<p>Yeah, I know I'm opinion shopping and I'm a parent too, so what I may learn here doesn't count for much to my daughter, but the two schools she's been accepted at and is most interested in are Duke and Michigan.</p>
<p>She's really attracted to the warmer weather of North Carolina after spending 21 years in snow country. Would it really matter, career-wise, which school she picked? She'll probably want to practice in NY. </p>
<p>Opinions? Thanks.</p>
<p>Career wise meaning to land a job in Manhattan? I understand you are just or she is just about to enter law school but the devastating layoffs happening by the hour and including Manhattan might change what parameters you use to factor this decision. Total out of pocket cost might become a big issue.</p>
<p>Well, how so? Do you mean debt levels? And 3 years is a long time. If she was in Durham she might decide to try and stick around in the sun. </p>
<p>I guess, yes, she’s thinking NYC, but who can say where the jobs will be then? Mostly my question is whether there’s much of a difference between the schools in perceived quality and/or job prospects.</p>
<p>Paying out of your mattress or taking on debt, there is a cost. Three years may sound long right about now but when it comes to OCI for 1L, 2L time moves quickly. Most law students don’t look for their job during 3L. Clerkship adds a year until job begins, factor that into the mix also. Rankings and opinions regarding quality abound.</p>
<p>They’re comparable schools.</p>
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<p>Not to be mean, but where exactly in this wall of text did you answer the OP’s question?</p>
<p>I agree with Greybeard. UM probably has a stronger alumni network and placement in the Midwest, Duke in the south, and about the same everywhere else. They’re both great schools; choosing based on climate or financial aid or whatever other issues your daughter values would be reasonable.</p>
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<p>Private Message</p>
<p>In my experience, U of M probably does slightly better in NYC BIGLAW recruiting than Duke, but the difference is reasonably small.</p>
<p>Ah okay my bad hazmat.
but yeah I was actually interested in the answer to this question and it appeared as if you had a bundle of good information -yet you never really answered the OP’s main question though. Could you share :]</p>
<p>The schools are essentially the same. I would ask her at which school does she think she can get a higher GPA and class rank? If she can’t answer that, I would ask her at which school would she prefer to attend based on factors other than academics.</p>
<p>d just spent 4 winters in Ithaca ny and would also prefer not to be in another collegetown or cold environment. As she would prefer easy access to an urban area, Georgetown and Duke have much more appeal to her than either U mich or UVA. She likes the urban feel of durham/chapel hill better than charlottesville. And this is from a kid who loved UVA when she was 17 years old and applied ED as an undergrad. </p>
<p>I think the atmosphere of the school and its surroundings definitely can be a deciding factor for some.
In the long run- a degree from either duke or u mich seems to be viewed pretty equally. I’ve heard, Duke places very well in the NYC market.</p>
<p>I think too many people put way too much emphasis on the ranking system and may make unwise decisions because a school is ranked # 7 vs. # 11 (just using those numbers as an example- I really have no clue what U Mich is in comparison to duke).
There is more to picking the right school for you ( or your kid) than using a ranking system from a magazine.
I am pretty positive, if my kid should be so lucky to have that choice- she too would pick Duke over U Mich.</p>
<p>FYI- this exact topic is currently being discussed on top-law school website. You can probably do a topic search- duke v. michigan. You may want to read the posting.
I don’t think too many parents post on TLS or LSD. Those sites are geared towards discussion between law school applicants currently going through the admission process.</p>
<p>my take of the post is that both schools seem pretty equal for job opportunities- and most suggest to visit both schools and see which atmosphere appeals to you.</p>
<p>Mich is the ‘better’ school, but if she’s looking east coast, i think the difference is a lot smaller than the 7 v 11 ranking seems to suggest.</p>
<p>I would try to leverage some $ out of Duke using the michigan card (and the likely offer of money from some lower schools)</p>
<p>i just got my loan notice and realized that, at the 15 year repayment plan, my finance charges are greater than the principal.</p>
<p>so if you can even get 5k/yr, that works out to be in the neighborhood of 30k when it’s all said and done (of course, we’d hope we won’t have to take the full 15 years to repay)</p>