Coming down to the wire Forum

[FalafelWaffle]

As of right now, it's BU versus GW. In at GW with the 106k scholarship, but assuming I can finagle a similar amount from BU that pretty much makes them neck and neck.

Now, I'm waiting on about 7 schools I would strongly consider over GW and BU. However, spring break is coming up. It's not financially or temporally feasible to visit 9 schools in about 6 different cities.That said, I don't want to NOT visit BU/GW in the hopes that I get in elsewhere and end up depositing at a school I've never visited. Granted, I could always wait it out and visit after the end of the semester, but I'll debate that later. But that's what got me thinking.

I give the slight edge to DC in terms of where I'd want to live, and I like the *idea* of being a G-man. However, I also like Boston plenty. I have a family history there-literally-most of my Massachusetts relatives have either died or moved away.

In terms of getting to New York from either, it seems like a wash from the stats I've read.

So I ask you--better to be at BU gunning for Boston, or GW gunning for DC? I think I know the answer I'm going to hear, but tell me anyway. Despite my slight preference for GW and possibly a federal job, I'm willing to trade the job/location I (slightly) prefer for better job prospects in absolute terms.

[FalafelWaffle]

shameless bump

[helloperson]

This belongs in "choosing a law school"

And we can't help you because we don't know where you would rather live for the next 5-10 years. That's all on you.

[bk1]

I'd give BU the edge in both home city job prospects and NYC job prospects.

If you want gov or DC then take GW. Both of these are good enough schools that if you have under 100k debt and end up with a job on the low end of the pay scale you can still pay it off in 10 years.

[Richie Tenenbaum]

2L's and 3L's might be able to offer better advice, but I would think that cracking DC from GW is more difficult than cracking Boston from BU. Everyone wants DC and it's absolutely flooded with grads from T14's.

[FalafelWaffle]

Yeah. I give slight edge to DC in terms of what I want. But if job prospects are significantly better out of BU that would tip the scales

[rjh456]

well as one poster pointed out, i'm not sure whether you'd like to be in Boston or Washington long term and i also don't know what type of law it is you'd like to practice. without that information, i think GW is the better option. yes, the competition in DC will probably be much higher than it would be in the Boston market, but you have the advantage of being in DC during the school year, so you can do internships easily during you 2L and 3L at a point in the year when the competition would be less fierce.

another consideration is that the GW intellectual life might be a little stronger because GW might be able to snag many more high profile speakers who just happen to be in town. this was certainly the case when i was going to school in a major european capital. not the biggest consideration, but still something that would matter to me.

ultimately the reputation of both GW and BU are about equal so barring the possibility of visiting both, i think it would be in your best interest to get in touch with a few alums and current students at the school and get their opinions (pros and cons) of their schools.

[rjh456]

whoops just read your post... so yeah, then my vote's for DC

[Blindmelon]

You're only going to get DC from BU if you're near the top of the class or doing fed gov. work. I only know 3 people doing biglaw SAs in DC and a handful of fed gov people. I think Boston from BU would be easier to break than GW in DC, BUT its a different kind of work. If you want to do regulatory type stuff, DC it is. If you're unsure about what you want to do I'd go to BU because its just an easier market to crack.

[ArthurDigbySellers]

You're only going to get DC from BU if you're near the top of the class or doing fed gov. work. I only know 3 people doing biglaw SAs in DC and a handful of fed gov people. I think Boston from BU would be easier to break than GW in DC, BUT its a different kind of work. If you want to do regulatory type stuff, DC it is. If you're unsure about what you want to do I'd go to BU because its just an easier market to crack.

How is breaking into NY from either? New Yuck isn't exactly in a golden age right now, but if there are legal jobs anywhere, they're there. That said, I get the impression (from message boards! and alumni who have long since graduated!) that BU places better in NY. That might be moot if neither place particularly well in NY though. So-blindmelon-how have your classmates fared in NY? If there ain't shit for SA positions in NY I think lawyers have more to worry about than cracking the NYC market, but how is it from BU?

[Blindmelon]

You're only going to get DC from BU if you're near the top of the class or doing fed gov. work. I only know 3 people doing biglaw SAs in DC and a handful of fed gov people. I think Boston from BU would be easier to break than GW in DC, BUT its a different kind of work. If you want to do regulatory type stuff, DC it is. If you're unsure about what you want to do I'd go to BU because its just an easier market to crack.

How is breaking into NY from either? New Yuck isn't exactly in a golden age right now, but if there are legal jobs anywhere, they're there. That said, I get the impression (from message boards! and alumni who have long since graduated!) that BU places better in NY. That might be moot if neither place particularly well in NY though. So-blindmelon-how have your classmates fared in NY? If there ain't shit for SA positions in NY I think lawyers have more to worry about than cracking the NYC market, but how is it from BU?

NY is not a hard market to break from BU - might be easier than Boston depending on the firm. I know about as many people at NYC firms as Boston, I know people who will be at V3s, and a ton at V50s (I don't know where firms are after V5, as it mostly doesn't matter).
I really have no idea how GW places in NYC, but Boston schools have a good rap in NYC and a ton of firms recruit here.

[ArthurDigbySellers]

You're only going to get DC from BU if you're near the top of the class or doing fed gov. work. I only know 3 people doing biglaw SAs in DC and a handful of fed gov people. I think Boston from BU would be easier to break than GW in DC, BUT its a different kind of work. If you want to do regulatory type stuff, DC it is. If you're unsure about what you want to do I'd go to BU because its just an easier market to crack.

How is breaking into NY from either? New Yuck isn't exactly in a golden age right now, but if there are legal jobs anywhere, they're there. That said, I get the impression (from message boards! and alumni who have long since graduated!) that BU places better in NY. That might be moot if neither place particularly well in NY though. So-blindmelon-how have your classmates fared in NY? If there ain't shit for SA positions in NY I think lawyers have more to worry about than cracking the NYC market, but how is it from BU?

NY is not a hard market to break from BU - might be easier than Boston depending on the firm. I know about as many people at NYC firms as Boston, I know people who will be at V3s, and a ton at V50s (I don't know where firms are after V5, as it mostly doesn't matter).
I really have no idea how GW places in NYC, but Boston schools have a good rap in NYC and a ton of firms recruit here.

Badass. Worth forgoing 106k at GW or should someone just follow the money?

[ArthurDigbySellers]

You're only going to get DC from BU if you're near the top of the class or doing fed gov. work. I only know 3 people doing biglaw SAs in DC and a handful of fed gov people. I think Boston from BU would be easier to break than GW in DC, BUT its a different kind of work. If you want to do regulatory type stuff, DC it is. If you're unsure about what you want to do I'd go to BU because its just an easier market to crack.

How is breaking into NY from either? New Yuck isn't exactly in a golden age right now, but if there are legal jobs anywhere, they're there. That said, I get the impression (from message boards! and alumni who have long since graduated!) that BU places better in NY. That might be moot if neither place particularly well in NY though. So-blindmelon-how have your classmates fared in NY? If there ain't shit for SA positions in NY I think lawyers have more to worry about than cracking the NYC market, but how is it from BU?

NY is not a hard market to break from BU - might be easier than Boston depending on the firm. I know about as many people at NYC firms as Boston, I know people who will be at V3s, and a ton at V50s (I don't know where firms are after V5, as it mostly doesn't matter).
I really have no idea how GW places in NYC, but Boston schools have a good rap in NYC and a ton of firms recruit here.

I imagine you have to do quite well to get V5 in NY, but how well do you have to do just to not get assf*cked?

[Blindmelon]

Badass. Worth forgoing 106k at GW or should someone just follow the money?

106k? No, not worth giving that up. Leverage the scholarship to BU.

I imagine you have to do quite well to get V5 in NY, but how well do you have to do just to not get assf*cked?

I would think so too. We usually have 1 person at Cravath and 1-2 at SullCrom each year.
No idea how well you have to do to get a bigfirm job in general. I know people at median with NYC offers, but people near top 10% with nothing. Basically everyone on law review who wanted a bigfirm got something they wanted through OCI, but outside of that it seemed sort of random.