Top Law Schools

3.7/162 (not a URM)
National Qualifier for undergrad moot court
clerk for an attorney for a year

Chances at:
UT (I know very, very slim, but any chance on earth)?
UH (with $$)?
SMU fulltime (any chance of $$)?
SMU part time (with $$)?
Baylor (with $$)?
Texas Tech (full ride)?
LSU (full ride)?

I would say in at TTU and if you retake and score higher I'd say you're in at UT for sure, not sure with the current lsat though.

What are chances for Baylor and SMU with money?

If you can't get into UT / SMU / UofH, then don't go to a Texas law school.

Probably out at UT (maybe, hard to tell if you're a resident, but I think your LSAT is just too low), out SMU FT / in PT, and in at UofH.

Have you taken a look at lawschoolnumbers.com?

I think you have a shot at money at Baylor and SMU.

I'm a Texas resident so that will help me a little with UT, but I'm not holding my breath on getting in.

I have a feeling I will get money for Baylor. With SMU it looks I might scrape in to their FT and get $$ for PT.

I guess UH does not give out a lot of $$, looks like I will get in but not sure if a scholarship will be sent my way.

Don't go to Baylor.

If I am offered a scholarship that makes it considerably less than UH then I will consider it.

What are your reasons for not attending Baylor?

There's a vast score of them, which you can search for on here, but the short version is that Baylor has no real market it serves, it's a fairly unpleasant atmosphere, and most importantly, you'll miss out on significant job opportunities that you would otherwise have at UofH or SMU.

If you want more, there's a few threads on it. But I met several Baylor people over the summer at the courthouse, 2L and 3L, and they were almost universally miserable and unemployed.

The only way I would even consider Baylor is a full ride without their ridiculous scholarship stips (which you should take into account if they offer you money. The odds of keeping that scholarship are not in your favor.).

Do most schools decline putting stipulations on scholarships?

The only reason I'm hesitant towards Baylor is it's lack of a market, which is a big deal.

UNTravis wrote:3.7/162 (not a URM)
National Qualifier for undergrad moot court
clerk for an attorney for a year

Chances at:
UT (I know very, very slim, but any chance on earth)?
UH (with $$)?
SMU fulltime (any chance of $$)?
SMU part time (with $$)?
Baylor (with $$)?
Texas Tech (full ride)?
LSU (full ride)?

If money is important, you should consider a last minute app to OU. You would get at least an in-state waiver, and probably a little more. My list was very similar to yours and this how I eliminated the rest:

UT: Couldn't get in. And to be honest, your chances are beyond slim.
UH: Visit it if you haven't. The UG campus is nice. The law school, not so much. It is like a bunker in the ground. Cold and ugly. The student body feels the same.
SMU: Not enough scholarship to pass up on a scholarship from OU.
Baylor: Always heard it is a miserable experience and didn't bother applying.
Texas: I wanted to stay in the second tier and OU with money is just as inexpensive and travels just as well in TX.
LSU: Didn't consider it, so no advice for you there.

I was sold on OU after I visited. I visited UH and did not leave with the same feeling. It is a surprisingly beautiful law school. Very friendly student body. And Norman is nice too. If you go to UNT as your name suggests, I would make the two hour drive north to visit the school.

UNTravis wrote:Do most schools decline putting stipulations on scholarships?

The only reason I'm hesitant towards Baylor is it's lack of a market, which is a big deal.

I don't know if Baylor will waiver their stips. It's a pretty ridiculous one, though. And there should be plenty of reasons why you should be hesitant to go to Baylor, not just that.

Texan09 wrote:

UNTravis wrote:3.7/162 (not a URM)
National Qualifier for undergrad moot court
clerk for an attorney for a year

Chances at:
UT (I know very, very slim, but any chance on earth)?
UH (with $$)?
SMU fulltime (any chance of $$)?
SMU part time (with $$)?
Baylor (with $$)?
Texas Tech (full ride)?
LSU (full ride)?

If money is important, you should consider a last minute app to OU. You would get at least an in-state waiver, and probably a little more. My list was very similar to yours and this how I eliminated the rest:

UT: Couldn't get in. And to be honest, your chances are beyond slim.
UH: Visit it if you haven't. The UG campus is nice. The law school, not so much. It is like a bunker in the ground. Cold and ugly. The student body feels the same.
SMU: Not enough scholarship to pass up on a scholarship from OU.
Baylor: Always heard it is a miserable experience and didn't bother applying.
Texas: I wanted to stay in the second tier and OU with money is just as inexpensive and travels just as well in TX.
LSU: Didn't consider it, so no advice for you there.

I was sold on OU after I visited. I visited UH and did not leave with the same feeling. It is a surprisingly beautiful law school. Very friendly student body. And Norman is nice too. If you go to UNT as your name suggests, I would make the two hour drive north to visit the school.

I have them on my LSAC list but did not fill up their application. I might as well do it though. Originally, when I started thinking seriously about law school, OU was my top choice because at UNT they had a graduate fair and a representative from OU was there and he was very welcoming.

Ultimately, I want to end up in Dallas. Obviously SMU gives me the best chance but without $$ I will not go there. UH is appealing because I'm from South Texas and I don't despise Houston like a lot of people.

Thanks though, I will go visit OU since it's so close. From what I saw in the brochure it looks beautiful.

UNTravis wrote: I have them on my LSAC list but did not fill up their application. I might as well do it though. Originally, when I started thinking seriously about law school, OU was my top choice because at UNT they had a graduate fair and a representative from OU was there and he was very welcoming.

Ultimately, I want to end up in Dallas. Obviously SMU gives me the best chance but without $$ I will not go there. UH is appealing because I'm from South Texas and I don't despise Houston like a lot of people.

Thanks though, I will go visit OU since it's so close. From what I saw in the brochure it looks beautiful.

If you want to end up in Dallas, don't take kalvano's advice to discount Tech and Baylor. It will really depend on what type of law you want to practice in Dallas. If you want to do Biglaw, you may want to pay a little bit more to go to smu to increase your chances, but if you aren't dead set on biglaw or want to practice another type of law, I suggest going to the cheapest school possible that can get you where you want to be upon graduation. Tech and Baylor can definitely get you to DFW. UH could too, but I think Tech and Baylor place better in DFW than UH because most UH students decide to stay in Houston before they even matriculate. I would only be wary of Baylor because I have only heard bad things about the quality of life. I don't think I've heard a Baylor law student say they werent miserable.

Texan09 wrote:

UNTravis wrote:3.7/162 (not a URM)
National Qualifier for undergrad moot court
clerk for an attorney for a year

Chances at:
UT (I know very, very slim, but any chance on earth)?
UH (with $$)?
SMU fulltime (any chance of $$)?
SMU part time (with $$)?
Baylor (with $$)?
Texas Tech (full ride)?
LSU (full ride)?

If money is important, you should consider a last minute app to OU. You would get at least an in-state waiver, and probably a little more. My list was very similar to yours and this how I eliminated the rest:

UT: Couldn't get in. And to be honest, your chances are beyond slim.
UH: Visit it if you haven't. The UG campus is nice. The law school, not so much. It is like a bunker in the ground. Cold and ugly. The student body feels the same.
SMU: Not enough scholarship to pass up on a scholarship from OU.
Baylor: Always heard it is a miserable experience and didn't bother applying.
Texas: I wanted to stay in the second tier and OU with money is just as inexpensive and travels just as well in TX.
LSU: Didn't consider it, so no advice for you there.

I was sold on OU after I visited. I visited UH and did not leave with the same feeling. It is a surprisingly beautiful law school. Very friendly student body. And Norman is nice too. If you go to UNT as your name suggests, I would make the two hour drive north to visit the school.

Id love to see some evidence to back up your claim that ou travels just as well in texas as tech. From what I've seen and heard, that just isn't the case

kalvano wrote:

UNTravis wrote:Do most schools decline putting stipulations on scholarships?

The only reason I'm hesitant towards Baylor is it's lack of a market, which is a big deal.

I don't know if Baylor will waiver their stips. It's a pretty ridiculous one, though. And there should be plenty of reasons why you should be hesitant to go to Baylor, not just that.

The only stip I got was 2.75 which they said was top 75% or so...

eaper wrote:

kalvano wrote:

UNTravis wrote:Do most schools decline putting stipulations on scholarships?

The only reason I'm hesitant towards Baylor is it's lack of a market, which is a big deal.

I don't know if Baylor will waiver their stips. It's a pretty ridiculous one, though. And there should be plenty of reasons why you should be hesitant to go to Baylor, not just that.

The only stip I got was 2.75 which they said was top 75% or so...

That's changed from previous years, then. But regardless, you'd still have to go to Baylor. It's an unfriendly environment with no upside.

kalvano wrote:

eaper wrote:

kalvano wrote:

UNTravis wrote:Do most schools decline putting stipulations on scholarships?

The only reason I'm hesitant towards Baylor is it's lack of a market, which is a big deal.

I don't know if Baylor will waiver their stips. It's a pretty ridiculous one, though. And there should be plenty of reasons why you should be hesitant to go to Baylor, not just that.

The only stip I got was 2.75 which they said was top 75% or so...

That's changed from previous years, then. But regardless, you'd still have to go to Baylor. It's an unfriendly environment with no upside.

Looking through the thread it appears some get the top quarter stip and some get 2.75 stip. It seems the larger schollies get 2.75.

b.gump81 wrote:

UNTravis wrote: I have them on my LSAC list but did not fill up their application. I might as well do it though. Originally, when I started thinking seriously about law school, OU was my top choice because at UNT they had a graduate fair and a representative from OU was there and he was very welcoming.

Ultimately, I want to end up in Dallas. Obviously SMU gives me the best chance but without $$ I will not go there. UH is appealing because I'm from South Texas and I don't despise Houston like a lot of people.

Thanks though, I will go visit OU since it's so close. From what I saw in the brochure it looks beautiful.

If you want to end up in Dallas, don't take kalvano's advice to discount Tech and Baylor. It will really depend on what type of law you want to practice in Dallas. If you want to do Biglaw, you may want to pay a little bit more to go to smu to increase your chances, but if you aren't dead set on biglaw or want to practice another type of law, I suggest going to the cheapest school possible that can get you where you want to be upon graduation. Tech and Baylor can definitely get you to DFW. UH could too, but I think Tech and Baylor place better in DFW than UH because most UH students decide to stay in Houston before they even matriculate. I would only be wary of Baylor because I have only heard bad things about the quality of life. I don't think I've heard a Baylor law student say they werent miserable.

Texan09 wrote:

UNTravis wrote:3.7/162 (not a URM)
National Qualifier for undergrad moot court
clerk for an attorney for a year

Chances at:
UT (I know very, very slim, but any chance on earth)?
UH (with $$)?
SMU fulltime (any chance of $$)?
SMU part time (with $$)?
Baylor (with $$)?
Texas Tech (full ride)?
LSU (full ride)?

If money is important, you should consider a last minute app to OU. You would get at least an in-state waiver, and probably a little more. My list was very similar to yours and this how I eliminated the rest:

UT: Couldn't get in. And to be honest, your chances are beyond slim.
UH: Visit it if you haven't. The UG campus is nice. The law school, not so much. It is like a bunker in the ground. Cold and ugly. The student body feels the same.
SMU: Not enough scholarship to pass up on a scholarship from OU.
Baylor: Always heard it is a miserable experience and didn't bother applying.
Texas: I wanted to stay in the second tier and OU with money is just as inexpensive and travels just as well in TX.
LSU: Didn't consider it, so no advice for you there.

I was sold on OU after I visited. I visited UH and did not leave with the same feeling. It is a surprisingly beautiful law school. Very friendly student body. And Norman is nice too. If you go to UNT as your name suggests, I would make the two hour drive north to visit the school.

Id love to see some evidence to back up your claim that ou travels just as well in texas as tech. From what I've seen and heard, that just isn't the case

I'd love for you to show me some evidence that disproves my claim (see what I did there?). I can list many anecdotal examples of summer internships and post gradute employment.

Since that isn't much "proof", I will say that I do not know of a single person who came to OU with the intent of returning to Texas who was not able to do so.

Take it as you will, but try to be objective and not just just refute my claim because you go to Tech.

Texan09 wrote:

b.gump81 wrote:

UNTravis wrote: I have them on my LSAC list but did not fill up their application. I might as well do it though. Originally, when I started thinking seriously about law school, OU was my top choice because at UNT they had a graduate fair and a representative from OU was there and he was very welcoming.

Ultimately, I want to end up in Dallas. Obviously SMU gives me the best chance but without $$ I will not go there. UH is appealing because I'm from South Texas and I don't despise Houston like a lot of people.

Thanks though, I will go visit OU since it's so close. From what I saw in the brochure it looks beautiful.

If you want to end up in Dallas, don't take kalvano's advice to discount Tech and Baylor. It will really depend on what type of law you want to practice in Dallas. If you want to do Biglaw, you may want to pay a little bit more to go to smu to increase your chances, but if you aren't dead set on biglaw or want to practice another type of law, I suggest going to the cheapest school possible that can get you where you want to be upon graduation. Tech and Baylor can definitely get you to DFW. UH could too, but I think Tech and Baylor place better in DFW than UH because most UH students decide to stay in Houston before they even matriculate. I would only be wary of Baylor because I have only heard bad things about the quality of life. I don't think I've heard a Baylor law student say they werent miserable.

Texan09 wrote:

UNTravis wrote:3.7/162 (not a URM)
National Qualifier for undergrad moot court
clerk for an attorney for a year

Chances at:
UT (I know very, very slim, but any chance on earth)?
UH (with $$)?
SMU fulltime (any chance of $$)?
SMU part time (with $$)?
Baylor (with $$)?
Texas Tech (full ride)?
LSU (full ride)?

If money is important, you should consider a last minute app to OU. You would get at least an in-state waiver, and probably a little more. My list was very similar to yours and this how I eliminated the rest:

UT: Couldn't get in. And to be honest, your chances are beyond slim.
UH: Visit it if you haven't. The UG campus is nice. The law school, not so much. It is like a bunker in the ground. Cold and ugly. The student body feels the same.
SMU: Not enough scholarship to pass up on a scholarship from OU.
Baylor: Always heard it is a miserable experience and didn't bother applying.
Texas: I wanted to stay in the second tier and OU with money is just as inexpensive and travels just as well in TX.
LSU: Didn't consider it, so no advice for you there.

I was sold on OU after I visited. I visited UH and did not leave with the same feeling. It is a surprisingly beautiful law school. Very friendly student body. And Norman is nice too. If you go to UNT as your name suggests, I would make the two hour drive north to visit the school.

Id love to see some evidence to back up your claim that ou travels just as well in texas as tech. From what I've seen and heard, that just isn't the case

I'd love for you to show me some evidence that disproves my claim (see what I did there?). I can list many anecdotal examples of summer internships and post gradute employment.

Since that isn't much "proof", I will say that I do not know of a single person who came to OU with the intent of returning to Texas who was not able to do so.

Take it as you will, but try to be objective and not just just refute my claim because you go to Tech.

i didn't really expect any proof....I just wanted to show others that you didn't have any real basis for your claim. With that said, OU is a great school and does very well in Texas for it being an out-of-state school. same goes for you about the objectivity though: dont just make claims without any basis just because you go to OU.

Thanks for all the response guys. Here is an update since I last posted:

Baylor- 90k (thank you Baylor)
Tech- 24k (I thought this was low)
UH- admitted, no scholarship info yet, I plan to negotiate a scholarship
OU- admitted and I'm in review for a scholarship
UT- denied (no surprise here)

I'm still under review at SMU and LSU.

I must say, I was not fully considering Baylor but after they threw that kind of money at me it is hard not to consider them. I'm hesitant about Baylor for three reasons.
1. More hours needed to graduate
2. Quarter system
3. Practice Court


Also, I'm open minded on what kind of law I want to practice. Big law would be cool because of the financial security but if I do not get that I would not be disappointed. I do know I would rather live in DFW than Houston.

Titleist wrote:Thanks for all the response guys. Here is an update since I last posted:

Baylor- 90k (thank you Baylor)
Tech- 24k (I thought this was low)
UH- admitted, no scholarship info yet, I plan to negotiate a scholarship
OU- admitted and I'm in review for a scholarship
UT- denied (no surprise here)

I'm still under review at SMU and LSU.

I must say, I was not fully considering Baylor but after they threw that kind of money at me it is hard not to consider them. I'm hesitant about Baylor for three reasons.
1. More hours needed to graduate
2. Quarter system
3. Practice Court


Also, I'm open minded on what kind of law I want to practice. Big law would be cool because of the financial security but if I do not get that I would not be disappointed. I do know I would rather live in DFW than Houston.

What are the requirements to keep your scholly at Baylor?

Top 75%

The OU guy who said OU travels better than Tech in TX is literally delusional. The legal market is better in TX than anywhere else, but it still sucks. OU impresses no one-- there are no jobs. Unless you have top 10% grades from any of the schools listed (ok so maybe 5% more students at SMU and 25% more students at UT are in this category) you have to hustle to get a job. This means alumni, this means networkings. Tech has a billion more alums in TX, and many many more in Dallas than OU. Good friend of mine is a 2L at UT, just outside median. He is totally jerbless.

FWIW, I think OU is a terrific school. I bet the dood who goes there will get a great education and enjoy the shit out of Norman (I'm an OSU guy myself, but Norman is alright). However, he will only have success getting a jerb back in TX if he interviews well and really hustles. His networking pool will be about 1/10 the size in the DFW area as it would have been had he gone to Tech. Lastly, his (or someones, not a careful reader) T2/T3 distinction is totally meaningless. I go to a "T1" and do have some ties to TX-- guarantee you I would get beat out by Tech grads all day long if I tried to go back there.

Go to Tech if you want TX. Go to OU if you want Oklahoma. Any success story you hear that breaks this rule is an outlier.

To be honest I'm not considering either school. Both are safety schools that I plan on using as scholarship leverage.

It's basically going to come down to UH, Baylor and SMU.

Thoughts on Baylor at 30k a year compared to UH with possibly no scholarship or around 5-10k?

I believe that LSU severly limits admission to non-residents (about eleven (11%) percent, if I recall correctly).