Top Law Schools

Hey guys

I have been offered 18000 to Whittier and accepted with no money to southwestern. Just wanted some opinions as these are really the only two schools I am considering although accepted to others because I desperately want to go out to California.
Here is my situation-
I am not interested in big firm law at all and debt is important to me. As of now I am interested in either joining a small firm when I graduate or doing public interest law until loans are forgiven. I do have one very good contact in LA (she is famous worldwide and a friend of my dads and has gotten several of his friends that were lowly qualified interviews at great companies) but that is all I got since I live in Missouri so I am going to try to get on her good side and network through law school. If you were in MY situation, do you take the money from Whittier and go in as a top applicant for the class or do you go to Southwestern and pay sticker price and a higher tuition as a median applicant. I would rather live in OC than LA as well. Any opinions would be great, thanks!!

I think it's offensive to post asking for a "whiter" law school option, you racist.

Dingo McPhee wrote:I think it's offensive to post asking for a "whiter" law school option, you racist.

my vote for most ignorant post of the day

bigmnstyle wrote:Hey guys

I have been offered 18000 to Whittier and accepted with no money to southwestern. Just wanted some opinions as these are really the only two schools I am considering although accepted to others because I desperately want to go out to California.
Here is my situation-
I am not interested in big firm law at all and debt is important to me. As of now I am interested in either joining a small firm when I graduate or doing public interest law until loans are forgiven. I do have one very good contact in LA (she is famous worldwide and a friend of my dads and has gotten several of his friends that were lowly qualified interviews at great companies) but that is all I got since I live in Missouri so I am going to try to get on her good side and network through law school. If you were in MY situation, do you take the money from Whittier and go in as a top applicant for the class or do you go to Southwestern and pay sticker price and a higher tuition as a median applicant. I would rather live in OC than LA as well. Any opinions would be great, thanks!!

Your "contact" is in LA, but you want to live in Orange County (expensive). If you attend Whittier and reside in OC how do you plan to network with this world famous person and get on her good side? I live in OC and commuting to LA, although they appear VERY close on a map, is a daunting task.

To the OP, you sound more interested in Whittier than Southwestern, especially regarding your need to save money and your preference for living in Orange County. So I'd say, go with that. However, keep in mind that you will have to work harder to get job prospects (You'd probably network better in LA) and not to expect being in the top of your class. You never know how talented your classmates may be, or if you'll have a personal crisis or something like that.

I live in OC too. Geographically, LA is not far at all. But it's the traffic and congestion that makes the commute tedious during peak hours.

How long do you think it would take to get from Huntington Beach to LA if you leave at 6:30, or if you leave at 7:30 am? Just curious because I will be living with my girlfriend who will be working in LA. Anyone know? Thanks!

bigmnstyle wrote:How long do you think it would take to get from Huntington Beach to LA if you leave at 6:30, or if you leave at 7:30 am? Just curious because I will be living with my girlfriend who will be working in LA. Anyone know? Thanks!

check out GooGle maps and always go with the "with traffic" calculation. I think you should definitely look into public transportation too as that will allow you to read a bit and probably save your relationship (I commuted w/ my wife in LA/Orange County for a year or so and it wasnt pretty)

Take the cash.

bigmnstyle wrote:Hey guys

I have been offered 18000 to Whittier and accepted with no money to southwestern. Just wanted some opinions as these are really the only two schools I am considering although accepted to others because I desperately want to go out to California.
Here is my situation-
I am not interested in big firm law at all and debt is important to me. As of now I am interested in either joining a small firm when I graduate or doing public interest law until loans are forgiven. I do have one very good contact in LA (she is famous worldwide and a friend of my dads and has gotten several of his friends that were lowly qualified interviews at great companies) but that is all I got since I live in Missouri so I am going to try to get on her good side and network through law school. If you were in MY situation, do you take the money from Whittier and go in as a top applicant for the class or do you go to Southwestern and pay sticker price and a higher tuition as a median applicant. I would rather live in OC than LA as well. Any opinions would be great, thanks!!

What are your stats if you don't mind? I just applied to both Whittier and Southwestern. Im a big splitter so Im curious. Thanks!

156 lsat 3.4 gpa.... I have applied to some higher ranked schools since then but these are the only two I have been given a decision on so far... accepted to SLU but I don't want to live in STL anymore and waitlisted at chapman. I applied to loyola, san fran and san diego also still waiting to hear back

This is something I've also been mulling over. I'm in a similar position as you (similar numbers), except that I'm wait-listed at Southwestern. However, if I get off the waitlist at Southwestern, I am likely assured of no scholarship money. I have an offer for 29K at La Verne that I'm considering, and since it's the biggest offer from any of the regional tier 4's, if I have to pick one, it's La Verne. Whittier is a nicer campus, but I can't believe that the opportunities are much better there, if at all, than La Verne. Southwestern is definitely my preference, and I'm still in the process of deciding whether or not it's worth sticker to go there over 87K in scholarship money at La Verne.

What is the GPA stipulation on your Whittier scholarship? You should NOT expect to be in the top of our class. You will probably be at median or below, especially if your post is representative of your writing skills. You should also know that Whittier drops many more 1Ls than Southwestern does for poor academic performance.

Danteshek wrote:What is the GPA stipulation on your Whittier scholarship? You should NOT expect to be in the top of our class. You will probably be at median or below, especially if your post is representative of your writing skills. You should also know that Whittier drops many more 1Ls than Southwestern does for poor academic performance.

Scholarship offers at Whittier are horrendous. First of all, none of their scholarships are renewable, and they don't hand out full scholarships for first year students. After your first year, you're on your own unless you finish somewhere in here:

1-5% = 100% Scholarship
6-10% = 75% Scholarship
11-15% = 50% Scholarship
16-20 % = 25 % Scholarship
21% and below = paying sticker at a Tier 4 school that just got off probation from the ABA.

There are no scholarships guaranteed or offered to 2L's and 3L's unless they finish somewhere in the top 20%, and the only attractive scholarships go to the top 10%. It's one hell of a gamble just enrolling at Whittier if you're going there to avoid debt.

The admissions director tried to play it off as a huge positive....I took his spin as a blatant attempt to insult my intelligence. To be honest, I'd expect a school in Whittier's position to do everything they can to lure stronger students, considering the huge blow they absorbed to their reputation over the last four years. It's a school that seems content with where they are, and what they are; which is fine if it works for them. The students seem to enjoy being there and more power to them.

I would rather pay sticker than have such a demeaning stipulation hanging over my head. Whittier is basically saying that unless you finish in the top 5 percent, your performance is unsatisfactory. You have to have some pride to survive in law school and in practice!

Danteshek wrote:I would rather pay sticker than have such a demeaning stipulation hanging over my head. Whittier is basically saying that unless you finish in the top 5 percent, your performance is unsatisfactory. You have to have some pride to survive in law school and in practice!

+1

onthecusp wrote:

Danteshek wrote:I would rather pay sticker than have such a demeaning stipulation hanging over my head. Whittier is basically saying that unless you finish in the top 5 percent, your performance is unsatisfactory. You have to have some pride to survive in law school and in practice!

+1

+1

Just curious, why is Huntington Beach all that important? If you want to live by the beach, try Santa Monica/Venice Beach, which would be much closer, at a similar cost.

I mean, Huntington is great, but the 5 is a few miles inland, and it is a MONSTER during traffic. Like, stopped-on-the-freeway, crying-in-frustration, type of traffic.

If you're going for the beachy/boardwalk type atmosphere, you can get the same thing in Venice (but your neighbors in Venice will be more...eccentric. that's a nice way to put it.) Or Long Beach. Or, if you want to live in a very nice place, check out Marina Del Rey. That's perfect. Live there. And eat at C & O's.

</random rant>

onthecusp wrote:This is something I've also been mulling over. I'm in a similar position as you (similar numbers), except that I'm wait-listed at Southwestern. However, if I get off the waitlist at Southwestern, I am likely assured of no scholarship money. I have an offer for 29K at La Verne that I'm considering, and since it's the biggest offer from any of the regional tier 4's, if I have to pick one, it's La Verne. Whittier is a nicer campus, but I can't believe that the opportunities are much better there, if at all, than La Verne. Southwestern is definitely my preference, and I'm still in the process of deciding whether or not it's worth sticker to go there over 87K in scholarship money at La Verne.

I would definitely take the scholarship at La Verne. This will probably cast some judgement on me ( ) but I grew up about a mile from the campus, and my parents still live over there. It is definitely not as bad of a nieghborhood as it looks, and I've heard only good things about the school from people who go there.

i read this thread title as

"whiter law school option"

man, thought i was in for a treat

I know that the California bar exam is more difficult than others. But I would not go to a school where only 55% of the students pass the bar exam on the first shot.

This makes the degree almost worthless for 45% of the students there.

Then if you take into considereation that more than 30% of students do not graduate your odds of practicing law right out of Whittier is at 39%. I would reconsider Whittier. At least at southwestern your odds would be above 60%.

The overall pass rate does not mean much for individual students. Once you have a semester of grades or two, the probability that a particular student passes the bar on her first attempt shifts to 98 percent (top twenty percent) or less than 40 percent (bottom twenty percent).

Danteshek wrote:The overall pass rate does not mean much for individual students. Once you have a semester of grades or two, the probability that a particular student passes the bar on her first attempt shifts to 98 percent (top twenty percent) or less than 40 percent (bottom twenty percent).

Of course bar passage correlates with class ranking. But there is no assurance of getting into the top 20% and there is no assurance of avoiding the bottom 20%. Your logic would be correct if we were talking about someone entering with a semester of grades but that is not the case. Odds are (based off of LSAC stats) that for every one person that enrolls at Whittier and manages to graduate and pass the bar there will be 2 that didn't- not good odds.

BTW- I'm sure you understand more about these stats than I do (since you are a current law student and I'm an OL). I just don't see any other way of looking at the stats.

Sure. But despite what you think, your future class rank (at a particular school) is in all likelihood pre-ordained. The school you attend will not impact "your" chance of passing the bar. What will matter is 1) your decision to take courses that are not required but are tested on the bar (Remedies, Sales, Community Property, Cal. Civ. Pro. etc..). 2) If you rank low, you would also be advised to take any courses aimed at underperforming students to help them pass the bar. 3) Obviously you can affect your outcome with good old fashioned hard work.

I'd choose Southwestern and pay sticker. I know a lawyer who went to USC's Gould Law, and he was utterly shocked that Southwestern was only a T3 school. Southwestern Law School has a strong rep in the LA area. Whittier, not so much for its location. At the end of the day, school reputation regionally is what matters most.

bigmnstyle wrote:How long do you think it would take to get from Huntington Beach to LA if you leave at 6:30, or if you leave at 7:30 am? Just curious because I will be living with my girlfriend who will be working in LA. Anyone know? Thanks!

Huntington Beach to LA is doable at 6:30 am. 7:00 am and beyond is a mission unless you can navigate side streets and realize that sometimes taking a combination of freeways and streets is a lot faster.