Law School Choice

[gc97]

Hi! I am hoping you can give me some advice on my situation at the moment. I have been accepted to three schools with scholarship money, and I am torn given the locations and debt associated with each. These are the 3:

St. John's: Full tuition scholarship (must maintain 2.15 GPA)
Cardozo: $40,000/year (no stipulation)
William & Mary: $25,000/year (maintain "good academic standing")

I would like to work in the NYC area after graduation, so I worry that William & Mary's location could be an issue. I am conscious of debt and would like to choose a school with that in mind. However, I would also like some feedback neglecting debt. Thank you in advance!

-Gabby

[Adam Tyson]

I think if you are neglecting debt, Gabby, then it comes down to mostly these factors, not necessarily in this order:

1. Bar passage rate
2. Employment outcomes
3. Geographic/Lifestyle factors


For bar passage, they are all very high, all right around 85%. No edge there (although I should note that most W&M grads took the Virginia exam, while most from the New York schools took the New York exam, which has the reputation for being one of the hardest in the nation, if not the hardest).

Employment outcomes at all three schools are similar - their grads are mostly getting jobs in the legal field. Not much concern there, nobody gets an advantage.

When it comes to geography, there are two things to consider. First, where do you want to spend your law school years? If you want to end up in NYC, you might want to spend some time first somewhere else, somewhere beautiful and filled with trees and charm, etc., like Williamsburg. It's a beautiful place, and brimming with American history. They also have the smallest class sizes, which can be a good thing. Then again, you might want to get used to the hustle and bustle of the big city, and be close to museums and theaters and nightlife, etc. I don't know where you live, or where you went to undergrad, so this one is a total personal choice on your part. Debt also comes into play here - you have to look at the cost of living in each place, especially at housing opportunities - but we are not looking at debt in this analysis.

The second aspect of geography has to do with employment outcomes - where will you end up if you graduate from one of these schools? W&M is a big loser for you here - only about 12% of their grads make their way to New York, whereas the others place the vast majority there (85% of Cardoza grads and 93% of St. John's grads get jobs in New York, although not necessarily all in the city).

Without knowing anything about your lifestyle desires, I would have to say that the two New York schools are the better choice for you, especially because of both the employment prospects and the fact that they are clearly preparing their grads well for the very challenging New York Bar Exam. Getting back to the debt question, then, I would say that the full ride at St. John's is a winner. The Cardoza package leaves you about $45k short on tuition, which isn't much in the big scheme of things but is still $45k more than St. John's. The schools are tied in the USNWR rankings. And as to the stipulation at St. John's, a 2.15 should be a piece of cake. If that is giving you pause - if you are worried about maintaining even a low C average - then you should give serious thought as to whether you should even be going to law school, to be frank.

A good problem to have, as they say! Congratulations on such awesome outcomes!