Law School Discussion

You are the classic example of someone I think needs to be reached out to regarding rankings. I am a lawyer and can tell you the rank of all the schools you mentioned means very little. There are a few schools such as Harvard, Yale, Stanford, that if you have the chance to get into go for it. However, the rest simply don't matter remember that U.S. News is nothing more than a for profit magazine offering an opinion and it is not something you should make a life altering decision on.

What any OL should consider are the following in this order (1) Location (2) Cost (3) Personal Feelings about the school (4) The realities of legal education and (5) Iif all else fails use the rankings as a tie breaker do not put what a magazine thinks number one when making a life altering decision.

Analysis of these Factors:

1) Location
This should be the NUMBER 1 PRIORITY first of realize that law school does not exist in a vacuum if your from Philadelphia which I am assuming is the case if you live 5 minutes away then Alabama is going to be a huge culture shock.

Also it sounds like Temple has your family which you appear close to if your in Alabama it will drastically effect these relationships.  I can tell you during 1L you will not want to be all alone in a new city it is a very stressful time.

So from my impression, which shouldn't mean that much since I am anonymous internet poster that knows nothing about you I predict Alabama will be a bad fit based on a big city kid going away from his family who he is close to in a small country town where you don't know anyone while dealing with the stress of 1L. I don't think it is a good combination despite what a private magazine says.

Furthermore, wherever you go to school is where you are likely going to spend the rest of your life. If you attend Alabama you will get an apartment there, possibly enter into a relationship, have your internships, etc. If you want to in Philadelphia you will not be able to work internships in Philadelphia 9 months out of the year if you are in Alabama.

2) Cost & Scholarship Conditions
Cost is real and it sounds like you are getting scholarships, which is great. However, most law school scholarships attach conditions that are hard to maintain. The common condition is you must maintain a 3.0 to maintain your scholarship as someone who got into law school a 3.0 sounds very easy, but law school is graded on a curve and only 35% of people can get a 3.0.  100% of 1L's are convinced they will be in the top 35%, but you don't need to be a math major to see how that goes. Here is an article from the NY times that explains the conditions in a little more detail http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/01/business/law-school-grants.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Just CHECK THE CONDITIONS before making a decision based on the scholarships there is a strong chance you will not have it for years 2 & 3.

3) Personal Feelings about the School
It sounds like you are doing this properly visit the schools and get a vibe from them. It appears you have a good feeling about some schools and go with your gut instinct here. I know when I was a OL I visited multiple schools and during school I did a lot of mock trial competitions so I saw a lot more. Some schools I really liked others were not my cup of tea and that is my own personal opinion and you will have your own. So take these feelings of where you comfortable very seriously the law school you attend will be three years of the prime of your life make sure it is a good fit for YOU.

4) Reality of Legal Education
One thing I don't think OL's realize is that the education at any ABA school is the same. Your first yer will consist of Torts, Civil Procedure, Property, Contracts, Criminal Law, and Con Law. A few schools might put Criminal Procedure in 1L and Con Law in 2L or vice versa, but you will take those courses. In those courses you will read Supreme Court Cases usually the first case you read is Pennoyer v. Neff in Civil Procedure and probably the Hairy Hand case in Contracts I forgot the name. Then Marbury v. Madison in Con Law. The Supreme Court did not sit down and write separate opinions for different ranked schools you will literally be reading the same cases no matter what school you attend.

As for specializations this usually is not a big deal in law school. Your first year will consist of the courses I mentioned above and then you will take Evidence, Wills & Trusts, Corporations, Remedies, and a few other courses that will be in the bar. You might take 4-5 courses in a specialty area assuming class schedule works right and that is assuming you keep the specialty interest. When I was a OL I really thought IP law sounded great, but I had 0 experience in it and after taking 1L class I knew IP law was not for me. Now if you have some undying passion for this subject area then maybe consider it, but if it is just an area of law you think sounds cool don't make a life altering decision based on it.

5
U.S. News Ranking
Now I may have been to harsh consider it, but remember it is nothing more than a magazine that ranks more than law schools. According to U.S. News New Mexico is the best place to live right and South Dakota will be the best place to live in 2032.

Not making this up either http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CDYQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmoney.usnews.com%2Fmoney%2Fpersonal-finance%2Fslideshows%2Fbest-places-to-live&ei=2o0UUc0IsdmKAoe3gYgL&usg=AFQjCNGK6xJtfB_hioG9fOauleV13BPcTg&bvm=bv.42080656,d.cGE   and http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/the-best-life/2012/08/07/here-are-the-best-places-to-livein-2032

I imagine you are not planning on moving to Albuquerque because U.S. News says it is the best or setting up a retirement home in South Dakota because U.S. News says so. There is some research into these rankings, but I am not packing my bags based on what some magazine says, which to me makes sense, but somehow 0L's lose their common sense when it comes to this. Use the rankings, but do not make a life altering decision.

Conclusion:
My opinion as an anonymous internet poster who knows nothing about you and has never met you is you should attend Temple. Your parents are Alums, it is five minutes from your house which will save you money on food etc, and you have sister that works there. You will be comfortable in that environment and be setup in the location you want to live assuming Philly is where you want to be.

I would also really discourage you from going to Alabama, but again I am anonymous person on the internet who for all you know could be high on crack in a public library or I could be the Valedictorian of Harvard.

Well enough of that and I apologize for the typos don't feel like editing this. Congrats on the acceptance and good luck in your legal career!

I can also tell you being a lawyer in the Bay Area Santa Clara, USF, Hastings, McGeorge, GGU, and UC Davis are more or less the same in the eyes of most SF employers. They are all fine schools with a lot of successful alumni, but they defeinetly take a back seat to Stanford and Boalt not to mention plenty of Harvard & Yale people move to S.F. Then there are people from UCLA & USC just a few hours away as well. A degree from Hastings won't make thing easy write now I have an intern from Hastings and one from GGU working for me they are both great and I really don't care where either one went to school. So I would really recommend getting out of any of these schools with as little debt as possible. If any of the non Top 10 law schools offer you a lot of scholarship money take it employers here will not care that much if you went to the 48th opposed to the 78th best school.

Also if you are not from the Bay Area one thing to know about Hastings is that it is in the worst part of San Francisco. People get shot every few weeks blocks from the campus if you can't handle crackheads being all around you don't go there. During the day it is as bad since the courthouse and City Hall are right there, but if you ever plan on studying late, taking a night class, or living in the Tower 1L make sure you know what you are getting into.

As for the actual question you might get in, but a 2.72 might keep you out. As the above poster mentioned if you want to be in San Francisco look at all the schools they mentioned and don't forget UC Davis & McGeorge really are not that far away either. Good luck.

You probably didn't screw up and I imagine some acceptance letters will be coming your way. You are correct to do the best financial option, but I don't know you are aware there are several schools that offer in-state tuition which is very cheap I know CUNY, Florida International, South Dakota, North Dakota, and a few others I believe Idaho might be one charge only 10-12,000 per year just something to think about.

Some other things to think about are visit schools you are interested in each school has a culture to it and make sure you fit in with it. I did mock trials and was accepted to quite a few schools as a OL and there were some schools I really liked and others I hated, but those are my own personal opinions make sure the school is a fit for you.

Also as you appear to realize wherever you end up is likely where you will spend the rest of your life. The locations you mentioned are very different and if your an Ultra Liberal person I wouldn't recommend going to Texas Southern for example. Just really consider the different locations because law school does not exist in a vacuum for example if you go to Idaho you will be covered in Snow 6 months of the year, but you could be suntanning in Florida.

In the end I am sure you will be getting into some of these schools and I hope you choose the right one good luck to you.

First of thanks Jack don't know if I am full of good advice of full of it, but I want to respectfully dissent  on going to Yale opposed to a California school.

Here is the analysis on my point please bear in mind I am writing this post for a URM with 3.82 and 169, which is in about the top 5% of applicants. Most people are not choosing between Stanford, Yale, Boalt, and I was nowhere near these schools, but I am fully employed lawyer.

Onto the analysis
If you want to work in the Bay Area then go to Stanford or Boalt opposed to Yale.  The reason is there are thousands of not millions of alumni from Stanford & Boalt in the Bay Area they went to school there, made friends there started businesses there, etc and people generally side with their Alma Matter opposed to somewhere else.

More importantly remember that law school is 3 years and New Haven Connecticut and the California Bay Area are very different places economically, politically, culturally, and highly different weather. At a minimum you will spend 3 years at X location so make sure it is a fit for you even if Yale is #1 opposed to Boalt at #8 or something your personal preferences matter far more than what some unregulated for profit magazine like U.S. News thinks.

You should have plenty of options with that said really consider location and cost above all else. If you want to be in California go to Stanford or Boalt instead of Yale also remember law school debt is real, but you should have some great options congrats!