DePaul with scholarship or Kent full price

[Remarq]

I think you should go with Kent, unless Depaul drops the 3.3 to a 3.0 or lower. Just play the numbers, there is no way of knowing whether you will be in the top 30% because everyone goes in thinking they will be in the top %. You seem to like Kent more, and I think Kent is a better law school. Just go to Kent.

[kman999]

When it comes to these Chicago schools outside of Chicago and NU...Loyola, Kent, and DePaul still receive OCI from the major Chicago firms.(Kirkland, Sidley Austin, etc.) 

I personally believe DePaul is the right choice here.  Its downtown campus is growing into something of an actual campus.  It is awesome to walk down jackson and see DePaul flags hanging on the whole street.  Plus if you ever feel like making the trek up to lincoln park, you feel right at home as a DPU student.

When it comes to IP, Kent sometimes takes the cake because of the undergrad lean.  The truth is that both are above average for tier 2 schools and both have been on the rise in recent years. 

Ultimately your choice, but I believe they are very similar, so why not take the cash.  PLUS you get the added bonus of having the daley's as alum 

[contrarian]

Hmmm....your arguements are not strong enough to persuade me otherwise.

The merit scholarship looks nice on paper, but you have to maintain the 3.3 the entire time.  If you drop below it, you lose your scholarship money.  You're basically making a $30,000 bet that you'll make that GPA for 2L and 3L.  Now note that law school grades, especially first year, are nearly all dependent on one single test at the end of the semester. Plus, these tests aren't just wrote memorization exams that most people are used to, and many get caught off-guard by.   If you happen to feel sick one day, girlfriend breaks up with you, somebody close to you dies... and you blow one exam, especially in the first year, and you drop below that 3.3 mark, then you've basically screwed yourself.   Sure, DePaul is a good school, but you'll be back to paying full tuition for second and third year just as if you had gone to Kent.

Getting a DePaul degree for 15K less is locked in.  Beyond that, assume you don't make the cut and you have to pay full tuition.  If you're willing to pay full tuition minus 15K for the first year at DePaul, then I say go that route.  If you maintain the GPA requirement, then that's just an added bonus and a little less stress in your life.

However, if 15K alone wouldn't be enough for you to choose DePaul over Kent, then don't even bother. 

Plus, Kent will provide you with slightly better career opportunities.  Isn't their average starting salary like 5-10k higher than DePaul?  Sure, you might save 15K or even the full 45K now, but what do you cost your self in the long run?  Kick yourself up an extra 5,000/year on graduation and extrapolate that through 5, 10, 20, and even 30 years down the road.  You'll be 50 and wondering how much more you might have earned over your life-time, and if the choice paid for itself.

Honestly, just comparing the average starting salary of the two schools and how many years you intend to practice law should be enough to make a choice for you.  According to http://www.ilrg.com/rankings/law/median.php/2/desc/MSPrivate, Kent is 10K more a year in the private sector.  So you're looking at about a 4-5 year break-even point.  Plan to quit law in 5 years? Go to Depaul.  Plan to make it a 10-20 year career? Go to Kent.

[ohioan]

Yeah, I think I'll go to DePaul, see you there. I hope we are in the same section so we can have some good classroom discussions. And I apologize in advance for pushing you out of the top 15% - kidding! I'll consider myself lucky to stay in the top 30%!

My top three schools that I am debating between are Cincinnati, DePaul, and Kent. Am still hoping for some Tier 1's to take me off the bench!

[contrarian]

Yeah, I think I'll go to DePaul, see you there. I hope we are in the same section so we can have some good classroom discussions. And I apologize in advance for pushing you out of the top 15% - kidding! I'll consider myself lucky to stay in the top 30%!

My top three schools that I am debating between are Cincinnati, DePaul, and Kent. Am still hoping for some Tier 1's to take me off the bench!

I shall look for you there, with your "Ohio" sweatshirt, talking up your PhD, and I'llthink... you, you are the one.  And I shall follow you.  Jamming your wifi connection, and then precariously "misplacing" the only hard copies of the critical research you need to the same shelf, just one floor above or below in the library where it should be.  I will not shower for a week, and eat a healthy bowl of chili the night before exams, and sit bribe the proctor that I can sit in front of you.  You shall rue the day...

[ohioan]

Yeah, I think I'll go to DePaul, see you there. I hope we are in the same section so we can have some good classroom discussions. And I apologize in advance for pushing you out of the top 15% - kidding! I'll consider myself lucky to stay in the top 30%!

My top three schools that I am debating between are Cincinnati, DePaul, and Kent. Am still hoping for some Tier 1's to take me off the bench!

I shall look for you there, with your "Ohio" sweatshirt, talking up your PhD, and I'llthink... you, you are the one.  And I shall follow you.  Jamming your wifi connection, and then precariously "misplacing" the only hard copies of the critical research you need to the same shelf, just one floor above or below in the library where it should be.  I will not shower for a week, and eat a healthy bowl of chili the night before exams, and sit bribe the proctor that I can sit in front of you.  You shall rue the day...

And that's something different for you? Maybe you ought to plan to focus more on your studies than on such schemes. Cheers man, and good luck

[Dr. Foom]

Count me in the same boat, sort of. I got 12k per year from Depaul, and I'm very seriously considering them (I do love their soft IP curriculum). The real hangup for me is that damned GPA requirement, because that is not going to be easy to maintain.

Ah well. I'll see how much I really like the school at the Admitted Students Day this weekend.

[contrarian]

So, what were your thoughts?

The biggest gripe I have are those desk/chairs.  It's seems petty, but if I'm taking a 3-4 hour exam that will determine the fate of my life, I'd like to at least be sitting at a desk and chair made for adults.

[Ninja1]

Depaul posts their historical class ranks and associated GPA here.  3.3 will be in about the top 30% of the class.

Yikes.  Ask Depaul to lower the GPA requirement to 3.0, and maybe it's worth it.

You could end up in the top 1/3 of the class (certainly respectable) and still lose your scholarship.  Boo.

TITCR.

[u2007]

It also depends on what type of IP law you're interested in.  I've heard good things about DePaul's soft IP law curriculum, but Kent is nationally regarded for IP law (more focused on hard IP) with a top 10 USNWR specialty ranking in the field.  It also appears to be the case that grades matter less for those looking for IP jobs, especially if you have a technical background.  Finally, I wouldn't underestimate the competition at any law school, especially a strong tier 2 school like DePaul, as it will be difficult to be at the top there also.  I agree that Kent is worth an extra 15K, and as to whether it is worth more that that, with the risk that you may not be at the top at DePaul as well as the higher starting salary and IP prestige, it might be.