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I need help deciding which school I should attend because my wait at the T6 schools seems endless and GULC's bidding period is almost over. So assume for now that I only have the following two options:

(1) My current school. It's the best school in the area, and it's also where my home is. I'd love to work in this market. Plus, the school offered me a full scholarship contingent upon me maintaining my #1 ranking. The costs would essentially be minuscule at this point because I don't pay for living expenses.

(2) GULC, with the added COL and $48k/year tuition.

My goal is to do BigLaw, especially in my current market. My gut tells me leaving for GULC isn't worth it and won't advance me much, if it all, to meet my goals. Thoughts?

What happens should you lose your current class rank? Downgraded to a lesser scholarship? Can you specify the market as well?

Ohiobumpkin wrote:What happens should you lose your current class rank? Downgraded to a lesser scholarship? Can you specify the market as well?

So Fla. I suppose that gives away my school lol. If I'm top 5 students, I get $30k, and tuition is $38k. If I drop below that, I get my original scholarship, which is $24k.

The caveat is there's only one person who could realistically pass me. The #3 person is like .11 away in GPA, so I think it would be hard to drop below there. #2 is very close though.

canesfan1986 wrote: My goal is to do BigLaw, especially in my current market. My gut tells me leaving for GULC isn't worth it and won't advance me much, if it all, to meet my goals. Thoughts?

First of all, I would be shocked if you didn't get in to a T6. I know it's been frustrating seeing people with "worse" numbers get in, but I have a really hard to imagining that the #1 from a T2 (higher end if I'm not mistaken, right?) school isn't going to get in to at least one of them. So, I ask, what happens if you bid at GULC and get into a T6? Is there any way they can require you to attend there?

That aside, I have to imagine that #1 at the best school in the market is just about guaranteed to get Biglaw in the market. I don't know that I'd want to rely on staying #1 for purposes of the scholarship (that's just incredible pressure), but given that it's cheaper anyway, I also wouldn't making going to your T2 contingent on the full ride. I would bet you're going to be fine if you stay. So the real question is if Biglaw in your home market is your first choice, or if it's merely something you'd feel comfortable with? If you want, or could envision, wanting NYC or another market, GULC may be better for you (although I could envision it being worse in your home market, too).

Tl;dr: If Biglaw in your home market is what you want, and your only other option is GULC, I would probably stay. But, I'll be damned if you don't get in to a T6.

FlanSolo wrote:

canesfan1986 wrote: My goal is to do BigLaw, especially in my current market. My gut tells me leaving for GULC isn't worth it and won't advance me much, if it all, to meet my goals. Thoughts?

First of all, I would be shocked if you didn't get in to a T6. I know it's been frustrating seeing people with "worse" numbers get in, but I have a really hard to imagining that the #1 from a T2 (higher end if I'm not mistaken, right?) school isn't going to get in to at least one of them. So, I ask, what happens if you bid at GULC and get into a T6? Is there any way they can require you to attend there?

That aside, I have to imagine that #1 at the best school in the market is just about guaranteed to get Biglaw in the market. I don't know that I'd want to rely on staying #1 for purposes of the scholarship (that's just incredible pressure), but given that it's cheaper anyway, I also wouldn't making going to your T2 contingent on the full ride. I would bet you're going to be fine if you stay. So the real question is if Biglaw in your home market is your first choice, or if it's merely something you'd feel comfortable with? If you want, or could envision, wanting NYC or another market, GULC may be better for you (although I could envision it being worse in your home market, too).

Tl;dr: If Biglaw in your home market is what you want, and your only other option is GULC, I would probably stay. But, I'll be damned if you don't get in to a T6.

GULC hasn't made me commit to attending, unless you consider losing $1,200 a commitment.

Biglaw in my home market is 1A and NYC is 1B. I'm pretty certain that a T6 would improve my chances for both, and I'm going to attend if admitted sometime before the bidding deadlines pass.

I'm leaning more towards staying than GULC, and I don't want to hold a spot when I know there are people who want to go there. With the bidding deadline approaching tomorrow, I want to make sure I'm making the right choice.

I guess another question I have is this: If I were to get Biglaw in my current market and I wanted to move to NYC later on, how easily can that be done through the firm? Is it easy to move between offices or are you pretty much stuck where you get hired?

canesfan1986 wrote: I guess another question I have is this: If I were to get Biglaw in my current market and I wanted to move to NYC later on, how easily can that be done through the firm? Is it easy to move between offices or are you pretty much stuck where you get hired?

I think this is a good question for the V15 Senior Associate thread, but my very general sense is that NY --> Anywhere Else, is about 1,000x easier than Anywhere Else --> NY. It's a big part of the reason I'm shooting for NYC first.

It sounds like you should stay if the best you get is GULC. Another T-14 makes it a tougher decision, especially if you decide you want NYC, but if you're pretty sure you want to stay in So Fla I would stay. Look at where guys at the firms you are targeting went to school. Probably a lot of Miami grads. To work Miami biglaw with minimal debt would be a pretty awesome deal IMO. Also, ask Miami to allow you to keep the full ride if you're #1 or 2, if 3 is that far behind. Certainly can't hurt to ask, especially in this increasingly desperate climate.

Stay and it's not even close.

FlanSolo wrote:

canesfan1986 wrote: I guess another question I have is this: If I were to get Biglaw in my current market and I wanted to move to NYC later on, how easily can that be done through the firm? Is it easy to move between offices or are you pretty much stuck where you get hired?

I think this is a good question for the V15 Senior Associate thread, but my very general sense is that NY --> Anywhere Else, is about 1,000x easier than Anywhere Else --> NY. It's a big part of the reason I'm shooting for NYC first.

This is definitely not the case for big NYC firms. Many associates in NYC look to transfer to lower COL markets, especially when they are ready to get married/buy a house.

concurrent fork wrote:

FlanSolo wrote:

canesfan1986 wrote: I guess another question I have is this: If I were to get Biglaw in my current market and I wanted to move to NYC later on, how easily can that be done through the firm? Is it easy to move between offices or are you pretty much stuck where you get hired?

I think this is a good question for the V15 Senior Associate thread, but my very general sense is that NY --> Anywhere Else, is about 1,000x easier than Anywhere Else --> NY. It's a big part of the reason I'm shooting for NYC first.

This is definitely not the case for big NYC firms. Many associates in NYC look to transfer to lower COL markets, especially when they are ready to get married/buy a house.

Are you saying it's harder to leave NYC for a secondary market than the reverse?

FlanSolo wrote:

concurrent fork wrote:

FlanSolo wrote:

canesfan1986 wrote: I guess another question I have is this: If I were to get Biglaw in my current market and I wanted to move to NYC later on, how easily can that be done through the firm? Is it easy to move between offices or are you pretty much stuck where you get hired?

I think this is a good question for the V15 Senior Associate thread, but my very general sense is that NY --> Anywhere Else, is about 1,000x easier than Anywhere Else --> NY. It's a big part of the reason I'm shooting for NYC first.

This is definitely not the case for big NYC firms. Many associates in NYC look to transfer to lower COL markets, especially when they are ready to get married/buy a house.

Are you saying it's harder to leave NYC for a secondary market than the reverse?

Yes.

concurrent fork wrote:

FlanSolo wrote:Are you saying it's harder to leave NYC for a secondary market than the reverse?

Yes.

Interesting. I've only heard the opposite.

Well, I just withdrew from GULC. It felt like the right call. Now if NYC would just let me in sometime soon.....

FlanSolo wrote:

concurrent fork wrote:

FlanSolo wrote:Are you saying it's harder to leave NYC for a secondary market than the reverse?

Yes.

Interesting. I've only heard the opposite.

Absent some compelling personal reason, why would an associate on a 160K scale in Miami/Atlanta/Denver/Chicago/etc want to transfer to NYC? This amounts to a massive pay cut and possibly longer hours.

concurrent fork wrote:

FlanSolo wrote:

concurrent fork wrote:

FlanSolo wrote:Are you saying it's harder to leave NYC for a secondary market than the reverse?

Yes.

Interesting. I've only heard the opposite.

Absent some compelling personal reason, why would an associate on a 160K scale in Miami/Atlanta/Denver/Chicago/etc want to transfer to NYC? This amounts to a massive pay cut and possibly longer hours.

My impression was that it's a prestige thing - that, all things equal, an NYC office is viewed as "better," so it's easier to lateral to less desirable markets (I'm talking about smaller markets like Baltimore, Richmond, etc.) than the reverse.

concurrent fork wrote:

FlanSolo wrote:

concurrent fork wrote:

FlanSolo wrote:Are you saying it's harder to leave NYC for a secondary market than the reverse?

Yes.

Interesting. I've only heard the opposite.

Absent some compelling personal reason, why would an associate on a 160K scale in Miami/Atlanta/Denver/Chicago/etc want to transfer to NYC? This amounts to a massive pay cut and possibly longer hours.

Very VERY few firms in Miami are on a 160K scale, but that's beside the point.

Canesfan, I wouldn't lose too much hope just yet. If Miami could get two transfers into Penn last year (neither of whom was #1), I'd think you've got a fairly decent shot at that or higher.

Do you know what the highest school a Miami person got into last year was? Just wondering if the T6 hates the U.

The highest was P (and M, which were tied at the time), then nothing til GULC.

FlanSolo wrote:My impression was that it's a prestige thing - that, all things equal, an NYC office is viewed as "better," so it's easier to lateral to less desirable markets (I'm talking about smaller markets like Baltimore, Richmond, etc.) than the reverse.

Well, the original question was about moving between offices of the same firm. I'm sure there are plenty of firms in these types of markets that would hire ex-NYC biglaw types. But this is probably better described as an exit option than a biglaw lateral.

ReversedAndRemanded wrote:The highest was P (and M, which were tied at the time), then nothing til GULC.

Looks like T6 hates the U.

aca0260 wrote:

ReversedAndRemanded wrote:The highest was P (and M, which were tied at the time), then nothing til GULC.

Looks like T6 hates the U.

Must be the case.