167/3.67; Looking for Dog-friendly campuses/locations! Forum

[kellycane]

Hi! I graduated UG with a 3.67 GPA (BA in English). Took the LSAT once and got a 167. My GPA got fuzzy in the middle after a study abroad (two C's, some B's and A's) but beginning and ending of college was pretty solidly straight A's. Not a URM.

Right now my top choices are Cornell and Michigan-- had to rule out Columbia and NYU because I don't think I stand a chance. However, I'm having a hard time deciding if I have a shot at any T14 schools, and if so, which ones would be a good place to live to meet people and that's dog-friendly. I have an amazing Newfoundland puppy, and I can't imagine being without her, so she'll definitely be going with me

Any help would be very appreciated-- I have no idea what schools are "reach" schools, which ones are reasonable, and which should be safety. Any help would be EXTREMELY appreciated!!

ETA: I will have very strong LOR, and I worked in a law firm one summer and studied abroad a semester. I was also a member of a nationally recognized sorority. Will any of these factors help my chances?

[Patriot1208]

You are probably out everywhere in the t14 besides Cornell, and your Cornell chances are probably 50/50.

A couple extra points would be a big deal for you if you want to retake.

[2ofspades]

You're interested in New York, so Fordham would be a good choice. Central Park is extremely dog-friendly.

[dudders]

In re Fordham, I'm pretty sure New York apartments would be relatively unfriendly to Newfies, since they're like the size of a small bear (but adorable droolmonsters at the same time).

I think the number one consideration for managing a dog and 1L will be either living very close to school so you can come home during the day and let your dog out, and/or having a yard. (I'm only in my second week of classes, and living a 30-minute walk-subway-walk commute from school means I'm routinely gone 12-14 hours at a time.)

With your numbers, T-14 is probably a bit of a longshot if next year is as tough a cycle as next year. I'm at GW (no. 20) and we just posted 167/3.79 medians (CRAZY).

Do your research on housing areas where students live at schools outside the T-14 but as close as you're likely to get to it. Here's some of my observations on places I've been/lived/seriously contemplated going to school at:

UCLA/USC - I grew up in LA and housing with dogs, especially a big dog, will be difficult to find in any neighborhood you'd actually want to live in near either of these campuses.
Vandy/WUSTL - I've recently visited both Nashville and St. Louis, to see friends with dogs who live within a mile or so of either of these campuses. Didn't seem like finding housing for them was much of a problem, and they're on either grad student or poorly paid young professional budgets.
GW/Georgetown - anything near campus would be a small, expensive mid-rise apartment; elsewhere in DC yards are available if you live in a rowhouse, but they're typically pretty small yards and many landlords do not allow pets, esp. an XXXL breed. (I've lived in DC for a month or so now, and I've probably seen less than 10 dogs > 20 lbs.) Some GW students live in the VA suburbs, but I didn't really look for housing there so I have little doggie advice to offer across the river.
BU/BC - both these campuses are pretty close together (and all the students from them and nearby schools basically live in between. closer to BU is small, old-style low-rise apartments, stretching into houses with yards as you get closer to BC. I contemplated BU for awhile, and I remember being amazed that pretty much every apartment listed in Allston or Brighton or Brookline allowed cats, but they seemed to allow only cats, not dogs.
Notre Dame/William & Mary/UC Davis - super residential, shouldn't be a problem

[dudders]

ETA: I will have very strong LOR, and I worked in a law firm one summer and studied abroad a semester. I was also a senator in student government, the assistant news editor for the college paper, as well as a member of a nationally recognized sorority. Will any of these factors help my chances?

Sadly, not really. Every single person you go to law school with will have all these same factors or ones that are comparable.

For some advice on numbers, plug your numbers in lawschoolnumbers.com or lawschoolpredictor.com, and you can see how other people have done in previous years. On lawschoolpredictor, the highest ranked school your GPA/LSAT even gets a "strong consider" is USC (N. 18) and your top-ranked "admit" is Iowa at No. 26. Getting into law school is tough business these days.

[whymeohgodno]

A few points higher on the LSAT could really make Cornell a realistic shot.

Good luck to you, I love dogs as well.

[CanadianWolf]

Although not in the Top 14, Colorado should be considered, as should Indiana & UC-Davis. Within the Top 14, Virginia & Michigan seem dog friendly.

[NewLobo]

Although not in the Top 14, Colorado should be considered, as should Indiana & UC-Davis. Within the Top 14, Virginia & Michigan seem dog friendly.

I was actually going to suggest CU-Boulder as well. There is no better place for a dog.

[kellycane]

Thank you everyone for the advice! I will definitely look into Colorado-Boulder as well as the other schools mentioned. I'm feeling very discouraged about my chances for Cornell, which is disappointing, but I'm trying to remain optimistic.

Does anyone have any thoughts on my chances at the University of Minnesota? It seems like a great place for a big fuzzy Newfie!

[ArchRoark]

I am actually struggling with this atm as well.

[Grizz]

Cornell is your best bet, but it's definitely not even close to a sure thing. If you really want to go there, I'd retake. A couple extra points could do you nicely.

Also some publication may have named Miami as the top school, but UF still gets way more respect haha

[Duralex]

Seems to me that after USC, right about where the OPs numbers fit, there are a ton of schools that would work for an owner of a large dog (i.e. fairly rural or suburban, cheap enough rents that a small house or duplex--with a yard--should be within reach.)

[akili]

I have a dog (puppy!) as well and would be interested to hear any lower-ranked schools 30-50 that are dog-friendly. Mine's currently 13 lbs though...

[im_blue]

Cornell is your only shot at a T14. I would focus on schools with LSAT medians of 166-167, such as Texas, USC, WUSTL, GW, Illinois, Minnesota, Fordham, BU, BC, ND, etc.

[akili]

Just saying, Austin is extremely dog-friendly. There are 4 dog parks I go to regularly and they are all pretty great. A lot of restaurants allow dogs on the patio as well.

[birdlaw117]

Thank you everyone for the advice! I will definitely look into Colorado-Boulder as well as the other schools mentioned. I'm feeling very discouraged about my chances for Cornell, which is disappointing, but I'm trying to remain optimistic.

Does anyone have any thoughts on my chances at the University of Minnesota? It seems like a great place for a big fuzzy Newfie!

Minnesota would be a smart place to look at IMHO. The Twin Cities are always up at the top of the list for best places to live as a young professional. The campus probably isn't in the most dog-friendly part of the city, but it would not be out of the question by any means. In addition, your numbers seem to match up pretty well.

[Holly Golightly]

At Yale, I hear you can even check a dog out of the library!

[czelede]

Cornell is your only shot at a T14. I would focus on schools with LSAT medians of 166-167, such as Texas, USC, WUSTL, GW, Illinois, Minnesota, Fordham, BU, BC, ND, etc.

Illinois is not at all dog-friendly if you want to live on campus, fwiw.

[Bosque]

ETA: I will have very strong LOR, and I worked in a law firm one summer and studied abroad a semester. I was also a member of a nationally recognized sorority. Will any of these factors help my chances?

Not to pile on for this, but no. None of that will help you. The sorority thing will mean nothing, the LOR might not even be read, almost everyone has studied abroad, and the fact that you worked in a law firm means next to nothing (and a lot of people have done that too). Your numbers are all that is going to matter.

I think Boulder is a good bet, but what we really need to know is where you want to be when you graduate. If you are fine with One of the Four Corners states (and you should be, because they are AWESOME), then Boulder will do you nicely. But if you for some reason want to practice in, say, Maine, you might want to find a school in the North East.

PS-As a law student with a dog, let me say this: get a roommate. ESPECIALLY for 2L year. You are going to be gone a lot while looking for a job, and it is imperative that you have someone handy to watch the dog. I have roommates, but our house is so big that they only come over to see my puppy when he needs to get fed or let out. So my dog keeps eating his bed while I am gone out of protest for being left alone.

Lesson being, you need someone else there as a secondary caregiver/companion for the dog.

[czelede]

ETA: I will have very strong LOR, and I worked in a law firm one summer and studied abroad a semester. I was also a member of a nationally recognized sorority. Will any of these factors help my chances?

Not to pile on for this, but no. None of that will help you. The sorority thing will mean nothing, the LOR might not even be read, almost everyone has studied abroad, and the fact that you worked in a law firm means next to nothing (and a lot of people have done that too). Your numbers are all that is going to matter.

I think Boulder is a good bet, but what we really need to know is where you want to be when you graduate. If you are fine with One of the Four Corners states (and you should be, because they are AWESOME), then Boulder will do you nicely. But if you for some reason want to practice in, say, Maine, you might want to find a school in the North East.

PS-As a law student with a dog, let me say this: get a roommate. ESPECIALLY for 2L year. You are going to be gone a lot while looking for a job, and it is imperative that you have someone handy to watch the dog. I have roommates, but our house is so big that they only come over to see my puppy when he needs to get fed or let out. So my dog keeps eating his bed while I am gone out of protest for being left alone.

Lesson being, you need someone else there as a secondary caregiver/companion for the dog.

For interview excursions, I think boarding is also a possibility.

[Richie Tenenbaum]

Austin is a pretty dog-friendly town.

[dominkay]

I am the only person who thinks your pets shouldn't be a major factor in where you decide to go to law school?

[Bosque]

I am the only person who thinks your pets shouldn't be a major factor in where you decide to go to law school?

At the OP's stat level.... yes it kind of should be. Because where she goes to law school is likely going to be where she ends up practicing. If dogs are a big part of her life, she would be foolish to get locked into a city where she cannot have a dog.

[Holly Golightly]

I am the only person who thinks your pets shouldn't be a major factor in where you decide to go to law school?

At the OP's stat level.... yes it kind of should be. Because where she goes to law school is likely going to be where she ends up practicing. If dogs are a big part of her life, she would be foolish to get locked into a city where she cannot have a dog.

But what major (and even mid-sized) cities AREN'T dog-friendly?

[Kohinoor]

I am the only person who thinks your pets shouldn't be a major factor in where you decide to go to law school?

At the OP's stat level.... yes it kind of should be. Because where she goes to law school is likely going to be where she ends up practicing. If dogs are a big part of her life, she would be foolish to get locked into a city where she cannot have a dog.

But what major (and even mid-sized) cities AREN'T dog-friendly?

I would like this thread to switch to the LEAST dog friendly law schools. I have, on two separate occasions, witnessed a UVA professor execute a puppy in anger.