Marquette, DePaul, or U of New Mexico?

[jbakguy]

Where is the 'East Side' in Milwaukee??

[BBadger]

I would echo the idea of living of the east side of Milwaukee and commuting to campus.  It is not terribly far (approx 10 minutes to campus by car depending on where exactly you are living) and I assume you could also take the bus.

If you look at a map, the "east side" is north of downtown Milwaukee, up into Shorewood, bordered between Lake Michigan and the Milwaukee River.  You definitely want to stay and live to the east side of the river.  The east side has a good mix of people, with lots of young professionals.  Hope this helps.  For the sports fans, try and catch a Brewer game at nearby Miller Park when coming to visit campus.  I love the stadium!

[nikos13]

OP: have you been to NM? It's actually surprisingly nice there, IMO. Laid-back vibe, great food, great weather, great surroundings. If you have a chance to visit before making your decision, I would strongly recommend it. As a bonus, you won't be competing with x number of schools like you would coming out of Depaul or Marquette.

[familaw]

Speaking of DePaul-Does anyone know if there is any benefit to checking the "First Year Legal Analysis" section on the Depaul app? I'm wondering if I check it and write the Why? essay, do I have a better chance of getting in if I am in the lower end of their admit stats.

[jimbo]

Marquette is kind of a wild card in my book. They are opening a new law building next year ($80 million facility or something ridiculous like that), but they are low ranked (90's) and carry a high price tag (31K per year).

You might want to check on the new facility?  I'm in ug at Marquette right now and I'm fairly certain that they are not opening the new building until 2011.  Ground hasn't been broken.  That said it looks like it will be a gem when built and will be the gateway to the campus from the boardering freeway interchange to our southeast.

As for MU's neighborhood vs. the East Side.  As a college grad you're going to find a lot more nightlife on the East Side and just things to due in general.  If you want to be away from undergrads take note that UWM is on the north end of the East Side and there are a lot of students living in the area.  There's a lot of nice houses, apartments and condos in that area.  There are plenty of nice accomedations around MU's campus too and it's always a plus to be able to walk from class to your place in less than ten minutes.  Safety can be an issue, as with any urban campus, but I think some of the fears of people that have only heard of Marquette's neighborhood are largely overblown.  I would venture to guess that we have the largest university public safety force per capita and I've never felt particularly unsafe.  Oh and MU's law school is literally a five minute walk from county court and a five minute bus ride to federal court and most of the law firms in town.

I've actually eyeing DePaul right now.  Ready for a change and would like to be back in Illinois.

Let me know if you have any questions about the area.

[boilerguy84]

i thought i read that the new building would be done in 2009.

[CoxlessPair]

This question is solved by simple geographic preference.

Would you rather work in Milwaukee (Algonquin for "The Good Land")? If so, go to Marquette.

Would you rather work in Chicago ("The Stinky Onion")? If so, DePaul.

Wherever people practice law in NM? Then UNW.

They are all T2 schools that will primarily service the immediate region they are in. There may be a handful of exceptions to this (I'm sure there are some Marquette Law grads in Chicago) but go where you want to practice.

[jimbo]

i thought i read that the new building would be done in 2009.

http://law.marquette.edu/building/timetable.html

They anticipate grand opening in 2010.  Ground to be broken this spring.  Many of the individual colleges at Marquette have received huge donations from alums.  Between the alumni donations, new buildings, big increases in the number of applicants, and the move to the Big East, there's a general sense that the university as a whole is on an upswing right now. 

I think the above comment about a question of geography is right on.  If you'd like to work in Milwaukee following graudation Marquette or Madison is the place to be.  There are a lot of Marquette alums in Milwaukee, especially in the business, law, and government circles.

[summerisnear]

Thanks again for the feedback everyone.  For whoever asked if I've been to New Mexico, I have been several times.  It is certainly a beautiful state, I just think I need to be in a bit more of an urban setting.  And I want the highest prospects for a high salary.  I need to do some more research on UNM. 

Also, thanks for the info about Milwaukee neighborhoods.  If I attend Marquette I will not be taking my car with me (I drive a piece of junk that probably wouldn't make it from Denver to Milwaukee) so ideally I'd like an apartment that's walking distance to campus. 

[Freak]

Don't forget COL in your "high salary" calculation.