Thread for potential T2 Students

[jack24]

I love getting input from people who got 170+ on the LSAT, but to be honest, I'm hoping to get in contact with some people who are probably going to a school ranked between 51 and 100.

What have you heard about career options and job placement?
Are there some jobs that might be out of reach for us?
Is there really a big difference between T2 and T3?
Have you been accepted to T2s but rejected/waitlisted to some lower ranked schools?

[Lobstah!]

Jobs are going to be largely regional unless you excel at the school and are very involved in various things (law review, moot court, get some awards etc). I know that this is all the T14/T50 people say about Tier 2/3 but from what I've seen working at a big firm, it's true.

Yes, but this is the case no matter where you go.

I'm not sure, it really depends on the school's local reputation and what kinds of jobs you are looking at. One firm might love local Tier 3 grads because a lot of the senior partners went there and may shy away from a far away T14 because they have no local connections and will take a longer time to develop a solid book of business.

I was accepted to SLU and waitlisted at Depaul. Can't say I'm upset. I've heard some bad things about the school and am not particularly enamored with trying to compete in Chicago anyway.

[jack24]

If my choice is between Gonzaga (T3) and Kansas (66)

Should rank, or the market I want to work in be more important?

I don't really know if I'd rather work in Spokane or Kansas City.   

[gophils215]

If my choice is between Gonzaga (T3) and Kansas (66)

Should rank, or the market I want to work in be more important?

I don't really know if I'd rather work in Spokane or Kansas City.   

In this case, I'd say the market will dictate your decision.  A Kansas degree won't travel well to Spokane and vice versa.

[jack24]

If I don't want to work in either market will it really make any difference?

[Lobstah!]

If I don't want to work in either market will it really make any difference?

What are you looking for in those particular schools then?

[jack24]

The market I want to work in only has two schools.  They both have average GPAs of 3.6+
I've been rejected by one and I'm waiting to hear back from the other.

I'm probably planning on working for 4 or 5 years near the school I attend and then I might try to move back.

[Lobstah!]

I'm probably planning on working for 4 or 5 years near the school I attend and then I might try to move back.

So you still need to find a job after school around that area...

Pick the one you would like best.

[mpk1516]

Right now I am looking at acceptances from Temple, Pitt($$) and Tennessee, all in the 50's.

I don't know if you can generalize this situation across markets, but the job prospects for Temple and Pitt are very good in their respective markets. Pitt doesn't have much in the way of competition in Pittsburgh outside of Duquesne(T4), which doesn't seem to have a huge impact on Pitt's prospects. Temple seems to dominate the Philly market due to a strong alumni network. Many people mention Penn, but if you live in Philly and/or look at LSAC stats you realize that it doesn't have a mojor effect because it's a mid-size school that sends a higher percentage of grads to NYC than it does to Philly firms.

Only the high-end BigLaw jobs in NYC and DC seem to be out of reach from these type of schools.

In any event, for me the money at Pitt is the biggest factor right now.

[jack24]

How much stock should I put on the average starting salaries that are reported to US news?