Temple vs. Villanova

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

Which is better? Assuming they cost the same.

Temple

Villanova

[TimBeConfused]

For what its worth to you in last years USNews rankings Temple and Villanova were tied at #60 I believe.  Now Temple is #59 and Villanova is #68.  My final decision was Temple after narrowing it down to 3 PA options in Penn State Dickinson, Temple and Villanova.  Temple's cost was a big consideration( I get in-state) plus I realized that it would be silly to bother with Penn State when I would want to practice in southeastern PA anyway. 

Buildings are largely irrelevant to me although Temple's building seemed lacking in windows when I was there.  Villanova's new building is supposed to be a modern version of the existing building I believe with essentially the same layout.  The current building had a very 50's high school feel.  I think either school is a good option for law school and you really can't go wrong.  I'll echo what others have said and point out that the rankings difference is pretty much irrelevant and cost should be the largest factor in making your decision.

[lawnecon]

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.

I'm not sure having a brand buidling really matters per se. It's not like I've spent a ton of time at other law schools (at least during the year) to constantly be reminded about how much worse our building is. Once school starts, you tend not to work about such things.

That said, it isn't that Villanova's building just can't be described as state of the art. The building is really just plain horrible - Temperature control is a joke (some parts of the building are likely to be a furnace while others are freezing), the network doesn't work everywhere, I've actually had trouble breathing in the bottom level of the library, etc.

Having a brand new parking garage has really been a nice perk this year (as opposed to the horrible,  cracked up parking lot thzt pre-dated it).

In terms of rankings, IMO it's really hard to imagine that demand for Nova won't increase when it finally gets a new building. After Penn, there isn't a clear number two law school in the area. Temple will always have some advantage on price, but for people outside of PA, I think Villanova's location gives it a real advantage. It's in a very nice suburban community with a lot of little shopping areas and apartment around it. It's also convenient to the highway, making accrss to other area apartments and retail ares pretty easy. The mainline is clean, safe, and pretty quiet.

Unfortunately, I think when a lot students take one look at the building, this mitigates their good will towards Villanova. For out of state students, a really nice location + a brand new building will be probably be hard to turn do for other schools of comparable cost and comparable academic quality.

That said, as I mentioned before, even if this does somehow launch Nova into tier 1, I don't think much will change.

[TimeToPanic]

These are my conclusions based on the info I've gathered on this site:

1) Temple and Villanova are equal in terms of employment prospects within the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area.
2) Villanova places better than Temple outside of the Pennsylvania area (particularly DC and NY).
3) One should attend Temple if you have in-state tuition, otherwise, they are equal.
4) Villanova is located in a much better location.

Agreed?

[Team Awesome]

These are my conclusions based on the info I've gathered on this site:

1) Temple and Villanova are equal in terms of employment prospects within the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area.
2) Villanova places better than Temple outside of the Pennsylvania area (particularly DC and NY).
3) One should attend Temple if you have in-state tuition, otherwise, they are equal.
4) Villanova is located in a much better location.
Agreed?

The first 3 are more measurable than #4. Location is really a matter of preference. I'd wager that the crime rate in Nova's neighborhood. COL living is higher. Bland, white 'burbs aren't my thing but hey, different strokes.

[Maddie]

These are my conclusions based on the info I've gathered on this site:

1) Temple and Villanova are equal in terms of employment prospects within the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area.
2) Villanova places better than Temple outside of the Pennsylvania area (particularly DC and NY).
3) One should attend Temple if you have in-state tuition, otherwise, they are equal.
4) Villanova is located in a much better location.
Agreed?

The first 3 are more measurable than #4. Location is really a matter of preference. I'd wager that the crime rate in Nova's neighborhood. COL living is higher. Bland, white 'burbs aren't my thing but hey, different strokes.

Agreed.  I would say that their locations are *different*, and which one you prefer is a matter of personal fit.

[TimMitchell]

These are my conclusions based on the info I've gathered on this site:

1) Temple and Villanova are equal in terms of employment prospects within the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area.
2) Villanova places better than Temple outside of the Pennsylvania area (particularly DC and NY).
3) One should attend Temple if you have in-state tuition, otherwise, they are equal.
4) Villanova is located in a much better location.

Agreed?

I don't know, I think I'd rather live in Philly. Maybe its because I've always lived in the burbs' and want to try my hand at city living, though. On the other hand, housing is super expensive on the main line, plus you have to deal with all those blueblood assholes.

[john jacob]

These are my conclusions based on the info I've gathered on this site:

1) Temple and Villanova are equal in terms of employment prospects within the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area.
2) Villanova places better than Temple outside of the Pennsylvania area (particularly DC and NY).
3) One should attend Temple if you have in-state tuition, otherwise, they are equal.
4) Villanova is located in a much better location.

Agreed?

No on #2. At best it's something trivial like 5%.

[$Bill]

FOR GOD'S SAKE DON'T USE SCHOOL REPORTED SALARY FIGURES!!!!!!


"The NLJ 250 report puts Villanova ahead of Temple but it looks like Temple is improving its incoming stats with 161-166 LSAT range and a 105k per year salary.  Any thoughts?"

[Sergio]

How bout Rutgers-Camden placement in the Philly area?  How does it compare to Temple and Nova?  I am actually kicking myself for not applyinh to Villanova - according to LSN - I'd have a good shot of getting in.

How will Drexel affect all of this - not much until it's finally accredited?

[TimeToPanic]

Madness...where did you apply to/accepted to/rejected...and where do you plan on going? Rutgers, Camden?