UT or T14 if you want to stay in Texas?

[MindTheGap76]

dude, you know what? i don't give a sh*t anymore! go ahead and do the conventional thing and try out the "higher ranked school" (whatever in the name of hell that means esp. among top 30 schools).  please bank on the fact that you will get into the top 50% of your class and then try and get a job against your UT grads in Texas while saddled with at least 100k in debt when you do not. cheers.

You pretty clearly don't know what you're talking about. At all.

[law_dawg_07]

dude, you know what? i don't give a sh*t anymore! go ahead and do the conventional thing and try out the "higher ranked school" (whatever in the name of hell that means esp. among top 30 schools).  please bank on the fact that you will get into the top 50% of your class and then try and get a job against your UT grads in Texas while saddled with at least 100k in debt when you do not. cheers.

Sometimes its better to let people make their own mistakes and learn from them. For anyone to believe that there is such a vast difference between UT and a T14 is plain ole silly. Let them go ahead and rack up that debt and see how they are feeling in four years... 

[Special Agent Dana Scully]

dude, you know what? i don't give a sh*t anymore! go ahead and do the conventional thing and try out the "higher ranked school" (whatever in the name of hell that means esp. among top 30 schools).  please bank on the fact that you will get into the top 50% of your class and then try and get a job against your UT grads in Texas while saddled with at least 100k in debt when you do not. cheers.

Sometimes its better to let people make their own mistakes and learn from them. For anyone to believe that there is such a vast difference between UT and a T14 is plain ole silly. Let them go ahead and rack up that debt and see how they are feeling in four years... 

depending on what you want to do, there could very well be a vast difference.

however, if OP wants Texas and KNOWS that s/he will NOT change their mind/aspirations midway through ls, then Texas is a good option and s/he should probably go there.

[mrdunson]

I think the value of going to UT comes for the average student who may need to network locally to get a job and then down the road it is better to network and have friends from school 10-15 years down the line at pretty decent firms or as counsel at Texas companies.  You won't find as many friends in Texas when you go to Michigan for example. 

[Sooner]

There are grade cutoffs at firms. The cutoffs are more lenient or non-existent at some of the top 10 schools. That's why you would choose an out of state school over UT even though you plan on returning to Texas to work. I live in Texas now, and I plan to work in Dallas or Houston after I graduate from law school. I have a significant scholarship commitment from UChicago, and I’ll be there this coming fall.

Sure, there are many partners in Texas who went to UT, and those people are smart enough to know that diversity of thought/perspective is essential to success. And even Texas trolls admit that HYSCCN are notches above UT. I’m sure many of those UT alums were actually rejected from the top 6. These people probably aren’t the simplistic good ol’ boys they are projected as here. In hiring, we’re talking about strangers interviewing strangers. These hiring decisions cost partners money…and nothing is more serious than that. It’s a business relationship, not a tailgate party. I also find the “connections” argument laughable. How many new people can you substantially connect with in law school? Ten people? Out of a graduating class at UT of 500 each year…a class that is going to disperse across Texas and the U.S….and how much have alumni connections from your undergrad helped you in the world so far? That stuff is mythical. I think that most meaningful networking connections between lawyers are formed at their first jobs…not in school. Some people you will work with at the firm will move on to be corporate counsel somewhere…and that’s when you work them for business.

Many of the top 14 schools probably don’t offer a placement advantage over UT. So it’s not a no-brainer. And, for an in-state student, the financial side of things points towards UT most of the time. Thus, I think this is only a tough call for the very top students facing this dilemma…admits to the top 6 schools with $...or Darrow (Mich full ride) or Wigmore (NW full ride) people… 

[vercingetorix]

You pretty clearly don't know what you're talking about. At all.
[/quote]
actually i present some pretty compelling arguments (debt, the OP's stated goal of living in TX after school, quality of life, alumni network, quality of education difference between UT and T14 schools, etc).  what we have here Mind is a difference of opinion (although you present far fewer pros for going to a T14).  if you read my posts you will also note that i make an exception for some T14 schools (namely the top 5) where i admit the choice might be slightly more agonizing...although i could still make a strong case for choosing UT.  stating someone does not know what they are talking about in light of strong points in support of their view betrays a lack of intellectual flexibility you will find vexing as an attorney.

[botbot]

Many of the top 14 schools probably don’t offer a placement advantage over UT. So it’s not a no-brainer. And, for an in-state student, the financial side of things points towards UT most of the time. Thus, I think this is only a tough call for the very top students facing this dilemma…admits to the top 6 schools with $...or Darrow (Mich full ride) or Wigmore (NW full ride) people… 

While small, the 14-10 schools do offer a placement advantage in Texas.  Is it worth giving up instate tuition (and probably a scholarship on top if you can get into T14)?  Maybe not.

Lets just say, a lot of in-state UTexas students would never have this option. 

[StudentUVA]

It's all about competition. You wont be competing with the majority of your class for Texas firms if you go to a t-14. It's much easier to land that texas job if you're one of 6 people interviewing for it rather than 1 of 200.

[vercingetorix]

actually it's mostly about whom you know...here UT offers an advantage.  Large firms (if indeed that is where the OP wishes to work and not in the DA's office for example or as counsel to a local business to name another) will hire outside of TX but will certainly give some preference to UT grads, especially if many of the partners went to UT, this is human nature AND the way the world works.  No offense to youth hear but people like Mind the Gap who went right from UG to law school have about as much real world experience as i have time driving in reverse.  competence matters (you cannot be an idiot) as does school rep (a T1 program from that state against T14, not a T2 or T3 school from a state against T14) but nepotism is alive and well in America.  this is especially true when you are entering a political game like firm life.  not only did i choose a lower ranked school  from 2 T14's (no scholarship) to emerge debt free (it is still T1) i also chose it because i have already had a career where i established an extensive network which i intend on continuing to cultivate during my stay in law school to then work in the state.  these reasons are so compelling (T1 school, no debt, network, great job prospects) that i think i would have been an a*ss clown to accept admission to a T14 to emerge with a massive debt load and the same legal education.

[StudentUVA]

actually it's mostly about whom you know...here UT offers an advantage.  Large firms (if indeed that is where the OP wishes to work and not in the DA's office for example or as counsel to a local business to name another) will hire outside of TX but will certainly give some preference to UT grads, especially if many of the partners went to UT, this is human nature AND the way the world works.  No offense to youth hear but people like Mind the Gap who went right from UG to law school have about as much real world experience as i have time driving in reverse.  competence matters (you cannot be an idiot) as does school rep (a T1 program from that state against T14, not a T2 or T3 school from a state against T14) but nepotism is alive and well in America.  this is especially true when you are entering a political game like firm life.  not only did i choose a lower ranked school  from 2 T14's (no scholarship) to emerge debt free (it is still T1) i also chose it because i have already had a career where i established an extensive network which i intend on continuing to cultivate during my stay in law school to then work in the state.  these reasons are so compelling (T1 school, no debt, network, great job prospects) that i think i would have been an a*ss clown to accept admission to a T14 to emerge with a massive debt load and the same legal education.

There is a certain limit to how many people firms will hire from each school. From UT you'll be competing with a lot of your classmates and thus many say that you need top notch grades to get hired. From t-14's you'll be competing with a handful of people and thus you'll have a better chance of getting that job. In fact, most people from t-6 have to convince their employers that they want to stay in texas.