WUSTL or Tulane?

[Where should I matriculate?]

Where should I matriculate?

Tulane $$$

Washington University in St. Louis $

[kirkcameronsgf]

LegallyAccepted, I'm a 1L at Tulane (and from TX..  DALLAS RULES, HOUSTON DROOLS).. and on scholarship with a 3.0 stipulation, so if you have any ?'s, feel free to PM me whenever.  Good luck on your decision!  That's a tough one.

[natilaw2008]

How is this a tough one?
I just don't understand how this could be a hard decision to make.

Decision: WUSTL.

[LegallyAccepted]

It's tough because she was offered a substantial scholly from Tulane and not so much from WUSTL. AND because where she ultimately intends to practice does not indicate a clear winner betwixt the two.

I read Post #1, see?!

LMAO!  I wanted to say that but I knew I would be rude and I was asking for advice.  Thanks buddy!  Very nicely put!

[TheMaddRapper]

This is a no-brainer, go to Tulane.

Tulane and WUSTL are very similar schools.  They both don't have much of a home market.  They place in biglaw about the same, with WUSTL maybe 10% better depending on the firm.  They both have a lot of students who want to go to big markets (Chicago, NYC, DC) but probably won't get the chance once they see their grades.  So a lot of these students go to the big cities anyway and do ID/doc review.

They both have some regional pull in midwest or south respectively.  I'd say for smaller firms within their region, the reputation is about the same.

Yes, WUSTL is on the way up and Tulane is on the way down.  This won't matter within the next 3 years though.

There are a few things WUSTL will allow you to do that Tulane won't.  It's easier to transfer up from WUSTL (although good luck with that).  It's easier to get a very prestigious firm if you're near the top of the class there.  It *might* be easier to get an okay-paying insurance defense job if you strike out at OCI.

Tulane has its advantages too, though.  The competition is much weaker.  WUSTL is a very rich school that gives out money to high LSATs like candy, so if you go to WUSTL you're not only competing with T14-quality LSATs, but unlike at a T14 they're GUNNING against you to save their lives!  Bad combination.  Your average Tulane student has a low 160s score and is more likely to be distracted by partying, and Tulane doesn't seem to get too many (if any) high 170s scorers.

Another advantage for Tulane is proximity to Texas.  This might be irrelevant if you have no Texas ties, but Texas has the best salary/COL balance in the nation with two huge biglaw markets.

The most important thing WUSTL and Tulane have in common:  neither is worth full price.

[bruinbro]

This is a no-brainer, go to Tulane.

Tulane and WUSTL are very similar schools.  They both don't have much of a home market.  They place in biglaw about the same, with WUSTL maybe 10% better depending on the firm.  They both have a lot of students who want to go to big markets (Chicago, NYC, DC) but probably won't get the chance once they see their grades.  So a lot of these students go to the big cities anyway and do ID/doc review.

They both have some regional pull in midwest or south respectively.  I'd say for smaller firms within their region, the reputation is about the same.

Yes, WUSTL is on the way up and Tulane is on the way down.  This won't matter within the next 3 years though.

The most important thing they have in common:  neither is worth full price.

I completely disagree with this post. To say that a T20 school and a very good Tier 1 school are not worth full price and only have "some regional pull" is totally off base. Both schools actually do place fairly well in BigLaw and each has an excellent reputation. Moreover, each school is among the best law schools in their respective region. As for poor-performing students being forced to do doc review, this will be the case at any non T14.

[BearlyLegal]

Tulane is on the way down? Link? 

[botbot]

Tulane is on the way down? Link? 

There won't be, MaddRapper is flaming.

[TheMaddRapper]

I'm not flaming!  Your school doesn't have any money and its city got hit by a hurricane!  Plus it's been a 40s school for the past few years despite its reputation and it's now tied for the lowest ranking in the entire first tier!

And basically, my point is that it's still not that much different than WUSTL, placement-wise.

[kirkcameronsgf]

I'm not flaming!  Your school doesn't have any money and its city got hit by a hurricane!  Plus it's been a 40s school for the past few years despite its reputation and it's now tied for the lowest ranking in the entire first tier!

Link to Tulane having no money?  I'm not freaking out on you, I just hadn't heard about it.

And yes, the city got hit by a hurricane, but that doesn't mean that 2 years later, our rank is going anywhere.  Link/numbers for that too?

[botbot]

I'm not flaming!  Your school doesn't have any money and its city got hit by a hurricane!  Plus it's been a 40s school for the past few years despite its reputation and it's now tied for the lowest ranking in the entire first tier!

And basically, my point is that it's still not that much different than WUSTL, placement-wise.

Tulane's endowment is at an all time high (and should receive a 20-30% boost soon). 
Tulane law has made some astounding faculty pickups in the past few years.
Tulane law's student quality is at an all time high (and keeping pace with its rivals despite its larger class size)
Tulane's USNews ranking has always fluctuated between 35 and 55 AND has always placed better than its ranking would suggest.  (it wasn't in the first tier a few years ago, due to a minuscule error on the response sheet.)  I won't go into the many flaws of the USNews here, but until they implement accurate career data into the rankings, it isn't an accurate picture of the law school world.

I'm also not going to go into New Orleans recovery.  If you can afford the trip, I recommend being one of the thirteen+ million tourists that will visit NOLA this year.

And to defend WUSTL some.  They place better than Tulane by 5-10% in most jobs - this is a difference worth noting.

I can only imagine you aren't in law school yet.

(edited)