Thoughts on Villanova

[Remarq]

What are your thoughts on Villanova, I know the USN ranking isn't great. It seems like a pretty solid T2 school career wise though, and they are getting a new building. From I've heard their current facility is quite bad. How would you compare it to say a Case Western or Pitt?

[Remarq]

Sorry about the double post, bad wirelss connection.

[Ninja1]

I'd put it about on par with Case and Pitt based on what I've seen. All three have pretty similar numbers across the board. If Villanova had a little higher bar passage and placement though, I'd consider it the (marginally) superior school.

[blueskies6]

I'd put it on par with Case, but both of them better than Pitt.  But really I guess when choosing between the 3, the decision would come down to where you'd like to live after graduation.

edit:  I think Case and Villanova are more mobile than Pitt though

[TimMitchell]

I visited Villanova last year and I thought it was great, the professors and faculty seem really accessable plus they have a new building. Villanova has way more prestige to lay people in the area compared to Rutgers and Temple, but it looks like all three have similar placement #s. If I was out of state I think I would choose Nova over the three.

[DCLabor25]

This really depends on one thing -- where do you want to work?  If you want to work in Philadelphia (or eastern PA/NJ), then Villanova is fine.  If you want to work in Cleveland (or Ohio more generally), then Case is better.  If you want to work in Pittsburgh, then Pitt is better. 

All three schools really are the same -- the deciding factors in my view should be geography and whether scholarship money is involved.  My own personal experience with Villanova is that they are stingy with $$$$ -- and I am not sure if they are really worth $35K a year. 

That said, it's a fine school, especially if you are fine with staying in Philly.  You should just be aware of the pros and cons.  And I wouldn't read into any USNWR differences between these schools. 

[bloomlaw]

If you are a pa resident, with a money for education outlook, its not even close. Pitt is the best. You'll get a job in pittsburgh, but it'll be almost impossible to get a job outside of western pennsylvania.

[stateofbeasley]

What are your thoughts on Villanova, I know the USN ranking isn't great. It seems like a pretty solid T2 school career wise though, and they are getting a new building. From I've heard their current facility is quite bad. How would you compare it to say a Case Western or Pitt?

If you're a PA or NJ resident, Villanova is a ripoff.  Temple (for PA residents) and Rutgers (for NJ people) get you the same amount of prestige and job opportunities for far less money.  I would not recommend Villanova at full price to anyone, unless they are comfortable with having an 85-90% chance of paying $1,000+/month in student loans for the next 30 years without the benefit of a biglaw salary.

[Terrible Ivan]

If you measure by strength, diversity, and depth of neighboring legal markets, Villanova it is. They place quite well in Philly, the city of lawyers, and do well enough in neighboring large markets, too. Case and Pitt don't offer that aspect.

[Remarq]

I'm not a PA resident, I'm actually a Michigan resident who probably won't score the 168+ I'd need to get in to U of M (I’m taking the October LSAT) and I don’t want to stay in Michigan. It seems like the most portable degree is Case, do people agree? Since I'm not T14 material I'm trying to minimize my debt if I can, which is why I'm looking at T2's with solid reputations, at least in their market. Case is expensive, but it looks like they give decent aid, thoughts?