TMU LASL vs Western

[lawbron]

To start this off, I am extremely happy to even have to make this decision, BUT - I am having difficulty choosing between Western and LASL @ TMU. I am originally from Toronto and would love to stay here for the next three years. However, the fact that the law school is so new is strongly discouraging me from going there. I am interested in pursuing business/corporate law after graduation. I'm aware Western is one of the better schools for that with the business law advantage program, and their 2L placement numbers in Toronto appear to be high enough to give me a shot. Ultimately, it feels like the better choice for my career may be to go to western, away from family and friends and take on a little bit more financial debt. I don't exactly know why but LASL feels like the riskier option.

I would love any insight on how to approach this decision, please and thank you!

 

[LMP]

Go to Western. You've identified correctly why it is the better choice for you and your career. 

Yes it'll cost you more to live away from home. But there is a non trivial difference between the outcomes of the two schools and it is to your benefit to make the jump. 

And while it sucks to leave your friends and family, they won't be far and it won't be for long. Plus, you'll be busy in law school and meeting a wave of new people. 

 

[Turtles]

Objectively Western is better with respect to outcomes if your goal is corporate law, but while I rip a lot of jokes at Ryerson's expense, I wouldn't sleep on them too fast. I would attend whatever welcome day session they offer, read the materials they make available online (with a critical lens), browse some of the stuff they're doing (see their website and what they post on linkedin), and reach out to current students. And then look into London ON vs Toronto. Your goal should be to understand what your life would be like and how the options would be meaningfully different. 

One of the things that turned me off Western was that its lack of diversity was breathtaking. And I would rather cut off my toe than live in London ON. There is something to be said about asking where you would best fit in and what kind of life you want for the next 3 years (seeing friends/family in Toronto after classes vs seeing them less and instead partying with college kids in a small town). If I was 21 I might be inclined to try out a small town and keep up that college vibe, especially if you didn't move away for undergrad, but I was (comparatively) older by the time I started law school and wanted to settle down in the place I intended to work (Toronto), start setting down roots, and enjoy the luxuries of big city life.

Incoming law students sometimes get hyper-fixed over "what is the best school for X", and while I can completely understand trying to start your career off on the best foot possible, there can also be something to be said for "what kind of life do I want for the next 3 years" and you will appreciate that more and more the older you get.