MPPHopeful

I dunno...I attend one of those schools and, despite the economic downturn, it's almost absurd how hard law firms are working to hire us (we're talking top-quality dinner affairs, free drinks, goodies, etc. just for 1Ls). I mean, you can look at NLJ 250 employment as a barometer: http://www.law.com/jsp/law/careercenter ... 8256428026 While people will admit it's inflated (i.e., several law schools will say that they have 100% employment at graduation), the inflation is minor to the extent that it exists. Whether or not it's all justifiable is another question...

ehhhh, that's not really accurate, as far as schools in the USNWR top 14 go (the norm is that approximately 80% or so will have their employment basically set when they return for 3L year, another 10-15% will figure it out over the next year (whether they're doing clerkships, fellowships, what-have-you), and then the rest are generally pursuing other degrees, writing a book or something, or chilling w/ mommy/daddy's money.

what other people have said is true: debt matters but the degree to which it matters depends upon the context in which you anticipate finding yourself...for some people, the debt is worth the prestige and for others...not so much. From my perspective (and this is perhaps just from talking with IR people and having worked at an agency in DC for a while), SAIS is equally good and perhaps better than KSG. While KSG has the Harvard name (and this certainly carries great weight), SAIS is top-notch as well and doesn't quite have the same reputation for a professoriate full of former political appointees teaching courses. The SAIS name is pretty golden in DC if you're interested in working there. On another note, I would argue that DC is a better city to live in but that's probably just me.

waitlisted today. :cry:

Anyone know how likely it is to get accepted off of waitlists at any of the schools? (anecdotal evidence, real evidence, anything?) Particularly the WWS waitlist...

looks like ksg is letting their admits know...

no idea...but i wouldn't say "a lot" because all i see so far is 5 people saying they've been accepted (of course, given the sample size here, that might be it...so again, who knows?)

I interpreted that post (as did people posting on autoadmit) to mean that they will be calling admitted students after they've already been notified by some means - much like current law students will often call admitted students to sell the school. That's why people are speculating that the decisions will come out Friday: last year ppl were notified on a friday and it's the only friday before students will start calling (i.e., next monday)

how'd you find that out?

i'm not from austin or anything but i have friends from down there and they say "absolutely, though it can get expensive or hard to get tickets to some of the sxsw shows"

Orangedonkey, That's a lot of schools. Basically I would go through them looking for two things: 1) what you're looking to get out of the program and 2) what expenses/risks you're willing to take. For instance, there's a couple of schools you're considering that are 1 year programs...is that something that you think would serve you best, or do you think 2 years is better in a cost/benefit analysis? What about scholarships/cost of living/income earning potential/loan repayment programs, so far as the overall costs go? Consider the proximity to places you might consider working or the degree to which potential employers network with or recruit at your school (so, ie, Gtown or SAIS are great if you want to work for the federal gov't - they're in DC after all; but Mich, even though it's in AA, is still good b/c of it's reputation/strong alumni)...and also consider where you would like to live for 2 years - it does make a difference. Are there any profs or particular specializations at any school that interest you? Do you have the opportunity to visit and see what the schools are like? If not, maybe see if you can contact someone who goes to each school and ask their opinions (see if you can finagle a way around getting contact info for someone from the admissions offices b/c they obviously have a vested interest in your decision). I hope that's somewhat helpful in decision making...a couple of years ago, I had the fortune of selecting between about a dozen very good law schools and it was one of the most difficult decisions imaginable; it appears yours might be a similarly blessed challenge...best of luck; I don't think you can really lose at this point. Also, if you don't mind my asking, what were your stats/WE/etc (esp. given that SIPA said you're too young...that's one of my worries as I am on the younger end of the typical student age spectrum)? just trying to gauge how it all plays out (I only applied to KSG and WWS because they have specific joint degrees with my law school)

Aamar - doesn't particularly help me too much (having worked in the gov't before attending law school and given that the firm hiring process is a topic of far too frequent topics at all law schools)...but for everyone else, yeah, what he says is pretty much right on.

Fair enough...but when you interview well, have good grades, go to a top 10 law school (not sure about journals yet, we don't do the writing competition until the summer)... people'll obviously be fine w/ just the JD...but there is a certain amount of utility just in terms of knowledge you can acquire at a public policy school and having a degree from KSG or WWS will not harm people in DC when job-searching

Law schools have to compete amongst themselves for talent as well...have strong enough stats and schools will pay for you to attend (I think CLS is the highest ranked school with a full scholarship with no strings attached, though NYU and Penn have full rides for public interest people, NU and Duke give out free rides, etc).

Thanks for the vote of confidence. I do plan on practicing - my focus right now (I mean, as far as 1Ls have a 'focus') is on administrative/regulatory law...I strongly suspect that I will be working at a firm in DC upon graduation and dealing w/ tech/environmental regulation of some sort, but my overall goal after that is to use that time to gain further legal training/experience and to settle down a bit and pay off my loans. Following that, I hope to transition to the government, where the MPP will come more into play (as managing attorneys in agencies both practice law but also play a role in developing policy). I saw the dramatic limitations of only holding a JD when I was working in DC...knowledge of economics, policy formulation, etc were practically foreign to many attorneys. Rather than going back to school to pick up greater experience in those realms after working for a firm, I'd rather knock it out now while I'm still in school in order to save time/money and because it doesn't make much sense to postpone learning more about policy/economics and all that.

Ugh. Anyone else just somewhat sick of waiting?

Don't know much about the buses to the station, but the green line is generally fine in terms of safety (coming from someone who used to take it daily) as long as you're not taking it across the anacostia.

Is UMD's program in College Park? If so you can definitely live in DC...just take the green line to CP.

Yeah, take advantage of the LSAC "take the highest score" rule. Study study study and you should do well. The LSAT is a highly learnable test and with repeated practice and decent smarts you should do fine.

Nah, I wouldn't worry about the academic experience being watered down. It's generally a 4 year program...so you save 1 year and you do so by taking courses on say Administrative Law and Federal Taxation or similar topics that will satisfy the requirements of both degrees. Granted, you will not receive the "Full" MPP experience from my perspective, as a large number of your MPP electives will be taken at the law school. As a current law student who is applying, I can definitely say that I have had a great experience thus far in law school and I don't perceive that my experience will be "watered down" in any way by pursuing a joint degree. The one drawback, unfortunately for me, is that if the two schools you attend are in different cities (i.e., your law school is in say Chicago and your MPP program is in say Cambridge/Princeton), you will have to take time away from the law school to take classes at the MPP program...leading to being away from friends, moving, all that jazz. But if you can deal with that (and remember that your friends will still be at the law school upon your return), then even that situation wouldn't be a problem. I honestly wasn't thinking of applying for an MPP when I applied to law school. I deferred matriculation for a year, worked in DC, and decided that I definitely wanted to focus on public policy and the law. If I were sure going in that I wanted to apply for both a JD and an MPP, then I would strongly suggest that you apply to schools with strong programs in each discipline.

I'm a current law student waiting to hear back on my MPP/MPA applications. Generally, it's looked favorably upon, particularly if you're looking to be involved in government or regulatory legal work. Generally, the MPP isn't really required for anything - ordinarily people do just peachy with JDs. I personally applied for the MPP because I was looking to gain greater knowledge of policy/economics, which were both fairly lacking in my background. Other people pursue the joint JD/MPP for other reasons. Regardless of the rationale behind doing that combination, however, it is not looked down upon (though, admittedly, if you're at top schools the joint degree won't matter all too much for employment - it'll be more of an icing on the cake).

Here's my deal: I applied to WWS and KSG (as they're the two schools I would want to attend that have joint degree programs with my law school). Undergrad: top 30 undergrad, magna cum laude, 3.75 GPA (3.95 major in History), Phi Beta Kappa, top departmental award and departmental honors, Class President, student honor council, worked part-time at school, wrote thesis on a public-policy/sociology topic. Tests: 171 LSAT; 690V/750Q/6WR GRE Work Experience: 1 summer at a labor firm, 14 months post-graduation at a Federal Agency...worked in tech issues and policy, worked with high-level agency staff on implementing new policies and conducting studies, law-enforcement, and received a high-level commendation from the Agency chairman. Currently: 1L at a top-10 law school, serving on a school-wide committee and 2 public service/interest organizations. This summer I am going to work at an agency in DC. I have outstanding professional and academic references and my essays were also top notch.

Yes, it would. Williamsburg is a cheap place to live.