Top Law Schools

13 of 16 in. Going to my undergrad today to pick up my deans' certs for Cornell and fedexing my application today. I'm submitting my two in-state safety apps next week.

been a week and still no word from U Wash.

Woo, first post. I just finished 10 of my 14 apps. Two need a mail in signature and the other two are waiting for me to proofread my final essay. Instead I'm here.

And I'm also pissed that one of my recommenders isn't responding to my emails anymore and she said it would have it done by last Friday. I'm going to flood her email if she doesn't respond by this Thursday.

I've got a crappy GPA, so hopefully schools pay more attention to my personal statement and my LSAT score (though based on this forum, I feel like I'm at the lower rung of scores)

I voted location.... I want to be out west for sure, so I'd probably take Hastings over Cornell or Texas. Hopefully, I'll get into UCLA or maybe USC so I won't have to make such a decision....

i think it's really sad that I was the only one to vote for programs.

As of right now, I'm the first vote for scholarships.

Anyway, 13 of my 16 were submitted on 11/8. The other 3 on 11/15. Most are complete, except...

Emory - they haven't cashed my check yet

Berkeley - they're waiting for my final LOR, which I may tell them to forget about after tomorrow

Cornell - need to get the Dean's Cert sent

All of this waiting is making me second guess all of my apps. Should I retake? Should I have applied to more reaches/safeties? What about my PS?

I need someone to spill something on my laptop so I can't feed this obsession.

amyLAchemist wrote:I voted location, but it is a mixture of location and rank.

MTE.

It'd be very hard to to leave Texas if I got into UT though. The in-state tuition is so appealing. This can be said for California, Michigan, and Virginia too though.

I think everyone uses a more holistic method when deciding where to go to school but I just wanted to know which factor monopolizes the most time in your head...

I choose rank because I'm looking (most realistically) at schools between 40-60, so its not the same as choosing between 7 and 15 where you're set either way

a very close second is location...

All complete two weeks ago, now just playing the waiting game ugh!

I'm four years out of undergrad and have a long-term partner who just got her MAT, so location is a big factor for me...Since I am 3.31/168, I applied to all of the schools in the 15-30 range that would be in urban areas that would suit both of our needs (i.e. Minneapolis, Nashville, Austin, Boston) rather than places that would be fine for me but not very stimulating for her (South Bend, Urbana/Champaign, etc).

So it's been a combination of both, but I suppose that ultimately location is my concern.

Oh, and job prospects and location are tied together for me to some extent. Since I will be almost 30 when I get out and will be interested in starting a family, etc, it would be nice to get out and immediately start practicing in the same city where I attended school.

I voted other. When I first started this process, it was rank. However, now I'm thinking I have to find the best overall fit for me.

I voted other too... It's hard to quantify how much each factor matters, but there is one important thing missing from the list of options--quality of life. I plan to make some ASWs in the spring, and the feel/vibe of the school/students will likely be a huge factor.

I'm going to get a GSP, something like this:

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but I'm afraid of the dog or studies getting in the way of the other every once in a while... just wanted Class of 2012's opinion

I have a cat. She is fun and is absolutely coming to law school with me.

I was gonna make the poll about cats/dogs but then I thought that cats might not stress an owner out the way that a dog does... cats are more autonomous than dogs are generally speaking.

I have a dog (my beloved mini schnauzer Zuki) who will be accompanying me wherever I go.

Actually this has been a bit of a tipping point for me in putting UT over other schools in bigger cities, as it is a lot cheaper to have a dog in Austin than LA or DC.

Fuzzy, poorly-lit cell phone picture:




...You get the idea.

I desperately want a dog, but I'm concerned about how I would get to live with it. Two of my top choices are in NYC and I don't think they let you have pets in the law school apartments...I passed up the chance for the most adorable puppy because of that. Anyone know what the story is about pets and housing in NY? I'm assuming I could probably afford regular rent most other places.

whyamidoingthis wrote:I desperately want a dog, but I'm concerned about how I would get to live with it. Two of my top choices are in NYC and I don't think they let you have pets in the law school apartments...I passed up the chance for the most adorable puppy because of that. Anyone know what the story is about pets and housing in NY? I'm assuming I could probably afford regular rent most other places.

i think apts at nyu and columbia range from 1300-2000+

I've never been to NYC... just curious, what are the stereotypes about the areas in which CLS and NYU are located... they're on opposite sides of Manhattan, and I assume the opinion of the area changes by the street...


I'm actually curious of NU and UChicago as well

The Village is trendy, hip, upscale. Morningside Heights more just upscale, but obviously there's some good stuff near Columbia.

NYU=downtown, LES, greenwich village. Not a bad place, but during the school year it's overrun with NYU undergrads who think living in downtown Manhattan for 3 months qualifies them as experts on NYC and thus become insufferably annoying when you find yourself surrounded by them at local bars.

Columbia is in an area that's definitely nicer than it used to be. It's on the upper west side/morningside heights, and there are lots of places to eat along Broadway in close proximity to the campus. Even though there's ostensibly more to do around NYU, I much prefer the area of Manhattan around Columbia.

Pathfinder wrote:

whyamidoingthis wrote:I desperately want a dog, but I'm concerned about how I would get to live with it. Two of my top choices are in NYC and I don't think they let you have pets in the law school apartments...I passed up the chance for the most adorable puppy because of that. Anyone know what the story is about pets and housing in NY? I'm assuming I could probably afford regular rent most other places.

i think apts at nyu and columbia range from 1300-2000+

That's good to know...by other places I meant unsubsidized uni housing in Ann Arbor or LA. I seriously doubt that I would want to pay standard NYC rent and LS tuition...at least not if what any of my friends are paying is any indication. I guess I'll just have to wait to see where I get in before I make my decision on the dog...

It really depends on how far you are willing to live from school. If you go to NYU you could live in Flatbush which is pretty close and pay really low rent-875$ for a studio in some cases.

If you go to Columbia, you could live north, like in Harlem where I work, and the rents are much more reasonable compared to the areas in the school's immediate vicinity.