Congratulations to all admitted this law school admissions cycle! It is truly an accomplishment. Kind of like planning a wedding, committing to a law school can be very exciting, but also stressful. Should you take the higher scholarship or the better ranked school at sticker price? Will you be able to get the job you want after graduation? Will you like the other students? I have been in your shoes and these questions occupied quite a bit of space in my head as well.
I am here to tell you what I considered in narrowing down schools. Hopefully this post eases your decision- making process. I will begin with the general disclaimer that I viewed attending law school as more of a transaction than I did college. As a high school senior, I visited what seems like every college on the east coast, determined to find the “right fit.” It is also important to mention that I went to law school in a city with friends, a significant other and family nearby so I was really just concerned with the career benefits a particular law school could provide. If finding the right social fit is important to you, add that to the list below.
1. Scholarship and Ranking Cost Benefit Analysis: You should deeply consider whether it best serves you to take a scholarship at a lower ranked school or attend a more prestigious school for the full cost of attendance. I have covered this analysis in an earlier post. Make sure to check it out! https://www.lawyerwithafrenchie.com/post/law-school-should-i-take-the-scholarship-or-the-higher-ranking
2. Location of the law school: Unless you attend a T14, it is generally best to attend law school where you want to practice after graduation. Graduates, especially from law schools in major cities, tend to stay in the area at least for a few years after graduation. You cannot discount the value of strong alumni connections. Alumni want to help the fellow graduates of their law school succeed; they were once budding lawyers too. Ask the career services center at the school you are considering where most of their students end up practicing. If you attend law school in New York City but are set on practicing in Ohio, the career services center at a New York City law school might not be best equipped to help you find a post-grad job. For your own research, Law School Transparency allows you to search by school and find out this information too. Here is the link: https://www.lawschooltransparency.com/
3. Your desired field of legal practice. There are so many ways to specialize your legal practice. I feel like I learn about a new type of lawyer each day at my job. Do some poking around to see what the alumni of the school end up doing. Run a LinkedIn search and/or ask the career services office whether most students end up in national law firms, smaller firms or in public interest positions. Law School Transparency (linked above) also provides this data. This question becomes less pressing for higher ranked schools but it is important to know that you will be getting the return you want on your investment.
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