DECISION: MICHIGAN STATE vs WVU, ALBANY, etc Forum

[Flanker1127]

Need some help here and appreciate some input...

Got accepted to MSU, WVU, Albany, Vermont, Tulsa, Roger Williams, Valparaiso. Wait listed at Gonzaga, Syracuse and Iowa. Haven't heard back from IUPUI.

MSU offered me a little more than 25% off tuition and is the only school that gave me money. I am not from any of these states and have no real preference on where I am going to live. Ideally, would like to end up in DC and MSU does have the second year externship program already setup and established in DC. WVU was nicer than I thought it would be, and I expect based on my peers I would probably rank a bit higher in the class at WVU than MSU. My thinking is that MSU gives me a better opportunity to find work because of their perception, just not necessarily in Michigan, than WVU which would be relatively easy to find work in WV or Kentucky. If MSU didn't award me any more money, which I was being considered for, I was going to go to WVU because their tuition was still significantly cheaper although COL was surprisingly high. But, WVU is raising their tuition for OOS 16-20%. So the difference, even without the increase in scholarship money from MSU between tuition and cost of living is about $10k per year.

So now that I know I am not getting any more money, does it make a difference? Should I even bother considering Albany or Tulsa? I don't have any real shot at making it in off the wait list at Iowa otherwise I would obviously hope for that but my thinking is MSU, even though I was hoping it would be a bit cheaper.

[twairlines]

Don't go to the schools without near full tuition scholarship. I would eliminate WVU just based on the fact that unless you have lived there before and absolutely know you enjoy what the state has to offer. Mich. St. has the best rep out of your choices, but the employment levels right out of graduation are too dismal to put yourself in that much debt. BTW, none of these options will give you a legit shot at a decent job in D.C., unless you are top 5%. You will always have someone tell you that you can get a job from those schools, however just getting a job in DC doesn't equate to it even being a rewarding job in any aspect.

[Flanker1127]

Don't go to the schools without near full tuition scholarship. I would eliminate WVU just based on the fact that unless you have lived there before and absolutely know you enjoy what the state has to offer. Mich. St. has the best rep out of your choices, but the employment levels right out of graduation are too dismal to put yourself in that much debt. BTW, none of these options will give you a legit shot at a decent job in D.C., unless you are top 5%. You will always have someone tell you that you can get a job from those schools, however just getting a job in DC doesn't equate to it even being a rewarding job in any aspect.

The world does need ditch diggers. Thanks for the input.

[always206]

Don't worry about the above poster. Something you need to pick up on, if you haven't already, is that many people on her are assholes. They are arrogant, classless, and narrow minded. Do you know that guy in class that always raises his hand and asks you what you got on your test only to tell you his grade? I would assume a few TLS people are just like that...

Anyways, personally, I know a few lawyers from Tulsa. Great school. One of them is very well off, the other is very successful.
MSU, however, is ranked top 100 and you got some cash.. Albany is a great local school too.

You know, it boils down to two things: location and job prospects.

If you are in the top of your class at MSU, in my opinion you would have a better shot at a BigLaw job. MSU has the most participating firms in the OCI... but, the competition may be stiffer, imo..

Regardless, I would go to MSU.

Hope that helps man.

Ignore the flood of responsive comments about my tool bashing above.

Congrats man.

[Flanker1127]

Don't worry about the above poster. Something you need to pick up on, if you haven't already, is that many people on her are assholes. They are arrogant, classless, and narrow minded. Do you know that guy in class that always raises his hand and asks you what you got on your test only to tell you his grade? I would assume a few TLS people are just like that...

Anyways, personally, I know a few lawyers from Tulsa. Great school. One of them is very well off, the other is very successful.
MSU, however, is ranked top 100 and you got some cash.. Albany is a great local school too.

You know, it boils down to two things: location and job prospects.

If you are in the top of your class at MSU, in my opinion you would have a better shot at a BigLaw job. MSU has the most participating firms in the OCI... but, the competition may be stiffer, imo..

Regardless, I would go to MSU.

Hope that helps man.

Ignore the flood of responsive comments about my tool bashing above.

Congrats man.

Thank you. I think that is what I will end up doing. I have no real desire to be in NY otherwise Albany would have been worth it. Tulsa, which I've heard great things about, just seems much to risky especially since I can't really picture myself in Oklahoma. At this point, I think regardless of $, it should be the best school academically which may mean tougher competition but if you've ever participated in sports then you know you want to play against the best because it only helps you improve.

[twairlines]

Don't worry about the above poster. Something you need to pick up on, if you haven't already, is that many people on her are assholes. They are arrogant, classless, and narrow minded. Do you know that guy in class that always raises his hand and asks you what you got on your test only to tell you his grade? I would assume a few TLS people are just like that...

Anyways, personally, I know a few lawyers from Tulsa. Great school. One of them is very well off, the other is very successful.
MSU, however, is ranked top 100 and you got some cash.. Albany is a great local school too.

You know, it boils down to two things: location and job prospects.

If you are in the top of your class at MSU, in my opinion you would have a better shot at a BigLaw job. MSU has the most participating firms in the OCI... but, the competition may be stiffer, imo..

Regardless, I would go to MSU.


Hope that helps man.

Ignore the flood of responsive comments about my tool bashing above.

Congrats man.

Also there is always that asshole who is ignorant in the class. Hmmm. Really BigLaw shouldn't even be brought up, as if he's only receiving that little of money, then he is in a class where students have better numbers than himself. Not saying that equates to them performing better in law school, but keep in mind a lot of students attending say MSU with top numbers could have gotten into better schools, which doesn't seem to be the case for the above poster. One of his main inquires was about prospects in DC which you grazed over. Yes he could get a decent job in his respective state near top of his class, but that doesn't equate to him having portable options in a completely different state. So he would end up weighing some job in DC that is less rewarding to a job that pays very well in the school's respective market; that would deter him from the get-go knowing his degree is less valued elsewhere. I'm glad you know a handful of successful lawyers at Tulsa; that in itself says everyone can do it!!! NO. And my rant above is about his low level of financial aid paired with schools that are struggling to place grads paired with his desire for what would appear to be an unattainable market. But, I'll keep my classless-narrow minded comments to myself and just make it seem like he has some great options on the table.

BTW..this should be in "Choosing a Law School"

[Flanker1127]

Don't worry about the above poster. Something you need to pick up on, if you haven't already, is that many people on her are assholes. They are arrogant, classless, and narrow minded. Do you know that guy in class that always raises his hand and asks you what you got on your test only to tell you his grade? I would assume a few TLS people are just like that...

Anyways, personally, I know a few lawyers from Tulsa. Great school. One of them is very well off, the other is very successful.
MSU, however, is ranked top 100 and you got some cash.. Albany is a great local school too.

You know, it boils down to two things: location and job prospects.

If you are in the top of your class at MSU, in my opinion you would have a better shot at a BigLaw job. MSU has the most participating firms in the OCI... but, the competition may be stiffer, imo..

Regardless, I would go to MSU.


Hope that helps man.

Ignore the flood of responsive comments about my tool bashing above.

Congrats man.

Also there is always that asshole who is ignorant in the class. Hmmm. Really BigLaw shouldn't even be brought up, as if he's only receiving that little of money, then he is in a class where students have better numbers than himself. Not saying that equates to them performing better in law school, but keep in mind a lot of students attending say MSU with top numbers could have gotten into better schools, which doesn't seem to be the case for the above poster. One of his main inquires was about prospects in DC which you grazed over. Yes he could get a decent job in his respective state near top of his class, but that doesn't equate to him having portable options in a completely different state. So he would end up weighing some job in DC that is less rewarding to a job that pays very well in the school's respective market; that would deter him from the get-go knowing his degree is less valued elsewhere. I'm glad you know a handful of successful lawyers at Tulsa; that in itself says everyone can do it!!! NO. And my rant above is about his low level of financial aid paired with schools that are struggling to place grads paired with his desire for what would appear to be an unattainable market. But, I'll keep my classless-narrow minded comments to myself and just make it seem like he has some great options on the table.

BTW..this should be in "Choosing a Law School"

I apologize, I am new to the TLS forum. My LSAT score kept me out of most scholarship considerations because I am dyslexic and took it without formal accommodations, something that everyone basically recommended. By writing the additional addendum explaining my terrible lsat score, and considering my gpa, 3.8 and my 7 years of work experience I was able to get accepted and wait listed at a number of schools. However, acceptance and scholarship consideration are different; scholarship consideration is based much more strictly on numbers. Hence, my lack of $. I qualified for a grant at msu because of my work experience and an essay so it had nothing to do with my lsat score. I have yet to find another school that offers a similar grant, which not to mention is renewable at a 2.5, 1L average is 2.8, so I can be pretty confident that I will get to keep it.

[twairlines]

flanker,
Best of luck and I like your perseverance. Honestly, I agree MSU would be a good choice, just not maybe for the expectation of getting your first few initial jobs in DC. That's a shame when something is holding you back from doing well on a test that too much weight is given to. In your case better scores may be unattainable due to the dyslexia, and I this is where schools should be more understanding, rather than number hungry. Again, I wish you the best with w/e you choose.

[Flanker1127]

flanker,
Best of luck and I like your perseverance. Honestly, I agree MSU would be a good choice, just not maybe for the expectation of getting your first few initial jobs in DC. That's a shame when something is holding you back from doing well on a test that too much weight is given to. In your case better scores may be unattainable due to the dyslexia, and I this is where schools should be more understanding, rather than number hungry. Again, I wish you the best with w/e you choose.

Thanks, I appreciate that.

I didn't mean to sound naive; I know DC is unlikely. The only reason I mentioned it was because of the 2L externship program already setup at MSU in DC. Second semester, second year you can work for any federal agency and then take 1 or 2 classes locally. While this would obviously be competitive, it has at least been done before where as WVU this is no real history of success.