W&L or W&M?

[ebirt07]

So I have a few days to make the decision between Washington & Lee and
William & Mary.

I'm a VA resident- is there any way for me to justify spending the
extra $40k over 2 years on W&L? I went to W&M undergrad, so I'm
comfortable there, but I think a change might be good. I do like
W&L's rabid alumni base, the tiny size of the school, and the new 3rd
year program, but is that worth $40k? Is there a huge difference in
job prospects?

I also can't find an answer as to how W&L and W&M treat grades from my
first school. Any ideas?

Total Cost of Attendance
W&L- $53,775
W&M- $34,364 (instate)

Thanks everybody!

[sasfore]

"First, I'll be W&L in the fall, so that may impact how I view the school

Washington and Lee places much better than people give them credit for. Clerkship percentage for 2007 grads was 19%. Around 60% went private practice, with a starting salary median of 110,000. The private practice and starting salary could be higher, but W&L grads are notorious for wanting to find a "comfortable job" rather than high salary. I would much rather take 100,000 in Charlotte than 160K in NYC.

So, I feel there is at least a 50% (60%/2 + 19%) chance to land a extremely good job. I decided on W&L and low debt over BC, wisconsin, iowa, UNC, washington university in st.louis, and a few other schools."

[big - fat - box]

Placement is going to be about the same. Neither is a truly national school and the big firms don't go nearly as deep in recruiting as they do at the top 10-15 schools.

Whether or not you get biglaw will depend how highly ranked you were at your old law school.You need to talk to people who transferred in before you. I wouldn't put to much stock in career stats, as all schools (even my T14) exaggerate somewhat.

My advice: I would go to the cheaper school in a second. That way, even if you end up working in government or at a small or midsize firm, you're debt will be more manageable.

I do not know about W&M or W&L , but when transferring, most schools will have you start from scratch with grades. That's what my new school did. You still get to use your old gpa and class rank for OCI and job hunting - it will stay on your resume.