what should i do?

[tuffany07]

i ususally just read all the posts, but i have a serious problem and i don't know what to do. I got into pepperdine, but only with a 1500 law grant, the rest is in loans. I also got into Howard law school, which is where i go for undergrad, with a 10,000 renewable merit scholarship. i really, really,  really do not want to stay in dc, i am from cali and i want to practice there when i graduate. My area of interest is ip/ entertainment and sports law. I am still pending at loyola, USC and uc hastings, but i think that i only have a shot at Loyola. i have to send in deposits very soon, so if anyone can offer their opinion, i would really appreciate it.

[Revenant]

i ususally just read all the posts, but i have a serious problem and i don't know what to do. I got into pepperdine, but only with a 1500 law grant, the rest is in loans. I also got into Howard law school, which is where i go for undergrad, with a 10,000 renewable merit scholarship. i really, really,  really do not want to stay in dc, i am from cali and i want to practice there when i graduate. My area of interest is ip/ entertainment and sports law. I am still pending at loyola, USC and uc hastings, but i think that i only have a shot at Loyola. i have to send in deposits very soon, so if anyone can offer their opinion, i would really appreciate it.

Hey Tuffany,

How is the renewable merit scholarship?  Does it depend on where you place in your class?  If it does, then that's a big consideration you should take into account.  I'm not sure how strong "really, really, really" is in your mind, nor how important money is in your decision, but if you are totally against going to Howard then it looks like you should place a deposit at Pepperdine.  If you get into Loyola, USC or Hastings, then even better, but at least this way you have a fall-back plan.  Don't put a deposit down on a school you won't want to go to.  Actually, don't apply to a school you wouldn't want to go to.   But seeing as you have, it seems like although you dislike the idea of staying in DC, you would still consider it.  I might be wrong though.  I wouldn't let your area of interest affect your decision as much as the quality of the law school itself.  I'm not sure how Pepperdine and Howard compare, but from advice I've received, it doesn't matter how good a speciality program is -- its the core classes that matter.  Of course, if two schools are the same in that regard, then schools with good speciality programs would probably offer you a wider array of courses to choose from in the respective field.

[argamd]

Put in your deposit at Pepperdine and wait for the others.  They have a good selection of classes for entertainment and sports law.  Check out http://www.top-law-schools.com/entertainment-law-schools.shtml

From what I've seen Pepperdine has a pretty good reputation within law firms in LA, they get a lot of placements in top LA law firms.  If you look at the website of Kirkland and Ellis, one of the top law firms in the country, they seem to be recruiting from the top law schools and Pepperdine.  I think that's a pretty good sign. 

Last year's bar passage rates were discouraging, but if you look at the year's past they have been consistently at over 70%.  I think they just had a bad year.  Maybe I'm just trying to make myself feel better since i'm probably going to go to Pepperdine if I don't get into Loyola or UCLA, maybe I'll see you there.

Bottom line, if you want to move back to Cali, you need to go to school here.

[lawstudent2004]

From what I have heard competition in Cali is very tough.  To get a job there you have to either go to a top national school or go to school in Cali. 

If you want to work in Cali don't go to school at Howard.  I think for you it would be worth the significant loans you would have to take, ~ 90,000 probably, to go to Pepperdine. 

[lemmiwinks]

Go to Pepperdine.  This is a no brainer.

[NerdyLaw]

I know a guy who got a 175 on the LSAT - had like a 3.9 in EE from MIT - and decided to go to Pepperdine (on a full ride of course) due to their excellent ip/sports law program. If that's what you want to do, go for it.