Temple vs. Villanova

[Which is better? Assuming they cost the same.]

Which is better? Assuming they cost the same.

Temple

Villanova

[john jacob]

stats from the school?

The NLJ250 has Temple and Villanova being identical.

[stateofbeasley]

Thanks for the comments.  I can't seem to find Temple's employment stats, but I did find Villanova's.

Tread carefully... those figures likely include both associates and document reviewers.

[Maddie]

I have heard different things.  I think Villanova places slightly better but that could be a function of the relatively high number of Temple students who choose to go into public interest (which could also stem from the lower tuition/more generous financial aid.)

I chose Temple, but I was waitlisted at Villanova.     I still would probably have chosen Temple due to financial considerations.  But in absolute terms, I think the schools are pretty much equal and it's a matter of which is a better fit for you in terms of lifestyle and cost.

[TimeToPanic]

is there an NLJ chart for the 2007 or 2006?  All I have is the NLJ 250 chart for 2005 and it shows Villanova doing better (though very similar)

[lakers24]

I have heard different things.  I think Villanova places slightly better but that could be a function of the relatively high number of Temple students who choose to go into public interest (which could also stem from the lower tuition/more generous financial aid.)

I chose Temple, but I was waitlisted at Villanova.     I still would probably have chosen Temple due to financial considerations.  But in absolute terms, I think the schools are pretty much equal and it's a matter of which is a better fit for you in terms of lifestyle and cost.

my biggest regret this cycle is not applying to Temple. I applied late and missed the deadline. I got into Villanova but it just wasnt for me. But I would have attended Temple in a heartbeat though. So I guess I'll cast my vote for Temple.

[DCLabor25]

Thanks for the comments.  I can't seem to find Temple's employment stats, but I did find Villanova's.  47% of those who enter private practice, get into firms with 101+ attorneys (This is approximately 28% of the enter class).  An additional 14% of the class gets judicial clerkships.  That seems pretty good for a tier 2 school.  As for selectivity, based on what I saw on what I saw on LSN, Temple seems much more selective.  So there isn't a huge difference between the schools?

TimeToPanic -- Again, I think you are trying to find some big difference when one simply does not exist.  There are a million different ways to game those numbers.  There are not any uniform standards when it comes to placement stats.  Another poster is right -- does that include people working in doc review jobs or as contract attorneys?  The clerkships -- when you hear clerkship you probably think federal court, but it could just as easily be a court of common pleas or something.  That's not a bad job as far as hands on legal experience, but it's not the type of "clerkship" that many people on these boards envision.  And I would not use the "selectivity" on LSN for much of anything.  LSN is a very small sample size.  The ABA publishes the LSAT range for these two schools and they are basically in the same ballpark.

Do not try to take small differences in these metrics to mean that one should be picked above another.  I think this about schools that are in different cities and sometimes even different tiers.  This is especially true when the two schools are in the same city and same tier.  The bottom line should be very simple -- what will each school cost you?  Unless you felt dramatically more comfortable at one school, cost should be the deciding factor -- it's going to be FAR more important than the other variables.

B

[Maddie]

I have heard different things.  I think Villanova places slightly better but that could be a function of the relatively high number of Temple students who choose to go into public interest (which could also stem from the lower tuition/more generous financial aid.)

I chose Temple, but I was waitlisted at Villanova.     I still would probably have chosen Temple due to financial considerations.  But in absolute terms, I think the schools are pretty much equal and it's a matter of which is a better fit for you in terms of lifestyle and cost.

my biggest regret this cycle is not applying to Temple. I applied late and missed the deadline. I got into Villanova but it just wasnt for me. But I would have attended Temple in a heartbeat though. So I guess I'll cast my vote for Temple.

Lakers, will you be going to law school this fall, or are you reapplying? 

[lakers24]

I have heard different things.  I think Villanova places slightly better but that could be a function of the relatively high number of Temple students who choose to go into public interest (which could also stem from the lower tuition/more generous financial aid.)

I chose Temple, but I was waitlisted at Villanova.     I still would probably have chosen Temple due to financial considerations.  But in absolute terms, I think the schools are pretty much equal and it's a matter of which is a better fit for you in terms of lifestyle and cost.

my biggest regret this cycle is not applying to Temple. I applied late and missed the deadline. I got into Villanova but it just wasnt for me. But I would have attended Temple in a heartbeat though. So I guess I'll cast my vote for Temple.

Lakers, will you be going to law school this fall, or are you reapplying? 

I'm attending Rutgers Newark this fall. It seems like a good program for a great cost.

[lawnecon]

IMO, if you're a resident of PA, you'd be insane to turn down Temple for Villanova unless Nova offers some serious financial assistance - AND I go to Villanova. (Though I do know a bunch of people made this decision.)

The real rub when it comes to Temple is that Temple is in a rough part of town. I'm from out of state, and I didn't even consider Temple because of it's location and I got fee waivers from both schools. Villanova's big draw back has been that it's housed in the cross between a fifty year old parochial elementary school and a dungeon. Fortunately, for future classes, this will no longer be a problem.

If you're from out of state, it's kind of a draw. Temple tends to be known for its trial advocacy program and has a little bit better prospects in the city. Villanova has a strong tax program and focuses a bit more on the transactional side of things and places better outside of the region. Of course, these differences are negligible.

If cost isn't the issue, then I'd say if you want to go into tax/transactional law, don't want to stay in Philly, and like the suburbs, go to Villanova. If you're more interested in trial practice, want to stay in the city, and would rather live in the city (and commute by public transit), go to Temple.

I'd still stick with Nova just because I don't like cities and I'd like to have a nice new building.

The new building may cause Nova to jump in the rankings (though it currently lags behind  Temple), but this will probably be meaningless. The school may attract some more talented students who would have been turned off by the older building, but there really isn't that much difference between a low ranked T1 and the better T2's. I have hard time believeing, for example, that AU Law students have much better prospects than Nova and Temple students (discounting its regional advantage in the DC area).

[TimeToPanic]

I would not be able to take advantage of the Temple In-State tuition since i'm from outside the Philadelphia area.  Why is this new building so important?  Everyone keeps talking about it...I won't even be in it until a year from now If I choose to go to Villanova.