Is Chapman really that bad??

[dana1287]

I have been admitted to California Western, Chapman, and Southwestern with 50% scholarship at each, waitlisted at USD and Loyola. I am leaning towards Chapman.. should I be hesitant?


Thanks for your input/advice!!!

[cooleylawstudent]

what makes you lean towards that over the others?

I have been admitted to California Western, Chapman, and Southwestern with 50% scholarship at each, waitlisted at USD and Loyola. I am leaning towards Chapman.. should I be hesitant?


Thanks for your input/advice!!!

[dana1287]

Well, I don't really want to live in LA, I prefer Orange County (for law school and long term). I've lived in San Diego my entire life and would like to move out. California Western doesn't really stand out to me. I believe California Western is a Tier 4 versus the other two being Tier 3 schools (not that it makes that much of a difference).

Chapman is a fairly new law school and I think it has a good chance of making big improvements in reputation, rankings, etc. I also feel like I would fit in better at Chapman.

I guess my problem is that all three schools seem to be so similar, making it really difficult to decipher which one is truly better than the other. What it all comes down to is will I have a job when I'm done? haha

[bigs5068]

No Chapman is fine any ABA school will provide you the tools necessary to succeed, but it is up to you to make things work out. I go to a tier 4 and it has worked out well for me and pretty much everybody who works hard in my section.  

Bottom line is any ABA school teaches you the same thing and it really is up to you to make it happen. Certainly, UCLA or Harvard will open more doors, but any ABA school is fine and don't listen to anybody who tells you otherwise.  I also have the e-mails of a 2 Chapman grads who are doing just fine. If you want to personal message me I will give you their e-mails and you can ask them about the school.

[newkirk101]

Chapman just moved up in the rankings....again.  Chapman is ranked 93 (Tier 2) in the 2011 US News Rankings.  Not sure if that matters to you, but to some it does.

[Ninja1]

Chapman is decent enough, but it has a location problem. In SoCal, Chapman is just plain overshadowed by too many bigger, better, older schools. If you picked them up and dumped them in South Dakota, they'd be great, but in SoCal they'll always be like 8th fiddle.  

Still, Chapman is much better than the other two options you have on the table at the moment, and the scholarship should make the whole thing much more bearable.

[newkirk101]

Yes, Chapman is in So Cal, but is also very strong inside Orange County.  Sure, Chapman must contend with UCLA and USC, but it is quickly competing with Loyola, Pepperdine, and USD.  By the way, So Cal has over 15+million living in the area.   

[dana1287]

Yeah... I have heard they are working hard to improve the school's reputation and desirability in Orange County and at bigger law firms. Thanks for all the input!