(no subject) [puszysty]

Ok so. The longer I'm here, the more indecisive I get. My big big thing is geography and how that's gonna affect things.

I also got some conflicting info from career services and students. The student panel said that school rank doesn't matter, but in all honesty, what I think they meant was "within the top 12-ish, rank doesn't matter." Which makes sense. I mean, what difference does it make if you go to Harvard or Yale?

Washington is about #17, so just outside the elite school. Geographically it is more where I want to be. Career services here says that if you're looking outside of DC/NYC, to let them know in your first year, so they can start working with you about getting opportunities in the area you're looking. Sounds useful.

UW is having an admitted students weekend in April, and I'm debating going. I'm not sure if it will help me reach a decision or not. I think getting the student interaction at UW would give me a more balanced picture at least.

I just....gr. It's not easy.

On an aside, I met an admitted student who looks just like Kandyse McClure.

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School rank does and doesn't matter. It matters in relation to what you want to do. If you want to be a Supreme Court Justice, you'd better go to Yale or Harvard. If you want to work in a high-powered NY firm, you'd better be in that top ten-ish range. If you want to be a professor, it depends on where you want to be a prof. The higher profile the school you want to teach at, the higher profile school you need to go to (though there are more things--like unique job experience and scholarly work--that are major factors, too).

If you want to work at a good-but-not-famous firm, the elite/semi-elite (top ten vs. top thirty) distinction...I really don't get the feeling that there's much of a difference. And if that wasn't enough for you to think about, there's the added wrinkle of class rank, and the eternal question of does it look better to be top of your class in a top thirty school or middle-of-the-pack in a top ten school? Opinions vary. Personally, I think excelling wherever you are is more valuable, but I don't have a lot of experience. Do you have certain firms/jobs you're targeting? Do they do on-campus interviews at your school? That's a good indicator that you're going to a school that's "good enough" (taking geography into account, of course).

One thing they probably aren't telling you to think about but that you should is how much debt you're going to leave school with. That will have a big impact on what kinds of jobs you can reasonably and financially responsibly accept.

Hopefully that's helpful rather than confusing, though adding factors to weigh usually falls more into the category of confusing. Sorry! Good luck!

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VA does on campus interviews. Washington I don't remember, I'd have to look it up. I imagine they do though.

As far as jobs I'm going for, I'm looking now at going into Immigration Law. I have zero desire to work for a firm in NYC. Professorship would be something I might consider, but I'm not sure at this point.

As far as financial aid, I'm going to be doing loans, no question. I'm not a strong enough candidate for merit scholarships from UVa. UW is a bit cheaper.

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All schools have some on-campus interviews. What might be most helpful is to ask the Career Services offices for a list of what firms (and/or government agencies--the government and non-profits do the interviewing process a bit differently) regularly attend, then see which ones match up best with your interests/are the kinds of places you'd like to work. That doesn't mean that list is what you're limited to, but it'll give you a starting place for what kinds of firms the school markets to/attracts.

On the financial aid side, another thing to look at is whether the school has a deal where you can get in-state tuition by being a research assistant or TA, and how many students they actually employ that way. In-state versus out-of-state costs at public schools can make a HUGE difference.

The in/out difference at VA is not all that much...about $5000.

I think I have about a month and a half to make this decision.
Thanks for the advice, it's seriously been a huge help.

Edited Date: 2010-03-20 03:37 am (UTC)

Geographically it is more where I want to be.

hell yeah!!

(btw, let me know if I'm not helping--I can shut up, really!)

Also, come move in with me and get residency ;-)

Let's face it, I have no desire whatsoever to live in Virginia after school.

It'd be pretty easy for me to get residency once I move there, which is a definite plus. :)