GW or WM?

[marlinspike]

There are so many subjective fields, and really only I can judge those for myself, so let's ignore those for the moment. Strictly from a hiring/making money standpoint, how do GW and WM stack up against each other? There are so many subjective factors in this decision for me personally, but I'm hoping you guys and girls can help me settle the only objective factor.

[MySuitIsNOTBlack]

George Washington is really a lot better.  It's pretty much T14 caliber for job opportunities, especially in D.C.

That said, it looks like you're getting money to W&M, which is located in a much more affordable area, and costs less to begin with.  I guess you've got to decide how willing you are to take a risk..

[Johnny Stuffs His Mouth]

The part of me that dearly loves my alma mater just died a little at realizing that by WMU you were referring to The College of William and Mary.

If money isn't a big deal, I'd say go to GW. But W&M places pretty well at DC too.

[marlinspike]

The part of me that dearly loves my alma mater just died a little at realizing that by WMU you were referring to The College of William and Mary.

If money isn't a big deal, I'd say go to GW. But W&M places pretty well at DC too.

Hahahahaha, well, I'm having 3 IM conversations, talking to my dad on the phone, and writing an e-mail while doing this, so I think somewhere I got my lines crossed. I'll fix it since it might make you feel better. Trust me, I know what William and Mary's real name is. I lived all my life in DC, I've been to Williamsburg before, I'd actually say I'm pretty well acquianted with the school. In fact, one of my favorite (admittedly I have several) teachers from my soon to be alma mater teaches at WM now.

Well, if at GW, I'd live at home, which counters some of the expense (but is also a lifestyle negative since my parents are mid divorce since the summer). Also, isn't it true that GW tells people about money later in the cycle? Maybe I'll get some money from them as well.

BTW Secret Scout, that's a nice GPA. I hear only geniuses get 3.23's (see my sig).

[ebirt07]

As much as I enjoy the bustling metropolis of Williamsburg, you'd have to go with GW.  Any money you saved at W&M nixed pretty fast post-graduation.  But you really can't do wrong either way.  You're damn right, hark upon the gale!

[Johnny Stuffs His Mouth]

The part of me that dearly loves my alma mater just died a little at realizing that by WMU you were referring to The College of William and Mary.

If money isn't a big deal, I'd say go to GW. But W&M places pretty well at DC too.

Hahahahaha, well, I'm having 3 IM conversations, talking to my dad on the phone, and writing an e-mail while doing this, so I think somewhere I got my lines crossed.

Well, if at GW, I'd live at home, which counters some of the expense.

Have you visited W&M? It's a very nice, very friendly, close-knit community. It's also in Williamsburg, where the average age of the non-W&M population hovers around 85. There's not much to do in Williamsburg; your best bets for entertainment of a typical student would be Richmond, Newport News, or Norfolk/VA Beach. Norfolk/VA Beach is about an hour drive; Newport News is about 20, and Richmond I think is 30-45.

Bottom line: you're not going to find anything close to what DC has to offer near W&M, but by the same token, you're not likely to find anything close to what W&M has to offer in DC. 2 completely different animals. I would suggest you visit (if you haven't already), and if you don't absolutely fall in love with W&M when you visit, I would strongly suggest you consider GW despite the cost.

[marlinspike]

Have you visited W&M? It's a very nice, very friendly, close-knit community. It's also in Williamsburg, where the average age of the non-W&M population hovers around 85. There's not much to do in Williamsburg; your best bets for entertainment of a typical student would be Richmond, Newport News, or Norfolk/VA Beach. Norfolk/VA Beach is about an hour drive; Newport News is about 20, and Richmond I think is 30-45.

See, that's exactly what I prefer about William and Mary over GW. I plan to work in DC, so 3 more years away from DC wouldn't hurt. (BTW, look at the edit I made to my response to your first post in this thread).

Hopefully, I'll hear a yes from Duke, UVA, or Michigan and won't have to make such a difficult decision.

[Johnny Stuffs His Mouth]

Have you visited W&M? It's a very nice, very friendly, close-knit community. It's also in Williamsburg, where the average age of the non-W&M population hovers around 85. There's not much to do in Williamsburg; your best bets for entertainment of a typical student would be Richmond, Newport News, or Norfolk/VA Beach. Norfolk/VA Beach is about an hour drive; Newport News is about 20, and Richmond I think is 30-45.

See, that's exactly what I prefer about William and Mary over GW. I plan to work in DC, so 3 more years away from DC wouldn't hurt. (BTW, look at the edit I made to my response to your first post in this thread).

Hopefully, I'll hear a yes from Duke, UVA, or Michigan and won't have to make such a difficult decision.

Read, and I've decided that I really like you. I also hope you get into UVA; I'm hoping for good news in the mail today, as I went to decision Friday night. W&M places fine in DC; I'm pretty sure that's its natural stronghold. GW is also a tremendously fantastic school, and is still relatively young. W&M, not so much. But it is a great school in its own right. Good luck! You really can't go wrong with either one!

[nyugrad06]

what % of WM get biglaw jobs?  top 10% top 25%?

[bamf]

Looking at the list of OCI-ing firms that WM sends it looks like they have a decent number of national firms.  I would think that more than that top 1/4 could get biglaw.  They will place a lot of grads in firm jobs in Virginia but I think that if you were top 1/4 you could have your go at most firms in DC.  But being so cheap I think a large number of students go into public interest after graduation.
Bottom line is that you will have to work harder to get 125k starting at WM.  But it is very reaistic ... I mean we're talking about a top 30 school here...
I agree that you should go with GW if you plan to be Biglaw for at least 5 or 6 years.  If not I would look closely at government and PI placement from each school.