How do you choose a law school?

Getting to Law School Part 4: Deciding Where to Go

Now it’s time for the exciting part. You’ve gotten some acceptance letters, maybe even a scholarship offer or two, and the world of law school has opened its arms to you. Where do you go?

I don’t have rich parents, so my decision was pretty simple: I chose the school that gave me the most money. Deacon Law* offered me half tuition and Orange Law* offered me full tuition plus a stipend to do public interest work during the summers. BINGO! I’m there.  But if money is no object, it might not be that easy.

If you’re not choosing between several schools that have national reputations, seriously think about where you want to work. Sure, Chicago is beautiful in the summer but the -15 degree wintertime temps are no joke if you come from below the Mason-Dixon. New York is vibrant and culturally diverse, but it’s also crowded and expensive. Atlanta is fun and has pretty decent weather year-round, but if you’re used to big city life know that 100 miles outside the city limits you rapidly leave behind suburbia for unabashed ruralness. D.C. speaks for itself but be prepared to talk politics with everyone, everywhere, 24/7. These mildly annoying quirks can become unbearable once they’re a part of your everyday life.

Visit any school that offers you money; cutting down your debt load offers maximum career flexibility. Atmosphere is also important. Law school can be elitist and hypercompetitive; some people thrive on it, but the laid back and oversensitive would be well advised to find a school where students are more focused on doing their personal best than sabotaging others. When you visit, see if you can get an impromptu 10 minute meeting with someone from admissions, financial aid or the registrar’s office–having an accessible administration may not seem important now, but it will if you ever have some botched paperwork that is keeping you from getting your refund check or registering for classes. Scholarship offer or no, visiting the campus is a good move. By doing so you’ll definitely get a gut feeling about which school you want to attend.

If you can’t visit any of the schools you applied to, see if you can get the contact info of  one or more current students–preferably a 2L, who still remembers what you’re going through but has survived the yearlong boot camp that is 1L, and a 3L who can tell you all the things she wished she had known going into this. You’ll be able to ask questions that the glossy pamphlets can’t answer, and hopefully get an idea of the type of people you’ll be interacting with from day to day. Also, see if any of the admissions websites have student blogs–though somewhat censored, you’ll still get a peek into everyday life at that institution

I’m sure I’ve overlooked some elements–I tried to be concise and leave out the obvious things that you’ve read several times over. Current and future Pre-Ls, I hope this helps. Fellow blawgers, if you have a good tip feel free to leave it in the comments!

Part 1, Why would you go to law school?
Part 2, How do you get into law school?
Part 3, How do you apply to law school?

*If you’re really dying to know what these schools are, here’s some process of elimination for you: a) Both schools are in the southeast b) the first is named after its mascot, the second after its school colors.