Picking up a law school

[Dave Killoran]

Hey Kev,

I think Nikki has nailed it, so I don't have much to add on the school front! I will say that various parts of the country—including Texas—appeal to different people. I personally love Texas and have had some great times there, but I agree that you should visit before making a decision to live there (and shoutout to Austin—one of my favorite cities in the US). I know your plan is to come visit, and I think that will have a big effect on your choices. I too am a big DC fan (I went to high school in the area and lived there after college), and visiting might influence you one way or another (or you might fall in love with Baltimore's Inner Harbor instead).

Good luck!

[kev2015]

Dear Dave and Nikki,

How are you both? I hope this message finds both of you well.

I have some news to let you know! I just got off the waitlist for both Wake Forest and Tulane! I am so happy! But now comes the question of where I should go. Now I have into consideration: American, Maryland, Wake Forest, Tulane, and I want to study IP law. I would like to hear some thoughts from you about these schools - if you were me, which school would you choose? Which school is considered as more prestigious, popular in the US? Which school has better employment job prospects?

It seems that American has the most resources in IP law, but American is actually the least school i want to go, because of its poor ranking (both overall and law school ranking), and personally I do care quite much about rankings.

Thanks so much in advance!! Any advice would be very much appreciated!!

[Jon Denning]

Hi kev,

Thanks for the questions! I know they were directed at Dave and Nikki, but I thought I'd jump in and see if I can help out.

First off, congrats on your acceptances! That's awesome!

And while I certainly can't tell you which of those four schools to choose, I'll do my best to give you some objective info about each to (hopefully) help you make the best choice yourself

Your best bet is to look at the four options side by side (http://law-schools.startclass.com/compa ... University), where you'll note the following:

Rankings (US News): Wake is 40, Maryland is 48, Tulane is 50, and American is 78. So the first three are all fairly similar to one another (Wake holds the edge, but it's not a huge one), while American is a distant fourth. You'll also see "Smart Ranks" on the page above, which roughly correspond to that order. If prestige matters—and good arguments could be made that it should, given its potential to influence future employers—then American is a hard choice here.

Total Students: Wake has 506, Tulane has 572, Maryland has 645, and American has 1288. So again the first three are all fairly similar to one another, while American is at least double the rest. The student:faculty ratio is 13:1 at each though so there's really no upside or downside to smaller or larger; it's all about preference.

Areas of Interest: You mention IP law as an intended focus. Wake is the one school on this list where IP law isn't all that well established. American arguably has the largest IP department, as you note, likely due to its large size and location in DC. So in terms of overall rank and IP opportunities Tulane and Maryland probably win out.

Bar Passage: Tulane has the highest at 84.9%, Wake is next at 82%, then Maryland 78%, and finally American with 74.8%. These rates tell you a little about how well prepared the typical graduate is (as well as the overall fitness of the student body), but individually bar passage tells you less: how you prepare for it, and your academic prowess in general, probably matter more to your chances of passing than your alma mater. Still, something to consider.

Employment: This is another big one. Consider these employment rates at graduation: Wake grads saw a 92% employment, Maryland 90.4%, Tulane 88.8%, and, unsurprisingly last, American at only 80.6%. Again, individual opportunities can vary tremendously from these broad statistics, but they're telling in terms of what the typical graduate experiences.

So that's a rundown of the key numbers for these schools. It sounds like you've already ruled out American, and I agree with that decisions unless you're really itching to work in DC, likely in government. Presuming not, then the other three are fairly similar in most respects (aside, perhaps, from Wake's IP deficiencies) and I don't think you can really go wrong with any of them.

What would make the decision for me would be location. I mean that in terms of where I'd want to spend three years, the nature of the campus and community and which I like best, and where I could see myself employed post-grad (these schools all tend to feed graduates primarily into nearby/in-state areas). For instance, 47% of Wake grads stay in NC to work, Tulane grads stay in Louisiana at a rate of 43%, and 64% of Maryland grads find jobs in Maryland.

Those three candidate schools are all sufficiently different that campus visits and further research into the areas themselves should go a long way towards singling one out. The good news is that there are no bad options among your list, so whatever you choose I think you'll find yourself extremely happy to be there

[kev2015]

Hi John,

Wow, that's an extremely detailed analysis of the schools. THANK YOU so much! It is extremely helpful. I will think about your suggestions, do more research, and then decide on a school!

Again, Thank you John and the entire powerscore team for always helping me, and giving me very valuable suggestions. I always trust powerscore so much!

[Dave Killoran]

Hey Kev,

Thanks for the updates—I had missed the Wake and Tulane status changes, so it was welcome news to see that you were accepted at both.

We're always glad to help to help out with advice, and please do not forget to let us know when you make that final decision. We definitely want to know where you decide to go!

Thanks!