<p>I am students with decent stats who has decided to stay in Kentucky for school in order to save money. I want to eventually attend law school. Which schools in Kentucky will best prepare for a career in law at an affordable price? Which schools have the best reputation? Any graduates from Kentucky schools willing to share? Here is my list: </p>
<ol>
<li><p>University of Kentucky: There are plenty of resources to utilize. There is a lot to do on campus. Greek life if decent. Class size is my main problem with U.K. Would I be able to network with my professors? Would they even know my name? Also, what kind of national prestige does the University of Kentucky carry? Will it improve my chances of entering a top tier law school? </p></li>
<li><p>Asbury University - The campus is small. The students that I have talked with say that the professors are very accessible. They frequently invite students over to their houses for dinner. This is a Christian school, which certainly has its drawbacks...but it is a private education at a relatively reasonable price. Thoughts? </p></li>
<li><p>Transylvania University - Small campus located in Lexington. Transylvania has a strong law tradition...but the tuition is super expensive. I really like the campus. I spent three weeks here for the Governor's School for the Arts program. Is it worth it? What is their reputation as far as financial aid? </p></li>
<li><p>Lindsey Wilson College - super small campus on a hilltop in Columbia. There would be lots of personal attention from instructors. The town is out in the middle of nowhere, but on the plus side, I would receive a full ride! </p></li>
</ol>
<p>This is my first post on the forum...so I hope I posted this thread in the right spot! I apologize in advance if I have made a mistake! Any help/suggestions/insights would be greatly appreciated!</p>
<p>P.S. What other in-state schools are worth looking at?</p>
<p>The school has a tremendous reputation in the state, but costs about 45k a year. Are the academics and networking opportunities at Centre really worth that kind of money? I’m not sure. Besides, I might be more inclined to go out of state somewhere if I had that kind of money to put toward my undergrad. </p>
<p>Also, why has Centre received so much national attention? What makes it standout from other Kentucky schools? Do you know anything about their financial aid?</p>
<p>zobroward: Yeah…the reason that I left U of L off the list was because I live in the 'Ville. I want to move at least an hour or two away! </p>
<p>Haystack: I probably just need to fill out the Net Price Calculator before I consider Centre any further. Any idea what kind of aid I might be looking at with a 27 ACT and a 3.8 GPA?</p>
<p>With some quick estimates, it looks like I would pay about 25-30k…so not too bad. Do you have any personal experience with Centre or are you just basing your comments off their stellar reputation?</p>
<p>One more question to throw out there: what does everybody think about IU-Bloomington? They do very well in the national rankings. Do they have a better reputation than the University of Kentucky? Is it worth the extra dough? Opinions?</p>
<p>If you have a lot of financial need, you could go to Berea College for free. Students with more need get priority. Everyone gets full tuition, and others get housing. I kind of wish I had known about it earlier. </p>
<p>As for networking with professors at UK, or any large school, keep in mind that as you advance classes get smaller. That means as you approach graduation and networking becomes more important, you will be more likely to know your professor personally. And if you want professors in your larger classes to know you, all it takes is initiative to introduce yourself and go to office hours if you need help.</p>
<p>IU is considered better ranked and slightly better academically. But the sticker price for out-of-state at IU is double that of in-state at Kentucky, for a school that is possibly slightly better, but pretty much on the same level. And as an out of state applicant you’re going to get the leftovers when it comes to aid from the school, unless you have a lot of financial need or you are one of the best applicants.</p>
<p>You will end up paying far more for IU than you will for Centre or UK. IU is a nice school but I would not pay for it as an OOS student. Law schools care about grades and LSAT score. That is about it. Undergraduate prestige matters little.</p>
<p>I personally would think twice about attending Asbury or Wilson(even if free). The student experience, education, faculty, facilities, etc at those places will be nowhere near the quality that you will find at Centre, Hendrix, or UK.</p>
<p>You might also loll at Rhodes College. Run the NPCs at all of them.</p>
<p>Look at the Honors program at UK - it definitely makes the school feel smaller and offers more access to faculty. Western Kentucky has a similar honors program. Northern Kentucky has a law school and the entire university seems to be improving its standards and reputation.</p>
<p>Do you qualify for automatic aid anywhere for GSA? My kids were in Kentucky’s GSP and every school in the state gives GSP alums significant money.</p>
<p>Xavier offers good aid (including some merit) and Univ. of Cincinnati and Ohio State are good options as well. All three have solid national reputations.</p>
<p>I agree with other posters that Indiana, and even UIUC, are better schools but will be far more expensive for oos with little aid offered.</p>