MISSOURI LAW SCHOOLS Forum

[croggs]

Hi all,

I am trying to decide between Mizzou and SLU. I figure I will probably practice in the St. Louis area, and I am not sure which school would be a better option for me. Mizzou again fell in the rankings, and is now a few spots behind SLU. The tuitions are very similar, but SLU's cost of living is much higher. Does anyone know how law firms in STL view the two schools? Is one preferred over the other?

Thanks for any information!

[splitmuch]

Hi all,

I am trying to decide between Mizzou and SLU. I figure I will probably practice in the St. Louis area, and I am not sure which school would be a better option for me. Mizzou again fell in the rankings, and is now a few spots behind SLU. The tuitions are very similar, but SLU's cost of living is much higher. Does anyone know how law firms in STL view the two schools? Is one preferred over the other?

Thanks for any information!

If you know you want Saint Louis go to SLU.

[Drumsetdude]

Both schools place well in St. Louis and have a lot of alumni there, haven't heard of one being preferred over the other in general, I'm sure it depends on the firm. If you were in state, Mizzou seems like a no-brainer to me just because it's so much cheaper and also opens up the KC market/rest of the state to you. But since it sounds like you're out of state, SLU would would work just as well if you're sure you want to be in STL and would give you a slight advantage of being close to potential employers. I would just pick whichever school seems to have better a program in the area of law you're interested in.

[JP84]

Any scholarships at SLU? If not, Mizzou would be the better choice because even if you are out-of-state you can get in-state tuition after the first year in Missouri, which would save you approximately 30k over years two and three. If you are in-state, Mizzou is the obvious choice considering it is about half the cost of SLU. As Drumset said, both schools do well in St. Louis, but Mizzou offers more opportunities around the state as it also places well in KC, Jeff City, Springfield, etc. Also, IMO the cost of living is about the same in Columbia and St. Louis (I'm from St. Louis and currently live in Columbia), though you may have to pay more for transportation costs in St. Louis. You will probably not want to live near SLU because the neighborhood isn't that great, whereas in Columbia you could find a nice place within walking distance of campus.

[natedavis333]

If you're sure you want to work in St. Louis, then St. Louis definitely has an edge over Mizzou. About half of the attorneys working in St. Louis went to SLU, so being able to go to SLU and networking that way is definitely an advantage. Even though that will help though you have to take into account the cost/benefit of both schools. Mizzou is so much cheaper, but it might be a little bit harder to get a job in St. Louis (though not extremely difficult and Jefferson City and Kansas City jobs will be a little easier to come by). I had to face the same decision. It just depends on how much staying in St. Louis is worth to you.

[MoneyBags]

Is UMKC any good???