Rutgers State

[alwaystheunderdog]

I know that I will appreciate not having the obnoxious debt.

do you already live in the area, do you have family you can live with - NJ housing is pretty expensive - comparable to a lot of cities - most burbs around newark will be over 1200 for a 1 br.  if you have a car, dont forget about the insurance prices.

do you have a place lined up yet - i know there is a nice one in west orange that is around 1000 a month, just a ride down 280 right into rutgers

[Butch]

I dont think a lot of students complain about Rutgers!  I know tons of students who have gone there and they all liked it. And, none of them are practicing public interest law now, either. THey're all in mid-size to large corporate firms.

There are parts of Newark that are fairly nice...other parts that are not. But, again, I've known tons of people who have gone to school there (including my partner) and none were ever victims of any crime.  The law school itself is really nice.

For living, I'd suggest anywhere off of the Midtown Direct train line...it'll just take minutes to get to school.   Very  nice suburbs are Montclair, West Orange, Bloomfield...they're all about 10-12 minutes from the school by public transportation. You can find a 1Br for $800-1100, depending on where you look. We had a nice 1Br in Montclair for $1015. Or you can share a 2BR, those run about $1400.

You won't need a car if you live in those places, but I'd recommend one just so you can drive all over.

I know they were also building nice luxury apartments just a few blocks from the law school..not sure if those are up yet.

[dmitrik4]

Outside of public interest is Rutgers any good? Specifically, I'm interested in international or corporate law.

any good in what way?  which rutgers; R-N or R-C?  they both have excellent faculties that are better than the schools' USNWR rankings would suggest...particularly R-C.

just like any law school, not a lot of grads go into public interest; it just doesn't pay enough for even the best-intentioned people.  but i know that camden has a strong PI aspect, and they urge students to do pro bono work in school.  pro bono work has the dual effect of helping people and giving students valuable hands-on experience.  that experience is transferable to any kind of law.

[scotch]

i've heard a lot of people complain about the admin and access to profs at RU-Newark. RU-Camdem seems to be better.

RU newark also has an unusually high attrition rate for a state univ.

[rosettaresearch]

After reading these articles on student loan debt after school, I am so happy I waited to enroll in law school after college.

I guess I understood the high cost of education while in college because I paid for it. Upon graduation, I purposely waited to apply to law school so I could gain legal experience, solidfy my desire to become an attorney and find an employer who would help me pay for school.

Next month, I start Rutgers in Newark as a part time student. I will be receiving $5000 a year from my employer as tuition reimbursement which is essentially half of the tuition for part time residents.

I planned it this way because I have a desire to practice public interest law. THe reality of public interest law is that it is a very low paying sector. The only way to become a public interest attorney if you are paying your own way through law school and your undergraduate institution is to plan accordingly and avoid enormous loans at any cost-even if it means putting school on hold for a few years.

[celphone]

I guess I understood the high cost of education while in college because I paid for it. Upon graduation, I purposely waited to apply to law school so I could gain legal experience, solidfy my desire to become an attorney and find an employer who would help me pay for school.