Boston College, Madison, or U of MN?

[ApesAMB]

Thanks everyone for the advice!

lawboy- I actually would prefer Minnesota over Madison.  I think we just have been discussing the other 2 because I've already gotten into those.  I'm deferred at the U of MN.  If I get in there, my choice will be between MN and Boston College. 

I know technically the U of MN is ranked higher than BC, but not by enough to make a significant difference.  It doesn't seem to me like the job opportunities coming from Minnesota are that great for such a highly ranked school.  I think the job prospects are great in Minneapolis, but I don't know how hard it is to get jobs outside the midwest.

Does anyone know how hard it is to get jobs on the coasts from U of MN or Madison?  Is it maybe top 10%?  Top third?  Do many people from Minnesota go to Chicago?

I am also interested in working in Europe at some point.  Which school would be the best for getting a job out of the country?

[nukelaw]

I think  Minnesota is the most prestigious of the 3.  It's a perennial Top 20.  However, I'm not sure that it's placement is really any more national, perhaps if you're yop 10% or something.  But I've been deferredthere so pick Wisconsin or BC -- sounds like you have a personal prference for one of those schools anyway.

I'd disagree that any one of these schools are more prestigious than the others. They're within the same range of schools (20-30) and that's how employers are likely to view them.

[drleather2001]

Agreed.  I'm probably headed to UMN, and I don't expect to get much action from the east coast when I graduate.

That being said, with schools ranked in this region (sub T-14/upper Tier 1), getting a decent job in the region that they reside should be relatively easy, compared to schools in the second tier.  UMN and Madison have a slight advantage over BC, perhaps because they are the top schools in their markets, while BC is tied for 2nd in Boston with BU.  That being said, average salaries in Boston are probably higher than in Twin Cities/Wisconsin.

Where do you want to live?  That's really the only important factor here.  Alleviating $45,000 in debt isn't worth living somewhere you don't want to be.

[Stuje1]

Sorry to be late to the conversation...just finished with finals (woo!)  I think I am a pretty good person to throw in my two cents since I went to UW for UG and am now at BC Law (and was deferred at UMN, but eventually rejected 3 weeks into law school). 

I think you have a very tough decision.   I absolutely loved my UG experience in Madison and couldn't be happier with my law school choice of BC.   Kind of cliche, but you can't go wrong with either.   Besides thinking about where you want to live when you graduate, also consider where you want to live for law school.  Not sure how familiar you are with both locations.  Where did you do your UG?   Madison is a great college town.  You will be surrounded by tons of UG students everywhere you go...the law school is really immersed in the university.   It is a ton of fun for UG, but may be a bit more annoying as a law student.  BC is more separated from the UG campus (which turned me off at first but I like it now).  You are right on the outskirts of a major city which has all the great things a big city has to offer.   So both have great environments, but definitely different.

In Terms of job prospects, I think BC has the slight edge.  UW has Chicago, but that is pretty much it for major market cities (though some good smaller markets in Minneapolis and Milwaukee).   BC has the major markets of Boston, NYC and D.C. in its backyard (as well as smaller markets of Philly and Pitt).  If you dont know where you want to live, it is nice to have more major markets around you to choose from. Plus, you can definitely get back to Chicago from BC (I will in fact be working there this summer).   A kind of stupid article came out on CBSsports (yes sports) today about law school (it is posted on other threads on here).   One of the things it says though is kind of my point: "14. Don't go to the Midwest for law school. Pick any other region. Unless you're absolutely certain you want to practice in Chicago. Yeah, yeah, Chicago's awesome but it's also the de facto capital of about eight states. If you really want to end up in Chicago you can get there from lots of places outside the Midwest."  There are a ton of really great schools in the midwest, so I wouldn't say dont go to school there, but I think his point about Chicago being the only major market is a valid one.

If you have any questions about UW or BC (or even UMN), feel free to send me a PM.  I'd be glad to answer.  Good luck in your decision!

[ApesAMB]

Thanks for the great perspective!  It's nice to hear from someone with experience in all these places.

As for familiarity with the schools, I went to U of MN for undergrad and have been to Madison quite a few times.  I've visited the law school twice and have gone to Halloween a couple times too.  I agree that it's a great undergrad town, but I am a little worried that it won't be as great for grad school.  Unless law schools drives me to be a crazy State St. partier!  I visited Boston College and really liked the area and I loved Boston.  I like that BC is away from the undergrad campus a bit.  I've been out of undergrad for 3 years, so I'm not that psyched to hang out with them anymore. 

I'm really not sure where I want to live when I'm done with school.  I'm really not that interested in Chicago and I know absolutely for sure I don't want to live in Milwaukee.  I think if I were to live in the midwest, I'd be in Minneapolis.  In general, the places I could most see myself living are Boston, New York, San Fransisco, Minneapolis, Colorado, or Europe.  So it's looking like BC is going to have better prospects for almost all those areas...

[GodspeedMUFC]

I was BC undergrad and I have to say that it is really an awesome place to live/ study in. I eventually moved downtown to the south end, while commuting out to Boston College.  I have to say my quality of life here is pretty incredible. Law students seem to be happy and the atmosphere on law campus is collegial.

[blues86]

I have to echo what the Man U fan says (sorry, as a Blues fan, I can't bring myself to type in his screen name, haha); I am about to graduate from BC undergrad, and it's been a great four years.  The area is relatively cheap to live in (compared to downtown Boston), and if you want to live in Newton, the only undergrads that you'll run into are the freshmen that you'll share the law school campus and dining hall with.  BC has some great facilities, especially on the main campus, where you can get to very easily via a free shuttle bus.  Law students get discounted football tickets, as well and if you're into college football, BC has a phenomenal home schedule coming up.

Also, I noticed that you (ApesAMB, that is!) are interested in maybe living in Europe.  I know that BC has had opportunities where law students could intern at the Hague and at EU Criminal Tribunals for a semester or over the summer.  They might have actually discontinued the official program, but given the history of the program, I would imagine that there's several connections you could tap into if EU law is something you might be interested in.

Also, I just wanted to point out that I'm on the waitlist at BC right now, so if I'm still encouraging you to go (as opposed to giving up your seat so I could potentially sneak in there  ), it must be a really great place, right?!  Cheers and good luck on your decision!

[nubova]

According to most published reports, BC places in BIGLAW better.

http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNLJ.jsp?id=1207904889529

However, I would suggest the following:

If you want to practice at a big firm on a coast, attend BC.
If you want to work in the MidWest, attend UMinn. (other than Wisc).
If you want to work in Wisconsin, attend Madison.

[El_Che]

According to most published reports, BC places in BIGLAW better.

http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNLJ.jsp?id=1207904889529

However, I would suggest the following:

If you want to practice at a big firm on a coast, attend BC.
If you want to work in the MidWest, attend UMinn. (other than Wisc).
If you want to work in Wisconsin, attend Madison.

I would edit this.
If you want a clerkship or to work in Minnesota, or the Upper Midwest, attend UMinn.
If you want to work in Wisconsin or Chicago, attend Madison. According to the data, Madison places better in Chicago than UMinn.

[UofM3l]

This is largely due to self selection. Minnesota students have a large market to go to other than chicago and a lot of them choose to work in Minneapolis. Madison grads have no market of their own, so they have to go to Chicago or Minneapolis if they want a big firm.

I would agree that BC places better than Minnesota or Madison in Big Firms, but that is because they have two of the largest legal markets in the country at their doorstep.