Where to go to law school

[lrobo8822]

Hi, I'm currently a junior electrical engineering student with a GPA of 3.90 and an LSAT of 171. I live in Florida and want to end up back here some time after law school but I am not sure which schools to apply for. I think I could get into some top 15-20 schools with my numbers but I may have to accrue serious debt. I don't wish to pursue big law but MAY want to get a federal clerkship in the future. The other option is seeking a law school in the south that is ranked decently with cheaper tuition in hopes of getting some scholarships: University of Florida, University of Alabama, UGA, etc.. The hard part for me about going to one of these schools as opposed to a higher ranked school is that it will be much harder to stand out from other students when applying to jobs considering most UF students will be applying here in Florida. It seems that a big name school would help me distinguish myself from the crowd but it's hard to assess the cost-benefit of that. Any advice would be much appreciated. Thank you.

[KelseyWoods]

Hi lrobo8822!

Congrats on a great LSAT score and a great GPA! Really, this decision will have to be weighed after you've applied to some schools and seen what types of offers you get. So apply for a mix of schools and see what happens! Your numbers make you competitive for some T14 schools (check out Duke if you want to stay in the South!) and I wouldn't assume you're not going to get money there until you apply and find out. T14 schools will give you more flexibility in terms of where you'll be able to find jobs and the types of jobs you'll be competitive for. But if you're sure you want to stay in Florida, a lower ranked regional school with a scholarship could be a great value. I wouldn't assume that coming from the same school as other people in your region is a negative--many of the lawyers working in your region probably also went to regional schools and may trust graduates coming from those schools because they have first hand experience with the quality of the education. It also makes it easier to network if you're already in the area and/or can share stories about the campus/professors that you had in common. So apply to some of both and then find out what your options truly are after you start getting those acceptance offers!

Hope this helps! Good luck!

Best,
Kelsey