Any WUSTL students/grads? Forum
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karatechopper
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Mon Aug 06, 2018 4:58 pm
Any WUSTL students/grads?
I really like St. Louis, and I think I can get a full-ride to WUSTL (3.23 GPA and 171 LSAT). How are employment prospects at WUSTL? I know they’ve had some increased placement in big law recently, but what about midsize firms or other jobs that pay decently? I’m extremely debt averse so the full ride at WUSTL seems pretty enticing. Also, I’d love to stay in St. Louis and have no issue loving there (I’ve spent considerable time there). Any insights into the school (even in general) would be great, thank you!
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wustl1991
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Sat Jun 16, 2018 8:39 pm
Re: Any WUSTL students/grads?
I took WUSTL for the $ over higher-ranked schools and successfully got biglaw in a major southern market. Top 10% but weak ties.
Are you from STL? STL biglaw is competitive grade wise because of the low number of spots, but it's also VERY ties sensitive. For example, a WUSTL student in the top 25% who went to high school in STL, has their entire family in the area, has a large social network, etc. will likely have a much easier time than a median NU student. If you don't have strong ties to the area, you need pretty stellar grades for STL biglaw (I'd say top 15%). That being said, I wouldn't go to WUSTL just because you want to stay in STL, because that may not be an option for you if you want biglaw.
What are your other geographic goals? Very, very few firms in my desired market (which has a ton of firms) come to WUSTL to interview. I had to mass mail, and mass mailing = high chance of your resume going into the trash. OCI is mostly NYC, STL, some Chicago. My point in saying this is that placement doesn't tell the whole story if you want certain markets. I would have taken more debt at a T13/T14 if I had known as a 0L that almost no firms in my desired market would even do a resume drop at my school. I knew there was a difference between WUSTL and a T13/T14 going in, but I absolutely did not realize how vast the difference was for those not targeting NYC/STL/Chicago between a school ranked 18th and a school ranked 13th. I had pretty stellar grades, but when you have to direct apply, your resume is likely going into the trash can - and almost no firms in my desired market even did resume drop at WUSTL. It worked out for me, but I absolutely wish I had just been a little less debt averse and gone to a T13/T14 because I had no interest in STL/NYC/Chi.
Re: midsize firms and other jobs that pay decently - these don't exist. Law school salaries are bimodal. Very few people are going to find a non biglaw job that pays more than 60k - and those that do likely have very strong connections (midsize firm where a family friend/family member/etc is a partner).
You're a splitter, so WUSTL will definitely be a great option for you financially, and I'd never tell someone to pay sticker at UVA over a full ride at WUSTL. However, if you don't have STL ties and you aren't interested in NYC, I'd take a T13/T14 for ~150k over WUSTL. Just my two cents- it's not just the placement numbers, it's the hiring process.
Are you from STL? STL biglaw is competitive grade wise because of the low number of spots, but it's also VERY ties sensitive. For example, a WUSTL student in the top 25% who went to high school in STL, has their entire family in the area, has a large social network, etc. will likely have a much easier time than a median NU student. If you don't have strong ties to the area, you need pretty stellar grades for STL biglaw (I'd say top 15%). That being said, I wouldn't go to WUSTL just because you want to stay in STL, because that may not be an option for you if you want biglaw.
What are your other geographic goals? Very, very few firms in my desired market (which has a ton of firms) come to WUSTL to interview. I had to mass mail, and mass mailing = high chance of your resume going into the trash. OCI is mostly NYC, STL, some Chicago. My point in saying this is that placement doesn't tell the whole story if you want certain markets. I would have taken more debt at a T13/T14 if I had known as a 0L that almost no firms in my desired market would even do a resume drop at my school. I knew there was a difference between WUSTL and a T13/T14 going in, but I absolutely did not realize how vast the difference was for those not targeting NYC/STL/Chicago between a school ranked 18th and a school ranked 13th. I had pretty stellar grades, but when you have to direct apply, your resume is likely going into the trash can - and almost no firms in my desired market even did resume drop at WUSTL. It worked out for me, but I absolutely wish I had just been a little less debt averse and gone to a T13/T14 because I had no interest in STL/NYC/Chi.
Re: midsize firms and other jobs that pay decently - these don't exist. Law school salaries are bimodal. Very few people are going to find a non biglaw job that pays more than 60k - and those that do likely have very strong connections (midsize firm where a family friend/family member/etc is a partner).
You're a splitter, so WUSTL will definitely be a great option for you financially, and I'd never tell someone to pay sticker at UVA over a full ride at WUSTL. However, if you don't have STL ties and you aren't interested in NYC, I'd take a T13/T14 for ~150k over WUSTL. Just my two cents- it's not just the placement numbers, it's the hiring process.
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hoos89
- Posts: 2166
- Joined: Sun Jan 08, 2012 11:09 pm
Re: Any WUSTL students/grads?
Thread's not really active anymore but there's some insights in http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 4&t=130775 if you want to flip through.
I wouldn't count on STL biglaw if you're not from the area. Well-paying, entry-level midlaw jobs do exist, but they're few and far between. Not something I'd count on finding, even from a T14.
I wouldn't count on STL biglaw if you're not from the area. Well-paying, entry-level midlaw jobs do exist, but they're few and far between. Not something I'd count on finding, even from a T14.
