Law School Discussion

I made the drive from Yale to Harvard a few months ago.  It takes about 2-3 hours if I remember correctly.

I also got the acceptance letter today. question for those of you who got in.... did anyone get offered a scholarship? My letter didn't say anything about scholarships, other than that I'd receive info on my financial aid package in early May if I hit the Feb. 15 deadline....the first deposit is due April 15, so I guess I don't find out financial aid until after I put down $250??

Wow!  I guess being a resident v. a non-resident really does make a big difference!  They claim that it doesn't, but considering that yall were rejected with numbers higher than several of the people that were deferred (according to LSNumbers) I am inclined to think that it obviously does matter.

They claim it doesn't make a difference? Montauk's book quotes someone from the UT admissions team saying that it makes a huge difference. I also think they say this on their website.

I think they do it to get more apps, more rejections.... more selectivity. this helps them go up in the rankings.... I got the W&L fee waiver too, along with one from NU, and I don't think I'm very competitive at either school.

I'm from Hawaii. Do you want the good news or the bad news, first? I always atart with the good news, so...

Good: Hawaii is as great as you hear it is. The weather is gorgeous, the people are nice, the surfing and bodyboarding can't be beat.Who can hate a state that has created an entire cuisine from Spam and you can buy sushi at Seven-Eleven?

Bad: UH Law isn't even well regarded in HAWAII. A mid-range 70K job will barely keep you in a 2-bedroom apt., much less buy a house (a 3-br, 2BA, 20 year-old home on a postage stamp lot with no garage will run you $300,000). Heck, if you got one of the gov't jobs, you'd still qualify for food stamps! Even with those numbers, they're more likely to hire a lawyer from a better school in another state over a UH grad. All merchandise is also more costly over there because everything except pineapple and poi is imported. There's also a quaint Christmas tradition where the dockworkers go on strike for a month. The stores run out of toilet paper and rice (and Spam! Can't forget Spam!) and you WILL NOT GET whatever this year's hottest toy is, no matter how many tantrums your kids throw.

Bottom line: if you can get in on full scholarship and not carry any debt, and if BigLaw is not one of your goals (there is no BigLaw there), and if you'll be content making a very modest living working predominantly lesser crimes or family and estate law, then you'll be fine there. You won't starve or anything. The upside is that you WILL be in Hawaii. Hawaiian shirts and slacks are courtroom attire, the people there are very low-key/low-stress, and entertainment is free if you're an outdoor-type person. The schools are bad, but the trade-off in terms of how kids behave there vs. how they are here almost makes it worth it. If you're a guy, well... a lot of the women really do look like Baywatch. If you're a woman, find a good man to take over with you.

This was a very helpful post, thanks. I was considering applying, but now I won't.