St. John's 2011 Cycle Forum

[LaProfe14]

Has anyone gotten in PT recently? on a side note, judging by LSN it seems that STJ acceptance standards have been much higher (gpa/lsat wise) than that of many "higher-ranked" or better regarded schools, why?

[shmumush]

Has anyone gotten in PT recently? on a side note, judging by LSN it seems that STJ acceptance standards have been much higher (gpa/lsat wise) than that of many "higher-ranked" or better regarded schools, why?

GPA and LSAT are only part of the equation in the US News formula for ranking law schools. Apparently, SJU is not doing as well in the other factors that make up ranking...
Here is how they calculate it:

http://www.usnews.com/education/best-gr ... ology-2012

[LB88]

What's everyone doing about housing? I'll be moving from Brooklyn to Astoria in June. Anybody else planning on living in that area?

Also wondering this. Would like to find a place in Astoria or around there. Any other areas recommended for a decent commute?

I posted this earlier...

I plan on living in the Forest Hills area... The advantage of Forest Hills is that you are about a 10 minute drive to SJU and about a 5-10 walk (depending where you are in Forest Hills) from the subway into Manhattan without paying the Manhattan price. Queens Blvd. has everything you could ever want/need and is priced fairly reasonably. About $800-900 a month with a roommate. (2 Bedroom) I also recommend driving in to school every day as the bus times can sometimes be very unreliable. Good luck!

I'm also looking at the Forest Hills area...it seems like a nice place to live and close enough that the commute wouldn't be a pain, even without a car. I'm curious as to whether anyone is using a real estate agent/broker, or looking at different apartment complexes/etc on their own? I'd really love not to pay a brokers fee on top of the security deposit since that's all out of pocket, and I really don't want to attach that on top of my loan. Any advice on people currently living in Queens or in the process of finding a place, any advice on how you're doing it and avoiding fees would be great!

[LaProfe14]

I'm also looking at the Forest Hills area...it seems like a nice place to live and close enough that the commute wouldn't be a pain, even without a car. I'm curious as to whether anyone is using a real estate agent/broker, or looking at different apartment complexes/etc on their own? I'd really love not to pay a brokers fee on top of the security deposit since that's all out of pocket, and I really don't want to attach that on top of my loan. Any advice on people currently living in Queens or in the process of finding a place, any advice on how you're doing it and avoiding fees would be great!

Wondering the same thing here..in addition, would trying to live in Astoria be crazy for someone relying on public transportation? I've always liked that neighborhood, but it's pretty far from Jamaica. I really don't want to bring my car though and was planning on selling it.

[RAB]

Got rejected from the PT program today via status checker. Went into review in January.

[bigmikeny21]

Got rejected from the PT program today via status checker. Went into review in January.

Sorry to hear that....

Still complete 12/1 here...

[justhockey31]

Withdrew today...I hope one of you TLSers gets my scholarship $$!

[LB88]

I'm also looking at the Forest Hills area...it seems like a nice place to live and close enough that the commute wouldn't be a pain, even without a car. I'm curious as to whether anyone is using a real estate agent/broker, or looking at different apartment complexes/etc on their own? I'd really love not to pay a brokers fee on top of the security deposit since that's all out of pocket, and I really don't want to attach that on top of my loan. Any advice on people currently living in Queens or in the process of finding a place, any advice on how you're doing it and avoiding fees would be great!

Wondering the same thing here..in addition, would trying to live in Astoria be crazy for someone relying on public transportation? I've always liked that neighborhood, but it's pretty far from Jamaica. I really don't want to bring my car though and was planning on selling it.

LaProfe-I looked at Astoria as well, and while the area is pretty cool (esp with proximity to manhattan), it seems like the commute would be a bitch if you're using public transportation (though when I went to ASD a couple weeks ago, there were people saying they planned on commuting from the upper east side, which I feel like is a lot farther). If you look up subway travel times on google maps you can get a better idea I think, at least that's how I chose Forest Hills (searching commute times on google maps door to door)

[w.ftw]

Has anyone gotten in PT recently? on a side note, judging by LSN it seems that STJ acceptance standards have been much higher (gpa/lsat wise) than that of many "higher-ranked" or better regarded schools, why?

I am waiting for PT admission, still no answer... I called them today and they said my file will be going in review tomorrow or monday.

[kimberlykpage]

Status checker went blank today! Hopefully we hear soon!

[kimberlykpage]

In with 20,000 a year by email. Going to see if they will negotiate with a higher scholarship from Hofstra. Wish me luck!

[binghamtonalum]

hey guys, looking for a bit of advice. Got a full scholarship, with the terrible stip of course, at St. John's and with one school left that I didn't hear back from (Boston College), I'm all set on attending St. John's in the Fall. For some reason though, I'm still apprehensive at paying the deposit because BC and Emory still look like great options if my ADA desire fades for whatever reason.

Am I foolish to even think of BC, or Emory (on WL), at sticker over St. John's with the stips?

Just a heads up, I know going into law school that I want to be an ADA.

Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

[shmumush]

Am I foolish to even think of BC, or Emory (on WL), at sticker over St. John's with the stips?

I don't think you are being foolish. I am in a similar situation myself. Here's my advice. I think you should pay the $750 deposit and wait to hear from BC and Emory. Think of it this way: If you decide to pay sticker at BC or Emory, what's the $750 in the larger scheme of things? If you do not end up getting into either of those schools, going to St. John's for free would still be an option for you. (And not a bad option if you ask me.) This is exactly what I did, as I wait to hear back from Cardozo regarding my negotiations with them for more scholarship money. Good luck to you!

[fakemoney]

hey guys, looking for a bit of advice. Got a full scholarship, with the terrible stip of course, at St. John's and with one school left that I didn't hear back from (Boston College), I'm all set on attending St. John's in the Fall. For some reason though, I'm still apprehensive at paying the deposit because BC and Emory still look like great options if my ADA desire fades for whatever reason.

Am I foolish to even think of BC, or Emory (on WL), at sticker over St. John's with the stips?

Just a heads up, I know going into law school that I want to be an ADA.

Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

I don't know if Emory would be worthwhile if you intend to work in the NYC tri-state area. BC, on the other hand, might be. It seems like a well established school in the northeast, and I'd guess it'd probably give you a better shot at landing an ADA spot. I think you need to determine if the increase in job prospects + however better the law school experience at BC is justifies a lot of debt.

Either way, throwing down the deposit at SJU, but still waiting on the other two seems like a good plan.

[binghamtonalum]

Am I foolish to even think of BC, or Emory (on WL), at sticker over St. John's with the stips?

I don't think you are being foolish. I am in a similar situation myself. Here's my advice. I think you should pay the $750 deposit and wait to hear from BC and Emory. Think of it this way: If you decide to pay sticker at BC or Emory, what's the $750 in the larger scheme of things? If you do not end up getting into either of those schools, going to St. John's for free would still be an option for you. (And not a bad option if you ask me.) This is exactly what I did, as I wait to hear back from Cardozo regarding my negotiations with them for more scholarship money. Good luck to you!

Thanks for the input. Just like you, Dozo is in the mix as well, as they said they would review the potential for more merit-aid after the deadline.

What alarms me about dozo is the lack of people who've even heard of it. Obviously it is up-and-coming and somewhat of a novelty, but there are several attorneys in their mid-50s, who are pretty darn successful, that have never heard of cardozo. Obviously, they're in the minority but it raised a red flag in my mind nonetheless

[binghamtonalum]

hey guys, looking for a bit of advice. Got a full scholarship, with the terrible stip of course, at St. John's and with one school left that I didn't hear back from (Boston College), I'm all set on attending St. John's in the Fall. For some reason though, I'm still apprehensive at paying the deposit because BC and Emory still look like great options if my ADA desire fades for whatever reason.

Am I foolish to even think of BC, or Emory (on WL), at sticker over St. John's with the stips?

Just a heads up, I know going into law school that I want to be an ADA.

Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

I don't know if Emory would be worthwhile if you intend to work in the NYC tri-state area. BC, on the other hand, might be. It seems like a well established school in the northeast, and I'd guess it'd probably give you a better shot at landing an ADA spot. I think you need to determine if the increase in job prospects + however better the law school experience at BC is justifies a lot of debt.

Either way, throwing down the deposit at SJU, but still waiting on the other two seems like a good plan.

Thanks for the input once again. And for me, BC with all that debt with the 'advantage' that it would provide is just not worth it. Your input helped though, thanks a lot!

[shmumush]

What alarms me about dozo is the lack of people who've even heard of it. Obviously it is up-and-coming and somewhat of a novelty, but there are several attorneys in their mid-50s, who are pretty darn successful, that have never heard of cardozo. Obviously, they're in the minority but it raised a red flag in my mind nonetheless

This is a very good point. The truth is that I have not met many lawyers who have not heard of Cardozo but I have no doubt that it has less name recognition than St. John's and the other schools you have mentioned.

What does worry me, though, is the lack of alumni that Cardozo has. Especially in this economy, a large alumni base can boost a Tier 2 school's placement. I have heard of many St. John's students getting interviews and jobs through alumni connections. I don't think this can be overstated. Cardozo just isn't there in terms of its alumni base. In a few years, who knows.

[binghamtonalum]

What alarms me about dozo is the lack of people who've even heard of it. Obviously it is up-and-coming and somewhat of a novelty, but there are several attorneys in their mid-50s, who are pretty darn successful, that have never heard of cardozo. Obviously, they're in the minority but it raised a red flag in my mind nonetheless

This is a very good point. The truth is that I have not met many lawyers who have not heard of Cardozo but I have no doubt that it has less name recognition than St. John's and the other schools you have mentioned.

What does worry me, though, is the lack of alumni that Cardozo has. Especially in this economy, a large alumni base can boost a Tier 2 school's placement. I have heard of many St. John's students getting interviews and jobs through alumni connections. I don't think this can be overstated. Cardozo just isn't there in terms of its alumni base. In a few years, who knows.

Exactly. My dad, who a small business in the city, has tons of clients who are attorneys. With quite a few of them, he brings up the law school decision predicament that I'm in. Attorneys out of BU Law, NYU, several who have been in Super Lawyers (fwiw), and all of them have claimed with ease that I should be at St. John's. About 2/3 haven't heard of Cardozo, but again these people are in the 40s and 50s. By the time we're in our 40s and 50s, will Cardozo be a household name? How about in our late 20s and early 30s? I don't see it becoming that well known, not that soon. Just my .02 on why I've eliminated dozo from my decision.

[blacklawboss]

What alarms me about dozo is the lack of people who've even heard of it. Obviously it is up-and-coming and somewhat of a novelty, but there are several attorneys in their mid-50s, who are pretty darn successful, that have never heard of cardozo. Obviously, they're in the minority but it raised a red flag in my mind nonetheless

This is a very good point. The truth is that I have not met many lawyers who have not heard of Cardozo but I have no doubt that it has less name recognition than St. John's and the other schools you have mentioned.

What does worry me, though, is the lack of alumni that Cardozo has. Especially in this economy, a large alumni base can boost a Tier 2 school's placement. I have heard of many St. John's students getting interviews and jobs through alumni connections. I don't think this can be overstated. Cardozo just isn't there in terms of its alumni base. In a few years, who knows.

Exactly. My dad, who a small business in the city, has tons of clients who are attorneys. With quite a few of them, he brings up the law school decision predicament that I'm in. Attorneys out of BU Law, NYU, several who have been in Super Lawyers (fwiw), and all of them have claimed with ease that I should be at St. John's. About 2/3 haven't heard of Cardozo, but again these people are in the 40s and 50s. By the time we're in our 40s and 50s, will Cardozo be a household name? How about in our late 20s and early 30s? I don't see it becoming that well known, not that soon. Just my .02 on why I've eliminated dozo from my decision.

Sounds like an excuse from someone who didn't get into Cardozo. (imjussayin)

[binghamtonalum]

What alarms me about dozo is the lack of people who've even heard of it. Obviously it is up-and-coming and somewhat of a novelty, but there are several attorneys in their mid-50s, who are pretty darn successful, that have never heard of cardozo. Obviously, they're in the minority but it raised a red flag in my mind nonetheless

This is a very good point. The truth is that I have not met many lawyers who have not heard of Cardozo but I have no doubt that it has less name recognition than St. John's and the other schools you have mentioned.

What does worry me, though, is the lack of alumni that Cardozo has. Especially in this economy, a large alumni base can boost a Tier 2 school's placement. I have heard of many St. John's students getting interviews and jobs through alumni connections. I don't think this can be overstated. Cardozo just isn't there in terms of its alumni base. In a few years, who knows.

Exactly. My dad, who a small business in the city, has tons of clients who are attorneys. With quite a few of them, he brings up the law school decision predicament that I'm in. Attorneys out of BU Law, NYU, several who have been in Super Lawyers (fwiw), and all of them have claimed with ease that I should be at St. John's. About 2/3 haven't heard of Cardozo, but again these people are in the 40s and 50s. By the time we're in our 40s and 50s, will Cardozo be a household name? How about in our late 20s and early 30s? I don't see it becoming that well known, not that soon. Just my .02 on why I've eliminated dozo from my decision.

Sounds like an excuse from someone who didn't get into Cardozo. (imjussayin)

LOL i did get into dozo, with money. Just stating why I chose St. John's besides the more scholarship money there.

[blacklawboss]

What alarms me about dozo is the lack of people who've even heard of it. Obviously it is up-and-coming and somewhat of a novelty, but there are several attorneys in their mid-50s, who are pretty darn successful, that have never heard of cardozo. Obviously, they're in the minority but it raised a red flag in my mind nonetheless

This is a very good point. The truth is that I have not met many lawyers who have not heard of Cardozo but I have no doubt that it has less name recognition than St. John's and the other schools you have mentioned.

What does worry me, though, is the lack of alumni that Cardozo has. Especially in this economy, a large alumni base can boost a Tier 2 school's placement. I have heard of many St. John's students getting interviews and jobs through alumni connections. I don't think this can be overstated. Cardozo just isn't there in terms of its alumni base. In a few years, who knows.

Exactly. My dad, who a small business in the city, has tons of clients who are attorneys. With quite a few of them, he brings up the law school decision predicament that I'm in. Attorneys out of BU Law, NYU, several who have been in Super Lawyers (fwiw), and all of them have claimed with ease that I should be at St. John's. About 2/3 haven't heard of Cardozo, but again these people are in the 40s and 50s. By the time we're in our 40s and 50s, will Cardozo be a household name? How about in our late 20s and early 30s? I don't see it becoming that well known, not that soon. Just my .02 on why I've eliminated dozo from my decision.

Then poor choice my friend the school is sliding and I visited the school. SO MANY 3L's don't have a Job and told me to choose Dozo over SJU.... these are students who said this. Trust me I understand the tradition of SJU. I remember seeing Mark Jackson, Walter Berry, Bill Wenningtion, and my favorite Willie Glass. Tradition fades (see ND football recruiting) The slide of SJU law is something you can't ignore. CUNY is nipping at its heels now.

[shmumush]

Then poor choice my friend the school is sliding and I visited the school. SO MANY 3L's don't have a Job and told me to choose Dozo over SJU.... these are students who said this. Trust me I understand the tradition of SJU. I remember seeing Mark Jackson, Walter Berry, Bill Wenningtion, and my favorite Willie Glass. Tradition fades (see ND football recruiting) The slide of SJU law is something you can't ignore. CUNY is nipping at its heels now.

I do not believe the school is slipping.. are you saying that it is because of the rankings? What is your reasoning for saying it is slipping? I agree that many 3Ls are jobless now and I am sure they would say to go to Cardozo. There are a few issues with this though:

Students at Cardozo are not getting jobs either. I have a many friends in Cardozo who are themselves jobless and racked up a ton of debt. These people have many friends like them who are in the same situation. The truth is that the job market is very tough for everyone, whether it be Cardozo or St. John's. Cardozo is not so much better in this regard to justify spending 100k more.

I will agree with you that Cardozo is probably a better choice, if only scholarship money was not a factor. I have been accepted to Dozo with 15k per year, and while I realize that it is a very good option, I cannot and will not spend a fortune more to go to a slightly better school.

Here's a thread I started about a month ago that dealt with this exact issue.
http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 1&t=142882

[East Coast Law]

It also depends on what you want to do- I think ive mentioned this already, but St. Johns is very well known and well respected in the City, especially in DAs offices. If youre going to make an.ADAs salary or are worried about being employed after law school its probably a good idea to go somewhere where youre not spending 100k to get a degree from a school with a mediocre name like Cardozo. If it were 15k from Fordham atleasr ud be getting your moneys worth for the name recognition.
Also st johns has a huge alumni base that is very supportive of students. That being said, I doubt the alumni and possible employers are sitting there going over rankings- if its not top 30 then no one cares whether youre ranked 50 75 81 or 95 bc it changes drastically every year, and I can say with confidence that st johns wont fall off the top 100. Also, if youre going to a tier 2 with scholarship and do well while youre there, that says a lot.

Im making a similar decision- BU & St. Johns, but at the end of the day im leaning towards St Johns bc its still a great school and it makes more sense economically.

[bigmikeny21]

Anyone have any updates on their PT status?

[thinktankdonahue]

60k from Twin Cities or full tuition to St. John's? I have by Friday to decide and I am leaning Twin Cities.