USD vs Pepperdine Forum

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LSF344D

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USD vs Pepperdine

Post by LSF344D » Wed Jun 19, 2013 10:59 pm

Hello all--

I need advice from those who know the CA job market well...
Strong preference to practice in San Diego, Irvine, Anaheim, etc... preferably not downtown LA.
USD will be about 12-20k less in loans. Other than that money is not much of an issue.

What would you all recommend? I want to practice corporate/M&A law

Torn between the two schools. From what I understand Pepperdine has the superior name recognition and prestige, but I've always wanted to live in SD which is a major draw.
Last edited by LSF344D on Wed Jun 19, 2013 11:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.

hephaestus

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Re: USD vs Pepperdine

Post by hephaestus » Wed Jun 19, 2013 11:02 pm

Post stats, CoA including cost of living, and where you are from.

LSF344D

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Re: USD vs Pepperdine

Post by LSF344D » Wed Jun 19, 2013 11:11 pm

Stats i'm going to conceal... The CoA is 12k difference. Money is not an issue.

I'm just curious as to what people think regarding jobs that place in those cities in corporate/M&A

PRgradBYU

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Re: USD vs Pepperdine

Post by PRgradBYU » Wed Jun 19, 2013 11:16 pm

LSF344D wrote:Stats i'm going to conceal... The CoA is 12k difference. Money is not an issue.

I'm just curious as to what people think regarding jobs that place in those cities in corporate/M&A
What is the actual COA of each school (not the difference in COA)?

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Presidentjlh

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Re: USD vs Pepperdine

Post by Presidentjlh » Wed Jun 19, 2013 11:19 pm

If your GPA is above 3.3, retake.

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sublime

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Re: USD vs Pepperdine

Post by sublime » Wed Jun 19, 2013 11:19 pm

..

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Presidentjlh

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Re: USD vs Pepperdine

Post by Presidentjlh » Wed Jun 19, 2013 11:21 pm

Pepperdine isn't a bad school, but it's not doing well employment-wise. California is just a rough state for legal jobs right now.

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Dmini7

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Re: USD vs Pepperdine

Post by Dmini7 » Wed Jun 19, 2013 11:22 pm

I am assuming by 10-12k cheaper in loans you mean free. In that case go to USD. In all seriousness, if you want SD, USD will probably be slightly better than Pepperdine. With that said, they are competing against 3 schools in the area that are far superior, and 2(one could argue 3) more schools up north that are better.

LSF344D

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Re: USD vs Pepperdine

Post by LSF344D » Wed Jun 19, 2013 11:32 pm

Not looking at arguing retakes/ don't go to either, I'm just looking for objective advice on which school to attend. As Dmini noted I said twice that money isn't an issue.

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Re: USD vs Pepperdine

Post by rad lulz » Wed Jun 19, 2013 11:36 pm

LSF344D wrote:Not looking at arguing retakes/ don't go to either, I'm just looking for objective advice on which school to attend. As Dmini noted I said twice that money isn't an issue.
If you actually want to be a lawyer? Neither

Their employment stats are utter crap

If you go to one it is more likely than not you won't practice law

PRgradBYU

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Re: USD vs Pepperdine

Post by PRgradBYU » Wed Jun 19, 2013 11:43 pm

rad lulz wrote:
LSF344D wrote:Not looking at arguing retakes/ don't go to either, I'm just looking for objective advice on which school to attend. As Dmini noted I said twice that money isn't an issue.
If you actually want to be a lawyer? Neither

Their employment stats are utter crap

If you go to one it is more likely than not you won't practice law
+1. If these are your best options, you need to seriously reconsider law school.

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jbagelboy

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Re: USD vs Pepperdine

Post by jbagelboy » Thu Jun 20, 2013 12:01 am

If you want to work at a large firm or a corporate boutique in orange county, you need to either 1) go to HYSC(B) with real ties, or 2) graduate near top of your class at UCLA/USC. These are actually your only real options.

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Dmini7

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Re: USD vs Pepperdine

Post by Dmini7 » Thu Jun 20, 2013 1:33 am

jbagelboy wrote:If you want to work at a large firm or a corporate boutique in orange county, you need to either 1) go to HYSC(B) with real ties, or 2) graduate near top of your class at UCLA/USC. These are actually your only real options.

Just a question to your first part. Do people from HYSC really want to work in OC? I mean I can see S or Berk... but I feel unless those individuals were from OC, they would have no interest in that specific market.

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Re: USD vs Pepperdine

Post by californiauser » Thu Jun 20, 2013 10:31 am

If money isn't an issue, hire a private lsat instructor and retake for USC/ucla. The markets you're aiming for are extremely desirable/saturated already.

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ManOfTheMinute

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Re: USD vs Pepperdine

Post by ManOfTheMinute » Thu Jun 20, 2013 10:35 am

californiauser wrote:If money isn't an issue, hire a private lsat instructor and retake for USC/ucla. The markets you're aiming for are extremely desirable/saturated already.

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Re: USD vs Pepperdine

Post by BigZuck » Thu Jun 20, 2013 10:40 am

Neither, retake

And please don't try to trick is into giving you bad advice, we can see through that

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North

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Re: USD vs Pepperdine

Post by North » Thu Jun 20, 2013 1:15 pm

californiauser wrote:If money isn't an issue, hire a private lsat instructor and retake for USC/ucla. The markets you're aiming for are extremely desirable/saturated already.
BigZuck wrote:Neither, retake

And please don't try to trick is into giving you bad advice, we can see through that
Both of these things.

You will probably (more than 50% chance) never become a lawyer if you attend either of these schools. Not just not in California, not anywhere. It's not what you want to hear, but retaking the LSAT or not attending is the only same option you have.

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jselson

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Re: USD vs Pepperdine

Post by jselson » Thu Jun 20, 2013 1:41 pm

I know a pretty smart guy. He just graduated from Pepperdine. No aid. He doesn't have a job and is terrified.

I know another pretty smart guy. He just graduated from GW. No aid. He doesn't have a job and is terrified.

And I know a pretty smart woman. She just graduated from John Marshall, Chicago. No aid. She doesn't have a job and is terrified.

Last, I know a guy who's a genuine, complete idiot and a narcissist. He just graduated from NYU. He has a market-paying BigLaw job.

Retake.

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jbagelboy

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Re: USD vs Pepperdine

Post by jbagelboy » Thu Jun 20, 2013 2:00 pm

Dmini7 wrote:
jbagelboy wrote:If you want to work at a large firm or a corporate boutique in orange county, you need to either 1) go to HYSC(B) with real ties, or 2) graduate near top of your class at UCLA/USC. These are actually your only real options.

Just a question to your first part. Do people from HYSC really want to work in OC? I mean I can see S or Berk... but I feel unless those individuals were from OC, they would have no interest in that specific market.
Yes, I'm mostly referring to individuals from southern california. If you're from Cleveland, Ohio, no particular reason you'd have a sudden urge to move to CA. However, a lot of people who grew up in Newport/Irvine/Laguna area do have a desire to move back, and the boutique firms that pay a market salary and do M&A type transaction work are incredibly competitive. I went to two mixers in April when I was look at law schools that might be able to get me home, one at the big canyon club and another in reef point (newport coast), and met a number of Harvard & Columbia grads along with the usual USC/Stanford/Cal suspects who had family or spousal ties in orange county and were working at the firms in the area that OP would be targeting. No pepperdine kids. To be fair, I never saw a Yale grad working at one of these firms in OC, but we use the "HYS" label rather loosely on TLS so I didn't think I'd get into trouble employing it.

The CoL is much lower than NYC or bay area, you're making $150K starting if not more, and you're living by the beach. It's a pretty sick deal. But its a small market, so yes, it draws from prestigious schools. OP's dream to do M&A/corporate work in orange county graduating from USD or pepperdine is just that, a dream.

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The Dark Kite

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Re: USD vs Pepperdine

Post by The Dark Kite » Thu Jun 20, 2013 3:01 pm

LSF344D wrote:Hello all--

I need advice from those who know the CA job market well...
Strong preference to practice in San Diego, Irvine, Anaheim, etc... preferably not downtown LA.
USD will be about 12-20k less in loans. Other than that money is not much of an issue.

What would you all recommend? I want to practice corporate/M&A law

Torn between the two schools. From what I understand Pepperdine has the superior name recognition and prestige, but I've always wanted to live in SD which is a major draw.
I mean, why not Santa Clara? It's cheaper, I'm pretty sure, and it puts you right in the silicon valley which is a pretty decent legal market, especially for people on the more innovative/tech/entrepreneurial side of things.. they have grads working as GC in some pretty major companies, I know SONY does quite a bit of hiring out of there. Just a thought.

Otherwise, I'd vote Pepperdine because although employment isn't particularly good, it's not the worst, I guess..

The reason people are saying to retake isn't to mess with you though, everyone is genuinely trying to help because from a strictly financial standpoint.. the tuition at a place like Pepperdine + cost of living in Malibu, CA / the likelihood of locking in a job at or 9 months after graduation is not very good.... at all. That's a formula for a very poor ROI. Your call though man.

Best of luck!

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Re: USD vs Pepperdine

Post by BigZuck » Thu Jun 20, 2013 3:13 pm

People tend not to recommend Santa Clara because it is a festering TTT in terms of employment outcomes

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The Dark Kite

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Re: USD vs Pepperdine

Post by The Dark Kite » Thu Jun 20, 2013 3:19 pm

BigZuck wrote:People tend not to recommend Santa Clara because it is a festering TTT in terms of employment outcomes
LOL. Keeping it real, eh Zuck? Well hey, it's all relative. If the question is Pepperdine v. USD, might as well throw it into the mix of considerations.. but ya, I'd vote Pepperdine among the three now that you mention it..

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North

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Re: USD vs Pepperdine

Post by North » Thu Jun 20, 2013 4:43 pm

The Dark Kite wrote:I mean, why not Santa Clara? It's cheaper, I'm pretty sure, and it puts you right in the silicon valley which is a pretty decent legal market, especially for people on the more innovative/tech/entrepreneurial side of things.. they have grads working as GC in some pretty major companies, I know SONY does quite a bit of hiring out of there. Just a thought.

Otherwise, I'd vote Pepperdine because although employment isn't particularly good, it's not the worst, I guess..


The reason people are saying to retake isn't to mess with you though, everyone is genuinely trying to help because from a strictly financial standpoint.. the tuition at a place like Pepperdine + cost of living in Malibu, CA / the likelihood of locking in a job at or 9 months after graduation is not very good.... at all. That's a formula for a very poor ROI. Your call though man.
Don't know how you can hold both those trains of thought in your head. Top one is the shit Boomers say when they don't know what they're talking about but giving an opinion anyway. Bottom one is the logical one that OP should make a decision with.

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Re: USD vs Pepperdine

Post by californiauser » Thu Jun 20, 2013 8:52 pm

The Dark Kite wrote:
LSF344D wrote:Hello all--

I need advice from those who know the CA job market well...
Strong preference to practice in San Diego, Irvine, Anaheim, etc... preferably not downtown LA.
USD will be about 12-20k less in loans. Other than that money is not much of an issue.

What would you all recommend? I want to practice corporate/M&A law

Torn between the two schools. From what I understand Pepperdine has the superior name recognition and prestige, but I've always wanted to live in SD which is a major draw.
I mean, why not Santa Clara? It's cheaper, I'm pretty sure, and it puts you right in the silicon valley which is a pretty decent legal market, especially for people on the more innovative/tech/entrepreneurial side of things.. they have grads working as GC in some pretty major companies, I know SONY does quite a bit of hiring out of there. Just a thought.

Otherwise, I'd vote Pepperdine because although employment isn't particularly good, it's not the worst, I guess..

The reason people are saying to retake isn't to mess with you though, everyone is genuinely trying to help because from a strictly financial standpoint.. the tuition at a place like Pepperdine + cost of living in Malibu, CA / the likelihood of locking in a job at or 9 months after graduation is not very good.... at all. That's a formula for a very poor ROI. Your call though man.

Best of luck!
OP should literally do the opposite of this post.

http://www.lstscorereports.com/?school=santaclara

Recommending a school that gives one a 40% chance of becoming a lawyer is dangerous and irresponsible.

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The Dark Kite

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Re: USD vs Pepperdine

Post by The Dark Kite » Fri Jun 21, 2013 12:41 pm

californiauser wrote:OP should literally do the opposite of this post.

http://www.lstscorereports.com/?school=santaclara

Recommending a school that gives one a 40% chance of becoming a lawyer is dangerous and irresponsible.
Oh. Lol. Take it easy, chief. I'm just saying... if the guy has made his decision and doesn't want to retake, going to USD isn't much better, is it? Nor is Pepperdine for that matter. I'm just working with what he said. And I amended my original post. BUT, that being said, for people who are applying outside the T50, it will take networking, talent, and luck and location plays a big role in advancing that. Places like NYLS (Unranked, T3/4) are still better than places like Syracuse. So it's not all about rankings and employment percentages. But whatever.

Seriously? What are you waiting for?

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