Top Law Schools

Surprisingly, no one has started a Drexel 2015 thread yet. The law school recently bumped my scholarship up to over 50% of tuition and I'm seriously considering attending. Drexel's prime location in Philadelphia, excellent reputation, low cost of attendance (with financial assistance), and rising status make it a competitive choice.

Has anybody else made a decision yet?

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Here is the initial Drexel 2015 thread: http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 7&t=177988

Sent in my deposit as well. RU-C is renegotiating they're offered scholly, though. If they match Drexel's it'll be a tough decision. Mrtoren, you were very vocal on the RU-C c/o page--is the RU-C merger changing your mind?

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presidentk1 wrote:problems with ru-c:

1. its in camden
2. rowan merger/potential for other organizational issues
3. RuScrewed (if you're a jersey resident you know what this is)


Published today: http://blog.nj.com/njv_bob_braun/2012/0 ... iet_c.html

Ya, obviously have been considering all of this. There are pros and cons to both schools. Love Drexel though, great facility, location, faculty etc. Where is everone looking for housing?

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agreed, most likely commuting via R5 to 30th Street. Would muuuuch rather live near campus, but cant beat free housing

how far/long is your commute?

google maps puts me at 50 miles/1hr 10min

not really sure how morning/evening traffic is going to effect that time estimate

45 minutes by train. If i took expressway by car, my commute would take 5 days. Brutal traffic in the a.m. Are you coming from Jersey?

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Pres, we are annihilating this thread. 95 can get ugly, depending on how early you leave. I know there's a rail line that services commuters from camden to 30th street. You should look into it, could save serious time and $$$

have you looked into parking?

they have a lot of lots, idk what lot # the deck is that is attached to the law building
$500 per semester is a tough pill to swallow lol

So I got into Suffolk and Drexel. I love Drexel's co-op program but really don't want to move back to Philly (I'm originally from the Main Line). I know Suffolk isn't ranked as high as Drexel but I wouldn't mind living in Boston. Can someone give me on their opinion of Suffolk vs Drexel?

r u getting $$ from either school?

Olive-Juice wrote:So I got into Suffolk and Drexel. I love Drexel's co-op program but really don't want to move back to Philly (I'm originally from the Main Line). I know Suffolk isn't ranked as high as Drexel but I wouldn't mind living in Boston. Can someone give me on their opinion of Suffolk vs Drexel?

I would sell my soul to go to Boston, but Suffolk just isn't competitive there. I'm from Chicago so I would compare Suffolk to John Marshall in the sense that they're both large law schools near the bottom of their respective markets. The schools crank out such an enormous amount of students that some of them are bound to succeed and become examples of what all graduates could be if they just "try hard enough." I'm not going to guarantee that you would fail there, but the odds of succeeding are stacked against you. You need some serious connections or a substantial, low stipulation scholarship to call the decision to attend "smart."

Drexel, on the other hand, is striving to climb the ranks in its market. The school is keeping class sizes small and boosting their numbers by pumping incredible amounts of scholarship money into attracting better students. Drexel has increased their median LSAT by at least three points over the past couple of years and will likely continue to climb. For as much money as they're handing out, I can't imagine the law school has turned a profit yet; which, in my opinion, adds credence to their integrity. This is by no means an endorsement to attend at sticker price. A fair amount of Drexel graduates are still left out to dry each year. However, Rutgers-Camden's recent troubles will only help Drexel establish itself. For those with a respectable scholarship and no illusions about the job market in Philadelphia, it is a decent choice.

mrtoren wrote:

Olive-Juice wrote:So I got into Suffolk and Drexel. I love Drexel's co-op program but really don't want to move back to Philly (I'm originally from the Main Line). I know Suffolk isn't ranked as high as Drexel but I wouldn't mind living in Boston. Can someone give me on their opinion of Suffolk vs Drexel?

I would sell my soul to go to Boston, but Suffolk just isn't competitive there. I'm from Chicago so I would compare Suffolk to John Marshall in the sense that they're both large law schools near the bottom of their respective markets. The schools crank out such an enormous amount of students that some of them are bound to succeed and become examples of what all graduates could be if they just "try hard enough." I'm not going to guarantee that you would fail there, but the odds of succeeding are stacked against you. You need some serious connections or a substantial, low stipulation scholarship to call the decision to attend "smart."

Drexel, on the other hand, is striving to climb the ranks in its market. The school is keeping class sizes small and boosting their numbers by pumping incredible amounts of scholarship money into attracting better students. Drexel has increased their median LSAT by at least three points over the past couple of years and will likely continue to climb. For as much money as they're handing out, I can't imagine the law school has turned a profit yet; which, in my opinion, adds credence to their integrity. This is by no means an endorsement to attend at sticker price. A fair amount of Drexel graduates are still left out to dry each year. However, Rutgers-Camden's recent troubles will only help Drexel establish itself. For those with a respectable scholarship and no illusions about the job market in Philadelphia, it is a decent choice.

presidentk1: nope.

mrtoren: I just don't really want to live or work in Philly. That's my biggest problem.

Olive-Juice wrote:presidentk1: nope.

mrtoren: I just don't really want to live or work in Philly. That's my biggest problem.

I can respect that, but you really need to be careful when weighing your desires against the practical options that lie ahead of you. I don't want to be a downer, but I can't recommend attending private law schools at sticker price. The return just isn't there to justify the expense. If possible, you should consider reapplying in a couple of months to some state schools that will offer you in-state tuition at some point during 1L or 2L. If you can boost your LSAT or GPA and get some scholarship money out a public or private law school, it would be even better.

mrtoren wrote:

Olive-Juice wrote:presidentk1: nope.

mrtoren: I just don't really want to live or work in Philly. That's my biggest problem.

I can respect that, but you really need to be careful when weighing your desires against the practical options that lie ahead of you. I don't want to be a downer, but I can't recommend attending private law schools at sticker price. The return just isn't there to justify the expense. If possible, you should consider reapplying in a couple of months to some state schools that will offer you in-state tuition at some point during 1L or 2L. If you can boost your LSAT or GPA and get some scholarship money out a public or private law school, it would be even better.

That's not a worry. I'm not taking out any loans otherwise the story would be a lot different

IHeartPhilly wrote:Ya, obviously have been considering all of this. There are pros and cons to both schools. Love Drexel though, great facility, location, faculty etc. Where is everone looking for housing?

As an out-of-stater, I'll probably apply for housing on-campus in Stiles Hall. Unfortunately, its about $9,000/year. If you or presidentk1 are looking for off-campus housing, let me know. We could maybe even do a three bedroom to drop our costs further. While not exactly the Ritz, University City Housing has a couple of local buildings with apartments at decent prices - http://universitycityhousing.com/apartments.php

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presidentk1 wrote:I'm interested in exploring housing options

however, i would have many reservations.

one being a private bedroom

Private bedrooms are a must. I just wish Philly had some cooler housing. When I was looking at Rutgers-Camden, there was a rehabilitated firehouse loft that had the original fire pole in it. I always thought that would be a blast after a couple of beers.

loll

the stuff on the link you posted seems interested

even more so because it seems that one is only liable for his portion of the rent to the landlord

presidentk1 wrote:loll

the stuff on the link you posted seems interested

even more so because it seems that one is only liable for his portion of the rent to the landlord

Absolutely, check it out and shoot me a PM if you're interested.

mrtoren wrote:

IHeartPhilly wrote:Ya, obviously have been considering all of this. There are pros and cons to both schools. Love Drexel though, great facility, location, faculty etc. Where is everone looking for housing?

As an out-of-stater, I'll probably apply for housing on-campus in Stiles Hall. Unfortunately, its about $9,000/year. If you or presidentk1 are looking for off-campus housing, let me know. We could maybe even do a three bedroom to drop our costs further. While not exactly the Ritz, University City Housing has a couple of local buildings with apartments at decent prices - http://universitycityhousing.com/apartments.php

I'm trying to keep debt as low as possible, so most likely going to commute (as much as I'd like to live near campus). However, since your not from around the area, let me know if you have any questions about certain sections of the city.

I've deposited already for this fall so it looks like I'll be there. I have a sublet until mid-August so if anyone is interested in finding housing in university city for the school year let me know. Anyone have recommendations for parking around UPenn? I'm from Michigan so I'm not sure that a Philadelphia Permit would be a possibility.