IU-Bloomington vs. Lewis and Clark

[lah05]

I'm almost positive that I want to go in the direction of environmental law/land use law/something of that general nature when I'm done with law school.  As most law students do, I'm going to have some big loans to pay when I'm done so I would consider working for a big firm doing whatever for the first few years to get a jump start on paying them off, but I think I will want to get back to environmental law when I've got a better handle on my financial situation.

As far as location is concerned, I don't want to stay in Indiana long term although there are many other Midwestern states I wouldn't mind living in.  I know that many law school grads stay in Indiana (according to the pie graph on the career services website) while many grads of the MPA program do not.  I'm not quite sure where most joint degree holders end up.  I really wouldn't mind ending up in the Pacific Northwest at all, but the other thing I forgot to mention in my initial post is that there is about a $30,000 difference in the median starting salaries at IU-Bloomington and L & C.  Not that those figures are entirely representative of what I will be making out of either place, especially with environmental law, but it serves as a decent indicator. 

Mind Crime-  I have until May 27th to let IU-Bloomington know.

Thanks Matthies (just read your post after I wrote everything else out), I hadn't thought of the visit option before.  I'll have to check into that.     

[A.J]

The deadline at L&C was the 1st.  They extend me until the 10th because I did not respond.  You may want to contact them and let them know you are still interested and trying to make a careful decision.  They will probably extend you.

[lah05]

The deadline at L&C was the 1st. They extend me until the 10th because I did not respond. You may want to contact them and let them know you are still interested and trying to make a careful decision. They will probably extend you.

Thursday actually is an extension.  They have been trying to get in contact me for about 10 days now to tell me I needed to decide by Tuesday, but I was in Costa Rica so I had limited communication abilities.  I talked to Rigo this morning and I guess they are under a pretty tight schedule and need to know right now.   

[A.J]

*&^% sorry, I really should read instead of skim. 

[Wolfie]

This might not be of help, but reading your previous posts, you seem to have been pretty set on IUB being your first choice mainly because of the SPEA Master of Public Affairs program but was pretty set on ending up in Oregon otherwise.  So the SPEA program and the fact that you do think IUB is a better school overall than any of the Oregon schools you were considering obviously appeals to you. And you don't exactly care whether you end up practicing in the Northwest? I can't see how Lewis & Clark will be better for you career wise or pay wise after you graduate, although I don't think it'll necessarily be worst enough for you to consider one over the other. It sounds like you'll enjoy your 3 years in Oregon a lot better. Family and friends is a top priority for me so if I was faced with the choice I would choose Lewis & Clark. But you are so high on IUB and SPEA being a better school and program that it would be a matter of what's important to you. You were most excited about the possibility of IUB before. Has anything changed? What are you most excited about now?

[Perversely]

Okay, need some serious help here.  I was recently taken off of both IU and L & C's waitlists and have until Thursday to let Lewis and Clark know.  I am interested in environmental law, and Lewis and Clark has the best program.  However, I have also been admitted into IU's SPEA Master of Public Affairs program, which is the best for environmental policy in the country and would complete the joint degree program.

As far as location is concerned, Oregon would be a kickass place to be for the next three years.  I have lots of family and friends out there, Portland is only a drive away from the coast and I wouldn't mind living out there long term.

Indiana does not seem like quite as cool of a place (I'm a fan of corn, but it has its limitations), but I visited Bloomington and liked it.  The law school as a whole is without a doubt a giant step ahead of Lewis and Clark, but will I be that far ahead in environmental law at Indiana?  Should I even be basing my decision on the type of law I want to practice (I hear most people who go for env. law don't end up doing it).  I'm also not confident that Indiana is where I want to be permanently located.   

I'm from Minnesota so Indiana would be closer to home, but is still a good 16 hour drive away. 

Please help!

 

EDITED:  A 16-hour drive away...that's like a country apart.  i don't know what to say.  they gave me until the 10th to email them back. if they've extended you until thursday, i say you got a lot out of them because they made it clear in that email that after the 10th, that was it.

what is the SPEA program?  so that would mean you would go to law school and get a Masters as well?   i normally say go to the school that you like the most and that serves your purpose the most.  however, i think you got a lot of issues going on here. 

is money a factor in all of this?  was l&c giving you more? let us know how you've decided.

costa rica--now, that's a vacation.  i heard it's beautiful.  any tips on what to do while there?

[lah05]

Thank you all for your help!  I think I'm going to stick with Indiana.  Oregon is beautiful and it would be great to have the fam nearby, but I just don't think I can pass up the opportunities I'm going to get through the joint program at IU. 


 

EDITED: A 16-hour drive away...that's like a country apart.  i don't know what to say.  they gave me until the 10th to email them back. if they've extended you until thursday, i say you got a lot out of them because they made it clear in that email that after the 10th, that was it.

what is the SPEA program?  so that would mean you would go to law school and get a Masters as well?   i normally say go to the school that you like the most and that serves your purpose the most. however, i think you got a lot of issues going on here.

is money a factor in all of this? was l&c giving you more? let us know how you've decided.

costa rica--now, that's a vacation.  i heard it's beautiful.  any tips on what to do while there?

   

Costa Rica was an amazing place to be.  I would definitely visit Monteverde and do one of the canopy tours offered there.  We went through Selvatura and were not disappointed in the least.  We then took the jeep boat jeep tour from Monteverde to Fortuna to see the volcano Arenal, get a tour of the rainforest there, and spend 2 hours in a natural hot spring.  For all of the Fortuna activities plus lodging in a hostel, it is only $45 through jeep boat jeep.  Great deal.  We then went to Playa Tamarindo and spent five days there.  It was very Americanized, so if you are looking for something more local, I would suggest one of the smaller beaches.  All in all it was an incredible vacation.  If you can find cheap airfare, it can be done very inexpensively. 

[fliingdutchmn]

I worked very closely with the public policy professors at my university and thus know that Indiana's program is top of the top tier.  Good choice!!!

Okay, need some serious help here.  I was recently taken off of both IU and L & C's waitlists and have until Thursday to let Lewis and Clark know.  I am interested in environmental law, and Lewis and Clark has the best program.  However, I have also been admitted into IU's SPEA Master of Public Affairs program, which is the best for environmental policy in the country and would complete the joint degree program.

As far as location is concerned, Oregon would be a kickass place to be for the next three years.  I have lots of family and friends out there, Portland is only a drive away from the coast and I wouldn't mind living out there long term.

Indiana does not seem like quite as cool of a place (I'm a fan of corn, but it has its limitations), but I visited Bloomington and liked it.  The law school as a whole is without a doubt a giant step ahead of Lewis and Clark, but will I be that far ahead in environmental law at Indiana?  Should I even be basing my decision on the type of law I want to practice (I hear most people who go for env. law don't end up doing it).  I'm also not confident that Indiana is where I want to be permanently located.   

I'm from Minnesota so Indiana would be closer to home, but is still a good 16 hour drive away. 

Please help!

 

[tacojohn]

I worked very closely with the public policy professors at my university and thus know that Indiana's program is top of the top tier.  Good choice!!!

What's funny is many people at IU don't understand that.  I know masters programs and undergrad programs differ wildly in their rankings, but most of the IU community, particularly the B-School, sees SPEA as the B-School's bastard stepchild.  As a matter of fact, I thought I knew all the great programs at IU that no one knew about.  I had no idea SPEA's graduate programs were as highly ranked.

[lah05]

What's funny is many people at IU don't understand that. I know masters programs and undergrad programs differ wildly in their rankings, but most of the IU community, particularly the B-School, sees SPEA as the B-School's bastard stepchild. As a matter of fact, I thought I knew all the great programs at IU that no one knew about. I had no idea SPEA's graduate programs were as highly ranked.

I think that SPEA undergrad and SPEA graduate programs are two completely different animals.  When I visited campus in February, I asked Professor Rhodes if many of the undergraduate students in SPEA ended up moving on to graduate work there.  He just sort of laughed and basically said that most of the students that do SPEA as undergrads simply couldn't hack the business school but want to graduate with something that bears some resemblance to a business major.  He said that there were the dedicated few who truly wanted to be there, but they were definitely the minority. 

I can't say I know much more about the SPEA MPA program than what I've been told by the school itself and seen in the rankings, but so far I've been very impressed by the students, faculty, and staff.