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Trying to decide. Thanks guys!

Out of curiosity what rank/grades do you have?

Also those are two very different locales. I'd go Atlanta; 150K in ATL goes incredibly far. You will be living a life of luxury. Not to mention it's a really fun city. But I have heard that Paul Hastings can be a hell hole. But it's top notch for corporate in Atlanta. You'll be working like a slave at either place, but when you get off of work at PH Atl you'll be able to afford practically whatever you want in a very active city.

Anonymous User wrote:Out of curiosity what rank/grades do you have?

Also those are two very different locales. I'd go Atlanta; 150K in ATL goes incredibly far. You will be living a life of luxury. Not to mention it's a really fun city. But I have heard that Paul Hastings can be a hell hole. But it's top notch for corporate in Atlanta.

I heard Paul Hastings ATL was on the chopping block just a few years ago when ITE struck. Not sure if it's really "top notch" in ATL.

Anonymous User wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:Out of curiosity what rank/grades do you have?

Also those are two very different locales. I'd go Atlanta; 150K in ATL goes incredibly far. You will be living a life of luxury. Not to mention it's a really fun city. But I have heard that Paul Hastings can be a hell hole. But it's top notch for corporate in Atlanta.

I heard Paul Hastings ATL was on the chopping block just a few years ago when ITE struck. Not sure if it's really "top notch" in ATL.

http://www.chambersandpartners.com/USA/Editorial/42913
http://www.chambersandpartners.com/USA/Editorial/42908

You might have a future at Paul Hastings... unless you miscarry.

Anonymous User wrote:Out of curiosity what rank/grades do you have?

Also those are two very different locales. I'd go Atlanta; 150K in ATL goes incredibly far. You will be living a life of luxury. Not to mention it's a really fun city. But I have heard that Paul Hastings can be a hell hole. But it's top notch for corporate in Atlanta. You'll be working like a slave at either place, but when you get off of work at PH Atl you'll be able to afford practically whatever you want in a very active city.

Only if you can stand the South. Don't underestimate the culture shock if you aren't from around here. It's a different planet. And don't buy the "Atlanta is different" stuff---only natives say that. Also, the legal market in Atlanta is very parochial and traditional (i.e. fratty white boys club). If it's your scene, go for it, but get ready. Think this is more about geography and less about firms.

I heard skadden DE pays 160, though I didn't apply so idk. if so, wilmington is incredibly cheap and at least it's close to Philly? Neither seem great location wise but at least you can save a lot and pay off loans, and then maybe be able to move.

Anonymous User wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:Out of curiosity what rank/grades do you have?

Also those are two very different locales. I'd go Atlanta; 150K in ATL goes incredibly far. You will be living a life of luxury. Not to mention it's a really fun city. But I have heard that Paul Hastings can be a hell hole. But it's top notch for corporate in Atlanta. You'll be working like a slave at either place, but when you get off of work at PH Atl you'll be able to afford practically whatever you want in a very active city.

Only if you can stand the South. Don't underestimate the culture shock if you aren't from around here. It's a different planet. And don't buy the "Atlanta is different" stuff---only natives say that. Also, the legal market in Atlanta is very parochial and traditional (i.e. fratty white boys club). If it's your scene, go for it, but get ready. Think this is more about geography and less about firms.

I lived in Atlanta for 8 years, after having grown up in DC, and am now living in Chicago for the last 3 years. Didn't have much of a culture shock moving between the three. After three weeks in New York, however, I was literally curled up in bed from the culture shock.

rayiner wrote: I lived in Atlanta for 8 years, after having grown up in DC, and am now living in Chicago for the last 3 years. Didn't have much of a culture shock moving between the three. After three weeks in New York, however, I was literally curled up in bed from the culture shock.

Not only that, but Atlanta has lost a lot of its Southern flavor. It's definitely Southern, but more in comparison to a place like NYC than in comparison to the rest of the country. In addition, Atlanta is becoming a city of transplants. Honestly, when I hear people say things like "the South is a different planet" and they're talking about Atlanta, I start wondering if they've ever been to Atlanta. If they were talking about Nashville, Raleigh, Memphis, Columbia, Jacksonville or Birmingham that would be one thing, but Atlanta? ATL is really no different from any other major metro US area (notwithstanding NYC) except for its above average number of Blacks--particularly affluent Blacks. Now that part of Atlanta may shock you if you are from California or NYC. I can't think of another major city where Blacks make up such a large percentage of the professional white collar class. Not to mention that Atlanta is one of the "gayest" cities in the country. Frankly, very few young people are going to have more fun in Wilmington, Delaware than in Atlanta. Keep that in mind.

Anonymous User wrote:

rayiner wrote: I lived in Atlanta for 8 years, after having grown up in DC, and am now living in Chicago for the last 3 years. Didn't have much of a culture shock moving between the three. After three weeks in New York, however, I was literally curled up in bed from the culture shock.

Not only that, but Atlanta has lost a lot of its Southern flavor. It's definitely Southern, but more in comparison to a place like NYC than in comparison to the rest of the country. In addition, Atlanta is becoming a city of transplants. Honestly, when I hear people say things like "the South is a different planet" and they're talking about Atlanta, I start wondering if they've ever been to Atlanta. If they were talking about Nashville, Raleigh, Memphis, Columbia, Jacksonville or Birmingham that would be one thing, but Atlanta? ATL is really no different from any other major metro US area (notwithstanding NYC) except for its above average number of Blacks--particularly affluent Blacks. Now that part of Atlanta may shock you if you are from California or NYC. I can't think of another major city where Blacks make up such a large percentage of the professional white collar class. Not to mention that Atlanta is one of the "gayest" cities in the country. Frankly, very few young people are going to have more fun in Wilmington, Delaware than in Atlanta. Keep that in mind.

ATL is still the capital of the south. BBQ, SEC football and southern drawl flow heavy. Midtown is very gay friendly but stray too far and you'll be subject to prejudice and bigotry. There is a celebrated confederate mass grave site at Oakland cemetery. I've been to Atlanta, Chicago, CA, NYC and I think ATL is a different planet. Sure there are pockets of normalcy but would you rather have to demarcate OK parts of a metro area (and never leave the perimeter), or just be somewhere that didn't try to secede from the union? Again, this is only a consideration if the South bothers you. If it doesn't--sure, ATL is a mecca.

Not to hijack, but when did you hear from Skadden?

Is this guy really arguing against Atlanta when Wilmington, Delaware is the city on the other side of the coin? I'm not a huge fan of Atlanta, but I hate hate hate Wilmington. No matter how "Southern" Atlanta is (I like that you equated being Southern with being prejudiced, bigoted, and abnormal btw ) it will always be better than freaking Wilmington.

I'd think that Atlanta would be much less of a culture shock to anyone coming from any major city than Wilmington. Yeah, it's southern, but at the end of the day, it's still a global city. Wilmington? Not so much.

f0bolous wrote:I'd think that Atlanta would be much less of a culture shock to anyone coming from any major city than Wilmington. Yeah, it's southern, but at the end of the day, it's still a global city. Wilmington? Not so much.

Seriously! The only thing Wilmington has going for it is it's proximity to Philly.

I have a friend who works at Paul Hastings in Atlanta. It's a sweatshop.

Anonymous User wrote:I have a friend who works at Paul Hastings in Atlanta. It's a sweatshop.

You're right; I think it's pretty well known that the place is a sweatshop. But the problem is that his other option is Skadden...this guy's in for a sweatshop no matter what. However, at least when he does have a bit of free time, at Paul Hastings he'll be in a huge metro area with a ton to do. Not so much in Wilmington.

Aqualibrium wrote:Is this guy really arguing against Atlanta when Wilmington, Delaware is the city on the other side of the coin? I'm not a huge fan of Atlanta, but I hate hate hate Wilmington. No matter how "Southern" Atlanta is (I like that you equated being Southern with being prejudiced, bigoted, and abnormal btw ) it will always be better than freaking Wilmington.

Seriously, he actually sounds more xenophobic than the people who he's accusing of being "backwards".

lol @ culture shock in Atlanta. lol.

Sandro wrote:lol @ culture shock in Atlanta. lol.

Lol I'm definitely with you on that. But in fairness to the anti Atlanta people, if you are from certain parts of the NE you may be shocked at the high number of Blacks in Atlanta. Hell, a lot of my non Southern Black friends are shocked at the number of Blacks in Atlanta.

Anonymous User wrote:

Sandro wrote:lol @ culture shock in Atlanta. lol.

Lol I'm definitely with you on that. But in fairness to the anti Atlanta people, if you are from certain parts of the NE you may be shocked at the high number of Blacks in Atlanta. Hell, a lot of my non Southern Black friends are shocked at the number of Blacks in Atlanta.

Anonymous User wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:

rayiner wrote: I lived in Atlanta for 8 years, after having grown up in DC, and am now living in Chicago for the last 3 years. Didn't have much of a culture shock moving between the three. After three weeks in New York, however, I was literally curled up in bed from the culture shock.

Not only that, but Atlanta has lost a lot of its Southern flavor. It's definitely Southern, but more in comparison to a place like NYC than in comparison to the rest of the country. In addition, Atlanta is becoming a city of transplants. Honestly, when I hear people say things like "the South is a different planet" and they're talking about Atlanta, I start wondering if they've ever been to Atlanta. If they were talking about Nashville, Raleigh, Memphis, Columbia, Jacksonville or Birmingham that would be one thing, but Atlanta? ATL is really no different from any other major metro US area (notwithstanding NYC) except for its above average number of Blacks--particularly affluent Blacks. Now that part of Atlanta may shock you if you are from California or NYC. I can't think of another major city where Blacks make up such a large percentage of the professional white collar class. Not to mention that Atlanta is one of the "gayest" cities in the country. Frankly, very few young people are going to have more fun in Wilmington, Delaware than in Atlanta. Keep that in mind.

ATL is still the capital of the south. BBQ, SEC football and southern drawl flow heavy. Midtown is very gay friendly but stray too far and you'll be subject to prejudice and bigotry. There is a celebrated confederate mass grave site at Oakland cemetery. I've been to Atlanta, Chicago, CA, NYC and I think ATL is a different planet. Sure there are pockets of normalcy but would you rather have to demarcate OK parts of a metro area (and never leave the perimeter), or just be somewhere that didn't try to secede from the union? Again, this is only a consideration if the South bothers you. If it doesn't--sure, ATL is a mecca.

Having lived in ATL for a long time:

The accent profile in ATL is much more like DC than NYC. Way more people in the latter with heavy Brooklyn, Queens, etc, accents than in Atlanta, at least among non-blacks. The major difference is that ATL has more blacks than NYC and is more racially integrated than DC. So you will hear the black accent much more often.

ATl doesn't even have very good BBQ. SEC football is a big deal, but probably no more so than pro football in Philly or wherever. The Confederate grave site celebrates local soldiers who died in the Battle of Atlanta. Northern VA isn't notably southern but there are remembrances to Robert E. Lee everywhere.

Atlanta does become very southern, if you dislike that, if you go 15 miles south/east/west. Conyers is like Deliverance. But you're not going to just wander into the wrong part of town and get lynched. Atlanta isn't like Chicago or NYC where you go to the different neighborhoods. There is zero reason for a yuppie to leave the downtown/midtown/buckhead/northern suburban corridor. Everything you could want is all in that area. The furthest you'll ever have to go is Gwinnett for the Korean BBQ.

"black accent?"

Wow. Totally didn't think the diversity would be what Atlanta defenders thought I was talking about. No clue if the NYC not integrated thing is true, but comparing ATL to California (SF, Oakland, Long Beach, etc.), the diversity is exactly the same---that wasn't the implied criticism. The differences are in WHITE southern culture. Maybe Wilmington is worse. Just saying if OP is from Cali, ATL is gonna be a culture shock. The idea that you have to stay in a 20 mile metro area to avoid the "deep south" doesn't seem that appealing.

.

Anonymous User wrote:

Sandro wrote:lol @ culture shock in Atlanta. lol.

Lol I'm definitely with you on that. But in fairness to the anti Atlanta people, if you are from certain parts of the NE you may be shocked at the high number of Blacks in Atlanta. Hell, a lot of my non Southern Black friends are shocked at the number of Blacks in Atlanta.

Atlanta is one of the few places with enough black yuppies that they have a culture independent of whites and other blacks. Some of the old-money Atlanta suburbs are exclusively black.

Anonymous User wrote:Wow. Totally didn't think the diversity would be what Atlanta defenders thought I was talking about. No clue if the NYC not integrated thing is true, but comparing ATL to California (SF, Oakland, Long Beach, etc.), the diversity is exactly the same---that wasn't the implied criticism. The differences are in WHITE southern culture. Maybe Wilmington is worse. Just saying if OP is from Cali, ATL is gonna be a culture shock. The idea that you have to stay in a 20 mile metro area to avoid the "deep south" doesn't seem that appealing.

Atlanta I'd an awesome city, but it is a bubble of progressivism in the deep south. That's just he nature of the place. It's not very limiting in practice, because there is really nothing outside that 20 mile radius that would be interesting. It's not like the Bay where you might take a weekend trip to the valley for something. If you live in Atlanta, the only place you go is to savannah/jekyll island/etc to get to the beach (which is amazing, btw, like a warm bath in summer).

And diversity in Atlanta is very different than other parts of the country. When I was in SF the only black people I interacted with were in service positions. In Atlanta, you'll be at an upscale lounge and half the people in line will be black.