hellster (2022-2023)

I haven't received my acceptance in the mail yet, so I'm not sure of any financial aid awards at the moment. According to their website for admitted students, financial aid awards aren't set in stone until almost the beginning of the school year, but if you call the financial aid office, they'll quote you a preliminary number. I heard that Temple is in a rough neighborhood, but the school is making an effort to help clean it up. I see we applied to several of the same schools. I'm going to Temple this weekend actually, I happen to be on the East Coast for family business, so I can fill you in on what the campus is like if you want. Lemme know, and good luck!

Any chance you'll be headed to Carbondale if you get in? It is a terrific school, very small school atmosphere even though it is a public school.... so you get the tuition break as well.

Hey I'm really undecided right now... I'm going to check out Miami, Stetson, and FSU in the next 2 weeks. I don't know a whole lot about the FSU program, I do know its improved a lot recently but that's about it. I'll let you know what I think after visiting!

Hello. Thanks for getting back to me. Everything that I know about the school and Carbondale is all good. I have yet to hear a negative thing about either one. Carbondale has a very small town feel, but it has more retail then where I live now even though it only has half the people. Carbondale is the oasis in Southern Illinois. There is nothing else other than small towns until you get up to St. Louis or Springfield. However, everyone I have talked to have loved every minute of living in Carbondale. Some are ready to leave when school is over, but I am sure a lot of people are that way regardless of where you go. Carbondale has a very nice mall and plenty of outdoor activities to keep you busy when you are not studying. As for the school itself, I have found that it is one of the best schools that no one seems to know about. The teachers seem great, and the students have nothing but positive things to say about them. They all seem to be very approachable if you have questions, and make themselves available out of class. The school is small, so it has a close knit feel to it. They seem to schedule your classes your first year so that you have plenty of time every day to study at the Library or whatever you need to do. I think that it will help to get used to the rigors of Law School. I have received information in the mail from every department in the Law School, and they seem extremely helpful in anything you need (housing, career services, student organizations ect..). SIU seems to place very well. It is by itself in the southern part of the state and places in any city in the state (including Chicago). SIU places very well in Springfield and St. Louis, and will get you an interview in almost anything in Chicago (except maybe some BIGLAW firms that only hire Chicago/N'western/UIUC graduates) which makes the rest up to you. I hear they even can go into other big cities in the Midwest such as Indianapolis and Nashville. Everyone in Chicago regards the school very highly. I spoke with a guy in real estate in Chicago who went to another Law School in Illinois and he said that all of the Chicago firms really like SIU graduates. Many of them consider their degree to be ahead of some of the Chicago schools even (such as NIU (close enough to Chicago), Kent, DePaul, and some even Loyola). SIU places the best in the state into federal government and guarantees you state government positions if that is what you want. SIU has a medical school in Springfield, and so it has great ties to the government. I spoke with a current student who said that about half of his graduating class that has jobs right now have them in federal government positions (such as JAG, DOJ, and clerkships with Judges in states as far away as Idaho). So SIU seems to place well if you can get out there and market yourself. I am very excited about the school, and I know I will be just fine in getting a well paying job after school. If you have any more questions or insight let me know.

Nice scholarship. It make not look like much, but remember that you can get in state tuition at SIU after only 6 months of being in the state. That tuition is only about $9000 per year so you would have a half tuition scholarship there. Going to school for only $4500 tution at a school that is so much better than the others you have gotten into would be pretty nice I think. Good luck with your decisions. And if you turn down SIU tell them to give me your scholarship! :)

Hey- St Thomas is a new law school, as their first JD class graduated in 2004. There isnt much statistical data, but the bar passage rate is pretty good and the location is nice, as well. Sorry that I can't tell you more!

Thanks, good luck with FSU!

I previously lived in Tallahassee so I have some friends there. Plus I want to work in government, and I want to stay in FL. FSU just seems like the most obvious choice. I would have chosen UF had FSU not accepted me, though. Good luck!

Thanks for the congrats. They were my #1 choice. I live in NY and they are well-positioned in NYC and DC. But, I'll most likely stay in WNY. Per your Q's, the weather is not as bad as made out to be. We didn't have snow until Jan. this year. Yes, there was a fluke storm in October. But it melted away quickly. As for the area, Buffalo is a great place to party, chill and/or see the arts. Great food and really nice people. The school is in the suburbs, but it is real easy to get into the city. If you're in-state, I would strongly consider it! You can't beat the cost and placement. Plus, it keeps moving up in rankings - jumping six points to 80 in 2007. Albany is still T3 and with your numbers you should definitely not go there. In fact, with your numbers you shouldn't go anywhere under T2 - regardless of $$. You'll end up paying for it in the long run. If you are not in-state for NY, Buffalo's tuition is still only about 19K and the cost of living there is low! Let me know if you have any more q's and congrats on your cycle so far!

Hey, Sorry I have been MIA...I am seriously considering UST, but I need to hear back from the other schools I applied to before making any real decisions. It takes a loooonnnggg time

I was at Temple on the weekend, so I didn't get to interact with students or sit in on a class, but I did wander around the buildings. I really liked them, very high tech and modern. The neighborhood didn't seem too rough, but I didn't wander off campus at all. I talked to one student who said that the campus itself is safe, but that he wouldn't recommend living right by it or being alone at night. I guess a lot of students live in Center City or the Art Museum neighborhood. As for financial aid, I was given just over $2k in grants and the rest will have to be covered by loans, ouch! It's a preliminary offer though, so I'm going to hold out and see if I can get some more after the class starts to get finalized. I still haven't decided on Temple for sure, but I'm seriously thinking about it. Good luck with the rest of your schools, I see that we applied to several of the same schools. I hope you have better luck than I did!

Thanks for your comment. I've talked with a few other scientist / lawyers and they don't have too big of a problem adjusting. From what I understand law is about problem solving and analytical reading (both skills essential in the sciences). As for a PhD in biochemistry, there aren't all that many good jobs. After a PhD you have to do a post doc for 3-6 years (for minimal pay). Only after that can you get a 'real job', but application:openings is at least 150:1. So I weighed the options and decided 3 years of law school and then patent law makes for a better career choice. Anyways, best of luck with law school.

Did you ever find out more about George Mason? Do you think you'll go? I also applied there late because of the free waiver. I'm surprised you got an answer so fast. Anything I should know about how you got such a fast answer?

I don't know what their trial advocacy reputation is. I have an engineering background and they are well known for their IP program. The 10k difference in tuition between that and GT GW American would be nice, after the first year that is.

Maybe we could trade. I could give you my Temple acceptance and I'd take yours at GM. Laugh

No money...yet. But they said that the financial aid would be coming seperately. They have had several professors contact me personally which was a nice touch.

What did you do to improve your LSAT so much?

The Twin Cities are awesome, and UST is very generous with their scholarships and the requirements to keep their scholarships are just that you have a 2.0, so it's pretty tough to lose it. The soon to be released new rankings have them as a TTT, as they are pouring a ton of money into that law school. Unfortunately, there are negatives. The most prominent negative is that they are very new and lack any sort of alumni base in the legal community....which, after talking with some UST students and recent grads, can make it tough to find a good job in the legal market unless you finish near the top of the class. UST does have many alums in the cities, though, so finding a job in the business community isn't as tough if that's what you are interested in after law school. In 20 years, after a decent alumni base has emerged, UST should be a great school to attend (though I'm sure their scholarship generosity will change), but right now their lack of an alumni base and sketchy job prospects after talking to students, graduates, and attorneys in the cities made me choose William Mitchell over UST. While Mitchell didn't offer me as much money directly, they have far superior job prospects and an alumni base.

Sure. I will let you know what I find out.

hey, I see you got in to George Mason, that was one of my top picks. My mother went there and a lot of the alumni are now judges in the area. The school has really risen through the ranks in the recent past. Of course, I have a bias towards the school and would have jumped at the chance to go there. Being located so close to DC, I imagine that you could easily get a job with a DC firm, or anything in government. Good luck with your other schools!

Although, I've already visited several times. The building is nice, newly built in 99 I think. The law library is totally adequate and it looks like the students take their studying seriously. The professors I've met are friendly and down to business. I also feel good about the prospects for getting a job out of Mason that pays well - going into private practice, the average is $115k/year and the median is $135k/year. I can handle that. I'll let you know how it goes! Congrats on making a decision! AL

Did you really just apply in March? Wow...you must have some great soft factors. If the scores are for real that you've posted, you've done REALLY well. What's the secret?

Yeah, unfortunately the GMU area is very expensive. I actually live about 5 minutes from the law school right now and the rent is outrageous. Personally, I think your best bet is to not find an apartment on the internet, but come and look in the area for unadvertised apartments/houses. They tend to be cheaper, especially if you have a roommate. It also helps sometimes if you don't live right by the Metro stations. Even just a couple of blocks away can help keep rent down. Anyways, good luck to you & see you in the fall! :)

Hey! THe open house was nice. Nice building and facilities. Sounds like they have a great career services and are making an attempt to use their alumni too. I'm happy with my choice.

Mason's accepted students day was great - sorry for taking so long to get back to you. Very personable, individual attention-oriented, very approachable staff, all in all I felt very comfortable and relaxed. Dean Price is awesome! I really enjoyed speaking with her. The students seemed a bit younger than I'd thought and slightly on the snobby end, but not horrible. I think they're all just excited to have gotten in, etc. I'm sure the egos will calm down after our first couple of classes! I am excited to attend! Will you be there?

Craigstlist.org - check for housing....much better deals there than on rent.com, etc.

Can I know why you chose Albany over Buffalo? Is it the location? Scholarship? Thanks for the info.