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Choosing a law school
LB
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
This is going to be a little long, so I apologize in advance. Here's my problem: I'm going to law school next year, but I'm having some trouble deciding what school would be best for me. I currently live outside the US and I graduated from university a couple years ago, so I don't really have any access to knowledgeable advice. Maybe some of you could help me out.
I still haven't heard from all the schools I applied to, but at this point it's looking like any further schools that will accept me probably won't offer any merit scholarships, which I need in order to attend since I am paying for school by myself. The two schools that I'm torn between are Tulane University and William & Mary. Both will be about the same cost for me, since I was offered a scholarship at Tulane and a fellowship at W&M. The terms are about the same - I need to maintain a 3.2 or about a B average, and both are for the entire three years. At W&M I would have to work for an average of 8 hours a week in either an administrative post (most likely a receptionist or something more menial) or at the law library. The second year I could either become a research assistant for a law professor, or continue in whatever job I was assigned during my first year. I would also have to take one additional course (Advanced Research) which only meets a few times a semester and isn't too tough. For Tulane all I have to do is maintain the GPA; I would not be required to work.
I have a few questions:
1) How important is general and specific ranking? According to US News & World Report, W&M is ranked 27 in the US, while Tulane is 43, so that is a significant difference. However, I'm interested in international law (I'm not 100% set on it, but it has been my abiding interest for the last 3 or 4 years so it's not exactly a flight of fancy, either), and Tulane apparently has a world-famous international and comparative law program which is especially well-respected in Europe. W&M does not have any set program, although they do of course offer international and comparative courses. Tulane also has various international law journals, externships, study abroad options, and so on, while W&M is a bit more limited in that respect.
2) How important is location? I do not particularly want to spend the rest of my life in either Louisiana or Virginia, so neither is ideal. I'm still waiting on schools in Boston and New York, and I've also been accepted to American University in DC, but without the same kind of financial aid. I went to undergrad in Poughkeepsie, NY and have spent the last two years in a rice-growing town (population 9000) in rural Japan, so I'm not exactly afraid of boredom, but on the other hand I would like to be able to meet people - especially romantically speaking, since I've been single for quite awhile now. Would it be a really bad idea to let that influence my decision? I know New Orleans is still hurting from Katrina, but I don't know how much that will affect my time at Tulane, so that is another concern.
Sorry this is so long. Thanks in advance for any advice or opinions you can offer me.
I still haven't heard from all the schools I applied to, but at this point it's looking like any further schools that will accept me probably won't offer any merit scholarships, which I need in order to attend since I am paying for school by myself. The two schools that I'm torn between are Tulane University and William & Mary. Both will be about the same cost for me, since I was offered a scholarship at Tulane and a fellowship at W&M. The terms are about the same - I need to maintain a 3.2 or about a B average, and both are for the entire three years. At W&M I would have to work for an average of 8 hours a week in either an administrative post (most likely a receptionist or something more menial) or at the law library. The second year I could either become a research assistant for a law professor, or continue in whatever job I was assigned during my first year. I would also have to take one additional course (Advanced Research) which only meets a few times a semester and isn't too tough. For Tulane all I have to do is maintain the GPA; I would not be required to work.
I have a few questions:
1) How important is general and specific ranking? According to US News & World Report, W&M is ranked 27 in the US, while Tulane is 43, so that is a significant difference. However, I'm interested in international law (I'm not 100% set on it, but it has been my abiding interest for the last 3 or 4 years so it's not exactly a flight of fancy, either), and Tulane apparently has a world-famous international and comparative law program which is especially well-respected in Europe. W&M does not have any set program, although they do of course offer international and comparative courses. Tulane also has various international law journals, externships, study abroad options, and so on, while W&M is a bit more limited in that respect.
2) How important is location? I do not particularly want to spend the rest of my life in either Louisiana or Virginia, so neither is ideal. I'm still waiting on schools in Boston and New York, and I've also been accepted to American University in DC, but without the same kind of financial aid. I went to undergrad in Poughkeepsie, NY and have spent the last two years in a rice-growing town (population 9000) in rural Japan, so I'm not exactly afraid of boredom, but on the other hand I would like to be able to meet people - especially romantically speaking, since I've been single for quite awhile now. Would it be a really bad idea to let that influence my decision? I know New Orleans is still hurting from Katrina, but I don't know how much that will affect my time at Tulane, so that is another concern.
Sorry this is so long. Thanks in advance for any advice or opinions you can offer me.
LB on
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Off the cuff, I'd say go for W&M. Yes, ranking is all-important generally, though as you say occasionally specialty matters too. Yes, location does matter for your quality of life. Yes, you should think about meeting people; three years is a long, long time, and these are very important years of your life in terms of relationships.
Frankly, the lack of a "set program" might not be a bad thing in case you change your mind. High-ranked flexibility is probably better than high-ranked locked-in specialty.
But only a law professor will know the truth of this.
It depends on what you want to do. If you want to work at an a-list firm and draw a huge salary, where you go to school is important, but not nearly as important as your GPA. Law firms are actually being a little less snobbish about schools than they used to be, at least for honors graduates.
How important is location?
You'll most likely be leaving right after graduation, so don't worry about location, worry about the school's reputation. The exception of course, is that if you get into Stanford it's worth going to just for the weather, no matter how much more people like Yale.