WUSTL or University of Minnesota

[lw4me]

I want to work in Chicago.  Which of these schools has a better chance of getting me there?  Also, overall which one will lead to better job prospects?

[Remarq]

Well, 20 firms do OCI at WUSTL and only 12 at Minnesota, so I would guess WUSTL.

UMN: http://www.nalpdirectory.com/dledir_search_advanced.asp

WUSTL: http://www.nalpdirectory.com/dledir_search_advanced.asp

[Speedzie]

Minn does not place into chicago.  Not to mention, it's really, really, reallyl really extra cold in MN.  If given the choice, I'd pick wustl in a heart beat.  I still say IL though...

[Ninja1]

Minnesota, but only if you can handle the cold.

[lw4me]

I was leaning towards Wash U  but I received $15,000/year from U of Mn  and only $4,000/year from Wash U.  Has anyone here successfully negotiated a scholarship from a law school?  I heard that Wash U is generous when it comes to aid, is that accurate? 

[Speedzie]

I was leaning towards Wash U  but I received $15,000/year from U of Mn  and only $4,000/year from Wash U.  Has anyone here successfully negotiated a scholarship from a law school?  I heard that Wash U is generous when it comes to aid, is that accurate? 

If I were you, I'd bear in mind the cost of living / quality of life differences, when thinking of tuition costs.  One of my big reasons for not going to MN was that I'd have to choose between either, expensive or crumby apt downtown, or a long commute everyday (to keep up my living standard).  In Champaign/St. Louis, that's not so much of an issue with the lower population density.  (Note that i chose UofI for the low price vs. WashU)

I hadn't considered any of this stuff seriously before visiting the schools, and actually looking around at apts and such.  By decision time early last summer, what once seemed like a really tough choice become clear.

[no634]

I’m a UMN 1L and I think Minneapolis is amazing.

And I moved from Miami – so if I can survive the cold, so can you.

Also, the quality of life in Minneapolis is amazing. That’s one of the reasons why I moved from Miami! Housing is not that expensive. There’s even a legal fraternity house (that’s where I live) that rents at $400/month.

Most nice apartments are $600/700 a month. A lot of students rent houses with other 1Ls and split costs too.

UMN does Chicago networking events and has a strong Chicago-student/alumni base. Ultimately your job prospects depend on your ability to network.

[mbw]

I second the quality of life in Minneapolis - I turned down "higher" ranked schools for UofM, namely because of how amazing Minneapolis is, both for me and my family (spouse + 4 kids.)  And yes, it's cold, but it's also one of the sunniest major metro areas in the US - snow storms blow in and out quickly, unlike the dreary cloudiness of Northeast winters.  And spring, summer and fall are gorgeous.

However, if you're going for Chicago Biglaw (if there still is such a thing after the recession/depression), WUSTL does place better - though you'll be competing for slots with the area's big fish (UC, NW) and other Midwest T20s (ND, UIC, Iowa).  Many people who go to UofM go there wanting to practice/live in Minneapolis, since it is such an awesome place.

I've heard great things about WUSTL, but I couldn't see living in St. Louis for three+ years, though I know people who love it.  Have you visited both places?  That might help make the decision easier.

[lw4me]

Thanks for the responses.  I actually haven't visited either school and probably won't get an opportunity to before April 15.  I am attempting to negotiate a higher scholarship with Wash U but am not too optimistic.  Since law school will take up the next three years of my life, it would make sense to think of the climate and living environment but costs and value are at the top of my list right now.  Taking on too much debt is a real concern for me. Can anyone that attends Wash U tell me what the cost of living over there is.  They have estimates on their websites but I'm not too sure how accurate the school's estimates really are.

[DrLazarus]

I'm only mentioning this because you indicated such a strong preference for Chicago: if you got into Illinois, leverage these scholarships against them for money and go there.  In Chicago, firms (and maybe other employers too) will go further into U of I's class than they would at most of the other solid surrounding schools trying to feed a certain percentage into Chicago.  In addition, it's not as cold and the COL is very reasonable (my hometown is near Cham-bana). 

My understanding from OCI was that the chain of command in Chicago looked something like this (not including HLS and other T14 schools which do not predominantly target Chicago):

Chicago > NW/Michigan >> Illinois > Other solid midwestern schools (Minn, ND, Wisconsin, Indiana-Bloomington, WUSTL, etc.) > Kent/Loyola/Depaul >>> NIU/JMLS.

Others may have different opinions, but this was the feel I got.  Even if you don't want to do firm work, my guess is that Illinois will go further in a lot of areas.  The alumni network for Illinois in Chicago is quite strong.