<p>Hi, I'm a motivated student who does strong academic work, however, I've recently learned that my parents are not going to be able to put as much money into my college education as I had thought. I suppose these hard economic times affect us all, in the end. In any case, I am looking for universities with a strong reputation that have an affordable ($25,000-$35,000) price tag. The figures I just cited are total cost estimates, including tuition, room & board, etc. There are a few good options in my state, but I would ideally like to see what else is out there before I decide to stay in place. </p>
<p>Here's what's important to me:
Strong academic reputation (economics, political science, history)
Affordable cost (obviously)
Preferably in a larger city (but this is completely negotiable)
Safety
Will position me well for graduate studies at a selective institution (think Harvard, Yale, etc.)</p>
<p>I realize the last point is almost entirely up to me. I mean, if I do well in school I'm sure I'll be able to gain entrance to an excellent graduate school, but I know some universities are looked upon more favorably in this regard. For instance, applying to Harvard law with an undergraduate degree from Stanford as opposed to an undergraduate degree from a large state school...You get what I'm trying to say? I'd like to have a good shot at making it into the upper echelon of graduate schools in the country. That's very important to me. </p>
<p>Well, here's my tentative list so far of schools:
Truman State University
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
SUNY - Binghamton
University of Delaware - Newark
University of Missouri - Columbia
University of Maryland - College Park
University of Pittsburgh
University of Washington - Seattle</p>
<p>What do you think of this list? Any suggestions?</p>
<p>Are you a junior?</p>
<p>Are you in-state for any of the state schools?</p>
<p>What are your stats? Would you qualify for any merit scholarships? </p>
<p>Virtually any flagship state school will be acceptable when you apply to top law schools. Your LSAT is going to be the biggest difference.</p>
<p>The US service academies are affordable + u are guaranteed a job after graduation
Military Academy
Air Force Academy
Merchant Marine Academy
Coast Guard Academy
Naval Academy</p>
<p>McGill: strong reputation, large international and very safe city, within your price range.</p>
<p>The College of William and Mary is consistently ranked as the “best value” for small public universities. It is known as a feeder school for top med/law/graduate programs. Tuition for OOS is something like 15k per semester. Not sure what it adds up to with Room and Board, but there are plenty of opportunities for paid research, work study, being an RA, and that kind of thing. It may be a good idea to look at.</p>
<p>Williamsburg is a small city with virtually no serious crime. Econ, Poli Sci, and History are among its strongest fields. Being at the doorstep of American History is great for the history students. Christina Romer (who heads the council of economic advisers for Obama) is an Alum and is speaking at graduation. You may also want to consider International Relations, which is essentially those three fields with an international tilt.</p>
<p>Ah, yes. Sorry about not really providing details, mom2collegekids. </p>
<p>I am a junior.</p>
<p>I would be in-state for the University of Missouri and Truman State University. </p>
<p>I have fairly strong stats. Not strong enough for Ivy League schools, but strong enough to make me eligible for some merit-based aid, hopefully. I’m not counting on it, though. Perhaps later I’ll write up all of my stats. </p>
<p>I have a follow up question, actually. When comparing some of these large state schools, are there noticeable differences in quality between certain schools? For example, when comparing the University of Minnesota and the University of Maryland, is there a big difference in quality between these two schools or does the very fact that they are large and state run almost lead one to believe that any differences that do exist are more superficial? That last question got a bit lengthy, but I hope someone can answer it. </p>
<p>And thank you for the advice. I’ll be looking into both William & Mary and McGill.</p>
<p>Give us your stats (GPA, SAT with breakdown) so we can determine safeties and possible merit aid.</p>
<p>If you have strong stats, I suggest SUNY Geneseo (although its rural but you say its negotiable) and UAlabama for guaranteed merit aid. </p>
<p>Are you eligible for any need-based aid?</p>
<p>Personally, I think the difference between many state flagships are going to be rather individually-based… Some schools might have a desired unique major, while others won’t. Some might have a stronger B-school or engineering school or some other program. Some schools might have a desired spirited campus with big sports to watch, while other schools won’t (and some students won’t care). Some might offer merit scholarships and some won’t. Some will have “dorms like dungeons” and some will have nice dorms. </p>
<p>Seriously, it will likely come down to your personal tastes on secondary issues and budget.</p>
<p>As for pursuing a liberal arts-like degree as a prep for law school, probably all can do the job. </p>
<p>This is from my kids’ university’s law school’s website…</p>
<p>…potential law students should choose courses that will enhance their abilities in the areas of critical thinking, oral and written expression, and logical and analytical reasoning. Applicants considering law school are encouraged to enroll in a broad range of courses that will help develop these skills.</p>
<p>With respect to applications to top law schools, I would disagree with mom2college kids that LSAT scores are the biggest factors in admission. If you look at the student bodies of the top law schools the vast majority of the students will have attended the top universities (including state flagships) and LAC’s. Approximately 10% of the students at Harvard Law School are graduates of Harvard College. I don’t think any of your choices will limit your chances for a top law school but you should consider the best educational opportunity in your budget.</p>
<p>If you look at the student bodies of the top law schools the vast majority of the students will have attended the top universities (including state flagships) and LAC’s.</p>
<p>You didn’t disagree with my point. My point was that it doesn’t really matter which state flagship he chooses; his LSAT will be the bigger deciding factor (not which flagship he attends).</p>
<p>Law school admission is highly ‘GPA driven;’ meaning that obviously, the better you do the better chance of admission to an elite law school. Law schools and the business of getting a job is much more provencial than getting admitted to a graduate study program or non legal post-graduate employment. It’s very regional in nature. So if you want to return to Missouri with a job offer in hand, you should give midwestern colleges and midwestern law schools much consideration. Sure, with good grades from Harvard you can get a job in St. Louis or Kansas City. But the top law firms in those two places probably do a lot a hiring from Washington U, U Missouri, St. Louis U, Indiana U, Northwestern U and U of Chicago, among others.</p>
<p>Law schools and the business of getting a job is much more provencial than getting admitted to a graduate study program or non legal post-graduate employment. It’s very regional in nature.</p>
<p>True…</p>
<p>You didn’t disagree with my point. My point was that it doesn’t really matter which state flagship he chooses; his LSAT will be the bigger deciding factor (not which flagship he attends)</p>
<p>I disagree with the point. The top law schools tend to accept more students from the top tier state flagships than the lower tier state flagships. LSAT is only one of the factors taken into consideration for admission.</p>
<p>University Of Virginia
City University Of New York - Hunter College
New College Of Florida
Florida State University
University Of Colorado - Boulder
State University Of New York At Binghamton
University Of Georgia
Virginia Tech
Texas A&M University - College Station
University Of Oklahoma</p>
<p>The following information was posted on a forum about the undergraduate representation at Yale Law School</p>
<p>Total enrollment at YLS: 643
1L + 2L + 3L: 590
Misc (LLM, etc.): 53</p>
<p>Undergraduate Representation
Amherst: 9
Brown: 13
Columbia: 23
Cornell: 7
Dartmouth: 16
Duke: 9
Georgetown: 6
Harvard: 79
MIT: 5
Northwestern: 8
Princeton: 31
Stanford: 37
Swarthmore: 5
UC Berkeley: 16
UCLA: 8
University of Chicago: 8
UPenn: 9
U Michigan: 8
UT Austin: 8
UVA: 10
Wesleyan: 7
Williams: 12
Yale: 78</p>
<p>There are other “top” undergrads represented, but they only sent one or two students so I didn’t list them. But isn’t this astounding? Maybe not for you veterans. </p>
<p>412/643 (64%) of YLS students hail from 23 schools.
225/643 (35%) of YLS students hail from 4 schools - Harvard, Yale, Stanford and Princeton.</p>
<p>Yes, but a similar list of the first year classes at Harvard Law include a wide variety of schools. Sure, the elite colleges are well placed at Harvard Law, but for example, CUNY has placed about 1/2 dozen alumni in the first year class at HLS in recent years (per year).</p>
<p>
Students at top-tier flagships are more likely to have high LSATs than those at lower-tier flagships. Correlation does not imply causation.</p>
<p>That does not necessarily make your point false, just unverified.</p>
<p>Law schools and the business of getting a job is much more provencial than getting admitted to a graduate study program or non legal post-graduate employment. It’s very regional in nature.</p>
<p>I think that because of the above point, many prospective law students don’t have a big interest in attending an ivy law school…even if they have the LSATs and/or GPA to be a strong applicant.</p>
<p>If the intent is to practice in one’s home state, there is an incentive to go to one of the best law schools in one’s own area. </p>
<p>So, it doesn’t surprise me that many of the ivy undergrads go to ivy law schools. Many probably want to practice in the NE or DC area.</p>
<p>Out of state, UVA and the College of William and Mary are quite expensive–definitely more than $40,000 a year.</p>