U of A vs. Dalhousie vs. TRU + $

[GuiltyMind88]

I seem to be able to make decent arguments for all of them so im hoping to get some input from everybody else as i've hit a bit of a stalemate. 

For background i currently live and am completing my undergrad just outside of vancouver and am fairly confident (not absolutely sure) i'd like to practice in western canada, most likely either around vancouver or calgary. I'm not sold on any particular career path yet and so specializations aren't really a consideration for me however i would like to keep as many doors open as possible in terms of size of firm/area of law/criminal vs civil. Several close friends of mine also have parents that hold fairly important positions as lawyers in vancouver for both the government and firms, and have offered to help pull some strings for me when the time comes. Regardless of where i am in the fall/winter i will be spending my summers in/around Vancouver. 

That being said this is my current thought process regarding the schools 

U of A: The least expensive in terms of tution and cost of living out of the 3. Solid reputation with decent ties to both Calgary and Vancouver (and edmonton of course). Less access to family and friends in vancouver than TRU but much more than Dalhousie. Good access to clinical practice and exposure to criminal law as a student. 

Dalhousie: More expensive than U of A and TRU in terms of tuition due to the +$ at TRU, and more expensive than U of A in terms of cost of living. Probably the best reputation of the 3 from what i've read and has good national reach however does not have as easy of access to western canadian market and from what i've heard you'll see less Vancouver and Calgary firms at Dal's OCI's. The least access to friends and family out the of 3 as it is quite literally as far from vancouver as possible. 

TRU: Expensive tuiton and cost of living (have an entrance scholarship but it's not enough to bring it down to U of A levels). The closest to Vancouver out of my options making it easier to travel for interviews/to see friends and family and 3rd in terms of 2L placements in vancouver (behind UBC and UVIC), although this may have more to do with the desired markets of the students than the schools ties. From what i've read has somewhat of a reputation as a school of last resort in BC and seems to have the least reputability out fo the 3 options, although i've also read that this isn't true so i'd love some insight on that and the importance of reputation.

Really im having troubles figuring out the balance of importance between reputation/reach and location. I've read several posts that say reputation isn't particularly important in canada unless you're comparing the very top schools to the very bottom and that proximity to desired market is the key factor to consider. However, i've also read that you're limiting your options by going to a less reputible school and that so long as you have connections to your desired job market (which i do) you should opt for the more reputibile option over the closer in proximity option. I understand a lot of it will come down to personal beliefs and opinions but i am interested in hearing what everyone thinks and am hopeful it'll help me (and others) think through the decision. 

As a side note i am still waiting on decisions from UBC and U of C. I expect a rejection from UBC and am unsure what U of C will do. If you want to throw your 2 cents in on U of C i'd be interested in hearing that as well. 

Thanks in advance! Came across this site a few days ago and think it's awesome that there's an online community for canadian law schools like this.

[soundofconfusion]

I can't speak too much to whether or not you should go to UofA or TRU, really, though my kneejerk (and possibly incorrect, I welcome corrections or clarifications on any of this) reaction would be that if you have lawyers in Vancouver who are going to wangle summer placements for you at places that make summer and articling offers through Vancouver recruits, relatively small differences in Vancouver recruit placement numbers between the two are pretty irrelevant, meaning that you'd just need to weigh the additional expense against easier opportunities to visit family and friends. I'd assume same deal with UofC, except that you also have to factor in better networking opportunities in Calgary.

That said, there doesn't seem to be much of a reason for you to go to Dalhousie. If there is any reputational difference at all, which seems doubtful to me, my assumption is that it has to be pretty negligible. But even if it wasn't negligible, it seems to otherwise be pretty piss-poor for your needs (especially if you don't really need to worry about reputational differences at all because jobs are going to be arranged for you).