Urgent: Please help! Southwestern v. Chapman

[militarygrade]

military - By "balenced" you mean republican, right?  It's ok, but I thought that it was a given.  Chapman is in the OC, after all.

No, I mean balanced.  Just because a school might have a couple more conservaive profs does not make it a "republican" school.  Chapman's faculty still shows about a 9:1 raio of liberals to conservatives.  Better than the nearly uniformly liberal faculty a most cali schools.

[grendel20]

I would chooose SW over Chapman, but that's just me personally.  I'm sure you've already covered all your bases, but I think southwestern is still a better pick regionally (its just more well known)..... even if Chapman is on its way up, SW is still higher, and if you kill your first year and score top 10% than nothing could really stop you from finding a good job (this applies to chapman, to a certain extent, as well.)

Congrats on both, though.  That's really awesome!  LA or OC...... tough choice.  Don't forget the 3 supreme court clerks at Chapman, and the fact they probably will be going up in rankings soon..... plus, a law school in OC is probably bound to do well.

eh.  i know not what i'm saying right now.  its late.  congrats though. fur reals.

[pinkybella]

I would chooose SW over Chapman, but that's just me personally.  I'm sure you've already covered all your bases, but I think southwestern is still a better pick regionally (its just more well known)..... even if Chapman is on its way up, SW is still higher, and if you kill your first year and score top 10% than nothing could really stop you from finding a good job (this applies to chapman, to a certain extent, as well.)

Congrats on both, though.  That's really awesome!  LA or OC...... tough choice.  Don't forget the 3 supreme court clerks at Chapman, and the fact they probably will be going up in rankings soon..... plus, a law school in OC is probably bound to do well.

eh.  i know not what i'm saying right now.  its late.  congrats though. fur reals.

Thanks Grendel. I'm so jealous about you going to Loyola btw. Oh well, if anyone should attend Loyola, it should be a fellow anteater.

[colon]

I'd take Chapman over SW if you want to work in Orange County.  It'll be difficult for you to find a solid job in OC from either school, but I'd give Chapman the edge.  It'd give SW an edge on getting you a job in LA with more money though.

[pinkybella]

I'd take Chapman over SW if you want to work in Orange County.  It'll be difficult for you to find a solid job in OC from either school, but I'd give Chapman the edge.  It'd give SW an edge on getting you a job in LA with more money though.

I'm actually pretty impressed with the job opportunities for Chapman grads in OC. I agree with you though that Chapman does better in OC than Southwestern. Thanks for your help.

[scman]

Pinkybella..if I recall you want to do family law..correct?..for that practice area it doesnt matter where you go..but you should go the higher rank school..SW is third tier now..its not going down .and there is no guarantee that chapman will go up.......

[pinkybella]

Pinkybella..if I recall you want to do family law..correct?..for that practice area it doesnt matter where you go..but you should go the higher rank school..SW is third tier now..its not going down .and there is no guarantee that chapman will go up.......

scman - that is correct. I want to do either family law or employment law. Do you know if its the same for employment law (doesn't matter too much where you go to law school?)

One of the reasons I'm leaning towards Chapman is because I feel like it would give me the opportunity to network with attorneys in Orange County which may increase my likelihood of getting a good job in OC after graduation. If I go to Southwestern, it would be tougher to network in OC.

Plus, I don't know how Southwestern does in OC but it seems like does well in LA. Finally, I feel like the difference in rank btwn Southwestern & Chapman is so small, that it wouldn't necessarily best to go to the highest ranked school in this case. If we were talking about a tier 2 school v. Chapman, there would be no doubt in my mind about which school to attend.

[wannaB1L]

I am applying to both schools for fall 2007. They both have nice buildings that make me feel like I am at a law school. My undergrad was at an old school, but my master's was at an ugly commutor school- aethetics are important to me for some reason. I am totally a suburbanite from OC and San Diego, and contrary to what others have said I think that SW is in a fun and safe neighborhood. I was there from 9-10 pm, left my windows down with my little llasa on the front seat. It seemed like a cool and hip place, with a lot to do on Wilshire. I think one has to be very sheltered to think that 'urban' and 'bad neighborhood' are synonomous. I thought I would have hated law school in LA until I actually visited SW and Loyola. There was an urban energy, and I had the feeling that it would be a fun and new adventure. I think that career prospects would be a little better at SW and the possibility for more pay are greater at SW. But their attrition rate is high, which is a little scary. Chapman is in a cool old towne, and the surf is right down hrbor blvd. Chap is a new school, and their grads don't seem to make too much money...at first...but they do get jobs. I also like that Chap is attatched to the undergrad- in that it offers more in the way of social and ed opportunities. Chapman is middle of the road (a student told me it was 40% conservative and 60% liberal) which is a relief- as I spent BA and MA at University of the Left. I would be happy going to either school- and would probably be steered by any money they threw at me. I am in the same boat, I really like Chapman more- but SW seems like it may open a few more doors and deliver a little more money. I like Chapman more, but SW seems as if it would be better for making money. In my case it is a battle between my heart (Chapman) and my mind (Southwestern).

[pinkybella]

FYI, I got 3 packages from Southwestern today. There's lots of information to sift through. It's kind of overwhelming actually!

[RockyMarciano]

military - By "balenced" you mean republican, right?  It's ok, but I thought that it was a given.  Chapman is in the OC, after all.

No, I mean balanced.  Just because a school might have a couple more conservaive profs does not make it a "republican" school.  Chapman's faculty still shows about a 9:1 raio of liberals to conservatives.  Better than the nearly uniformly liberal faculty a most cali schools.

I have found Chapman to be more libertarian than anything else. It is not conservative in which you have ultra-christians trying to convert you. However, I think the majority of the school's focus in aimed towards it business school and theatre and dance schools.