Thoughts on these schools?

<p>I posted this question in another thread I started but didn't get much of a response. Basically, I'll be a junior in the civil engineering program at U of Delaware next year and am interested in a combined law/urban planning program. I've started to study for the LSATs/GREs but I've really only focused on the LSATs. So... I've only taken two timed practice tests and I got around 155-165 but I figure I have a while to study so I'm thinking that I'll be able to improve that a bit. My GPA is less than stellar at a 3.4 and I would expect that it may go down slightly(3.3-3.2ish) because I have a tough semester ahead of me. I know it's early for me to be looking at schools but I will be abroad over the winter and will be out of the country next summer with the exception of a week long period when I'll be in the states on a family vacation. I would like to visit some prospective schools during my breaks this year so I can get a pretty good list by next fall. </p>

<p>Here's what I'm looking at:</p>

<p>My choices are all over the country because I don't really know where I want to be as my parents are always moving and I don't really have a "hometown". All of these programs have dual real estate or urban planning programs. </p>

<p>U of Maryland (current home state)
U of Hawaii (know many people there, some in urban planning fields)
U of Richmond (have relativess there, nice place to live)
UNC Chapel Hill (lived there in the college town)
USC(love the program, probably too difficult, too expensive BUT it's only 3 years)</p>

<p>Michigan is a big reach... but I'll probably apply.</p>

<p>... I'm still researching schools to see which ones have the program I'd like so the list is still growing.</p>

<p>Any experience with the schools I've listed above? I know they're not the Yale-Harvard-Stanford-etc that are typically discussed here but whatever. Thanks and I appreciate the help.</p>

<p>If you can't be magna cum laude at these places, I would suggest not bothering with a law degree. If you still want one, try not to incur more debt than your expected yearly salary coming out of one of these places.</p>

<p>I know this generally doesn't go over well here at CC, but I won't be paying for it (except for personal spending money). My (rich) uncle and (rich) grandfather have given me money... and my parents will pick up what that won't cover. It was kind of the deal with undergrad - go to a reasonably priced undergrad and they'll pick up the tab for my grad work. The money from relatives was just a nice gift that I wasn't expecting. </p>

<p>To be completely honest, I have no desire to be a cut throat, high paid, big city lawyer. I've said this before on CC but two of my uncles own medium sized engineering/consulting firms and my father is a VP at another... each one of them would hire me right out of undergrad for $70K/year. They do it all the time... they're always asking me if I have any graduating friends that they could hire and a few of my friends now work for them. If I can go to law school/grad school for a few years and find a job that I enjoy and can make a reasonabe income at(not $150K a year, more like half that) that's all I'm looking for. I don't think I need a Harvard degree to work in a city government(unless it's like NYC). </p>

<p>... plus, I'll probably end up as a stay at home mom. Just kidding. But not really. I've always said I'd never do that but who knows.</p>

<p>Just another thought, have you tried looking at UIUC or U of Iowa? They both have joint JD/MUP programs.</p>

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To be completely honest, I have no desire to be a cut throat, high paid, big city lawyer.

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<p>I thought I was the only one on this board who didn't have those aspiration.</p>