Temple PT vs. McGeorge PT ($)

[espanol]

Hello All,


So I received my fourth admission letter today from Temple University (Evening Div. no $)!  I'm really stoked about it, but I needed to get some info on the school.  I know the basics (their rank, reputation, and location in Philly), but aside from that I wanted to compare it to the second best law school I've been admitted to thus far, UoP McGeorge (Evening Div. with $$).  Ideally, I would want to stay in SoCal, and I know McGeorge is fairly regional to Sacramento, so given my circumstances, would I get further in So Cal with a Temple JD or a McGeorge JD?  My gut instincts tell me McGeorge because of their extensive alumni network, but who knows Temple's higher ranking and reputation may get me hired in So Cal.  What do you guys think?

I would also take arguments for relocation in Philly, I've never been and I don't know much about the city (aside from Geno's Cheesesteaks, lol).  So, your thoughts?

[Matthies]

Hello All,


So I received my fourth admission letter today from Temple University (Evening Div. no $)!  I'm really stoked about it, but I needed to get some info on the school.  I know the basics (their rank, reputation, and location in Philly), but aside from that I wanted to compare it to the second best law school I've been admitted to thus far, UoP McGeorge (Evening Div. with $$).  Ideally, I would want to stay in SoCal, and I know McGeorge is fairly regional to Sacramento, so given my circumstances, would I get further in So Cal with a Temple JD or a McGeorge JD?  My gut instincts tell me McGeorge because of their extensive alumni network, but who knows Temple's higher ranking and reputation may get me hired in So Cal.  What do you guys think?

I would also take arguments for relocation in Philly, I've never been and I don't know much about the city (aside from Geno's Cheesesteaks, lol).  So, your thoughts?

If you want to work in CA go to school in CA, if you want to work in CA do not go to school on the opposite coast. The slight bump in ranking won't make up for the 1000s of miles between where you go to school and where you want to work.

[SamE397]

I agree entirely with Matthies on this; take ten-twenty minutes go to the sites of firms in the area where you might want to work and see where the attorneys working there went to school. If it looks anything like firms in Michigan there will be very few people working in those firms who went to tier 2 schools outside of the state and virtually no one who went to tier 2 schools outside of the region.

[espanol]

Point well taken from both of you guys.  Now I am not completely ruling out the prospect of moving to Philadelphia.  Any idea on how the Philly market compares to Los Angeles?  I just feel like for the money the level of education at Temple is hard to pass up.  The difference in overall cost between McGeorge and Temple, considering both tuition and cost of living, is staggering.  These are factors I am taking into account because I am self sufficient.  Once again what do you guys think?

[Matthies]

Point well taken from both of you guys.  Now I am not completely ruling out the prospect of moving to Philadelphia.  Any idea on how the Philly market compares to Los Angeles?  I just feel like for the money the level of education at Temple is hard to pass up.  The difference in overall cost between McGeorge and Temple, considering both tuition and cost of living, is staggering.  These are factors I am taking into account because I am self sufficient.  Once again what do you guys think?

It might be easier to break into the Philly market than the LA market because Temple is right there in the city, so you will have a chance to intern w/o moving over the summers like you would Mc George. But you better go visit and make sure you like the city and the state. These are both regional schools, and a law degree is not very portable, where you take the bar is where you tend to end up staying for most of your life.
 
Make sure you really want to change coasts, or be willing to take the time/$ it will take for you to come back to LA with no contacts and break into the market, that could take a long time of pounding the pavement against local grads with a leg up. I think the advice go to school where you’re willing to live/work holds up. Its not impossible for you to come back to LA from temple, but it may mean doing it w/o a job for several months while you try to get your name out there and make contacts, all of which you could do while in school if you go in Philly and want to stay there.

Personally I’m only a 12 hour drive from my friends and family back home in Phoenix, but I do miss them a lot. That's something you have to factor in, are you willing to be that far away from freinds and faimly for the rest of your life? I go to Denver, and Denver is a great school if you want to work in CO, which I do now, but I know going back to Phoenix would be difficult, and we only have a handful of firms that do OCI here from there. I’ve made tons of contacts in Denver since I have been here, plenty to get me jobs, but I only know one lawyer back in Phoenix. Its simply regional biases my school places best in CO, Arizona State places best in AZ, ect. Same with your two schools, onlyu they are much farther apart.