Top Law Schools

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Don't base your decision to go to law school on the lofty assumption that you will be in the top 10% anywhere.

For the vast majority of people, paying any money to go to a T4 is a mistake. Even at full scholarship, the opportunity cost of attending a T4 may still make it a bad decision.

Furthermore, for the vast majority of people, attending any school (except, for some, arguably HYS) at sticker is also a mistake. Transfers are generally not awarded scholarships, which means even if you are able to transfer, going to Emory at sticker is not advisable.

Reading is very important for prospective law students: http://top-law-schools.com/forums/viewt ... 7&t=170597

Each ABA required disclosure report has an appendix listing all the transfer feeder schools, if the target school has no less than (or more than, can't remember) 5 incoming transfers. Have a look, but with the caveat that just because somebody managed to transfer doesn't mean you can.

I'm so sick of these. Just go to John Marshall. You'll be in the top 10% for sure. You'll outwork the competitors and discover you have a knack for law school exams. Never mind that your competitors will have roughly the same credentials as you and will be just as hellbent on escaping the tttt despair around them.
Seriously though, why is this your only choice? Retake the LSAT. The consensus seems to be that, with proper and meticulous study, you can measurably improve your score. That would likely be the difference between tttt and a tier one school.

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You can't go to a school with the goal of transferring because your odds of failure are greater than your odds of success.

What do you mean you have no other option? Other than about dying, we usually have options.

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I'm not one of those people who often says retake. Actually, I find it quite annoying. However, even I have to admit that it makes sense to do it sometimes.

The scholarship you got is low. If it were me, I would never ever go to a school like JM and get into debt for it. First, I can't guarantee I can transfer. Second, my chances at getting a legal job are way too low. Third, I would just want more for myself.

Yeah, you're in your late twenties. However it sounds like your husband is working and you could take some time to study for the LSAT and try again.

I from all people understand the urgency of going the year you want to go. I did that. But I at least went to a top 50 school and got a decent job out of it. I also understand now that I could have graduated with no job and then I wouldn't be so okay with my decision to have gone to law school.

Firms have to see that you transfer because they ask for transcripts. Also, you might do stuff at JM your first year that could be worthy of putting on your resume but this is rare.

zot1 wrote:I'm not one of those people who often says retake. Actually, I find it quite annoying. However, even I have to admit that it makes sense to do it sometimes.

I'll have to join the re-take chorus here as well. You don't seem to have any good options. Unless I'm mistaken, 23k a year will be about half tuition at John Marshall, a school I wouldn't consider for even a full ride. If you really want to stay in Atlanta you need to get your LSAT up and at least go to GA State at a substantial discount. I do not recommend Mercer unless you are happy working in non-Atlanta Georgia. Mercer still does relatively well in southern and mid-Georgia, but I don't think it pulls much if any weight in Atlanta. UGA should be your goal. With your GPA, I'd think you would be able to get in with a 25%-50% lsat. UGA, as you probably know, is king of Georgia and if you are happy with staying in Georgia I think it is worth in-state sticker. UGA is also easily commutable from Atlanta.

Also, I know it's hard to wait a year, especially when you're a bit older, but If you did not study for the lsat well and can afford to take a year off to study at all, then I recommend it. I will be graduating in my 30's and although waiting a year and graduating a year later is tough, it would be much worse to graduate in your 30's with no job options after wasting 3 years of your life and a ton of money.

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Look at some of the firms' websites were you'd like to work at. Then look at the attorney bios. If you find some from either JM or Mercer, just hit them up and ask to have coffee with them. If someone accepts, go and ask them about going to the school they went to. Ideally, they would be straight up with you about whether they think it's wise or not.

Just don't do it. You're going to invest 3 years of your life at a school that likely isn't going to get you a job to pay off the loans you've accumulated. Waiting a year and earning money in the meantime while you try to get your LSAT scores up is going to make a huge difference. I went into law school in my late 20's, and thank goodness I spent time trying to bring up my LSAT scores instead of settling for anything less than a T14. A year is worth it. The LSAT is an easy exam to master.

futurelawstudent32 wrote:I've been a paralegal for several years at a firm right outside of the city so I know what it would be like.

She has connections. Going to a local school could be fine for this person.

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futurelawstudent32 wrote: Is Mercer really that bad?

Yes. You will have a 1 in 3 chance of not having a decent legal job after you graduate. They don't release their salary information, but given similarly situated schools, you probably have about a 1 in 10 chance of making more than $55k/year when you graduate. Oh, and Mercer costs $206k at sticker.

although John Marshall gets much more.

Yep, because it deserves it. At John Marshall, you have a 57% chance of not having a decent legal job after you graduate. They also don't release their salary information, but the common result will likely be a $40k job, if you can find a job. Oh, and JM costs about $150k with your scholarship.

You have a really awful option (Mercer) and a criminally insane option (JM).

but I really want to start this fall because I'm in my late twenties already and I don't want to delay law school.

That's like saying "but I really want to stick my hand in the oven right now, even though the oven is still hot and I don't have an oven mitt!" If you go to law school this cycle, you will get burned, and your family will spend over a decade cleaning up your mistake.

As far as your transferring question: NEVER go to a school assuming that you can transfer to a better school. It is a recipe for failure, and you will hurt yourself and the people who care about you by picking a bad school with the assumption that you can just transfer. Assume that you will have median to top 1/3 grades, and try the outcomes of those students on for size. You will quickly realize why Mercer and JM make no sense if you apply that analysis.

seashell.economy wrote:

futurelawstudent32 wrote:I've been a paralegal for several years at a firm right outside of the city so I know what it would be like.

She has connections. Going to a local school could be fine for this person.

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Keep in mind that just because some graduates from a school end up in a good job, doesn't mean that you will too. It's entirely possible that it's the same top-X%'ers that get the good jobs as the ones who can transfer out, and there's no way for you to know ahead of time that you will overcome the odds and be in that top-X% range.