Although I think the T-14 or bust mentality is slightly over-kill, I think everyone and their mother knows this and wouldn't dispute it. I certainly didn't.jym_dawg wrote:That's a fair point but Emory's placement deserves more context: it does place well in Atl, but only if you're top 10-15 percent. Even then, you're competing with the southern T14s, Vandy, and UGA and GA State to get an offer. Everything I've read on this forum indicates that if you're outside the top 10ish percent, then good luck with Atl BigLaw. And good luck getting other cities from Emory. At least Bama dominates its state.2012Lsatscore wrote:You should tell them this. They work so hard to do just this.nickb285 wrote:Agreed. Alabama, for instance, wasn't really on my radar except that they gave me a fee waiver. But they got back to me quickly, kept in constant contact, offered a scholarship via phone call/snail mail, and this afternoon they're flying me out to attend the open house. In my mind I'm now deciding between Alabama for the money and 2-3 other schools that were top choices when I started the application process, and it will likely come down to whether I get scholarships/how much my scholarships to those 2-3 schools are. Had Alabama gone the Emory route and not gotten back to me till March, they'd likely be as much of an afterthought in matriculation as they were in application, and it's unlikely I would be taking the time to visit the campus or seriously considering attending the school unless they were the only ones to offer a scholarship. At this point for me to go to Emory would take serious money, because my planning and evaluation stage is already in progress. This whole "we're special and you'll just have to wait until you've already heard back from every other school" move that Emory's doing is hurting them IMO.Aroldis105 wrote:I agree to an extent, but I think there's a psychological factor that schools like Emory and ASU are ignoring. I've heard from a few of my schools over 2 months ago. Since then I've searched for apartments in those areas, watched sporting events solely because those teams are playing, traded e-mails and phone calls with students and admissions staff. While all this may seem minor, I have become quite comfortable with the concept of me being a Gator, Hurricane, etc.
Secondly, other schools offered me acceptance shortly after applying. Since then, they have bombarded me with e-mails and letters. Now, I'm not going to make a decision because a school makes me feel "special", but there is something to be said for a good school that shows class and humility during this process.
Without a doubt an acceptance from Emory would shake up my current rankings, but I've gotten used to the idea of Emory not being an option, if the scholarship money isn't ample, I could very easily flip right back to that distinction after acceptance.
Just my two cents.
You need to visit Atlanta AND Birmingham/Tuscaloosa and make sure that the later is somewhere you would feel comfortable living.
When you are talking about top-end regional schools, your decision should come down to where you want to work. Alabama, though excellent at recruiting, only places within the state, but it basically has the state to its own with little competition. Emory, on the other hand, has been known to be somewhat portable and places in a much bigger city. This is why Bama rolls out the red carpet.
You can compare employment numbers all day at these schools. When it comes down to it, however, you have to live in the state of the school you choose. My only point was that it sounded like this applicant was allowing the recruiting techniques ("psychological factors") to sway them before he/she even visited the city that he/she was committing to live in. My ONLY point with Emory, was that it might be a better choice than Bama if you would rather work in Atlanta or if you would like to have the option of working in other states.
