Akron vs. Roger Williams

[LegallyBald]

Let me preface this by saying that these are only my first 2 of 13 schools that I have heard back from, and I am registered to retake my LSATs in June (and then either starting law school this fall, or doing a new cycle and starting fall 2017).  Also, just a 1 point increase in my LSAT score should increase my ship from Akron by another $5k/yr.

That being said, I am not sold invested in practicing law in any particular area, other than I would like to stay on the east coast after graduation - I am originally from PA, so Philly is an obvious possibility, although I would be ok with anywhere from the Carolinas to the northeast (not New England, though).

The two offers that I received to date are Akron Law and Roger Williams Law, the following details the offers:

Akron: $10k/yr, total of $30k, no stips.  This makes the yearly tuition at $14,314/yr, and there is not a tuition-freeze
Annual Tuition and Fees                  $24,314
Guaranteed Scholarship                   $10,000
Annual Cost                                       $14,314
TOTAL COST                                      $42,942


RWU: $22,487/yr, total of $66k-ish, with a stip of being in the top 65% of class to renew each year.
First year Tuition                                                                  $12,109
TOTAL COST  (if you lose scholarship)                              $81,301 (12,109 plus 34,596 x 2)
TOTAL COST (if you keep scholarship)                              $36,327 (12,109 x 3)
No tuition-freeze, but the scholarship would adjust to any increase in tuition, so that it is consistently 65% of the tuition

I plan on visiting both schools (I currently live 30 min from RWU, but am by myself, so I couldn't live with any relatives to reduce my COL).

Thoughts on thes two schools and these two offers?  Thanks

[Maintain FL 350]

There's very little difference in cost, both schools probably have similar post grad job prospects within their respective regions, and neither will land you a job outside of its region (unless you have connections).

In short, it's simply a question of where you want to live after law school. The lack of stips with Akron might make it more attractive.

Question:
I don't mean this critically, but are you just sort of randomly applying to schools all over the place? If so, I would really, really think about where you want to live and practice long term. When you're talking about non-elite schools like these, you will almost certainly end up in that immediate region.

Pick an area where you want to live, then go to the cheapest school in that area.

[LegallyBald]

Thank you.  No, I'm not.  I currently live in RI, hence applying to RWU as a safety school,  My other safety I applied to was Akron - it wasn't random though.  Otherwise, I applied to PSU, Villanova, Temple, Richmond, UNC, Wake Forest (I have some family in the Carolinas), and GA State/Emory (I have some family in the Atlanta region and have lived there before).  The only truly random schools that I applied to were Cincinnati and Tennessee.

[Maintain FL 350]

Okay, well, that's still all over the place geographically. Those are all different markets with different employment opportunities/prospects.

All of the schools you're applying to are good, but again, they aren't pedigrees that will open doors outside of their region. As I stated above, I would pick 1) location and 2) cheapest school in that location.

If you are truly ok with living in any of those locations, then just go for the cheapest degree. 

[LegallyBald]

For law in PA - would you go with Drexel over Nova or Temple if it was cheaper???

[Maintain FL 350]

For law in PA - would you go with Drexel over Nova or Temple if it was cheaper???

I don't live in Philly, so I can't really speak as to each school's reputation/hiring stats/alumni network, etc.

If I were just to guess, I'd say that they're all pretty similar. Temple and Villanova have been around longer, so maybe they have a more established reputation, but is it worth the cost? I doubt it. Personally, I'd just go with the cheapest option.

[LegallyBald]

Thanks.  Villanova has DEEP pockets for scholly money, and is around the cost of Drexel at sticker ($43k-ish).  Temple is the bargain at sticker ($23k-ish). just in a very bad (as in dangerous) area of Philly to live in.  It used to be a joke (? Sorta, but lso a truth) that students at Temple would have 2 different bank accounts, so when they got held up at an ATM they could empty out their small account.

Question - I was just waitlisted at Emory.  Would Emory Law hold enough clout/prestige to open up doors outside of the Atlanta region (still talking east coast/northeast)?  I think that they are Top 20-ish?

[🍟💵🌲🍥]

First: Limit the list to where you (and family if applicable) are willing to live (moving can suck, and expensive, sofactor that in)
Next: Go with whatever is cheapest after that (most people have at least one school offering them a partial scholarship)

If there are any ties after that, flip a coin or roll dice or something

[Maintain FL 350]

Question - I was just waitlisted at Emory.  Would Emory Law hold enough clout/prestige to open up doors outside of the Atlanta region (still talking east coast/northeast)?  I think that they are Top 20-ish?

I suppose it depends on what (if any) scholarship they offer. Emory at sticker? In my opinion, no. Emory is a good school with a good rep, but it's not Harvard. Honestly, I think that there are only seven or eight schools that are worth sticker. 

Outside of the Southeast, people will say "Emory? Yeah, that's cool. Atlanta is nice." They won't be so blown away that they'll offer you a job based on pedigree alone, though. In the Southeast that might be a different story, I don't know. I'm speaking more from my perspective in CA.

The other thing is this: people from Emory definitely go into Biglaw and prestigious federal jobs, but who are those people? My guess is that they are top performers, law review, etc. If I were you I would research the job opportunities for average, middle ranked Emory grads, since that is most likely where you'll end up.

Again, looking at it from my perspective, a middle of the pack Emory grad who shows up in LA after law school probably has similar job prospects to a mid ranked Loyola or Pepperdine grad, regardless of rankings. An Emory grad Atlanta or Memphis might be a different story.

I think you're still in a position where you need to think about where you want to live after law school.