Buffalo 2010 Forum

[champ33]

Didn't see a thread for the State University of New York at Buffalo. I applied based on some good reviews, extremely low in-state cost and feedback from some people who've spent time in Buffalo. Anybody else apply? Or care to share any input about the prospect of attending there, whether positive or negative?

[chicoalto0649]

Didn't see a thread for the State University of New York at Buffalo. I applied based on some good reviews, extremely low in-state cost and feedback from some people who've spent time in Buffalo. Anybody else apply? Or care to share any input about the prospect of attending there, whether positive or negative?

My grandma went there in the 80s and begs me to apply

I was born and raised in Buffalo.

I think UB has gone through a dramatic overhaul at the top of their law school. They had a big fall in the rankings cause they were without a dean for a while. I would probably reconsider going. The Buffalo job market is bleak. It won't take you further than rochester or syracuse maybe (both lousy places to live) . You can forget about NYC. Maybe you could land a clerkship if you're top 1%. I know someone at UB Law and they have been underwhelmed with their whole experience.

Kind of in a hurry so dont have much time to elaborate. I would look at other options if I were you. Or you could go visit....but there is literally nothing to do on campus. In fact the campus was designed in a way so students coulden't rally to protest vietnam r whatever. Also it is in a really boring suburb. If you go into the city there are a FEW decent places to drink but it is becoming increasingly unsafe to go there. On the plus side, girls are pretty easy in buffalo and if you drop the "I'm in law school" bomb you should be able to pick up some undergrads/high school chicks (buffalo has a huge underage drinking problem and does nothing to combat it).

HTH

[Mparty7441]

I started a thread last week when I got an acceptance but I guess it's on the 3rd page already lol. They gave me $5,000/yr. That with in-state tuition I'll probably end up there.

[NYVA311]

LOL chicoalto0649. Be more negative. Try. I'm waiting to hear back as well, applied in late October. It's probably a target school for me so I'm not expecting to hear back until the auto-admits get in with $$

[Mparty7441]

I visited over the summer, I did a full campus tour as well b/c my brother is looking there for undergrad. I liked it. I also thought the surrounding city was nice as well.

[champ33]

I read a stat on their website that said something like, of all the graduates who received jobs in NY (which I'd assume is almost all), 23% were working in NYC (probably manipulated in some atrocious way). I'm looking at schools that will help me end up in NY, Philly, Boston, DC or Chicago... pretty broad I know, so I'll probably be shooting a little higher, but low cost will lead me to go take a look at Buffalo first hand. Practicing upstate could be nice too, more peaceful.

[chicoalto0649]

LOL chicoalto0649. Be more negative. Try. I'm waiting to hear back as well, applied in late October. It's probably a target school for me so I'm not expecting to hear back until the auto-admits get in with $$

You'll find that people who are born and raised in Buffalo to be very negative in terms of describing buffalo (but we all know we love it deep down inside).

[utkwannabe]

I was accepted to UB with the $5k/year Scholarship. The staff have been really great. I will be visiting at the end of the month (and looking to buy a home at the same time). I hope to see some of you there for the Accepted Student Visit.

[LessThanLiz]

You'll find that people who are born and raised in Buffalo to be very negative in terms of describing buffalo (but we all know we love it deep down inside).

The same phenomenon occurs in Rochester (regarding our descriptions of Rochester, not Buffalo.)

[snowpeach06]

I'm really considering UB for the same reasons as all of you - the price. If I went to Buffalo, I'd graduate debt free vs. maybe $150-200k in debt. However, the city does not appeal to me at all. I grew up in Upstate NY, and would really like to be in a bigger city. I'm just sick of having nothing to do ever. But, ugh, I don't know. Money is such a big deal now a'days.

[acoon624]

Can anyone that had been accepted provide a timeline to when they heard back? I applied 2/1 and the school doesn't seem to have a online checker so I am left checking the mailbox daily.

[snowpeach06]

Can anyone that had been accepted provide a timeline to when they heard back? I applied 2/1 and the school doesn't seem to have a online checker so I am left checking the mailbox daily.

Yeah, I heard back super randomly. They never even acknowledged getting my app. Then I got a medium sized envelope in the mail maybe 2-2.5 months later.

[nycmba]

Did anyone go to the ASD this past weekend? Any thoughts or feedback?

[TracyLynn]

I thought the ASD was very welcoming and well put together. The administrators seemed really invested in the students and very interested in each prospective student. I got to chat with a lot of them and it really helped me to gather information to make a decision. The facilities are so-so, but as a SUNY that is to be expected. I also felt pretty good about job prospects outside of Buffalo. I will be putting my deposit down soon

[snowpeach06]

Visited today. A dean or someone actually gave me my own personal tour, which was surprising. But, I wans't impressed at all. Seems like a very bare-bones school. Only the necessities. And the building was gross. I think I'll be passing.

[sanpiero]

Can anyone that had been accepted provide a timeline to when they heard back? I applied 2/1 and the school doesn't seem to have a online checker so I am left checking the mailbox daily.

I went complete around 2/10 last cycle and didn't hear back until mid-April

[chicoalto0649]

I thought the ASD was very welcoming and well put together. The administrators seemed really invested in the students and very interested in each prospective student. I got to chat with a lot of them and it really helped me to gather information to make a decision. The facilities are so-so, but as a SUNY that is to be expected. I also felt pretty good about job prospects outside of Buffalo. I will be putting my deposit down soon

Out of curiosity (Buffalo native), how did they try to sell you on job prospects* outside of Buffalo*?

*When I say outside of Buffalo, I don't mean Syracuse or Rochester.

[snowpeach06]

I thought the ASD was very welcoming and well put together. The administrators seemed really invested in the students and very interested in each prospective student. I got to chat with a lot of them and it really helped me to gather information to make a decision. The facilities are so-so, but as a SUNY that is to be expected. I also felt pretty good about job prospects outside of Buffalo. I will be putting my deposit down soon

Out of curiosity (Buffalo native), how did they try to sell you on job prospects* outside of Buffalo*?

*When I say outside of Buffalo, I don't mean Syracuse or Rochester.

Seriously, the dean had such a hard time proving that they got people jobs outside upstate NY. There are like 3 grads that work in DC.

[chicoalto0649]

I thought the ASD was very welcoming and well put together. The administrators seemed really invested in the students and very interested in each prospective student. I got to chat with a lot of them and it really helped me to gather information to make a decision. The facilities are so-so, but as a SUNY that is to be expected. I also felt pretty good about job prospects outside of Buffalo. I will be putting my deposit down soon

Out of curiosity (Buffalo native), how did they try to sell you on job prospects* outside of Buffalo*?

*When I say outside of Buffalo, I don't mean Syracuse or Rochester.

Seriously, the dean had such a hard time proving that they got people jobs outside upstate NY. There are like 3 grads that work in DC.

And these are probably people who graduated like 10 years ago, at the top of their class, and networked like hell to get into DC. Either that or they had serious connections going into law school and just needed A law degree

[sanpiero]

http://law.buffalo.edu/Career_services/ ... atistics09

Class of 2008
36% (~75) of graduates accepted positions outside upstate NY
16% (~33) of graduates accepted positions outside NYS
19% (~40) of graduates accepted positions in NYC

This isn't bad for placement outside WNY. 40 grads placed in NYC isn't too bad either. However, these are statistics for the CO 2008. Much has changed in the legal industry since these individuals were offered in late 2007/early 2008. If I had to guess, I'd say placement at mid- & large-sized law firms outside of WNY has at least decreased by 30-40% for the classes of 2009 and 2010. This doesn't paint a very rosy picture for UB's extra-WNY placement ITE.

Even the salary figures look decent for the CO 2008. Of the 62% of students who found jobs with firms, 27% landed gigs with firms with 101+ attorneys. These individuals - approximately 33 of them, or 16% of the class - enjoyed salaries between $75k and $165k. About 18 of the 33 (9% of the class) were crowned princes and princesses of "BigLaw," with starting salaries of ~$160k.

In my estimation, where you needed to be T20% at UB to have any chance at landing a mid or big law gig in the past (i.e. firm of 101+), today - ITE - you probably need T10%. For big law you likely won't even get an interview if you aren't closer to T5% or T10% with excellent softs.

The vast majority of grads end up in upstate NY - ~65% of the class of 2008. This figure is likely even higher today now that much of the bigger firm hiring in Chicago, DC, NYC, etc. has contracted. NYC (~40 grads in '08) and to a much lesser extent DC (~4 grads in '08) are doable ITE with T15% grades or - obviously - with a connection to a firm in one of those areas. That said, my advice would be to avoid going to UB if you want to work in DC or NYC directly out of school. Only ~30 of your classmates will even have a shot of landing one of these jobs, and this is a very conservative estimate given ITE's drastic impact on the NYC legal market. On the other hand, for those who are NYS residents and plan to practice in upstate NY (especially Buffalo) I think UB is a great option. Tuition is reasonable (though god only knows where it's headed in the near future) and COLA is dirt cheap. At sticker with COLA, cost of attendance is only around $90k.

[g8t13]

Got into Buffalo with 5,000/yr. I still have more schools to hear back from but this is probably going to be the cheapest option. However, the weather worries me being from CA...

[TracyLynn]

I talked to a lot of administrators, and UB seemed to have a decent size alumni base in NYC. One thing that needs to be remembered about UB is that a lot of students who go to UB intend to stay in the Rochester, Syracuse, Buffalo area. I think that has something to do with their placement numbers. Another reason that I feel good about job prospects outside of WNY is because I'm not interested in big law. If you are, I understand that Buffalo doesn't offer great placement in that area. I'm more interested in public interest/international, so the low price and great clinics really appeal to me. I was also offered a research position with a faculty member, so I'm pretty much sold.

[TracyLynn]

I'm hoping these "leaked" rankings aren't real...but if they are..anyone disappointed to see UB drop into tier 3?

[hiromoto45]

I'm hoping these "leaked" rankings aren't real...but if they are..anyone disappointed to see UB drop into tier 3?

+1

[sanpiero]

biggest drop of any school