Top Law Schools

Admitted to Both as a transfer.

Very comparable in many ways.

Any thoughts, feedback will be welcomed.

transferquest wrote:Admitted to Both as a transfer.

Very comparable in many ways.

Any thoughts, feedback will be welcomed.

It's true they're comparable in many ways, including type of students they have. I'd go with Duke. I'm a Duke alum and I loved my time in Durham even though Charlottesville might be a more socially attractive place. Both have good name recognition but I would say Duke still has a bit of an edge in rep/prestige in terms of the overall brand.

Not much of a difference in terms of placement. Duke will get you substantially more props from lay people. UVA will probably get you more props from practicing attorneys aged 30+. TCR is probably to visit and go with your gut.

Pick the school that won the Lacrosse championship within the last 2 years!

blacklawboss wrote:Pick the school that won the Lacrosse championship within the last 2 years!

That or the school that has had a crappy football team over that same time period.

Which ever one is cheaper. Grades are what matter in hiring over anything else. Since your transferring that means you already have that covered. Actually, I might go to Duke just because there will be less people competing with you for bids on firms. That doesn't matter for most people, but as someone with great grades who is a transfer it may matter for you.

Stringer Bell wrote:

blacklawboss wrote:Pick the school that won the Lacrosse championship within the last 2 years!

That or the school that has had a crappy football team over that same time period.

Pretty ambiguous since UVA has been arguably worse than Duke the past 2 years. Duke football is on the upswing.

ran12 wrote:

Stringer Bell wrote:

blacklawboss wrote:Pick the school that won the Lacrosse championship within the last 2 years!

That or the school that has had a crappy football team over that same time period.

Pretty ambiguous since UVA has been arguably worse than Duke the past 2 years. Duke football is on the upswing.

It was a joke,... Duke lax won the national championship in 2010, and UVA won in 2011

ran12 wrote:
Pretty ambiguous

Alright I forgot UVA won lax this year.

Duke is cool. I know UVa is supposedly a better school, but my lay opinion puts Duke ahead. Duke also has cool dual degree programs (and probably better grad programs than UVa in general for a lot of things) if you're interested in that. The nice thing about their MA/JD progs is that they don't make you take the GRE--they let law students send their LSAT in lieu of it.

So if you're interested in that it could tip the scale. Otherwise I would just go to wherever will be cheaper for you. They each have slight advantages, but place pretty similarly.

I'm in the same boat. I was a Duke grad (class of 2010), and I just sent my deposit to Duke.

Come visit Duke and see if you like it!

ran12 wrote:

transferquest wrote:Admitted to Both as a transfer.

Very comparable in many ways.

Any thoughts, feedback will be welcomed.

It's true they're comparable in many ways, including type of students they have. I'd go with Duke. I'm a Duke alum and I loved my time in Durham even though Charlottesville might be a more socially attractive place. Both have good name recognition but I would say Duke still has a bit of an edge in rep/prestige in terms of the overall brand.

False. The people at UVa are substantially more sociable than the people that go to duke.


And as someone who has experienced it firsthand, the UVa brand carries much more weight than Duke.

jawsthegreat wrote:

ran12 wrote:

transferquest wrote:Admitted to Both as a transfer.

Very comparable in many ways.

Any thoughts, feedback will be welcomed.

It's true they're comparable in many ways, including type of students they have. I'd go with Duke. I'm a Duke alum and I loved my time in Durham even though Charlottesville might be a more socially attractive place. Both have good name recognition but I would say Duke still has a bit of an edge in rep/prestige in terms of the overall brand.

False. The people at UVa are substantially more sociable than the people that go to duke.


And as someone who has experienced it firsthand, the UVa brand carries much more weight than Duke.

How do you know that the bolded is true? Have you spent time in both law schools?

I never understood why lay opinion mattered to anyone (at least anyone considering Duke). If you go to Duke, more lay people will have heard of your school. They'll know it's a great school and will probably say as much. They'll also think you're a self-entitled douchebag. They may or may not say that last part.

UVA is more established in the legal community. You'll also have more fun.

Honestly, everyone has his/her own preference. I was very torn between the two, and I just went with my gut. You can't go wrong at either.

UVA is roughly twice as big and affiliated with a large public university. It's also located in Charlottesville, which generally gets pretty good reviews in terms of bars/hangouts/things to do. The students tend to have a frattier reputation.

Duke is much smaller and is affiliated with a small(ish) private university. It's located in Durham, which isn't as bad as people say (but still isn't Charlottesville). The law facilities themselves are top notch, and are (IMO) nicer than UVA's. Duke has more lay prestige, while UVA seems to have a little bit better name in the legal community (particularly with older attorneys). In the end, prestige only matters as far as it can get you a job, and the job prospects are even.

Duke has the basketball team (and the UNC rivalry). UVA has the softball team. UVA probably has a greater variety of course offerings.

As a Duke student (depending on who you talk to), you might be labeled as arrogant and entitled. As a UVA student (depending on who you talk to), you might have to explain where you go to school.

Both schools have great alumni networks, comparable weather, and comparable faculties. Jobless UVA students seem to be more vocal (on ATL, anyway), but job prospects are a wash between the two schools.

I'm still an 0L (headed to Duke and currently living in Durham), but these were some of the considerations I made when deciding between Duke and UVA. HTH.

UVa. /thread

You have no idea what you are missing out on by choosing Duke over UVa.

jawsthegreat wrote:You have no idea what you are missing out on by choosing Duke over UVa.

Racist beer pong tables and jobless 3Ls crashing ASWs?

About a year or so ago, I came across an interview with a Dean from either Duke or UVA. It stuck out because obviously I had a brief flirtation with one and decided to attend the other. What it comes down to is this: both schools are so similar, but one of them has to stick out to you personally. It's ridiculous to base your decision off of a lay person's opinion (they are not hiring you, and they are not your future colleague) and USNWR (let's get real about the difference between #9 and #11, other than saying "the top 10"...).

More than that, as a transfer, you really should consider attending the school that strategically puts you in a better position career wise and is not detrimental. Most notably, I think you should choose which school will put you in the best position for OGI (giving away which school I will be attending in the fall...) as that will then play a large part in your future career.

Worst comes to worst, get a hat and put both schools names in. Pull one -- if you're a little bummed about the one you pulled, go to the other.

I would go to the one you like best. The two schools were tied for my number one choice going into the cycle. Also idk how UVA's bidding system would work for transfer students. Would they use your gpa from your old school?

UVA is TCR ITE, IMO, ROFLCOPTER

Thanks for all the great feedback guys.

Some statements:

1) I'm a william and mary undergrad alum, i have season tix to WM football so I enjoy watching UVa try to beat an FCS team on occasion. Also, I think WM is going to win again this year, but thats up in the air.

2) Danowski and Starsia are both great guys. Its a wash.