Does anyone have anything good to say about Salem or Willamette?

[Clayton]

Let me preface by saying that, I really would like to live in the Pacific Northwest. Or at least I think I do... I have never visited, just researched.

Should I not be accepted from my waitlists, my choice falls between Texas Tech and Willamette. I am somewhat torn at the moment.

From reading LSD, I have not found many favorable opinions of Willamette... from it's curve to Salem's shortcomings. It's also my understanding that many of the 2L and 3L's commute from south Portland because of Salem's lack of things to do?

If I went to Tech, I would probably get paid more and get hired sooner/better shot at passing the bar. However, I would have a hard time relocating to the PNW; because Tech has little to no reach outside of Texas. I know I could potentially get experience here in Texas then try and move later, but that would be difficult because of my lack of connections to the PNW.

Willamette would also be a little cheaper (3grand/year) than Tech, as long as I can hold the scholarship.

Lubbock, TX is the flattest place on earth and also one of the most conservative cities in the nation. I had to drive 4 miles just to recycle. No bike lanes. Going to a bigger city meant driving 5 hours to Dallas. Anything outdoor related is at least 2 hours away(most are 5+ hours away). Few trees. I've all ready spent 4.5 years there.

Right now I have very few connections to Texas, and I am afraid that if I don't leave now I won't be able too in the future because of wife/gf/job/etc ties to the area.

Sorry for rambling. Opinions?

[armyjag]

I will preface this by saying that I know nothing about the northwest...
Am I correct in noting that you did not apply to any other Texas schools?

Judging by your post, you obviously really dislike or intensely hate west Texas (I'm right there with you).  Considering that you applied nowhere else in Texas, I would think you just don't want to live and practice there.

You know TT will not translate outside of Texas, and so if you really want to go back to the northwest, now would probably be a really good time.  I mean, you don't even have Bobby Knight hanging out across the street from the law school anymore.

[NHreading]

I attended Willamette for undergrad, and am going back to a T1 on the east coast for law school, however also lived in Texas so perhaps I can shed some light.

While Salem's not the most appealing of towns, at least Portland is 45 minutes north and Eugene an hour south. Lubbock is flat and isolated from Dallas. At least Salem has the pretense of a city, a real city nearby, mountains and the ocean. Willamette's campus is very pretty and the surrounding downtown is ok. There are also clinical options with the State Capitol being across the street, obviously not an option for Texas.

As far as post law school, TT competes with Texas, U Houston, SMU, Oklahoma and law schools of considerably higher quality than TT. Lewis and Clark as well as Oregon are closer in ranking to Willamette. The dean at Willamette's law school is from Harvard, and couldn't be nicer. Willamette's law school building itself is also relatively nice and expanding. I have no idea why they dropped to Tier 4, although I do hear there is a high attrition rate. Hope this helps. Again, go to school where you want to practice.

[I can has lauskul!]

Anything good?  Ummmmm...it's not Camden.  And it's not Tacoma.  That's about it.

[bossfan2]

No question, go to Willamette.  Oregon is the most wonderful place in the world and, while Salem is kind of a lame city, Portland is amazing and nearby.  Suffer through living in Salem for 3 years, then move to Portland and commute to Salem for work.  Spend your law school weekends hiking, skiing, at the beach, and forgetting you live in Salem.

Yes, Willamette is the lowest-ranked law school in Oregon, but its proximity to the capitol keeps its students and grads in decent government jobs.  If you're at the top of your class, you could have a shot at a good job in Portland, too.

[S2X]

I'm a 1L at Willamette right now, and I feel like I definitely made the right choice coming here.  It's a friendly atmosphere, and there's really not a lot of cutthroat people that would want to screw you over just to get higher on the class rankings.

I got waitlisted at Tech, got into some other schools like SLU and Indiana-Indy, but just didn't feel like those were right for me.

I will agree that Salem is a dead town.  If you want to do something on a Saturday or Sunday night, forget it.  Go to Portland.  It doesn't bother me because I didn't bring my car here anyway and if I need to get someplace far away, I just ask my friends to take me there (doesn't happen often).  I usually just drink at my friend's place on Friday nights anyway, so I really don't need to travel anywhere.

We're all dumbfounded that Willamette was listed as a T4...it should go back to T3 this year.  I personally didn't care about rankings...I just wanted to go to law school.

We lost 9 people in the 1L class due to grades after last semester.  A few more will likely be cut after the second semester.  But look at it this way: if you work hard, you shouldn't worry about it.  Just go about your business and do what you gotta do.

All first-year courses at Willamette have a curve...it's pretty complex to me, but the median is between a B and a B-.

People do commute from Portland, but a bunch of people do stay close enough to the school to walk to campus, myself included.

Willamette has excellent location in Oregon.  The state capitol is extremely close, the Oregon Supreme Court is also nearby, and the Dept. of Justice is literally across the street from where I live (and I live 10 minutes on foot from campus).  The law building is pretty nice as well.

If you like to ride your bike...you'll like going to Willamette.  Definitely a bunch of bike riders around these parts.

[Clayton]

Well I am not an avid bike rider. I would have liked to have been, but that past time in Lubbock was too dangerous to attempt (because of the lack of sidewalks/bike lanes).

I am going to attend both schools admitted student days, hopefully this will help me make up my mind.

[pete.]

are you kidding me? sounds like you'd much rather be in oregon, so go to willamette. don't let the naysayers scare you into not doing what you want-- if you work hard, you'll be fine. and if you're among the 9% who fall to attrition they're probably doing you a favor.

fyi, their bar passage rate last summer was 86%. that's like almost ten percentage points above the state average.

willamette's in my top 3 so perhaps i see you there...

[beaverfuzz]

I am almost sure I will be attending in August. I currently live in Portland and am considering making the commute, but will take a look at housing options in Salem. It will certainly be cheaper than staying in PDX.

If any of you decide to eventually become a Willamette 1L next year, let me know and we can chat!

[Clayton]

Willamette is a tier 3 now, which makes me feel a little better.