University of South Carolina 2017 Forum

[morrissey]

South Carolina with full scholarship. I'm from SC, but feel very uncomfortable with attending a law school that will only place me in South Carolina. I would love to practice in Greenville or Charleston at a larger firm, but I am not comfortable practicing in a rural or small-town area.

Thoughts?

I'm in the same boat. AWESOME scholly from SC, but I was admitted to Alabama (amazing rank & well known throughout the country). I'd love advice on this too.

See my above comment. Like you say, Bama is a great school and will travel relatively well in the Southeast. If you're focused on larger markets like Columbia, Charleston, and Greenville, I would think the out of state JD would matter even less. Hell there's probably attorneys at some of the big firms with Bama JD's. Big firms in big cities are more grade centric than smaller firms (where your ties would play a larger role).

If you're unsure about where you want to practice, but have narrowed it down to the Southeast, I'd take Bama unless the cost disparity was too large. A full ride is a sweet deal, but knowing you have some initial mobility is good too. However, if you're shooting for big SC cities like the guy above, graduating debt-free is a hell of an option.

[ayl]

Hey morrissey, can you give an idea of where a good place to live would be? I'm not sure whether or not I will be trying to live alone or with others, but my main concern is being somewhere quiet/not undergrad-central. Second biggest concern is being close to campus.

[BamaLaw]

Withdrew today. Freed up 30K per year. Hope it goes to some good use.

[morrissey]

Hey morrissey, can you give an idea of where a good place to live would be? I'm not sure whether or not I will be trying to live alone or with others, but my main concern is being somewhere quiet/not undergrad-central. Second biggest concern is being close to campus.

PM'd you. Someone else messaged me about this so it'll be easier to copy and paste there.

[HRomanus]

South Carolina with full scholarship. I'm from SC, but feel very uncomfortable with attending a law school that will only place me in South Carolina. I would love to practice in Greenville or Charleston at a larger firm, but I am not comfortable practicing in a rural or small-town area.

Thoughts?

USC is great for anywhere in SC, Greenville and Charleston included. Given that you're from SC, that can only help. If you have the grades and the interest, you have a damn good shot at big firms in Greenville and Charleston. Most of the big firms have head offices or large offices in Columbia, but each have offices in the big SC cities. Look up Nelson Mullins, Nexsen Pruet, and Haynesworth Sinkler Boyd for a few examples.

FWIW, most of the firms with multiple offices in SC will ask you to rank your office preferences when you bid on them for OCI. Usually the Columbia office will take the most summers, but they certainly recruit for the other offices too.

The employment and salary numbers are just so damn dismal for USC. I am afraid that this will give me such little flexibility in good employment. I work in Greenwood and Abbeville now and I do not want to end up in a location like this. I've been accepted to UGA with a generous package, but I don't want to risk ending up in rural GA either if I'm not in the top 20% of my class.

The suggestions I've heard are to retake the LSAT (I got a 165 / with 4.0 GPA) and apply for T14 schools early in the fall.

[BankruptMe]

South Carolina with full scholarship. I'm from SC, but feel very uncomfortable with attending a law school that will only place me in South Carolina. I would love to practice in Greenville or Charleston at a larger firm, but I am not comfortable practicing in a rural or small-town area.

Thoughts?

USC is great for anywhere in SC, Greenville and Charleston included. Given that you're from SC, that can only help. If you have the grades and the interest, you have a damn good shot at big firms in Greenville and Charleston. Most of the big firms have head offices or large offices in Columbia, but each have offices in the big SC cities. Look up Nelson Mullins, Nexsen Pruet, and Haynesworth Sinkler Boyd for a few examples.

FWIW, most of the firms with multiple offices in SC will ask you to rank your office preferences when you bid on them for OCI. Usually the Columbia office will take the most summers, but they certainly recruit for the other offices too.

The employment and salary numbers are just so damn dismal for USC. I am afraid that this will give me such little flexibility in good employment. I work in Greenwood and Abbeville now and I do not want to end up in a location like this. I've been accepted to UGA with a generous package, but I don't want to risk ending up in rural GA either if I'm not in the top 20% of my class.

The suggestions I've heard are to retake the LSAT (I got a 165 / with 4.0 GPA) and apply for T14 schools early in the fall.

Why not apply to regionals such as GW, BC/BU, Fordham etc. if you dont want to end up in a rural area

[HRomanus]

Why not apply to regionals such as GW, BC/BU, Fordham etc. if you dont want to end up in a rural area

I want to stay in the South.

[BankruptMe]

Why not apply to regionals such as GW, BC/BU, Fordham etc. if you dont want to end up in a rural area

I want to stay in the South.

So why not apply to Bama, Emory, UNC/Duke, and Vandy

[doubledawg3378]

South Carolina with full scholarship. I'm from SC, but feel very uncomfortable with attending a law school that will only place me in South Carolina. I would love to practice in Greenville or Charleston at a larger firm, but I am not comfortable practicing in a rural or small-town area.

Thoughts?

USC is great for anywhere in SC, Greenville and Charleston included. Given that you're from SC, that can only help. If you have the grades and the interest, you have a damn good shot at big firms in Greenville and Charleston. Most of the big firms have head offices or large offices in Columbia, but each have offices in the big SC cities. Look up Nelson Mullins, Nexsen Pruet, and Haynesworth Sinkler Boyd for a few examples.

FWIW, most of the firms with multiple offices in SC will ask you to rank your office preferences when you bid on them for OCI. Usually the Columbia office will take the most summers, but they certainly recruit for the other offices too.

The employment and salary numbers are just so damn dismal for USC. I am afraid that this will give me such little flexibility in good employment. I work in Greenwood and Abbeville now and I do not want to end up in a location like this. I've been accepted to UGA with a generous package, but I don't want to risk ending up in rural GA either if I'm not in the top 20% of my class.

The suggestions I've heard are to retake the LSAT (I got a 165 / with 4.0 GPA) and apply for T14 schools early in the fall.

UGA is well known all throughout the South, I definitely don't think you need to retake, and I think UGA is a great choice.

[ayl]

The employment and salary numbers are just so damn dismal for USC.

Are they? Honest question. Coming from LST, they don't look dismal, but perhaps I'm reading the numbers wrong. If you know you're going to be at the top of the class anyway, from speaking with professors, you shouldn't be worrying all that much. It's the people in the middle and bottom (in any program) who need to up the worry game. USC shows a 69.5% employment score vs. 69% at UGA vs. 70.9% at Alabama. Of course, if you're looking at biglaw employment, yes, those are going to be lower at USC (though according to LST again, they're just about the same as Bama's). But again, there are those opportunities within SC, the state's just not saturated with them.

All of that aside, staying in SC doesn't automatically mean you'll stay in the booming metropolis of Greenwood. Once you're at USC (should you choose to go there), you'll have a number of networking opportunities, including with huge law firms. Those can help you get to Columbia, Charleston, Greenville, Charlotte, Atlanta, etc. You'll need to put in some effort to get there, but it's not out of the question. As with just about anything, you get out what you put in.

I told one of my friends the other day that my overly simplistic solution to just about everything is to flip a coin. If you don't like the result, you'll know where you stand. Results not guaranteed

[BankruptMe]

They are only dismal if you

A. Want to leave SC...if so, I dont know why you would attend in the first place if you DONT want to stay
B. Want big law

[HRomanus]

If I go to USC, I want to start in private practice in Greenville, Columbia, or Charleston. The numbers for that are fairly poor. Median salary (LST) is $60,000, 75% is $77,000. I am confident I can be near the top percentage of the class and I have a strong network in Greenville. But I am very uncomfortable with that being my ceiling. I am very uncomfortable with being chained to South Carolina, although I am very interested in practicing in and living here.

Also, the 25% salary on LST is $39,000. Wow.

[ayl]

If I go to USC, I want to start in private practice in Greenville, Columbia, or Charleston. The numbers for that are fairly poor. Median salary (LST) is $60,000, 75% is $77,000. I am confident I can be near the top percentage of the class and I have a strong network in Greenville. But I am very uncomfortable with that being my ceiling. I am very uncomfortable with being chained to South Carolina, although I am very interested in practicing in and living here.

Also, the 25% salary on LST is $39,000. Wow.

Sounds like you have your answer then. If you're very uncomfortable potentially being limited to SC, go elsewhere that will give you a bigger regional chance. Being from SC, you have the ties to come back, so should you choose to do so, that door isn't closed. Do you feel more comfortable with UGA or Alabama?

edit: Sorry, I think it was someone else who mentioned UGA/Bama. Either way, where else are you looking and do you feel better with the employment outcomes there?

edit 2: You posted elsewhere about Wake. I loved Wake. I also got in there. If I had more cash and didn't have an S/O I didn't want to move 5 hours away from, I'd go. It's a great school, you'll have the flexibility to come back here if you want, but just be sure to keep the ties strong in the process. I'll be quiet now until you respond.

[BankruptMe]

If I go to USC, I want to start in private practice in Greenville, Columbia, or Charleston. The numbers for that are fairly poor. Median salary (LST) is $60,000, 75% is $77,000. I am confident I can be near the top percentage of the class and I have a strong network in Greenville. But I am very uncomfortable with that being my ceiling. I am very uncomfortable with being chained to South Carolina, although I am very interested in practicing in and living here.

Also, the 25% salary on LST is $39,000. Wow.

Then go elsewhere. simple

[HRomanus]

If I go to USC, I want to start in private practice in Greenville, Columbia, or Charleston. The numbers for that are fairly poor. Median salary (LST) is $60,000, 75% is $77,000. I am confident I can be near the top percentage of the class and I have a strong network in Greenville. But I am very uncomfortable with that being my ceiling. I am very uncomfortable with being chained to South Carolina, although I am very interested in practicing in and living here.

Also, the 25% salary on LST is $39,000. Wow.

Sounds like you have your answer then. If you're very uncomfortable potentially being limited to SC, go elsewhere that will give you a bigger regional chance. Being from SC, you have the ties to come back, so should you choose to do so, that door isn't closed. Do you feel more comfortable with UGA or Alabama?

edit: Sorry, I think it was someone else who mentioned UGA/Bama. Either way, where else are you looking and do you feel better with the employment outcomes there?

edit 2: You posted elsewhere about Wake. I loved Wake. I also got in there. If I had more cash and didn't have an S/O I didn't want to move 5 hours away from, I'd go. It's a great school, you'll have the flexibility to come back here if you want, but just be sure to keep the ties strong in the process. I'll be quiet now until you respond.

Thank you for the advice! I really underperformed this cycle. I should have applied far sooner than I did and I believe it has negatively impacted me. I am seriously considering waiting a year and either retaking the LSAT or apply earlier in the process.

My concern with going to a regional school like WF or UGA is that the only employment advantage versus USC is a 20% chance at a lower BigLaw firm. So if I go there and miss out on top 20%, I might as well gone to USC and utilize my current network. That's why I'm thinking it's best to take a year off.

[ayl]

Thank you for the advice! I really underperformed this cycle. I should have applied far sooner than I did and I believe it has negatively impacted me. I am seriously considering waiting a year and either retaking the LSAT or apply earlier in the process.

My concern with going to a regional school like WF or UGA is that the only employment advantage versus USC is a 20% chance at a lower BigLaw firm. So if I go there and miss out on top 20%, I might as well gone to USC and utilize my current network. That's why I'm thinking it's best to take a year off.

Do you currently have a (paying) job? If so, look at taking a year off as more money in the bank. I mentioned in another spot that I've been out a little over two years now, and while it hasn't been glorious, I've been able to do a lot of soul searching that has made it easier to make the law school decision. (And I mean a lot of searching and thinking - I started out wanting to do Clinical Psych PhD, moved to South Africa, came home, realized I really was not suited for Clinical Psych, and through many other steps am here today. Time off can be a good thing.)

I really hope you'll be able to come to a decision that you're happy with. It's a tough one to make, but ultimately, it'll be you making it, and not some strangers on the interwebs. You have a great GPA, great LSAT (and you say you could do better), so weigh the option of retaking if you decide to take the year off. If you choose to not go to USC though, tell admissions to put my name on your scholarship

[joe blow]

For me, the decision is pretty easy. I am most concerned about minimizing my debt post-graduation so I'm going to USC. Got enough money to satisfy me and make the cost very affordable. Looked at Tulane, FSU and USC-the choice was simple...it's all about the money. Getting a job is on me, not the school.

[kellohitty]

If I go to USC, I want to start in private practice in Greenville, Columbia, or Charleston. The numbers for that are fairly poor. Median salary (LST) is $60,000, 75% is $77,000. I am confident I can be near the top percentage of the class and I have a strong network in Greenville. But I am very uncomfortable with that being my ceiling. I am very uncomfortable with being chained to South Carolina, although I am very interested in practicing in and living here.

Also, the 25% salary on LST is $39,000. Wow.

The cost of living throughout South Carolina is quite low though. Salaries adjust to location. So a median salary of $60,000 would be higher in a different state with a higher COL, like New York.

[HRomanus]

If I go to USC, I want to start in private practice in Greenville, Columbia, or Charleston. The numbers for that are fairly poor. Median salary (LST) is $60,000, 75% is $77,000. I am confident I can be near the top percentage of the class and I have a strong network in Greenville. But I am very uncomfortable with that being my ceiling. I am very uncomfortable with being chained to South Carolina, although I am very interested in practicing in and living here.

Also, the 25% salary on LST is $39,000. Wow.

The cost of living throughout South Carolina is quite low though. Salaries adjust to location. So a median salary of $60,000 would be higher in a different state with a higher COL, like New York.

That's a very good point. I love South Carolina and I am proud to call it my native home. The Greenville area (where I'm from) is growing tremendously and attracting national and international companies. The legal market there will only continue to grow, and USC grads are obviously well-positioned for success there. It is unfortunate that SC doesn't have a more competitive school on a regional level. It is very unfortunate that Charleston Law failed so badly.

I'm not even that enthusiastic about South Carolina culture or (in particular) politics. But there's something wonderful about "Carolina".

[Bas44]

So who's planning to accept their offer of admission this Fall 2014? Or, what other schools are you deciding between?

[luke6028]

So who's planning to accept their offer of admission this Fall 2014? Or, what other schools are you deciding between?

Visting for the first time tomorrow.. Deciding between SC and Arkansas...

[Genericswingman]

Anyone get an update on their status checker today?

Mine updated today with 'decision mail.' I know the waitlist letters started going out around this time last year, so I'm a little worried.

[CoffeeIsLife]

Pretty sure I will be mailing in my deposit tomorrow. Just trying to figure everything out.

Also, don't bother asking for an extension of the Seat Deposit Deadline. I asked because the other school I am considering was April 9th and they said no that it was a hard deadline.

[thevuch]

my decision was mailed 13 days ago. still not here

[BankruptMe]

Still in review