WHAT LAW SCHOOL SHOULD I GO TO??? HELP!!

[Ninja1]

Irvine if you want CA, but obviously FSU is the right choice.

That's what I don't get.  Why does it make a different what geographic location you go to school in?  If I go to a NY law school, it's THAT tough to get a job in California?  Please explain this to me.

Alumni networks.  Opportunities to meet local lawyers.  Hofstra alumni, I would guess, are concentrated in the Long Island area.

Gotcha.  However, would it be prudent to go to lower-ranked schools like Southwestern or UC Irvine over Hofstra just because it's in California?  Aren't job prospects better if you go to the better school?  (Sorry if I sound so green, but I haven't posted on here since before I took the LSAT)

Like CLS said, it's all about the alumni network. It's not that you're going to be locked out of a state or region because you didn't go to school there, but you're not going to have the same alumni network you would back around a school's home turf. And if your school doesn't have a lot of national name recognition, it could be a real pain in the ass.

So much past the top 20 - 30 schools, you should probably try to go to school in the region you want to work in, almost regardless of rank.

[themanwithnoname]

beyond that, you are going to want to go out and network, take term time internships etc, to help get yourself a job. If you aren't doing biglaw or gov't work, you are going to need to network your way into a job. It is hard to do that on the other side of the country.

[azlaw09]

Hofstra is a toilet and you'd be lucky to get a job anywhere let alone in SoCal. Take it off your list.

FSU is a solid school but the degree won't carry too far from Florida. If SoCal is where you want to go, FSU makes no sense.

I would take UCI over Southwestern in a heartbeat. I assume the free tuition deal applies to you? So for one, it's FREE! Also, the "UC" brand does pull a little weight, I certainly wouldn't worry about it getting accredited because it will. And, it seems like the school is putting together a badass faculty (read the leiter reports--they've been pillaging top scholars from good schools lately and CHEMERINSKY!! is the f-in dean). I would be very suprised if UCI debuted at anything less than top 100 (top 50 wouldn't surprise me one bit) in the rankings. Also, career services etc. will probably go out of their way to get people great jobs to build the schools reputation. You might take a hit because there is no alumni network but that's that.

Finally I see UA on your list, I don't know if you've already decided against it or you're still waiting for an acceptance but let me know if you have any q's about the school--I'm there right now.

[no634]

Irvine if you want CA, but obviously FSU is the right choice.

That's what I don't get.  Why does it make a different what geographic location you go to school in?  If I go to a NY law school, it's THAT tough to get a job in California?  Please explain this to me.

Alumni networks.  Opportunities to meet local lawyers.  Hofstra alumni, I would guess, are concentrated in the Long Island area.

Gotcha.  However, would it be prudent to go to lower-ranked schools like Southwestern or UC Irvine over Hofstra just because it's in California?  Aren't job prospects better if you go to the better school?  (Sorry if I sound so green, but I haven't posted on here since before I took the LSAT)

Your networking happens while you're attending school. Often, schools do career-fair-type events with local employers. Local firms will also come and present at your school...etc.

These local-contacts aren't available if you're in another state.

And yes, Alumni networks are important. You don't want to come into a job market blind from a JD from a school no one knows anything about.