Texas Tech Fall 2011 Forum

[texas man]

Attended ASD today and was wholly unimpressed, tied with the ridiculous tuition increase (that wasn't even mentioned as a possibility during any presentations) has cemented my decision not to attend Tech.

My roommate is a 2L at Tech and the rosy picture that the student panel described at ASD isn't the whole picture. Per my roommate, outside of the top 10% many students are struggling to find employment. My roommate drove to Austin and Dallas multiple weekends for interviews, but they gave off the impression that they had too many applicants/too little spots for any summer employment. He has nothing paid lined up, just a 6 week unpaid internship in Dallas in the summer. The worst part of ASD was the career service presentation, the obviously rehearsed monologue was almost completely useless, she didn't talk about employment prospects/job search strategies or anything specific about how we will get jobs after graduation.

Advocacy and legal writing may be important, but if it can't get me a job with a salary high enough to pay off the (ever increasing) tuition, I'm not interested.

Well, you can't please them all. It is definitely true that the lower your class ranking, the more difficult it will be to find a job. If you want to work in Texas, when comparing schools, look at the respective schools' employment data carefully. To be competitive for "biglaw" you generally need to be in the top 10% at Tech. As a student, I have found Career Services to be very accommodating; after becoming a student, I have been inundated with strategies and specifics about job searching. If you were interested in any of these details, you could have asked Julie, or it seems like you could have asked your roommate. Good Luck at the law school you end up attending.

[Aldenita]

Attended ASD today and was wholly unimpressed, tied with the ridiculous tuition increase (that wasn't even mentioned as a possibility during any presentations) has cemented my decision not to attend Tech.

My roommate is a 2L at Tech and the rosy picture that the student panel described at ASD isn't the whole picture. Per my roommate, outside of the top 10% many students are struggling to find employment. My roommate drove to Austin and Dallas multiple weekends for interviews, but they gave off the impression that they had too many applicants/too little spots for any summer employment. He has nothing paid lined up, just a 6 week unpaid internship in Dallas in the summer. The worst part of ASD was the career service presentation, the obviously rehearsed monologue was almost completely useless, she didn't talk about employment prospects/job search strategies or anything specific about how we will get jobs after graduation.

Advocacy and legal writing may be important, but if it can't get me a job with a salary high enough to pay off the (ever increasing) tuition, I'm not interested.

What you are forgetting is that EVERYONE is struggling to find employment. I know someone at Harvard who is about to graduate with 250k in debt and doesn't have a job. I will agree with you that the career services monologue was sweet, but clearly avoided the obvious issue. If you're seriously concerned about job prospects, I would reconsider law as a profession. It's quite a gamble right now.

[CrimLaw300]

Attended ASD today and was wholly unimpressed, tied with the ridiculous tuition increase (that wasn't even mentioned as a possibility during any presentations) has cemented my decision not to attend Tech.

My roommate is a 2L at Tech and the rosy picture that the student panel described at ASD isn't the whole picture. Per my roommate, outside of the top 10% many students are struggling to find employment. My roommate drove to Austin and Dallas multiple weekends for interviews, but they gave off the impression that they had too many applicants/too little spots for any summer employment. He has nothing paid lined up, just a 6 week unpaid internship in Dallas in the summer. The worst part of ASD was the career service presentation, the obviously rehearsed monologue was almost completely useless, she didn't talk about employment prospects/job search strategies or anything specific about how we will get jobs after graduation.

Advocacy and legal writing may be important, but if it can't get me a job with a salary high enough to pay off the (ever increasing) tuition, I'm not interested.

What you are forgetting is that EVERYONE is struggling to find employment. I know someone at Harvard who is about to graduate with 250k in debt and doesn't have a job. I will agree with you that the career services monologue was sweet, but clearly avoided the obvious issue. If you're seriously concerned about job prospects, I would reconsider law as a profession. It's quite a gamble right now.

Yea, every school is struggling, but higher ranked schools located in saturated legal markets are not struggling nearly as much as Texas tech and similar schools.

[texas man]

Yea, every school is struggling, but higher ranked schools located in saturated legal markets are not struggling nearly as much as Texas tech and similar schools.

It will be interesting to see the specifics on the employment figures from the Class of 2010.

[Aldenita]

Like most of you, I'm pissed off about the tuition increase. However, if you compare the cost of Tech to other state schools, it still is the cheapest school. My recommendation is to go to the best school you can go to at the best price. I told the assistant dean straight up that I could go to Tier 1 schools for the same price as Tech if the tuition increases (even with the scholarship I was offered). To be fair though, I think Tech could be a really good choice. I work in an ADR firm and talk to lawyers everyday. Several of them have told me that they like to hire Tech grads because they are ready to practice on Day 1. Basically, schools like Texas and other higher ranked schools are training their students to be professors, while lower ranked schools like Tech are training their students to be lawyers. A choice like this really depends on what your career goals are. If you want to be a professor or have a serious chance at a judicial clerkship, I would recommend going to a higher ranked school. Tech will give you a practical education and will prepare you to practice law.

[txadv11]

I told the assistant dean straight up that I could go to Tier 1 schools for the same price as Tech if the tuition increases (even with the scholarship I was offered)

Nice one! What was the response?

[Aldenita]

I told the assistant dean straight up that I could go to Tier 1 schools for the same price as Tech if the tuition increases (even with the scholarship I was offered)

Nice one! What was the response?

He said that he would try to work something out and that he would contact me next week to let me know if I get more money. If I don't Tech is pretty much out of the running for me.

[wreckem]

Attended ASD today and was wholly unimpressed, tied with the ridiculous tuition increase (that wasn't even mentioned as a possibility during any presentations) has cemented my decision not to attend Tech.

My roommate is a 2L at Tech and the rosy picture that the student panel described at ASD isn't the whole picture. Per my roommate, outside of the top 10% many students are struggling to find employment. My roommate drove to Austin and Dallas multiple weekends for interviews, but they gave off the impression that they had too many applicants/too little spots for any summer employment. He has nothing paid lined up, just a 6 week unpaid internship in Dallas in the summer. The worst part of ASD was the career service presentation, the obviously rehearsed monologue was almost completely useless, she didn't talk about employment prospects/job search strategies or anything specific about how we will get jobs after graduation.

Advocacy and legal writing may be important, but if it can't get me a job with a salary high enough to pay off the (ever increasing) tuition, I'm not interested.

Its like that at every law school. Its just the cutoffs that are different. Any school ranked less than 75 and you are going to have to be in the top 10% to get a paid gig following your 2L year. The lower you go the harder it is, Tier 4 schools, you need to be at the top.

To be blunt if you are looking for a paid summer associate job(big law) for your 2L summer you better be in the top 35% at UT, top 20% at SMU/UoH, top 15% at Baylor, top 10% at Texas/STCL. Forget about it at St. Mary's, Texas Wes, or Texas Southern.

Even if you get a paid gig, there were a ton of Texas firms that no offered everyone last year.

I'll be playing the OCI game, knowing full well that might not go well even though I'm likely to be in the top 10/top 5, I'll also play the game of alphabet soup this fall hoping to latch on somewhere with the Feds and then praying I do well enough I can get an offer from the DOJ Honors program. I was originally wanting get in at a DA's office but yeah its going to be awhile before county hiring freezes are gone. Probably won't be lifted for several more years. Its a blood bath in Texas right now in both the private and public sectors.

For legal employment, you cannot take anything off the table in the economy. The only thing you can take off are areas that won't likely be hiring(public service jobs in Texas, DA offices, AG's office, other state agencies, etc) for the foreseeable future.

[A12345]

Is there a form to send in with the deposit? I was getting ready to send mine in and realized I couldn't find any sort of form.

[horsethief80]

Is there a form as send in with the deposit? I was getting ready to send mine in and realized I couldn't find any sort of form.

I called about it, and they said to just send the payment to the law school, "Attention: Admissions". So I just sent a check and made sure enough of my identifying info was on it. They processed it without a problem and sent a receipt back a couple of days later.

[wreckem]

Just to let y'all know new students are not shouldering 100% of the hikes. Current students will be subjected to tuition hikes, just not as severe. Anything the main campus hikes raises tuition for everyone, same for fees. While not as bad as the hike incoming students are likely to face. Current students will likely have an increased cost of atleast $1600.

[emlawi]

ahh finally after 2 months of "file in review" it changed to "file reviewed. shouldn't be too long now" eeek

[LawBound11]

ahh finally after 2 months of "file in review" it changed to "file reviewed. shouldn't be too long now" eeek

When did you go in review?

02/11 for me...and still says in review.

[emlawi]

ahh finally after 2 months of "file in review" it changed to "file reviewed. shouldn't be too long now" eeek

When did you go in review?

02/11 for me...and still says in review.

Same, 2/11.

[LawBound11]

ahh finally after 2 months of "file in review" it changed to "file reviewed. shouldn't be too long now" eeek

When did you go in review?

02/11 for me...and still says in review.

Same, 2/11.

Great, thanks! Hoping mine changes soon.

Does anyone know if they're still sending out letters, or have they used email at all...?

[Peripatetic]

I was accepted via email yesterday, and the email didn't mention anything about scholarships for those who are wanting to know. I don't know if scholarship info will come later or if I simply didn't get one. Good luck all.

[jmill]

I was accepted via email yesterday, and the email didn't mention anything about scholarships for those who are wanting to know. I don't know if scholarship info will come later or if I simply didn't get one. Good luck all.

From what was commented on earlier scholarship info came a few days after the acceptance letter. But I think they are done giving out scholarships now. Or atleast until after the seat deposit deadline passes.

[txadv11]

I was accepted via email yesterday, and the email didn't mention anything about scholarships for those who are wanting to know. I don't know if scholarship info will come later or if I simply didn't get one. Good luck all.

From what was commented on earlier scholarship info came a few days after the acceptance letter. But I think they are done giving out scholarships now. Or atleast until after the seat deposit deadline passes.

Wasn't the deadline 4/1??

[A12345]

I was accepted via email yesterday, and the email didn't mention anything about scholarships for those who are wanting to know. I don't know if scholarship info will come later or if I simply didn't get one. Good luck all.

From what was commented on earlier scholarship info came a few days after the acceptance letter. But I think they are done giving out scholarships now. Or atleast until after the seat deposit deadline passes.

Wasn't the deadline 4/1??

4/8 for people that went to asd

[txag10]

Withdrawing from the waitlist. Not sure if that helps anyone, but hope it does.

[LawBound11]

For those that have had a decision made this week....did it change to the Letter is On Its Way status for you, too?

Also, email...snail mail...does anyone know?

[TT09]

Just got accepted off of the WL. Had been WL on 1/31. Might have to make it back up to Lubbock for another 3 years...

[LawBound11]

I know I just asked the question about email/snail mail.

But, got in via email a couple of hours ago!

[TT09]

I know I just asked the question about email/snail mail.

But, got in via email a couple of hours ago!

Congratulations

[txag10]

Waitlisted 12/16, Accepted today via email.