Top Law Schools

How many people are planning on going to a school without ever visiting? Bad idea or acceptable?

Almost certainly a bad idea.

I am. This is what happens when you go through the process entirely from abroad

Jaqen wrote:Almost certainly a bad idea.

I agree, it's not a good idea. But for me and one school it just might not be possible before I have to decide.

Where is it? Where do you want to practice? What is the schools reputation in the area? You can research this on the internet to get a picture of what local law firms think of the school, and not have to sift through he sales pitch.

Another big factor: How much will it cost to attend, and how big of a difference is it between other schools you are considering?

northwood wrote:Where is it? Where do you want to practice? What is the schools reputation in the area? You can research this on the internet to get a picture of what local law firms think of the school, and not have to sift through he sales pitch.

Another big factor: How much will it cost to attend, and how big of a difference is it between other schools you are considering?

Yeah, it's UT-Austin so I have a good idea of what the school is. I've visited Texas numerous times in the past (all over the state) so I've been there. Just never in Austin, to the campus. People keep saying it's a terrible idea but I'm not sure exactly what I could be missing by not attending that would cause me to regret going there. Maybe I'm just being cheap and trying to save $500? I don't know, I feel like I have a pretty good idea just from reading this forum and other resources online, plus having been to Texas and having friends that used to live in Texas.

ironbmike wrote:

northwood wrote:Where is it? Where do you want to practice? What is the schools reputation in the area? You can research this on the internet to get a picture of what local law firms think of the school, and not have to sift through he sales pitch.

Another big factor: How much will it cost to attend, and how big of a difference is it between other schools you are considering?

Yeah, it's UT-Austin so I have a good idea of what the school is. I've visited Texas numerous times in the past (all over the state) so I've there. Just never in Austin, to the campus. People keep saying it's a terrible idea but I'm not sure exactly what I could be missing by not attending that would cause me to regret going there. Maybe I'm just being cheap and trying to save $500? I don't know, I feel like I have a pretty good idea just from reading this forum and other resources online, plus having been to Texas and having friends that used to live in Texas.

I have never met anyone that didn't love Austin.

ironbmike wrote:

northwood wrote:Where is it? Where do you want to practice? What is the schools reputation in the area? You can research this on the internet to get a picture of what local law firms think of the school, and not have to sift through he sales pitch.

Another big factor: How much will it cost to attend, and how big of a difference is it between other schools you are considering?

Yeah, it's UT-Austin so I have a good idea of what the school is. I've visited Texas numerous times in the past (all over the state) so I've been there. Just never in Austin, to the campus. People keep saying it's a terrible idea but I'm not sure exactly what I could be missing by not attending that would cause me to regret going there. Maybe I'm just being cheap and trying to save $500? I don't know, I feel like I have a pretty good idea just from reading this forum and other resources online, plus having been to Texas and having friends that used to live in Texas.

If it is the $500 dollars that is holding you back and not really an inability, then yeah, I would go. It's a bid decision. I wouldn't make it blind.

How is it a bad idea? All the important factors in choosing a school can be gleaned from the Internet. Unless you are looking at peer schools in the same region for the same price, visiting seems more likely to hurt your decision by making you consider worthless factors than to help.

Redfactor wrote:

ironbmike wrote:

northwood wrote:Where is it? Where do you want to practice? What is the schools reputation in the area? You can research this on the internet to get a picture of what local law firms think of the school, and not have to sift through he sales pitch.

Another big factor: How much will it cost to attend, and how big of a difference is it between other schools you are considering?

Yeah, it's UT-Austin so I have a good idea of what the school is. I've visited Texas numerous times in the past (all over the state) so I've been there. Just never in Austin, to the campus. People keep saying it's a terrible idea but I'm not sure exactly what I could be missing by not attending that would cause me to regret going there. Maybe I'm just being cheap and trying to save $500? I don't know, I feel like I have a pretty good idea just from reading this forum and other resources online, plus having been to Texas and having friends that used to live in Texas.

If it is the $500 dollars that is holding you back and not really an inability, then yeah, I would go. It's a bid decision. I wouldn't make it blind.

$500 to fly out there, + hotel, + I can't go until after the deposit deadline, so I would have to pay the deposit even if I ended up not liking it. Getting towards $1,000

I really don't think a visit is required. At this point in your life you know where you'll be happy. You know if you'd be miserable in a big city, small town, huge class size etc...All the important information that should go into your decision (price, employment, placement in your desired location) doesnt require a visit

StylinNProfilin wrote:

ironbmike wrote:

northwood wrote:Where is it? Where do you want to practice? What is the schools reputation in the area? You can research this on the internet to get a picture of what local law firms think of the school, and not have to sift through he sales pitch.

Another big factor: How much will it cost to attend, and how big of a difference is it between other schools you are considering?

Yeah, it's UT-Austin so I have a good idea of what the school is. I've visited Texas numerous times in the past (all over the state) so I've there. Just never in Austin, to the campus. People keep saying it's a terrible idea but I'm not sure exactly what I could be missing by not attending that would cause me to regret going there. Maybe I'm just being cheap and trying to save $500? I don't know, I feel like I have a pretty good idea just from reading this forum and other resources online, plus having been to Texas and having friends that used to live in Texas.

I have never met anyone that didn't love Austin.

+1, I grew up in Houston. I've been all over TX and Austin is by far my favorite city.

StylinNProfilin wrote:I really don't think a visit is required. At this point in your life you know where you'll be happy. You know if you'd be miserable in a big city, small town, huge class size etc...All the important information that should go into your decision (price, employment, placement in your desired location) doesnt require a visit

I am used to living in a city environment (near DC), but I do prefer small college towns for school. From what I gather though, UT isn't really a "big city" campus (like GWU or Georgetown) and has a smaller-town feel to it? More laid back? These are just my impressions but please correct me if I'm wrong.

StylinNProfilin wrote:I really don't think a visit is required. At this point in your life you know where you'll be happy. You know if you'd be miserable in a big city, small town, huge class size etc...All the important information that should go into your decision (price, employment, placement in your desired location) doesnt require a visit

I agree. I don't think it's important, honestly. Law school is not at all like undergrad. I think your choice should be informed by financial considerations and job placement.

ironbmike wrote:

StylinNProfilin wrote:I really don't think a visit is required. At this point in your life you know where you'll be happy. You know if you'd be miserable in a big city, small town, huge class size etc...All the important information that should go into your decision (price, employment, placement in your desired location) doesnt require a visit

I am used to living in a city environment (near DC), but I do prefer small college towns for school. From what I gather though, UT isn't really a "big city" campus (like GWU or Georgetown) and has a smaller-town feel to it? More laid back? These are just my impressions but please correct me if I'm wrong.

DC isn't a big city either. Having only 12 story buildings and under a million people?

Austin has more people in it's borders.

BK is right. There is almost always an objectively better choice.

The one thing I'd say about this argument is that Austin is QUITE different from anywhere else in Texas...having said that Austin is AWESOME

Desert Fox wrote:

ironbmike wrote:

StylinNProfilin wrote:I really don't think a visit is required. At this point in your life you know where you'll be happy. You know if you'd be miserable in a big city, small town, huge class size etc...All the important information that should go into your decision (price, employment, placement in your desired location) doesnt require a visit

I am used to living in a city environment (near DC), but I do prefer small college towns for school. From what I gather though, UT isn't really a "big city" campus (like GWU or Georgetown) and has a smaller-town feel to it? More laid back? These are just my impressions but please correct me if I'm wrong.

DC isn't a big city either. Having only 12 story buildings and under a million people?

Austin has more people in it's borders.

Edit: DC is a big city, but that's besides the point

bk187 wrote:How is it a bad idea? All the important factors in choosing a school can be gleaned from the Internet. Unless you are looking at peer schools in the same region for the same price, visiting seems more likely to hurt your decision by making you consider worthless factors than to help.

I'd just be worried about committing to living in a place for 3 years, and possibly longer depending on placement (as with UT and Texas). But you do have a point. It'd mostly be for peace of mind. TLS and the Internet in general go a long ways.

OP seems to have put a decent amount of thought into it and has been to Texas before, so.

GL OP.

I'd say its important to visit in 90% of the cases, especially when the move is to a whole different region or from the country to the city (or vice versa). That being said, you are already familiar with Texas and as it has been said on here already, Austin is almost universally considered one of the most enjoyable cities to live in the US, especially for young adults. Lastly, UT is a great school, so no reason to for it pass the "smell test". Save the $1000+ on the trip and pay for first semester books instead or beer.

Having lived in Austin for several years, I agree with the other posters that it is a nice city to live in, but it does seem quite a bit different from the rest of Texas.

Visiting a campus can be nice, but there is a real danger of placing too much importance on the surface issues that you will see in a one or two day visit to a campus. What are you going to learn? How nice the furniture in the common areas is? How far is the parking lot from the library? Sure, these things are nice to know, but they really do not stack up that well against the things that should be driving decisions for most people.

The UT Austin campus is huge! The undergrad program may well be one of the biggest in the nation. I do not know if the law school is confined to a close section of the campus or spread out. But the UT campus as a whole is not something I would consider a small town feeling (I currently live just outside the beltway near DC and work in Arlington).

Thanks for the responses. I think I'll save the money and if I go, I go blind!

bk187 wrote:How is it a bad idea? All the important factors in choosing a school can be gleaned from the Internet. Unless you are looking at peer schools in the same region for the same price, visiting seems more likely to hurt your decision by making you consider worthless factors than to help.

You mean the nightlife is a worthless factor to consider? Ha! Yeah, I knew a guy that seemed to think the party life was important. He also dropped out of Barry.

No matter what school I decide on at this point it will be without visiting. Possibly without having even been to that state.

It literally makes no difference. I visited the law school for a half hour tour and they were like "here's a classroom, here's the moot courtroom, here's the library." Definitely could have done without.