Wisconsin vs. Lewis & Clark

[Which School?!]

Which School?!

Wisconsin (no $, but reciprocity)

 15 (45.5%)

Lewis & Clark ($15K/yr)

 18 (54.5%)

Total Members Voted: 33

[HippieLawChick]

El_Che: In doing all these comparisons, you are forgetting one big element in the analysis - your personality and ability to sell yourself.  The top 20% of students at most schools can generally find good jobs. For everyone else, their ability to speak and convince employers that they are "it" is the most important thing ever.  A lot of what we red on this site and all over the net tends to focus on things that can be measured, like placement numbers, but there isn't much discussion of how much just being able to express yourself verbally can do for your prospects.    My experience with you here at LSD is that you are very straightforward and likable.  That goes a long way.

Forget the numbers and stats and think about how good you are at selling and marketing your biggest asset - yourself.   

Personally, I have 100% confidence in my own ability to find the perfect job, no matter what my grades or school.  That confidence has translated into opportunities.  I applied to very few jobs this past year, and got interviewed at 90% of the places, and each organization I interviewed with made me an offer.  Even the one that wanted a student with a ranking far better than my own. 

Pick a school that can do the most for you, and where you feel you can excel.  Jobs and money will work themselves out, I promise. 

[HippieLawChick]

Oh, and before I forget: Wisconsin does have a lot of criminal law based clinics, but there are also a lot of people (myself included) who participate in the civil clinics. There are 5 of them in total: Family Law, Health Law, Consumer Law, Neighborhood Law and the Community Supervison clinic that helps those on probation/parole with civil issues.  Right now, that accounts for about 50 second year students. 

Many of those who do the criminal clinics aren't interested in criminal law, just in getting experience.  Since the clinics are so well-respected, you will find that a clinical experience at Wisconsin really helps your resume.

Before you commit to a school based on clinics, make sure you ask what the criteria are for being admitted to the clinics.  Some schools have really competitive clinics, and others don't. 

Also, to the poster who commented on the Wisconsin Diploma Privilege: the courses we have to take aren't that different from anyone elses:
2 Con Law Classes
Contracts
Civ Pro
Torts
Criminal Law
Criminal Procedure
Legal Process (can be legal history, jurisprudence,comparative law)
Trusts and Estates
Legal Writing and Research
Property

There are 60 credits of required courses, and 30 of electives you can take.  It's slightly less flexibility than most schools, but many of the classes are those you would take anyway.
. 
 

[El_Che]

El_Che: In doing all these comparisons, you are forgetting one big element in the analysis - your personality and ability to sell yourself.  The top 20% of students at most schools can generally find good jobs. For everyone else, their ability to speak and convince employers that they are "it" is the most important thing ever.  A lot of what we red on this site and all over the net tends to focus on things that can be measured, like placement numbers, but there isn't much discussion of how much just being able to express yourself verbally can do for your prospects.    My experience with you here at LSD is that you are very straightforward and likable.  That goes a long way.

Forget the numbers and stats and think about how good you are at selling and marketing your biggest asset - yourself.   

Personally, I have 100% confidence in my own ability to find the perfect job, no matter what my grades or school.  That confidence has translated into opportunities.  I applied to very few jobs this past year, and got interviewed at 90% of the places, and each organization I interviewed with made me an offer.  Even the one that wanted a student with a ranking far better than my own. 

Pick a school that can do the most for you, and where you feel you can excel.  Jobs and money will work themselves out, I promise. 

Very good points. Thank you for taking the time to stop in and write here. Just found your blog too; I'm scouring it for info in case I decide on Wisconsin

[just Trev]

hey che...you decide yet? i'm interested to know where you're gonna go.

[El_Che]

hey che...you decide yet? i'm interested to know where you're gonna go.

I have till the 15th..so about 4 more days. But I'm actually leaning pretty heavily towards Wisconsin, after contacting about 40 grads from UW and 40 from L&C, off of Martindale, and having pretty good conversations with quite a few of them (they were, for the most part, surprisingly willing to chat with me), it seems like UW would be the better choice for my situation. So I'm gonna mull it over for a day or two, but it's looking like Wisconsin.

[just Trev]

i figured that's where you would end up leaning.  after my visit to L&C, i'd definitely pick UW-Mad without even visiting.

[El_Che]

i figured that's where you would end up leaning.  after my visit to L&C, i'd definitely pick UW-Mad without even visiting.

lol, really? What about your trip would make you lean that way so heavily? Just curious, as I've already made that same decision, with trips to both places though.

[just Trev]

honestly, the job market here in portland freaks me out.  portland is an amazing city, and i absolutely love living here.  i can definitely picture myself settling down here and everything, but at the end of the day, i just don't feel like a L&C degree gives me a significant advantage at being successful.  also, uw-mad really sounds like they can get you a good set-up (jobwise) in a part of the country that has a lot more to offer in that field.  the overwhelming prestige advantage wisconsin enjoys doesn't hurt too much, either.  all that said, there are still a lot of schools i would pick L&C over, given the choice.  it all just depends on your circumstance, i guess.