<p>I know UMich takes the rankings and employment stats on ND, but i'm a UMich UG alum, would like to work in Chi at biglaw doing M&A - possibly Jones Day which the MP is an ND alum. I currently work in IBanking and Consulting and would like to take the legal side of it for a while. </p>
<p>I'm in at UMich with no scholarship, and in at ND with 10k/year. nothing to get super excited about. I feel i would have a better chance at the T10% of the class at ND than at UMich, i don't think i'm that smart... so who knows. </p>
<p>I have the UMich alum network and Nd would expand that greatly. Both are very well regarded, and if i want to transition back to business later in life, i feel ND is just, if not more recognizable outside of the legal field than UMich. </p>
<p>I am unclear why you would go to either school if you want to go work in Chicago. Why am I not hearing about U Chicago or Northwestern? Also, please list your GPA/LSAT and expand on the work you do. How long have you done it, who are you doing it for, and what are you doing.</p>
<p>163/3.5, non-URM. I’ve been accepted at both schools. ND for this fall, UMich for next summer. </p>
<p>I currently work in M&A consulting at a boutique firm(less than 50 people). I’m managing my own 20m transaction at the moment. Been doing this for 2.2 years right now.</p>
<p>Law school starts in the fall and only the fall. Do not start it at any other time. Your work experience is very good. Your LSAT is not. Put some work into it and get to 170, then ride that work experience into Northwestern. From Northwestern a job in Chicago doing M&A will be much easier. </p>
<p>With the easy access of UChi and Northwestern I don’t know how well Michigan places in Chicago. 12.6% end up there but I don’t know if that’s ability or self-selection. ND’s employment numbers don’t warrant going without a substantial scholarship. Even then your chances at BigLaw M&A are not great. Retake and reapply is the smart play here.</p>
<p>I know it does. That’s why I said “Do not start it at any other time.” Recruiting happens in the summer and you do not want to mess with that schedule.</p>
<p>For premier firms in Chicago, Mich is a recruitment school equal to Northwestern and UChic. Notre Dame would be a step below those but still in good standing and Chicago probably has more ND law grads than any other city. Ultimately you have to decide but getting $10K a year is hard to turn down and you would also start sooner at ND.</p>
<p>Both are great law schools. Given the circumstances you describe, I would go with the 10k from ND. Finish in the top 10% in either school, and you will have the opportunity to work at biglaw. Congrats on both of those acceptances and best of luck to you!</p>
<p>I wouldn’t have to worry about missing recruitment. Michigan Summer start only happens during the 1L, allowing me to do interviews and internship reviews at the same time as the rest of my 1L. If i did Mich SS, i wouldn’t be in the class of 2016, i’d be in the Class of 2017.</p>
<p>I’ve done more looking into Michigan’s Summer Start program and while I still think it’s better not to do it, it’s not as bad as I initially thought. You start the 1L year early and divide the classes in 3rds instead of in half. Then you do OCI as normal. The advantage is you take fewer classes at a time. The disadvantage is you have to do 3 semesters in a row. Given that you have to take all the same classes anyways I guess I don’t see why you’d want to lose a semester to doing in 3 what everyone else manages to do in 2.</p>
<p>That’s all assuming you go to Michigan, which I still think is the wrong move. Retake and reapply to UChi and Northwestern. Those schools will set you up for Chicago Biglaw M&A more than any other school outside of HYS. </p>
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<p>What’s your evidence for this? Michigan is a T14 and a fine school, but local access is hard to beat. The hiring statistics from Michigan don’t suggest a lot of movement to Chicago, though there is certainly some. Why take the risk when retaking is so easy?</p>
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<p>This advice is just stupid. Don’t ever bank on being top 10%; you have a 90% shot at missing out. Plan around being median since that’s where you will most likely be. Also, 10k is nothing on an all-in law school sum of ten times that. OP should retake, go to a school better suited for placing him where he want to be, and maybe even get more cash.</p>
<p>Even with the scholarship, ND will cost $213k in loans (including interest), and will require Big Law to pay it off. Yet, only a fifth of the graduating class does that well. Heck, a fifth are un-under-empolyed.</p>
<p>btw: Michigan at sticker would result in $258k of debt. Michigan has 2x the chances at Big Law, however. So if you MUST ignore the retake advice, Michigan is probably a “safer” bet.</p>
<p>Michigan Law will offer much more options nationwide than ND. I would only consider going to ND if you are 100% you want to practice in Chicago.</p>