UC Hastings or University of Washington?

[Stanley]

Hello fellow LSD denizens,

I need help deciding where to go to law school next year.

First, UW. I visited law month and absolutely loved it. Beautiful law building on a beautiful campus in Seattle; overall, got a very good impression of the place. Most importantly, they have a kickass health law program, the study of which is something I might be very interested in specializing in. I would go to UW in a heartbeat - except that it's in Seattle.

I'm from the SF Bay Area, and I also really want to try to stay around here. My family is here, and my boyfriend, who I want to try to stay with, is also in San Francisco. I'd like to live and work here after I graduate from law school. This is where UC Hastings comes in. They don't have a health law program, have a crappy location in downtown SF, and I haven't heard great things about the student experience there. BUT, it's in the Bay Area. Apparently they have a pretty solid reputation around here, despite being overshadowed by Boalt and Stanford. So I might have more of an advantage in the job market after graduation than if I went to UW.

I have yet to receive any scholarship or aid offers from either school, so that is not a factor for me right now. Their tuition would be pretty much the same anyways, since UW is so cheap for out-of-staters.

Anyways...thoughts? Opinions? Anything is greatly appreciated.

[Groundhog]

I've usually heard of Hastings' location being a plus, not a negative. It's located near a ton of courts and BART.

[Stanley]

Yeah, that is true. What I meant (and should have clarified) about the negative aspects of Hastings' location is that the school is located in a rather unsavory part of town. It's not horrible, but it's not somewhere I would feel too comfortable walking by myself, even during the day.

Then again, I freely admit that I'm a sheltered suburbanite. I even lived in SF for some time, but couldn't get used to the grittier aspects of downtown.

[Baboon J]

I'm going against conventional wisdom and saying U-Dub.

I think you might grow to like Seattle better than SF anyway. I think U-Dub is a seriously underrated school and program. It's less expensive, less competitive, and seemingly a better fit for you.

And you'll be fine coming back to SF after; you have ties to the area. You'll just have to do a little more work.

[mjca83]

Last year I got in to UW, and ultimately chose Hastings.  I'm glad that I did. 

I would hesitate to go somewhere just because you think you may have an interest in their specialized program.  Most students end up changing their minds about what they find interesting in the law.  Due to the sheer size of the school, Hastings has far more course offerings.  I think that UW is a great school, but this is what ultimately made up my mind:  the weather, the  distance from friends and family, and feeling more comfortable in san francisco.  Personally, I feel that UW is overrated.  Great school, but you dont get the same sense you get at Hastings -- being in a legal community and having access to the courts and government agencies. 

Let me know if you have any questions.   

Hello fellow LSD denizens,

I need help deciding where to go to law school next year.

First, UW. I visited law month and absolutely loved it. Beautiful law building on a beautiful campus in Seattle; overall, got a very good impression of the place. Most importantly, they have a kickass health law program, the study of which is something I might be very interested in specializing in. I would go to UW in a heartbeat - except that it's in Seattle.

I'm from the SF Bay Area, and I also really want to try to stay around here. My family is here, and my boyfriend, who I want to try to stay with, is also in San Francisco. I'd like to live and work here after I graduate from law school. This is where UC Hastings comes in. They don't have a health law program, have a crappy location in downtown SF, and I haven't heard great things about the student experience there. BUT, it's in the Bay Area. Apparently they have a pretty solid reputation around here, despite being overshadowed by Boalt and Stanford. So I might have more of an advantage in the job market after graduation than if I went to UW.

I have yet to receive any scholarship or aid offers from either school, so that is not a factor for me right now. Their tuition would be pretty much the same anyways, since UW is so cheap for out-of-staters.

Anyways...thoughts? Opinions? Anything is greatly appreciated.

[bamf]

  Personally, I feel that UW is overrated.  Great school, but you dont get the same sense you get at Hastings -- being in a legal community and having access to the courts and government agencies. 

This is crap. Yeah sure the 9th circuit is located in San Fran but they have sessions in seattle (even at UW), as as far as the federal and state courts in the entire state of washington go, University of Washington carries more weight than probably any single other school does over any single region/ state.  It is a very well respected school, but based mostly on self selection people stay in state, which keeps average starting salaries down (seattle seems to have a lower starting salary) ... but you will be able to shop a UW degree in San Fran easily ... you just won't have as many SF firms at UW doing OCI.

The other Hastings 1L had the actual useful info ... reading the original post I was thinking it was odd that there was no collaboration with UCSF med., so it is great to hear that such a program does exist.  But don't forget that UW is also one of the top med schools.

Personally I would go with Hastings if you are sure about the Bay Area.  But I beg you to not make the SO factor any part of your decision.  That is bad news bears.

[Stanley]

Thanks, everyone, for the opinions. This has turned out to be a much harder choice than I anticipated; when I started applying I was sure I would go to UW if I got in, and now obviously I'm not so sure. Hastings is the practical choice because of its location, and UW the personal choice because it just feels like it would be a better individual fit for me. So, it's a tough call.

Interestingly, the SO factor, as bamf called it, has steadily decreased in importance over time. Which is great, because for a time I was really afraid of making an emotional decision on where to go partially based on where he would be. I think I've learned enough about each school at this point, though, to be more objective about what would be best for me, instead of what would be best for our relationship.

And credo_pirata - thanks for the info on that new clinic with UCSF. Hastings gets huge points in my book for having that kind of program. It's strange, though: I just visited Hastings yesterday and spoke with the Director of Admissions, and I mentioned my potential interest in health law, but he never mentioned that clinic to me. I wonder why, cause if he's trying to sell his school to me, you'd think he'd bring something relevant like that up. 

[broyle99]

never pick a law school based on proximity to a boyfriend/girlfriend. 

[Stanley]

I apologize for his ignorance.  Its a brand new program and the seminar component (which will also include UCSF students) wont be offered until Fall '07.  The clinic also involves attorneys from the Orrick law firm.  Its under the umbrella of the Hastings Homless Legal Services and the Civil Justice Clinic.  Its tuesday nights at the UCSF Clinic at 5th and Bryant.

Its a big school and they are constantly adding new programs.  And like I mentioned earlier the academic dean and a lot of the faculty are into clinical education.

Thanks for explaining that. It's not a big deal that he didn't talk about it; at least I know about it now, and I think it's pretty exciting, as I'm intent on participating in a clinic in law school. That would be completely awesome if I went to Hastings, ended up wanting to study health law after all, and had a clinical option in that field - not even UW can top that!

Speaking of Hastings being a big school, do you think that's a drawback in any way? UW really plays up the fact that they're a small school (I think they only have just over 500 students), but does class size impact the student experience at all in your opinion?