Mercer University

[karlmarx4ever]

To the Mercer 1L and the rest of you with thoughts on the subject; out of Mercer and Georgia State, which do you think places better in North Florida? Mercer is closer to the region, but Georgia State is ranked higher...

I don't think the US News ranking matters for regional employment with these two schools.  (Last year Mercer was ranked higher than GA State).

I have little hard data to answer your question.  Neither school website is particularly helpful.  However, Martindale indicates there are 32 Georgia State grads in Florida and 306 Mercer grads in Florida.  These numbers would comport with my general feeling that quite a few Mercer graduates seek employment in Florida.

first off, you won't place in FL from a ttt unless you have connections there.

second, you're a 1L so i'll forgive your ignorance. i work at a V100 in atlanta. mercer's reputation isn't terribly great. emory and uga grads get first pick at the vault jobs. t14 also matriculate in. ga state and mercer get the scraps, but only if you're on law review with solid numbers. i know k&s goes down to mercer because they have a partner there from mercer, but that's about all you can expect at mercer. OCI options will be extremely limited given its location.

most mercer grads end up working in rural communities in georgia. top 5% will land very nice market paying jobs in atl. top 15% or so with decent connections to atlanta will land ok jobs. everybody else will have it tough, especially with the economy the way it is.

also keep this in mind: ga state is a rising powerhouse here in atlanta. they are new, which is why jobs have traditionally been harder for them to get. but since their numbers have been steadily rising, so has their reputation. ga state is rising at the expense of mercer.

here's my advice: mercer is one of the most expensive schools to attend. it's second only to emory, yet has worse job placement than any school in GA. do not go unless you get a substantial scholarship there. substantial as in 2/3s will be covered. anything more than that, and you'll be paying down debt for 30 years.

hope that helps.

Way to come off sounding like a Jacka$$. You make me look nice.

Anyway, Mercer isn't as bad as this clown is making it sound. Pull up any law firm in Atlanta, and look at an associate's bio. Unless they're from HYS, they'll almost certainly have served on a Journal, Law Review, or been a member of mootcourt/mock trial. This indicates that they're near the top of their class. This includes grads from Emory and UGA. Guess what that means? It means that you need to be in the top 1/3rd or so in your class even at UGA and Emory to get a biglaw job. Just like you need to be at Mercer.

To get a BigLaw job, unless you go to HYS, or a T-14, you need to be near the top of your class and be on a journal or moot court. This is true of most law schools. Mercer included.

That being said, if you want to practice in Atlanta, only go to Mercer if you don't get into GaState, UGA or Emory. This is because financially, it doesn't make sense to go to Mercer if you got into the other schools.

By the way, I doubt Karlmarx4ever really works at a V100 firm in Atlanta. If you does, then he's the biggest loser I've ever heard of for hanging out on lawschooldiscussion.org as an associate. 

To answer the other guy's question: I went to a T30. Not going into more detail than that to protect privacy.

Second, I admit I'm a loser. My day usually consists of waking up, jacking off, taking a shower, jacking off again, and going into the office and coming back home and going to sleep. It should be no surprise that I would also browse this forum.

Third, you will NOT (I repeat: WILL NOT) get biglaw from Mercer by graduating in the top 1/3 like Emory. To put Mercer in a league with Emory is lunacy. Emory grads on law review end up at vault 20 firms in NY and other markets. Most don't stick around in a secondary market like Atlanta. Top 40% or so get biglaw from Emory. At UGA, 1/3 is about right. At GA State, it's about %15. At Mercer, you're looking at %5 roughly, or about 8% if you're being very generous.

Fourth, do not let associate pages on K&S and other firms fool you. A lot of those are lateral transfers rather than grads who were hired right out of their 2L SA.

Lastly, I'm just trying to save a life. A lot of these kids who go to TTTs go there under the false impression that they can land a vault job. It's just not true. The market is flooded right now. Going to an utter TTT like Mercer is a very risky proposition if you go there without a hefty scholarship. And even if you do go with a scholarship, you have a 90% chance or so of still working shitlaw.

So either take my advice or don't. It's no sweat off my back. I'll make market regardless. Just trying to impart some brutally honest advice about how law school really works. HTH

[yoyodawg]

To the Mercer 1L and the rest of you with thoughts on the subject; out of Mercer and Georgia State, which do you think places better in North Florida? Mercer is closer to the region, but Georgia State is ranked higher...

I don't think the US News ranking matters for regional employment with these two schools.  (Last year Mercer was ranked higher than GA State).

I have little hard data to answer your question.  Neither school website is particularly helpful.  However, Martindale indicates there are 32 Georgia State grads in Florida and 306 Mercer grads in Florida.  These numbers would comport with my general feeling that quite a few Mercer graduates seek employment in Florida.

first off, you won't place in FL from a ttt unless you have connections there.

second, you're a 1L so i'll forgive your ignorance. i work at a V100 in atlanta. mercer's reputation isn't terribly great. emory and uga grads get first pick at the vault jobs. t14 also matriculate in. ga state and mercer get the scraps, but only if you're on law review with solid numbers. i know k&s goes down to mercer because they have a partner there from mercer, but that's about all you can expect at mercer. OCI options will be extremely limited given its location.

most mercer grads end up working in rural communities in georgia. top 5% will land very nice market paying jobs in atl. top 15% or so with decent connections to atlanta will land ok jobs. everybody else will have it tough, especially with the economy the way it is.

also keep this in mind: ga state is a rising powerhouse here in atlanta. they are new, which is why jobs have traditionally been harder for them to get. but since their numbers have been steadily rising, so has their reputation. ga state is rising at the expense of mercer.

here's my advice: mercer is one of the most expensive schools to attend. it's second only to emory, yet has worse job placement than any school in GA. do not go unless you get a substantial scholarship there. substantial as in 2/3s will be covered. anything more than that, and you'll be paying down debt for 30 years.

hope that helps.

Way to come off sounding like a Jacka$$. You make me look nice.

Anyway, Mercer isn't as bad as this clown is making it sound. Pull up any law firm in Atlanta, and look at an associate's bio. Unless they're from HYS, they'll almost certainly have served on a Journal, Law Review, or been a member of mootcourt/mock trial. This indicates that they're near the top of their class. This includes grads from Emory and UGA. Guess what that means? It means that you need to be in the top 1/3rd or so in your class even at UGA and Emory to get a biglaw job. Just like you need to be at Mercer.

To get a BigLaw job, unless you go to HYS, or a T-14, you need to be near the top of your class and be on a journal or moot court. This is true of most law schools. Mercer included.

That being said, if you want to practice in Atlanta, only go to Mercer if you don't get into GaState, UGA or Emory. This is because financially, it doesn't make sense to go to Mercer if you got into the other schools.

By the way, I doubt Karlmarx4ever really works at a V100 firm in Atlanta. If you does, then he's the biggest loser I've ever heard of for hanging out on lawschooldiscussion.org as an associate. 

Third, you will NOT (I repeat: WILL NOT) get biglaw from Mercer by graduating in the top 1/3 like Emory. To put Mercer in a league with Emory is lunacy. Emory grads on law review end up at vault 20 firms in NY and other markets. Most don't stick around in a secondary market like Atlanta. Top 40% or so get biglaw from Emory. At UGA, 1/3 is about right. At GA State, it's about %15. At Mercer, you're looking at %5 roughly, or about 8% if you're being very generous.

Are you out of your mind? Most Emory grads, including those on Law Review DO stick around Atlanta. If you want, I can get the numbers from Emory's website.

Your class rank logic is also a little screwy. Top 8%? I go to lawschool, (Not Mercer, but since we're protecting anonymity, it's just outside the top 50) and I've never seen an OCI listing as having a top 8% as a cut off. Top 10% yeah, but top 8%? You're just making crap up now. Yes, Emory definately puts you in a much better position to get a job in Atlanta. However, you're not going to be handed a Biglaw job just by "being in the top 40%" of the Emory class. Neither will you be given one just by being in the "top 1/3rd" of UGA.

I'm not putting Mercer in the same league as Emory, however, you're being ridiculous if you're saying you can't get a biglaw job in Atlanta if you go to Mercer. You're also being crazy if you think you can just have a mediocre class rank at Emory and still get a biglaw job. You better have something else going for you as well. (journal or mootcourt/mock trial)


Finally, you say you work at a V-100 in Atlanta? Really? What type of work do you do? What is your billable requirement? Lets talk about case-law. What was your favorite subject in lawschool? What do you hate about the parole evidence rule? Do you find that UCC-2A is better than the CISG? Tell me what process one uses to remove a case? What do think the longterm impact of Lawrence will be? Who do you like better, Holmes or Scalia and why?

[karlmarx4ever]

To the Mercer 1L and the rest of you with thoughts on the subject; out of Mercer and Georgia State, which do you think places better in North Florida? Mercer is closer to the region, but Georgia State is ranked higher...

I don't think the US News ranking matters for regional employment with these two schools.  (Last year Mercer was ranked higher than GA State).

I have little hard data to answer your question.  Neither school website is particularly helpful.  However, Martindale indicates there are 32 Georgia State grads in Florida and 306 Mercer grads in Florida.  These numbers would comport with my general feeling that quite a few Mercer graduates seek employment in Florida.

first off, you won't place in FL from a ttt unless you have connections there.

second, you're a 1L so i'll forgive your ignorance. i work at a V100 in atlanta. mercer's reputation isn't terribly great. emory and uga grads get first pick at the vault jobs. t14 also matriculate in. ga state and mercer get the scraps, but only if you're on law review with solid numbers. i know k&s goes down to mercer because they have a partner there from mercer, but that's about all you can expect at mercer. OCI options will be extremely limited given its location.

most mercer grads end up working in rural communities in georgia. top 5% will land very nice market paying jobs in atl. top 15% or so with decent connections to atlanta will land ok jobs. everybody else will have it tough, especially with the economy the way it is.

also keep this in mind: ga state is a rising powerhouse here in atlanta. they are new, which is why jobs have traditionally been harder for them to get. but since their numbers have been steadily rising, so has their reputation. ga state is rising at the expense of mercer.

here's my advice: mercer is one of the most expensive schools to attend. it's second only to emory, yet has worse job placement than any school in GA. do not go unless you get a substantial scholarship there. substantial as in 2/3s will be covered. anything more than that, and you'll be paying down debt for 30 years.

hope that helps.

Way to come off sounding like a Jacka$$. You make me look nice.

Anyway, Mercer isn't as bad as this clown is making it sound. Pull up any law firm in Atlanta, and look at an associate's bio. Unless they're from HYS, they'll almost certainly have served on a Journal, Law Review, or been a member of mootcourt/mock trial. This indicates that they're near the top of their class. This includes grads from Emory and UGA. Guess what that means? It means that you need to be in the top 1/3rd or so in your class even at UGA and Emory to get a biglaw job. Just like you need to be at Mercer.

To get a BigLaw job, unless you go to HYS, or a T-14, you need to be near the top of your class and be on a journal or moot court. This is true of most law schools. Mercer included.

That being said, if you want to practice in Atlanta, only go to Mercer if you don't get into GaState, UGA or Emory. This is because financially, it doesn't make sense to go to Mercer if you got into the other schools.

By the way, I doubt Karlmarx4ever really works at a V100 firm in Atlanta. If you does, then he's the biggest loser I've ever heard of for hanging out on lawschooldiscussion.org as an associate. 

Third, you will NOT (I repeat: WILL NOT) get biglaw from Mercer by graduating in the top 1/3 like Emory. To put Mercer in a league with Emory is lunacy. Emory grads on law review end up at vault 20 firms in NY and other markets. Most don't stick around in a secondary market like Atlanta. Top 40% or so get biglaw from Emory. At UGA, 1/3 is about right. At GA State, it's about %15. At Mercer, you're looking at %5 roughly, or about 8% if you're being very generous.

Are you out of your mind? Most Emory grads, including those on Law Review DO stick around Atlanta. If you want, I can get the numbers from Emory's website.

Your class rank logic is also a little screwy. Top 8%? I go to lawschool, (Not Mercer, but since we're protecting anonymity, it's just outside the top 50) and I've never seen an OCI listing as having a top 8% as a cut off. Top 10% yeah, but top 8%? You're just making crap up now. Yes, Emory definately puts you in a much better position to get a job in Atlanta. However, you're not going to be handed a Biglaw job just by "being in the top 40%" of the Emory class. Neither will you be given one just by being in the "top 1/3rd" of UGA.

I'm not putting Mercer in the same league as Emory, however, you're being ridiculous if you're saying you can't get a biglaw job in Atlanta if you go to Mercer. You're also being crazy if you think you can just have a mediocre class rank at Emory and still get a biglaw job. You better have something else going for you as well. (journal or mootcourt/mock trial)


Finally, you say you work at a V-100 in Atlanta? Really? What type of work do you do? What is your billable requirement? Lets talk about case-law. What was your favorite subject in lawschool? What do you hate about the parole evidence rule? Do you find that UCC-2A is better than the CISG? Tell me what process one uses to remove a case? What do think the longterm impact of Lawrence will be? Who do you like better, Holmes or Scalia and why?

First, the numbers I give are not exact obviously. These are my highly educated ESTIMATES. These numbers are not an exact science since TTTs don't exactly give a precise number of grads who end up at vault firms. Why would mercer (or any TTT for that matter) do that? To showcase the 6 or 7 people who work at K&S, A&B or troutman each year? That would be horrible publicity.

I am very, very, VERY well aware of where Emory grads go. Most end up in Atl. Ones on LR (primary and secondary) have mobility to other markets. A lot end up in v20 firms in NY and elsewhere in the northeast, just as I said before. You can look up all the statistics you want, because I know that is 100% accurate.

Just outside the top 50? Hope you're happy at UGA. You better grade higher than the median or you'll be hitting the pavement like Mercer grads. And that'll suck mail merging 400 resumes.

I'll bill just over 2000 hours this year. My bonus will be modest. As for the other *&^%, I'm not going to sit on this board and waste my time with that. You can either take my advice or not. I have no incentive to sit on a forum like this and bull. Take it or leave it. I am just offering sobering advice. The kids reading this can either take it and save themselves $100k or not take it and owe $100k while making a paltry $50k a yr working craplaw. I came out owing $140k for what it's worth. It will take me 4 years to pay that off with a market salary while living a 'normal' lifestyle. Extrapolate those payments and cost of living to someone making 1/3 what I am. I cannot fathom that.

Also, I said 5-8% of mercer grads WILL END UP IN BIGLAW. Just because they pass prescreening for OCI does NOT mean they will get offered. Half the ones who passed prescreen will get dinged in the interviewing process. The rest will get an SA gig. That puts it at about 5-8%, which is my highly educated guess. Actually read what I said instead of getting emotional.

I think I've said what needs to be said here.

[yoyodawg]

To the Mercer 1L and the rest of you with thoughts on the subject; out of Mercer and Georgia State, which do you think places better in North Florida? Mercer is closer to the region, but Georgia State is ranked higher...

I don't think the US News ranking matters for regional employment with these two schools.  (Last year Mercer was ranked higher than GA State).

I have little hard data to answer your question.  Neither school website is particularly helpful.  However, Martindale indicates there are 32 Georgia State grads in Florida and 306 Mercer grads in Florida.  These numbers would comport with my general feeling that quite a few Mercer graduates seek employment in Florida.

first off, you won't place in FL from a ttt unless you have connections there.

second, you're a 1L so i'll forgive your ignorance. i work at a V100 in atlanta. mercer's reputation isn't terribly great. emory and uga grads get first pick at the vault jobs. t14 also matriculate in. ga state and mercer get the scraps, but only if you're on law review with solid numbers. i know k&s goes down to mercer because they have a partner there from mercer, but that's about all you can expect at mercer. OCI options will be extremely limited given its location.

most mercer grads end up working in rural communities in georgia. top 5% will land very nice market paying jobs in atl. top 15% or so with decent connections to atlanta will land ok jobs. everybody else will have it tough, especially with the economy the way it is.

also keep this in mind: ga state is a rising powerhouse here in atlanta. they are new, which is why jobs have traditionally been harder for them to get. but since their numbers have been steadily rising, so has their reputation. ga state is rising at the expense of mercer.

here's my advice: mercer is one of the most expensive schools to attend. it's second only to emory, yet has worse job placement than any school in GA. do not go unless you get a substantial scholarship there. substantial as in 2/3s will be covered. anything more than that, and you'll be paying down debt for 30 years.

hope that helps.

Way to come off sounding like a Jacka$$. You make me look nice.

Anyway, Mercer isn't as bad as this clown is making it sound. Pull up any law firm in Atlanta, and look at an associate's bio. Unless they're from HYS, they'll almost certainly have served on a Journal, Law Review, or been a member of mootcourt/mock trial. This indicates that they're near the top of their class. This includes grads from Emory and UGA. Guess what that means? It means that you need to be in the top 1/3rd or so in your class even at UGA and Emory to get a biglaw job. Just like you need to be at Mercer.

To get a BigLaw job, unless you go to HYS, or a T-14, you need to be near the top of your class and be on a journal or moot court. This is true of most law schools. Mercer included.

That being said, if you want to practice in Atlanta, only go to Mercer if you don't get into GaState, UGA or Emory. This is because financially, it doesn't make sense to go to Mercer if you got into the other schools.

By the way, I doubt Karlmarx4ever really works at a V100 firm in Atlanta. If you does, then he's the biggest loser I've ever heard of for hanging out on lawschooldiscussion.org as an associate. 

Third, you will NOT (I repeat: WILL NOT) get biglaw from Mercer by graduating in the top 1/3 like Emory. To put Mercer in a league with Emory is lunacy. Emory grads on law review end up at vault 20 firms in NY and other markets. Most don't stick around in a secondary market like Atlanta. Top 40% or so get biglaw from Emory. At UGA, 1/3 is about right. At GA State, it's about %15. At Mercer, you're looking at %5 roughly, or about 8% if you're being very generous.

Are you out of your mind? Most Emory grads, including those on Law Review DO stick around Atlanta. If you want, I can get the numbers from Emory's website.

Your class rank logic is also a little screwy. Top 8%? I go to lawschool, (Not Mercer, but since we're protecting anonymity, it's just outside the top 50) and I've never seen an OCI listing as having a top 8% as a cut off. Top 10% yeah, but top 8%? You're just making crap up now. Yes, Emory definately puts you in a much better position to get a job in Atlanta. However, you're not going to be handed a Biglaw job just by "being in the top 40%" of the Emory class. Neither will you be given one just by being in the "top 1/3rd" of UGA.

I'm not putting Mercer in the same league as Emory, however, you're being ridiculous if you're saying you can't get a biglaw job in Atlanta if you go to Mercer. You're also being crazy if you think you can just have a mediocre class rank at Emory and still get a biglaw job. You better have something else going for you as well. (journal or mootcourt/mock trial)


Finally, you say you work at a V-100 in Atlanta? Really? What type of work do you do? What is your billable requirement? Lets talk about case-law. What was your favorite subject in lawschool? What do you hate about the parole evidence rule? Do you find that UCC-2A is better than the CISG? Tell me what process one uses to remove a case? What do think the longterm impact of Lawrence will be? Who do you like better, Holmes or Scalia and why?

First, the numbers I give are not exact obviously. These are my highly educated ESTIMATES. These numbers are not an exact science since TTTs don't exactly give a precise number of grads who end up at vault firms. Why would mercer (or any TTT for that matter) do that? To showcase the 6 or 7 people who work at K&S, A&B or troutman each year? That would be horrible publicity.

I am very, very, VERY well aware of where Emory grads go. Most end up in Atl. Ones on LR (primary and secondary) have mobility to other markets. A lot end up in v20 firms in NY and elsewhere in the northeast, just as I said before. You can look up all the statistics you want, because I know that is 100% accurate.

Just outside the top 50? Hope you're happy at UGA. You better grade higher than the median or you'll be hitting the pavement like Mercer grads. And that'll suck mail merging 400 resumes.

I'll bill just over 2000 hours this year. My bonus will be modest. As for the other poo, I'm not going to sit on this board and waste my time with that. You can either take my advice or not. I have no incentive to sit on a forum like this and bull. Take it or leave it. I am just offering sobering advice. The kids reading this can either take it and save themselves $100k or not take it and owe $100k while making a paltry $50k a yr working craplaw. I came out owing $140k for what it's worth. It will take me 4 years to pay that off with a market salary while living a 'normal' lifestyle. Extrapolate those payments and cost of living to someone making 1/3 what I am. I cannot fathom that.

Also, I said 5-8% of mercer grads WILL END UP IN BIGLAW. Just because they pass prescreening for OCI does NOT mean they will get offered. Half the ones who passed prescreen will get dinged in the interviewing process. The rest will get an SA gig. That puts it at about 5-8%, which is my highly educated guess. Actually read what I said instead of getting emotional.

I think I've said what needs to be said here.

Why don't you actually answer my law related questions? I think you're full of it. The real item here is that you don't have any idea what Article 2A is or what the CISG is. You have no idea what Lawrence means nor do you have an idea what a removal question is. Finally, you don't even know what the parole evidence rule is.

You're just a flamer who hasn't even been to law school.

If you'd have read what I said, you would have realized that I cautioned people to not go to Mercer unless they had no other Georgia options. In any event, you're full of it. HTH.

[giveme170]

 Hey, what do you think about 2nd tier schools? Would you rather choose to attend 1st tier schools even if you can get significant amount of money by attending 2nd tier school? Is attending 3rd tier school really waste of money? My friend was accepted by Mercer but decided to take the LSAT again because she heard so many negative things about TTT schools. BTW I am an undergrad whos taking the LSAT in few weeks. I would be really thankful for some general advice about choosing law school. 

[vap]

To the Mercer 1L and the rest of you with thoughts on the subject; out of Mercer and Georgia State, which do you think places better in North Florida? Mercer is closer to the region, but Georgia State is ranked higher...

I don't think the US News ranking matters for regional employment with these two schools.  (Last year Mercer was ranked higher than GA State).

I have little hard data to answer your question.  Neither school website is particularly helpful.  However, Martindale indicates there are 32 Georgia State grads in Florida and 306 Mercer grads in Florida.  These numbers would comport with my general feeling that quite a few Mercer graduates seek employment in Florida.

first off, you won't place in FL from a ttt unless you have connections there.

This statement is mostly true of most schools.  "Won't" is not accurate.  "Probably won't" is better.

second, you're a 1L so i'll forgive your ignorance. i work at a V100 in atlanta. mercer's reputation isn't terribly great. emory and uga grads get first pick at the vault jobs. t14 also matriculate in. ga state and mercer get the scraps, but only if you're on law review with solid numbers. i know k&s goes down to mercer because they have a partner there from mercer, but that's about all you can expect at mercer. OCI options will be extremely limited given its location.

most mercer grads end up working in rural communities in Georgia. top 5% will land very nice market paying jobs in atl. top 15% or so with decent connections to atlanta will land ok jobs. everybody else will have it tough, especially with the economy the way it is.

also keep this in mind: ga state is a rising powerhouse here in atlanta. they are new, which is why jobs have traditionally been harder for them to get. but since their numbers have been steadily rising, so has their reputation. ga state is rising at the expense of mercer.

You kind of went off on a weird tangent here, considering the topic was which school places better in North FL, Mercer or GA State.  I posted the # of attorneys on Martindale from each school.  As a current student, I also can attest that some students intend to practice in FL.  Our legal research class sometimes has us doing research with FL materials.  FL employers are listed in the CSO office.  Last year, about 70% of students practiced in GA.  About 87% practiced in the South Atlantic (DE, DC, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV).  So, non-GA South Atlantic was 17%.  Most of those will be SC and FL.  I wasn't able to find comparable info from GA State.

If you have something relevant to add, please feel free.  You basically just said Mercer is a TTT and GA State is a TTT but less of a TTT than Mercer, and then started talking about placement in ATL.  There's no doubt that Emory and UGA place significantly better and GA State might place a little better in ATL. I doubt the accuracy of your numbers, though.  If you can provide a source, pleae do so.

here's my advice: mercer is one of the most expensive schools to attend. it's second only to emory, yet has worse job placement than any school in GA. do not go unless you get a substantial scholarship there. substantial as in 2/3s will be covered. anything more than that, and you'll be paying down debt for 30 years.

I very much agree with this statement.  However, some people are lulled into believing that everything will be OK if they go to T1 or T30 or whatever.  Such is not true.  Plenty of T30 students will be paying down the debt over 30 years.  Unless someone can attend a truly national school, they will likely be better served by attending a cheap state school or following a large unconditional scholarship.

[vap]

Hey, what do you think about 2nd tier schools? Would you rather choose to attend 1st tier schools even if you can get significant amount of money by attending 2nd tier school? Is attending 3rd tier school really waste of money? My friend was accepted by Mercer but decided to take the LSAT again because she heard so many negative things about TTT schools. BTW I am an undergrad whos taking the LSAT in few weeks. I would be really thankful for some general advice about choosing law school. 

The only reason not to attend a school is if you hear bad things about THAT school, not "ttt schools" in general.  Mercer is usually ranked within the top 100, therefore a T2 school.  However, just because it is T2 and not TTT, does not mean it is inherently better than any TTT schools.  As I said earlier, last year it was ranked higher than GA State.  This fact, of course, does not make it better than GA State and vice versa.

To answer your question, personally I'd almost always choose a generic T2 school with money rather than a generic T1 with money.  I chose Mercer with money over a Top 25 school.  Of course, arguing about what to choose is asinine unless you're actually comparing two REAL schools.  Schools are too unique to be lumped into categories of 50.  I focussed my applications on a) top schools and b) schools that would give significant scholarships.

Important factors to consider:
Cost
Employment prospects
Location (and where graduates usually work - but this is less important if you have connections to the location you'd like to work)
Whatever else is important to you

[karlmarx4ever]

Hey, what do you think about 2nd tier schools? Would you rather choose to attend 1st tier schools even if you can get significant amount of money by attending 2nd tier school? Is attending 3rd tier school really waste of money? My friend was accepted by Mercer but decided to take the LSAT again because she heard so many negative things about TTT schools. BTW I am an undergrad whos taking the LSAT in few weeks. I would be really thankful for some general advice about choosing law school. 

I suggest you read what I said above since it probably applies to you. It'll also give you an idea where I'm coming from.

Short answer: Don't go to law school unless you get into a T1 school with a good reputation in the market you want to be in. An exception to this rule is getting a very big scholarship to a t2. Choosing between those two options is completely up to you. The choice will really hinge on your employment prospects. My advice: go to the best t1 school you got accepted to.

Longer answer: law school is 90% image and 10% hard work. Law school is one of those things where if you don't go to a recognized brand name, then the market pays no attention. That's why it is critically important to get into the best school you can get into. What separates t1 and t2 isn't necessarily the quality of education, but the ability of the school to leverage its name to place you in better jobs. Think of law school more as a business school rather than a law school. You're attaching yourself to the name of the school when you attend in hopes that you can land a decent job.

The key to law school is knowing the facts. Admissions offices at these TTTs make it impossible to find REAL data on employment statistics. Do not believe the employment stats on their websites. That data is based off self-surveys and may not reflect reality. Further, a lot of students who ended up taking "non-traditional legal jobs" (a euphemism TTTs use for any job outside of legal) may not even opt to take the survey. Therefore, the average starting salary is generally inflated. These TTTs really should be placed on probation by the ABA for the incredible scam thay're committing.

Tier 3 schools are never worth the money even with a full scholarship. The odds of landing a decent job out of those schools is so slim that you might as well call it a 0% chance. Remember that tuition is not your only cost at law school. You also have opportunity costs. If you spend 3 years in law school only to find out that you can't land a job as a lawyer, you have really wasted a ton of money you could have earned had you been working and building a career.

Bottom line: your friend was smart. If the only school you get accepted to is mercer, then my advice is to not go. TTTs, and private TTTs in particular, are extremely expensive. Mercer is almost as expensive as Emory, yet Emory grads have substantially better employment prospects. That's something to keep in mind. Keep your options open and keep what I said in mind when you get your LSAT results back. I'm sure you'll be successful regardless of what you decide to do. Good luck.

[vap]

Tier 3 schools are never worth the money even with a full scholarship. The odds of landing a decent job out of those schools is so slim that you might as well call it a 0% chance.

LOL @ this suggestion.  Going to an accredited law school for free is not a bad idea if you actually want to be a lawyer.

Bottom line: your friend was smart. If the only school you get accepted to is mercer, then my advice is to not go.

IMHO, Mercer is not worth full tuition.  A better idea is to go to a cheaper state school or private school with a large unconditional scholarship, even if that means attending a Tier 4.

[giveme170]

I really appreciate what all of you guys said. It makes me think about more than just the numbers and money I get when I apply for law school. I am kind of skeptical about TTT schools being worthless though. So do you think all the people (and there are a lot of schools with tens of thousands of students attending) who are at TT and TTT are wasting their time and money? How about all the Ivy league graduates who choose to work in other places than big law firms? I do want to get a good job that pays me well even though I do not necessarily want to force myself to make six figures by sacrificing other aspects of life if i am given such opportunities. Could you elaborate more on WHY it is such a bad idea to attend TTT schools? Is it purely economical? Does that mean most attorneys in this country regret their choice of attending LS? Thanks for the advice.