MARYLAND VS. GW VS. SOMEWHERE ELSE??

[Slooney]

Hey All.

I am 23, and currently work as a Contract Specialist for the Navy. I am applying to law school in the fall and hoping to keep my job (possibly use my government contracts/acquisitions experience after graduation for govt. contracts attorney job), get into a part-time program but not exactly sure what the best choice for me/chances would be with local schools. I also would really prefer not to be bogged down with too much debt when I graduate and that's a major concern for me.

I am thinking - GW (early decision possibly to increase my chances), George Mason, University of Maryland, Georgetown (MAJOR reach). UMD and GW are my top two, I would say. GW has a top govt. contracts program and some other good fields that I am interested in. Maryland is significantly cheaper (I live in MD). Interested if anyone has insight into my odds/thoughts on what would be best for career and just general future post-grad?? Or do I even have a shot of getting into anything except for MD

GPA approx 3.25 (I graduated early in 3 years, so my gpa suffered a bit, I also did not always study my ass off like I should have)
LSAT (without prep course which I start next month) don't know yet..
3 years since I've graduated/work experience/good recommendations

Thank you

[Slooney]

Also, I most likely plan on staying in DC and am hoping for a BigLaw job perhaps after but moving after law school at least temporarily and non BigLaw preference like govt work are also a possibility.

[legend]

You can't really know what your chances are until you get an LSAT score. This website lawschoolnumbers.com is great at showing you what your chances are at a particular school.

As for the specific question Location, Cost, and how you feel about the school is something to consider. Generally if you want to work in a location you should go to school in that area. Add to the fact that you have military experience, want to do government work, and want to be in D.C. I think you should really go to school in D.C. 

The costs are another factor and I am not familar with the East Coast so I don't know how close Maryland is to D.C., if they are in roughly the same area and you can save 60-80k in tuition that is something to consider, especially because if your taking out loans this money is accruing interest.  You may also be able to get significant scholarship money from lower level D.C. schools, which is always something to consider graduating debt free is pretty nice.

You should also visit the schools, because each school has their own culture feel to it and you may really love Maryland, you love GW, or one of the many schools in D.C. I would recommend visiting every school in D.C. and just seeing how you feel about them. It is a 3 year 100k investment and there is no harm in seeing what everyone has to offer.

For now all you can really do is focus on the LSAT and see what your options realistically are if you pull a 175 with a 3.25 Georgetown might possibly happen. There are no guarantees, but it could. Well good luck to you.