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Choosing the Right Law School / Re: Help - Notre Dame v. UC Hastings?
« on: July 19, 2008, 10:20:04 AM »
Your decision sounds VERY similar to mine (replace Hastings with SMU, ranked 46, in Dallas). For me, it came down to three main points.
1. Finish middle of class at SMU vs. middle of class at ND: hands-down ND. Bottom line is that everyone wants to finish at the top, but statistically speaking most of us are going to be in the middle. Regional school local job prospects are good, but the market falls off a cliff after a certain segment at the top of the class.
2. Access to national markets: hands-down ND. Regional schools are great for their region. ND on the other hand, not only places well in TX if I choose to return (places well in CA too actually) but it also grants me access to markets in NY, Boston, Chicago, D.C., etc.
3. Looking for a place where students enjoy their time attending: once again, hands-down ND. I don't know much about Hastings, but most lower t1/t2 schools are relatively cut-throat out of necessity and competition for job spots. After speaking with a handful of friends from my undergrad who attended SMU Law, it seemed consistent. Everyone is essentially competing for the same spots. After speaking to ND Law alumni, there was an overwhelming feeling of having loved attending ND. That said everything, in my opinion. ND isn't as cut-throat as other similar schools for a couple reasons - first the students are not ranked, so there is a bit of alleviated pressure there, and second the students come from all across the nation and the result is that you do not end up competing with your entire class over jobs in the same region.
I don't know if that's helps you or not, but asking those questions made my choice much easier.
Marc
1. Finish middle of class at SMU vs. middle of class at ND: hands-down ND. Bottom line is that everyone wants to finish at the top, but statistically speaking most of us are going to be in the middle. Regional school local job prospects are good, but the market falls off a cliff after a certain segment at the top of the class.
2. Access to national markets: hands-down ND. Regional schools are great for their region. ND on the other hand, not only places well in TX if I choose to return (places well in CA too actually) but it also grants me access to markets in NY, Boston, Chicago, D.C., etc.
3. Looking for a place where students enjoy their time attending: once again, hands-down ND. I don't know much about Hastings, but most lower t1/t2 schools are relatively cut-throat out of necessity and competition for job spots. After speaking with a handful of friends from my undergrad who attended SMU Law, it seemed consistent. Everyone is essentially competing for the same spots. After speaking to ND Law alumni, there was an overwhelming feeling of having loved attending ND. That said everything, in my opinion. ND isn't as cut-throat as other similar schools for a couple reasons - first the students are not ranked, so there is a bit of alleviated pressure there, and second the students come from all across the nation and the result is that you do not end up competing with your entire class over jobs in the same region.
I don't know if that's helps you or not, but asking those questions made my choice much easier.
Marc