Univ of Texas vs Loyola (LA) full-ride vs Fordham (and potentially vs USC)

[DJ JD]

I was recently accepted to Univ of Texas, and I'm really excited about it.

That being said, I plan to live and work in Los Angeles, and most of my friends live either in NYC or LA -- making Fordham and Loyola quite appealing.

I realize Loyola is not ranked very high, but it, in many ways, is the Fordham of LA, I think.

Anyway, I was wondering what you thought about Texas, in terms of working in LA, and how it compares to the other schools I listed. If I were to be admitted to USC, I imagine I'd have to choose that over Texas, merely for its LA connections.

Thanks for reading.

[SocalCash]

Texas, better school and there is still oppurtunity with a degree no matter where you go.

[optimumonline]

There's bad stuff out there about Loyola's job placement. Every time I check a law blog someone is bitching about Loyola. Let me google some stuff. Edit: See below. There's a ton on google.

Posted by: Loyola 2L
Date: January 30, 2007 02:33PM


I can't believe how stupid my 1L class was. We thought we were going to have summer jobs. Sure we had to pay to work during 1L (summer externship through Loyola.) Sure boards like jdjive.com warned us. But we were optimistic.

Well it's four months til summer and most of us have nothing. Should I just pay Loyola for another externship?

http://www.jdjive.com/read.php?1,318915,page=1

C. Ryan,
I had no idea it was this bad. I was told that top 50% out of Loyola get great jobs and the rest get decent jobs. I also had no clue how random the grading was, which is especially stinting when you realize that only the top 10% have a chance on the market. They might as well grade our papers by rolling a dice. Not surprisingly, Loyola has a strict “no regrading allowed” policy. You’re stuck with whatever grade the professor felt like giving your paper and they don’t have to explain why they gave you 3 points instead of 4 points on a particular issue. It doesn’t really matter any way, because if I were moved into the top 10% someone else would have to be moved out. It’s a gloomy game no matter how slice it.
I have seriously thought about dropping out but that would look terrible on my resume; so I will finish. However, if I had it to do over again I would have never gone to law school unless I got into one of the top 20 or so schools.
Loyola 2L

Comment by Loyola 2L - February 25, 2007 at 4:08 pm

http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2007/02/23/good-times-for-2ls/

To the extent that author causes one kid to waste his life on a tier 2 law school, then he has harmed that kid’s life.

Tier 2 schools are a game by which glossy brochures and deceptive statements by recruiters con poor kids out of three of the most important years of their lives, and rack them with $150,000 of debt. Debt which will imprison them for a decade.

Tier 2/3/4 schools are a fool’s gamble. It’s only worth the time and money if you wind up in the top 10%. Most likely you won’t be top 10%. I know you think you will work hard but law school grading is random and often comes down to guessing what’s in some irrelevant old professor’s head.

Would you pay $150,000 to enter a game in which winning depends on the whims of some old man, who can only pick one out ten contestants? Of course you wouldn’t. So don’t waste your youth and money on tier 2 schools either.

In closing, here is a post from a tier 2 graduate on another law board. After three grueling years of law school and suffocating debt the only oppportunity available to him is burger flipping. Save yourselves.

From http://www.jdjive.com/read.php?1,332959
Re: got fired. do i have to leave the practice?
Posted by: Barron (loyola 06 grad)
Date: February 25, 2007 09:17PM

Don’t leave the practice but work part time at Burger King. I am working as a shift manager at Burger King while looking for a job in LA for the last 8 months.

They pay $7.50 with 2 weeks vacation and matching 401k.

Comment by Loyola 2L - February 27, 2007 at 1:37 pm

http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2007/02/27/a-report-on-a-business-of-law-report/

[kirkcameronsgf]

Loyola.  Definetly.

That way you can give me your TX acceptance.

But, no, for real, Texas is what I would choose if I were in your shoes.

[optimumonline]

Loyola.  Definetly.

That way you can give me your TX acceptance.

Hehe. Now that's a smart answer.

[Boss]

TX.  

Not only is it a great degree that's portable, but I assume that living cheaply as a law student in LA is impossible.  It's perfectly feasible in Austin.  It's still pretty hard to get residency at UT, but they're trying to fix it. If that happens while you're there, you'll graduate with less debt and a better degree than you would at Loyola.

EDIT:  just saw that you've got a full-ride at Loyola.  That makes it a bit trickier then since you probably will have more debt at UT.  What are the requirements for keeping your scholarship?  If you don't keep it, then how financially sound is it to attend Loyala at full-price and take on that debt vs. UT?  Do you have any lawyers you can talk to in LA to see what they recommend?  I'm curious to see if they believe that Loyola trumps UT.

And if USC is in the equation, pick USC.

[Kitty782]

I would pick Texas, but if USC was in the equation--I might lean towards USC.

[General2010]

Although I'm sure Texas has a good rep in LA, I'm not sure how many people they usually send out there. I'm guessing it can't be too large. One thing to consider is going to Texas, trying to get a job in a Texas-based firm for a few years, and then transfer to their LA office if they have one. I'm considering that option if I go to W&L (work in either DC or Atlanta, although the only biglaw firm that I know that has a large presence in both Atlanta and Texas is King and Spalding...).

[Sooner]

One thing to consider is going to Texas, trying to get a job in a Texas-based firm for a few years, and then transfer to their LA office if they have one.

I seriously doubt this would be necessary coming out of UT. This is a very pessimistic view. I think UT places well outside of Texas...and its reputation ratings in US News show how much of a national presence it has (can't maintain above a 4.0 average in those ratings without being well known everywhere). Law firms love diversity when it comes from other well known but distant schools. I'll bet the OP would find firms in LA using a similar grade cutoff for UT as that they use for USC and UCLA. And I don't think the OP would have many problems getting an interview in LA if he went to Texas (assuming good grades). Even if there aren't on-campus interviews for all the LA firms he/she is interested in, on-campus interviews are by no means the only way to get an internship/job.

Chances are if this person gets a job in Texas, he/she won't ever leave. Texas is a great place to be economically.

[General2010]

Yeah, sorry if it came off as more pessimistic as it should have. I agree with Sooner that job prospects are probably fine for UT grads out in LA. I was just adding what I said as another option for you to consider.