Fordham or Pepperdine??

[losangles18]

Pepp isn't giving me any money but I do have a dog and the lifestyle there would be better for me than in NYC- plus i want to be in california later on...but Fordham is such a better school and I do like NYC, and have a good feeling about the school? any advice?

[«ě»]

Fordham is certainly two or three steps up from Pepperdine (and they don't have Kenneth Starr, so it's more like twenty steps up)... That being said, if you are 100% sure you wouldn't be happy in NYC, don't go there. Fordham is a good school, but it's not a national school in its own sense, and if you want to work in CA your employment options would certainly be better from Pepperdine.

[bamf]

Fordham is certainly two or three steps up from Pepperdine

understatement ...

and they don't have Kenneth Starr, so it's more like twenty steps up

thats more like it

Please, do not pick your law school based on your dog.  I hear tell there is a really nice park right in the middle of Manhattan where you can walk your dog.

Please go to Fordham.  In ten years you'll be real happy and your dog will be dead.

[losangles18]

Thank you Bamf, i appreciate your honestly and tough love- But why would Pepperdine give me better opportunities in CA when it is soooo far down on the rankings? i guess i should probably go to the better school...

[General2010]

Because people have heard of it in California...

[«ě»]

Well, Fordham places very little outside NYC, even less outside the North East area. As a consequence, it doesn't really have a brand name in Cali at all. This is largely a result of self-selection, people who choose Fordham generally have the numbers to get into an equal-or-better ranked school in other areas, as Fordham really gets a LSAT/GPA boost from it's location. Thus, they are going to stay in NYC post-grad, and therefor there's little alumni in Cali for example to help you get a job. It's very possible, law firms know Fordham is a good school, but the jobs won't come to you, you'll have to work to get them.

Personally, I'd lean towards Fordham being worth the extra job of moving back to CA after graduation. But that's a subjective call. If you have experience with hunting for jobs from before, you can probably handle it well. If you're straight outta ug, you might want a school where the OCI gives you a good chance at the job you want.

[thelawman]

if you can graduate at the top of your class at a tier 2 school you can come out making 6 figures or darn close to it

[nhutchin]

Personally I think that people here are downplaying the fact that Pepperdine is a really good school.  And if people are so ignorant to think that the school is a step down because Ken Starr is our dean then they clearly do not know much about Pepperdine.  Personally as a liberal democrat who goes to Pepperdine I can say that Ken Starr being who he is does not negatively effect our school in any way.  In fact we get some very high profile speakers that other schools, much higher in the rankings do not get, because of the connections he has.  He also happens to be a very nice person and very accessible to students.  He even has dinners at his house for students, which you would never expect out of a dean let alone one who has such a high profile.
I would say that although rankings are important, you quality of life during law school is also very important.  Therefore if being with your dog will make you happier than go to Pepperdine.  Pepperdine also has an extremely friendly and welcoming atomosphere so if that is something you are interested in then you should definitely consider it.  I would say come and visit Pepperdine to see what you think about it as a whole.  Also check out some of my other postings on the Pepperdine Student Taking Any Questions thread to hear more about what I have said about Pepperdine or feel free to send me a message!

[donwario]

There is no doubt that Fordham is a 10x better school than Pepperdine. But if OP wants only California, Pepperdine is going to place much, much better there. Fordham places well, but not outside NY.