Is it worth it picking a higher-ranked Tier 2 school over these lower ranked ones?

[shkhan97]

When making the decision between schools such as Villanova/Temple and Rutgers/Seton Hall, is there a big enough difference between the two pairs in employment outcome to warrant making a decision in favor of one over the other, even the former offers less scholarship money than the latter?

This is mainly aimed at private practice employment outcomes, especially in the NYC/NJ area. I am also interested in Big Law, or Mid Law alternatively.

[Dave Killoran]

Hi shkhan,

This is a tough question because decisions like these require exact monetary information on the cost side. Depending on the schools and the money involved, either direction can be the better choice.

Looking just at the four schools, it becomes clear that the differences aren't that great in certain instances: https://www.lawschooltransparency.com/s ... ova/temple (you can also see how Nova and Seton Hall tend to look a bit more attractive in their respective pairing groups).

Comparing hiring outcomes and other factors would, in my opinion, allow you to narrow down the options somewhat quickly, and then you could compare the money thereafter. I've written about this extensively in response to specific scenarios here: https://blog.powerscore.com/lsat/schola ... y-and-run/ (see the comments in particular).

Thanks!

[shkhan97]

True, the employment outcomes are the main factor in this. I have also checked out the thread and it was very helpful. Also, since the number of applicants is down, can we expect lower medians and potentially more scholarship money closer to those margins?

Thanks Dave!

[Stephanie Oswalt]

Also, since the number of applicants is down, can we expect lower medians and potentially more scholarship money closer to those margins?

Hi shkhan97,

Early numbers point to lower applicants, but early data is volatile, so there's no way of knowing until later in the cycle.

Thanks!