should I be approaching this solely by the numbers?
What are your thoughts.. and why?


Thank you.

[CanadianWolf]

Have you calculated the total COA for each law school ? Any scholarships ?

[el William]

0L here so, you know not an expert or anything, but I did settle on Carolina after getting into Wake Forest and a few other schools. Wake was my top choice, and it has been a goal of mine for several years since going back to finish my undergrad. However when I got real about the financial situation, I realized that I would be crazy to pass up the in-state tuition at UNC. IMO it is a great school for the price and will provide me with reasonably good employment prospects in my home market, which is where I want to stay. Now I am SUPER EXCITED to be going to Carolina!!

Colorado is an expensive choice if they aren't offering any scholarship money. I think the conventional wisdom on TLS is that anything outside of T-14 at sticker is a bad idea unless you have a job lined up already or have some serious financial backing to help with the cost of living. I am all for selecting a school that "feels" right, but law school is a risky investment so it is important not to let emotions trump the more practical considerations.

I think you need to consider where you want to practice after graduating, and take a serious look at the financial decisions that going to Colorado would entail.

Hope to see yo at Carolina in August!

[bp shinners]

I am interested in a couple different areas of law... Civil Rights/ Constitutional / Medical

Also, they do not really specialize in any of my interests from what I can tell. UF also intrigues me, but from the research it seems as if the job market after graduation there is very limited.

First off, you shouldn't focus on the specialties from each school - all schools will have classes in all areas of law, and most specialized areas of law are just particular applications of other types of law (Entertainment law is just labor/contract/some IP).

Second, Civil Rights/Constitutional Law aren't really areas that you go into. There are very, very few constitutional lawyers out there; civil rights lawyers most work through class action now (or at least that's been the trend; recent SCOTUS decisions make that harder). Unless you're interested in academia (which, from your post, it doesn't sound like you are), then these aren't really areas of law that you can 'go into' after school - maybe some civil rights stuff on a small level, but you won't be arguing Brown. v. BoE.

As to 'medical law', what area within that field interests you? That's more of a subject than an area, so you might want to narrow that down a bit.

As to whether you're being stupid to allow your feelings to influence your decision, not at all! If you feel at home at Boulder, that's something you should really consider. Don't worry so much about the specializations, worry more about the location. If you go to any of those NC schools, that's where you'll end up practicing (most likely). If you go to Boulder, expect to stay in Colorado. That's something you'll have to decide before you can pick a school.

[CanadianWolf]

OP: If you're planning to pay sticker price, then in-state at UNC is your best choice.

[broncosfan]

Thanks for the helpful tips and advice. It really is as I was thinking. I'm going to have to just sit down and make a decision what I really want vs. there being a straightforward answer.

So far I have not been awarded any money to speak of, so evidently I am not considered a "stellar" prospect at this point. The price is a very real factor although not the most important one in my decision.

Also, thank you for the advice on not "going into" these different areas. These are my areas of interest I guess would be the more proper thing to say. On the medical law, I have an acquaintance that is retained by a bio-med firm. He helps with all the licensing/ documentation/ studies of all non-FDA approved medical equipment to ready them for approval (artificial hearts, pacemakers, valves, etc etc). There is so much red tape with these sort of things - he stays busy around the clock. I am not interested in being an ambulance chaser or anything of that sort which is what most of my current peers seem to think of immediately when the word medical law is mentioned.

I intend to visit Chapel Hill this coming week and then I plan on going to the beach to clear my head and have some alone time to decide what it is that I will be doing. If you have any more input, feel free to express it. I greatly appreciate it and thanks for taking the time to educate me a little on this topic and convey your personal opinions.

[Angelic Prestige]

If you have to pay sticker, don't go for it.

[MrShneebly]

If you have to pay sticker, don't go for it.

Epic av for first post.