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re: South Texas College of Law
Posted on 5/21/15 at 11:17 am to Cold Cous Cous
Posted on 5/21/15 at 11:17 am to Cold Cous Cous
quote:
Their employment rates are also terrible. The above the line number looks ok, but that masks a ton of people who went solo straight out of law school (ie, effectively unemployed) or worked for tiny firms. And they didn't have a single graduate get a federal clerkship! There are much better ROIs for a $120K investment at 6.8% interest.
All of this is probably accurate. The same is true of most law schools, frankly. The legal market in Houston is strong, so the employment statistics are skewed in favor of South Texas, but if it were located in Baton Rouge instead of Southern, it would probably have similar employment statistics as Southern. The economy just isn't as good there.
But again, and I can't stress this enough, retake the LSAT. If this is really what you want to do and you are set on doing it, then you shouldn't take the major barometer of acceptance into law school so lightly. Seriously. If you were to improve to a 160+, better schools and more financial aid would become available to you. If you really did blow off the LSAT, you may be able to improve it by more than 10 points and, combined with your GPA, should open all sorts of doors for you. At the very least, it will make your investment in law school that much cheaper.
Maybe you don't want to wait another year, but seriously consider the long term implications of what you are doing.
Is it worth taking another year off and studying your arse for the LSAT and working to sock away another couple grand knowing that that means one less year of salary as a lawyer?
Is it worth not taking another year off and studying hard and instead going to South Texas, hoping you do well enough to get a great job (which is far, far from guaranteed), paying an arm and a leg, and quite possibly coming out on the other side with no job or a job you don't want while saddled with $100k in debt?
To me, the answer is easy, unless you really don't think you can improve your LSAT score. I would take the LSAT again. Look at this way: If you go crush the LSAT and get a free ride to law school (or something close), you've just made up for the loss of a six figure salary in your first year out of law school. Boom. Simple math.
This post was edited on 5/21/15 at 11:18 am
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Posted on 5/21/15 at 11:21 am to nosaj
quote:
South Texas College of Law
Lol.....
Don't waste your time and money.
Posted on 5/21/15 at 11:22 am to schlow mo
You live for these threads 
I'll say: if it's so good why do their best students transfer out?
I'll say: if it's so good why do their best students transfer out?
This post was edited on 5/21/15 at 11:24 am
Posted on 5/21/15 at 11:22 am to tigerpimpbot
quote:
Ive been in south Florida for 13 years and never heard of that school.
It's not south Florida but I am aware of a former Florida State alum that has a scholarship to South Texas School of Law for Florida State grads.
Posted on 5/21/15 at 11:23 am to LoveThatMoney
quote:
This is patently false. First, in Houston, LSU is considered relatively on par with South Texas. Second, Ole Miss is considered the joke that it is. Third, personal experiences inform one's judgment. In my personal experience, and in the personal experience of many others, South Texas produces lawyers every year that work at top notch firms making great money. As I said, I work at an AmLaw 200 firm and the bulk of the attorneys who are my colleagues are South Texas grads. Now, we do mostly litigation, so that may be something to take into consideration as well.
I'm very interested in knowing about an AmLaw 200 firm where most of the attorneys in the practice group went to T3/T4 schools. I've never seen anything like that.
Posted on 5/21/15 at 11:24 am to TheOcean
quote:
Right. But is it useful to give your personal experience without the caveat that the South Texas grads who land these jobs are a tiny %.
O I did. And he needs to be aware of that.
Also needs to be aware that the people I work with were all Order of the Barristers and shite at South Texas, did Moot Court, and all that happy crap. They didn't just go to South Texas, get middling grades, and come out on the other side with a six figure salary. These guys were either at the top of their class or close to it when they came out of law school.
And I do not work at the most prestigious firm in Houston. Far from it.
My wife works at one of those and is on the recruiting committee there. From South Texas, they look at the top 5% to 10% of the class. From UH, they look at the top 20%. Going to UH doubles your chances of being hired at a major, national, AmLaw 100 law firm making New York money.
If that's the goal, South Texas is a difficult damn path to get there.
Posted on 5/21/15 at 11:24 am to Pettifogger
quote:
I'm very interested in knowing about an AmLaw 200 firm where most of the attorneys in the practice group went to T3/T4 schools. I've never seen anything like that.
me too
Posted on 5/21/15 at 11:24 am to nosaj
Reasons people go to law school:
1. Their dad/mom is a successful lawyer and they know they can get a good job after graduation.
2. They really really want to be a lawyer, have worked in a law office, and actually understand what lawyers do with 95% of their time. They know they will likely start out making less money than their non-attorney friends but plan to build their career over the next 40 years.
3. They want to continue living the college lifestyle they are accustomed to 3 more years.
4. Their family and friends have high expectations for them and yet their job prospects coming out of undergrad don't seem as prestigious as they had envisioned.
5. The thought of graduating and being a failure scares them and law school seems like a way to put those worries to the side for 3 more years while appearing to have your shite together.
Be 100% honest with yourself and determine if #3-5 apply to you at all. If they do, for the love of god do not go to law school. Especially if you have to take out loans to do it or if the law school is not ranked highly. The legal profession is probably the most over-saturated profession in America right now.
1. Their dad/mom is a successful lawyer and they know they can get a good job after graduation.
2. They really really want to be a lawyer, have worked in a law office, and actually understand what lawyers do with 95% of their time. They know they will likely start out making less money than their non-attorney friends but plan to build their career over the next 40 years.
3. They want to continue living the college lifestyle they are accustomed to 3 more years.
4. Their family and friends have high expectations for them and yet their job prospects coming out of undergrad don't seem as prestigious as they had envisioned.
5. The thought of graduating and being a failure scares them and law school seems like a way to put those worries to the side for 3 more years while appearing to have your shite together.
Be 100% honest with yourself and determine if #3-5 apply to you at all. If they do, for the love of god do not go to law school. Especially if you have to take out loans to do it or if the law school is not ranked highly. The legal profession is probably the most over-saturated profession in America right now.
Posted on 5/21/15 at 11:24 am to Pettifogger
quote:
I'm very interested in knowing about an AmLaw 200 firm where most of the attorneys in the practice group went to T3/T4 schools. I've never seen anything like that.
Most of the attorneys in the Houston office went there. Not most of the attorneys in general. We have offices in many states and cities.
Posted on 5/21/15 at 11:25 am to Pettifogger
quote:
I've never seen anything like that.
Because it doesn't exist.
Posted on 5/21/15 at 11:26 am to LoveThatMoney
quote:
Most of the attorneys in the Houston office went there. Not most of the attorneys in general. We have offices in many states and cities.
I figured as much, but I've never seen a big law firm with an office stocked with grads from such a school. How big is the Houston office?
Posted on 5/21/15 at 11:29 am to Pettifogger
Decent sized. 20-40 attorneys. Being a bit vague as I don't want some creep trying to find out what firm I work for.
Far from the big boys, but big enough to have a toe hold.
Far from the big boys, but big enough to have a toe hold.
Posted on 5/21/15 at 11:29 am to nosaj
I recruit law students in Houston and in my experience STCL is most know for producing litigators.
Posted on 5/21/15 at 11:34 am to sealawyer
quote:
You talk about being smart and shite, take some time and study for the LSAT and knock it out of the park. then if you still want South Texas, go for free.
If the best you can do on the LSAT is a 150, then you are not nearly as analytic as you claim to be. Sorry to be a dick, but don't do that to yourself when you have options.
Totally agree. Work for a year, study your arse off for the LSAT, and then see what your options are. I went to Alabama Law and the best students there were people who had a few years of work experience. Working full time gives you a totally new perspective on life. It will make you a more disciplined student and give you the right mindset to decide whether law school is right for you. I wish law schools required at least 2 years of work experience like most MBA programs. In addition, hiring partners at firms love applicants with work experience.
This post was edited on 5/21/15 at 11:36 am
Posted on 5/21/15 at 11:35 am to LoveThatMoney
quote:
If I wanted to go to California, my LSU law degree would mean frick all, but a degree from Chapman may mean I get a job at a great firm in the L.A. area, despite Chapman being ranked significantly lower than LSU.
I can't speak to the rest of your comments but this is completely false. The employment outcomes at the bottom rung California schools are execrable no matter how you slice it. You'd probably be better off coming from LSU because at least that's a "known" school, whereas a degree from Chapman is basically a sign that you were rejected from every higher ranked law school in the state of California (and there are a bunch). At best the Chapman name might help you get a job with a solo who also went to Chapman?
Not to mention that the Chapman grad is probably looking at an extra $100K or so in loans, the importance of which cannot possibly be overstated.
Posted on 5/21/15 at 11:37 am to TheOcean
Nothing like a 3L that doesn't know anything about the legal market to bestow so much wisdom upon us.
Posted on 5/21/15 at 11:41 am to ALT F4
quote:
3L
Nope. Keep guessin'. And thanks for your valuable input in this thread
Posted on 5/21/15 at 11:41 am to Cold Cous Cous
quote:
I can't speak to the rest of your comments but this is completely false. The employment outcomes at the bottom rung California schools are execrable no matter how you slice it. You'd probably be better off coming from LSU because at least that's a "known" school, whereas a degree from Chapman is basically a sign that you were rejected from every higher ranked law school in the state of California (and there are a bunch). At best the Chapman name might help you get a job with a solo who also went to Chapman?
Not to mention that the Chapman grad is probably looking at an extra $100K or so in loans, the importance of which cannot possibly be overstated.
I was speaking in generalities. I have no idea what the California legal market is like other than it appears to be doing decently if going off my linkedin job feed is any indicator.
All I was trying to do was illustrate that rank, particularly when comparing a school like LSU to a school like South Texas, is just a really stupid way to look at where to go. Unless you can get into a Texas or above, rank means close to nothing and where you go should be married to where you want to practice. That's all I'm saying. South Texas grads would have a hard time working in New Orleans probably, but could get a job in Houston. Loyola grads would have a hard time working in Houston, but could get a job in New Orleans.
Posted on 5/21/15 at 12:16 pm to nosaj
quote:
Anyone have any experiences with this school? Any info would be helpful. TIA
It's the equivalent of Loyola in Nola...meaning it only has value in the Houston area.
Posted on 5/21/15 at 12:16 pm to nosaj
Don't do it.
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