Top Law Schools

Unique situation:

I just started at the PTO as an examiner (2/28) and would like to get some work experience while going to law school part time. (although my mind could be changed) Undergrad is EE, interest is IP although I'm open to other areas of law. (main concern is having a job, so I'll probably end up in IP) I 100% want to end up practicing in Atlanta, but wouldn't mind DC or anywhere else for a year or two to get my feet wet. Also mildly interested in clerkships, but I realize the probability of that and am in no way banking on it.

Finances are unique in that if I stay at the PTO and go to school PT, wife and I will be able to pay for 20k-30k/year of the tution/fees out of pocket and could potentially graduate with little to no debt (or even savings).

Current numbers are 3.6/167 I am WL to GWU PT and GULC PT. I think I have a very good shot to get off WL at GWU, but little to no shot at GULC

Now for Schools:

W&L with $93k, COA ~$50k: I got the $ offer with a 165, but recently bumped it up to a 167, so theres a chance that there could be even more money.
Pros: Obviously cheap, small class size, cheap COL, graduate in 3 years
Cons: Give up good job, will have to pay COL with loans, will have to move after having already moved, can't get
WE while in school

GMU no $ COA ~50k:
Pros: PT program, cheaper than GWU, pretty good patent program (although i couldn't participate in some due to
working at the PTO.)
Cons: Not a whole lot of name recognition back down south, finishing anything below top 15-20% would be
horrible. 4.5 years for degree

American $10k, COA ~50k:
Pros: PT program will allow me to work, great campus, scholarship
Cons: Little patent offerings, long commute from Alexandria, rumored competitiveness, 4.5 years for degree

GWU no $ COA ~50k:
Pros: PT program, location is a few stops on metro from work, amazing IP program, name recognition, much
better employment prospects, mobility
Cons: Currently waitlisted (was waitlisted with 165, hopefully the 167 will do the trick) Cost,
competitiveness, finishing lower than median will make things pretty difficult for me, 4.5 years for degree

UGA $15 + instate, COA ~$60k:
Pros: Fantastic Atl employment, good clerkship numbers considering rank, good IP offerings, beautfiul campus,
Cost, graduate in 3 years
Cons: Will have to give up job, move back to ATL,move in Athens (wife wont be able to work),

GULC no $ COA ~50k:
Pros: Name recognition, given prestige of Georgetown in the south, I could finish near median and be ok, patent
offerings, networking opportunity
Cons: Currently waitlisted (was waitlisted with 165, don't know if a 167 will get me in) Cost, (about
10k more per year than GWU) much higher chance I finish near the bottom

I guess the main question is, would it be better to go to a lower ranked school and graduate with less debt and a fair amount of legal WE (although a longer time until graduation), or go to a higher ranked school with more debt to gradaute faster and get where I want to go?

Getting off the WL to either GW or GULC will basically make my choice for me.

Edited for typos/clarity

How in the world is the COA of American less than UGA in-state? Is that just your estimated living cost? COA is usually the entire cost of attending (including tuition) IIRC

Wait to see if you get off the WLs at GWU and GULC, if not retake and apply again with more WE and a (hopefully) higher LSAT.

It seems like going to GW or GULC part time are your best options. Have you considered retaking the LSAT in hopes of getting of a WL at one of those schools? If you retake you could also re-apply next cycle. An ED acceptance to GW part time could be especially lucrative for you since tution would be paid for and you would still be earning a salary.

akili wrote:How in the world is the COA of American less than UGA in-state? Is that just your estimated living cost? COA is usually the entire cost of attending (including tuition) IIRC

haha My wife and I together do well. We already pay CoL, and with what we will have leftover year to year we could pay for American out of pocket. However if I move to Athens her pay will be drastically cut and I wont be working. So we'll need loans for what is left after the scholarship and CoL

bdubs wrote:Wait to see if you get off the WLs at GWU and GULC, if not retake and apply again with more WE and a (hopefully) higher LSAT.

I have taken the LSAT 4 times and alredy sat out a cycle (this one has been worlds better) I also have pretty good WE thus far in my career (came from Corporate engineering prior to the PTO) so thats not a huge issue (although, generally speaking, more is better)

buckilaw wrote:It seems like going to GW or GULC part time are your best options. Have you considered retaking the LSAT in hopes of getting of a WL at one of those schools? If you retake you could also re-apply next cycle. An ED acceptance to GW part time could be especially lucrative for you since tution would be paid for and you would still be earning a salary.

I was originally ED to GULC and was WL. Im basically going to hound both offices until someone lets me in and pay the GMU deposit with hopes I dont have to actually go.

For IP, GW is a lock. There's no competition, even if you get into GULC. If you're considering doing things OTHER than IP, then GULC is back in the game. The PTO and GW have an incredible relationship for a reason. It's the hands down best IP program on the east coast.

sky7 wrote:For IP, GW is a lock. There's no competition, even if you get into GULC. If you're considering doing things OTHER than IP, then GULC is back in the game. The PTO and GW have an incredible relationship for a reason. It's the hands down best IP program on the east coast.

Yeah, the antecdotal evidence I have haerd is routinely backed up by the numeric evidence I have seen.

FWIW I just remembered that I was waitlisted at GW before I even got the job at the PTO. I think they WL because they might have wanted to wait and see if I actually got the job or not.

so I'm hoping the fact that I got the job coupled with the new higher LSAT will put me over the top. I'm also interested in some of their programs, like the one in Munich. but I don't know if I'll be able to participate in that.

Bump

I would hold out for GWU. I got in PT w/ 3.1 / 167 this cycle.. even if it means reapplying next cycle, 3.6 / 167 should get you in there. That seems to balance work, location, IP and brand name well (unless of course you get into GULC!)

snapdragon wrote:I would hold out for GWU. I got in PT w/ 3.1 / 167 this cycle.. even if it means reapplying next cycle, 3.6 / 167 should get you in there. That seems to balance work, location, IP and brand name well (unless of course you get into GULC!)

haha yeah, I would love to get in. I just don't know when they look at the WL. I sent a LOCI when I got the job and got my new score, but that was nearly a month ago. Do you have any idea of when they typically start pulling from the WL? Would it be after first deposit is due? (Do you know when that is this year?)

zreinhar wrote:

snapdragon wrote:I would hold out for GWU. I got in PT w/ 3.1 / 167 this cycle.. even if it means reapplying next cycle, 3.6 / 167 should get you in there. That seems to balance work, location, IP and brand name well (unless of course you get into GULC!)

haha yeah, I would love to get in. I just don't know when they look at the WL. I sent a LOCI when I got the job and got my new score, but that was nearly a month ago. Do you have any idea of when they typically start pulling from the WL? Would it be after first deposit is due? (Do you know when that is this year?)

Hm I think their first deposit was Apr 15th, so maybe after that point? I'd guess it's harder to tell with PT programs. (I withdrew, btw, so you're welcome to may spot Too expensive for the likes of me)

It's such a shame because you definitely have the numbers now to get in. It'd suck for you to have to settle when you could very realistically have GW.

snapdragon wrote:

zreinhar wrote:

snapdragon wrote:I would hold out for GWU. I got in PT w/ 3.1 / 167 this cycle.. even if it means reapplying next cycle, 3.6 / 167 should get you in there. That seems to balance work, location, IP and brand name well (unless of course you get into GULC!)

haha yeah, I would love to get in. I just don't know when they look at the WL. I sent a LOCI when I got the job and got my new score, but that was nearly a month ago. Do you have any idea of when they typically start pulling from the WL? Would it be after first deposit is due? (Do you know when that is this year?)

Hm I think their first deposit was Apr 15th, so maybe after that point? I'd guess it's harder to tell with PT programs. (I withdrew, btw, so you're welcome to may spot Too expensive for the likes of me)

It's such a shame because you definitely have the numbers now to get in. It'd suck for you to have to settle when you could very realistically have GW.

Yeah, I'm hoping I don't get screwed over, and with how small they aim for their PT class to be now, I might get screwed. I'm just going to make it very obvious I want to go there and if it gets to be June or so maybe I'll see if I can sit down with someone (though I don't see why they would want to) I figure I have a pretty good shot to get at least one of GWU or GULC.

Should be an interesting summer.

I see a lot of people voting for the other schools not mentioned thus far. Anyone care to elaborate?

bump

they will start pulling off the WL after first deposits are due. then the next big batch after the second deposit deadline