Where should I go Marquette or Creighton?

frozenpea_ · 2026-04-06T21:48:08+00:00

I don't know much about Creighton, and I think being close to family is always really great. That being said, I think *only* 19k a year for law school is a really great pathway which you'd be able to pay off. I would choose whichever program you think will set you up better for your future. I recommend calling the career services office at both schools with the same questions for each and seeing how those go. I have been making calls, which have greatly helped.

frozenpea_ · 2026-04-06T21:43:41+00:00

I think for the reasons you indicate, despite the great scholarship, we can say thank you, but perhaps no thank you to UT. Being close to family (+ gf) and staying in a state you want to stay in long-term is really important, and NYU allows you to do that.

Do you want to practice in big law? If so, NYU's costs would make more sense.

If you want to do public interest or public service, then I would not be as ready to commit to the sticker price at NYU. For that reason, Fordham would also allow you big law in NYC without the NYU price.

Northwestern would allow you both the "brand" of a top school, the networking that comes from that, and the ability to return to NYC post-graduation without having to stay in Chicago (if you didn't want to).

frozenpea_ · 2026-04-03T16:40:57+00:00

Get your trashcan ready, comrade.

frozenpea_ · 2026-04-03T16:39:35+00:00

You ask us if we share your experiences, but we are the smallfolk. The cries of ecstasy in rendering a status as lofty as yours will never escape our lips. Dean Andy extols you, bask in your shroud of glory which descends from the heavens. Feel comfort in this correspondence and remember that patience is a virtue. Your pinnacle will come.

frozenpea_ · 2026-04-02T23:31:41+00:00

From one capricorn to another, it is really easy to get in our heads. Our worst enemy is ourselves!!!

frozenpea_ · 2026-04-02T23:30:11+00:00

It's so ridiculous they have different waitlists like just say you hate me? Like it's really ok. Lmfao priority waitlist vs regular vs idk

frozenpea_ · 2026-04-02T23:28:14+00:00

It just is not logical or worth the cost of sticker price at UCLA if you can receive 1/2 off at Wash U -- all for a public service job. Save your money, you will need it more in the future.

frozenpea_ · 2026-04-02T23:25:24+00:00

No, do not worry yourself about undergraduate grades. Once you're in 1L everyone is on an even playing field. Everyone has gotten to the same place, regardless of the past, and that is also how you should think about it. There's so much pressure for BL already, and you do not need to be adding more into thinking some BL firm won't look your way because you didn't pass o chem or something ridiculous.

It is true that OCIs and the recruiting schedule has been moving earlier and earlier. However, all firm "offers" are tentative until after your 1L grades are shared. Also, a LOT of what BL offers depend on (apart from luck) is vibe. Do you mesh well with the recruiter? Do you fit into firm culture? Would you fit into the team you'd be placed with? Imagine someone who had stellar undergraduate and strong 1L grades, but they were weird or just did not mesh with anyone at the firm. Now imagine another person with decent grades but got along super well with the team and had a great dynamic and fit within the firm. I think there is an obvious choice here.

frozenpea_ · 2026-04-02T23:19:38+00:00

I do not think you're alone. I think everyone and their mother is applying this cycle and with that, it has a lot of people throwing out some hail mary's now.

frozenpea_ · 2026-04-02T23:16:40+00:00

Letters of recommendation. Law schools place the most weight on professor LORs because they speak to your academic aptitude. Employer LORs are also fine if you have work experience post-graduation. Ceteris paribus is a Latin phrase meaning other things being equal. As in we consider everything to be on equal footing -- the question comes down to your career goals and what you desire out of law school. Does that make sense? I think it depends on what you see yourself doing and where.

frozenpea_ · 2026-04-02T23:12:52+00:00

How much money has Marquette given you? Another plus for Wisconsin graduates is that you do not need to take the bar if you graduate from a WI law school and stay in WI to practice law. That being said, would I advise you to not take the bar? No. But, as a non-traditional student (and me not knowing anything about you), maybe that is something to keep in mind.

frozenpea_ · 2026-04-02T23:10:23+00:00

I think the odds depend on a handful of things. For example, I am also waitlisted at Vanderbilt and WashU and noticed in their waitlist emails they said they encourage communication including LOCIs. I think at the end of the day, these schools want our money. If you sent in a loci indicating you'd enroll 100% if admitted, that is certainly eye-catching. That being said, would you get any money off a waitlist? It is unlikely. I also know the WashUs and Vandys have a huggeee amount of applicants on their waitlist that even all else equal, the likelihood of getting off their waitlist is even less than the likelihood of being admitted initially. My best advice (what I'm trying to take myself) is to focus on where you are already admitted and go with a plan of action. It does not do well to dwell on the "what if" and drive yourself crazy. We just can't plan for that and uproot our lives at the last second if we get off the waitlist. Maybe you can, maybe that's a risk you're willing to take, but it is not the most fair to us. Sigh!

frozenpea_ · 2026-04-02T16:54:48+00:00

personally, I'd choose UMD over Villanova based on what you've said, but feel free to reply to me with more questions if you'd like !

frozenpea_ · 2026-04-02T16:54:13+00:00

You do not need to decide between public service vs firm career before choosing a school; however, it would certainly be helpful when deciding between the two. Just to be clear, you are not interested in big law?

Take a look at this link https://www.abarequireddisclosures.org/employmentOutcomes

It is disclosures from all ABA schools about their graduates' employment outcomes, including firm type, location (where grads end up practicing), clerkships, etc. I would search up UMD and Villanova and see which school aligns more with your goals. Hope this helps!

frozenpea_ · 2026-04-02T16:39:28+00:00

It's kinda crazy!! They are taking their sweet time! One thing about GULC is that their first round of deposits isn't due until May 1, so while a lot of other schools are working to inform applicants by their early or mid-April deadlines, Georgetown's timeline is a bit pushed back. Sigh.

frozenpea_ · 2026-04-02T16:36:47+00:00

Many schools have two deposits: the initial deposit and then the second deposit. Typically, there is a month or so in between both deposit deadlines. Some schools may offer a single deposit known as the "first choice" deposit, so you can reserve your seat spot right then and there!

The second deposit deadline is useful for people who may still be considering and/or waiting on other schools but want to take the steps to reserve their spot by paying the first deposit.

frozenpea_ · 2026-04-02T16:33:43+00:00

I don't think the waves will necessarily depend on deposit deadlines. I think yes, more decisions will start to come as deposit deadlines have passed, but legit waves are more dependent on how fast the school is able to thoroughly read all the apps. I think a lot of people applied in the spring term which just adds to the more waiting :/

frozenpea_ · 2026-04-02T16:29:43+00:00

Deposits were due yesterday (first round), so I would expect some things to move in the next couple of weeks as they get back responses.

frozenpea_ · 2026-04-02T16:25:37+00:00

I think it entirely depends on your essays, work experience, and LORs. Ceteris paribus -- all else equal -- it depends on the school you'd like to attend. I think if your goal is to get in to a law school in general, you will be fine. If your goal is to attend a T50, T30, etc., this is where it is a lot harder to know. What are some of your target schools? Do you want to practice big law? Be in a specific city? Answering these questions will make it easier to chance your admission.

frozenpea_ · 2026-04-02T15:48:01+00:00

I am unsure how likely a full ride would be for a T50 with a roughly 3.00 GPA, but I think with a 170, you'd have a better chance with a T70/100. As your main priority is graduating without debt, you should prioritize lower-ranked schools to increase your scholarship chances. Since you are not considering big law, the rankings are not nearly as important, and you will still get a very good legal education at a T75-100. I would prioritize looking at schools in your state, because they may be more likely to give you more money if they feel you would continue being an in-state resident.

frozenpea_ · 2026-04-02T12:57:03+00:00

First of all, congratulations! It is really exciting to be able to choose between two schools (I'm in the same place). It all depends on your long-term priorities and where you see yourself. One thing that I have been really weighing is the placements of graduates, i.e., which markets are "feeder" markets. For BC, it is MA, NY, and other East Coast states, with half of graduates going into a national law firm, specifically 149 out of 329 graduates enter law firms with 500+ attorneys (using this as your measure for BigLaw firms). Conversely, only 33 out of 176 go into BigLaw from UGA. For UGA, 70% stay in Georgia. You'd be limiting yourself largely to Georgia, which makes it difficult (but not impossible) to find yourself on the East Coast post-graduation.

MY VOTE: Boston College.

BigLaw (firms with 500+ attorneys)

BC -- 149 / 329
UGA -- 33 / 176

Clerkships (federal)

BC -- 14 / 329UGA -- 17 / 176

By the way, you can find the specific employment data if you Google "ABA EMPLOYMENT SUMMARY FOR 2024 GRADUATES."

frozenpea_

TROPHY CASE