How and why did you choose the school that you attended?

[beans]

I am considering a couple of offers but having difficulty making a choice. I can make a strong case for all three of my top choices. Hoping to work in corporate and, ideally, big law, open to either Calgary or Toronto markets and have a connection to both. The usual advice is to go where you want to practice, and I do have an offer from both of the markets I would like to practice in; however, I also have an offer from a more well-known school in neither of the markets I want to practice in.

 

Here are my options briefly: 

• Option 1: I can either stay at the region/school where I completed my previous education, which would be comfortable/convenient with not having to move. Likely the most economical with tuition, cost of living etc. 
• Option 2: I could move to a new province in neither of my desired markets/provinces, however more of a 'national' recognized school compared to my other choices being more 'regional.' I also received a scholarship that would make first-year cheaper than the other options, however likely more expensive in the long run than option 1. 
• Option 3: I could move to a new region/school located in one of my desired markets that places well on Bay St. (not U of T or Osgoode - I still have my fingers crossed for those two.)

I am mostly leaning towards option 2, for the experience of moving to a new part of the country, scholarship (the school has ample funding/scholarships for other years that I hopefully will qualify for), more of a 'well-rounded' law school (even though I know I want to practice corporate.) However, I am worried about not being in my preferred region. I am slightly older than the average class profile age at law schools and want to ensure that I don't limit myself and my future. I am conscious of cost/benefit and that all Canadian law schools are good schools, and the most economical/rational answer would likely be to stay or move to the other market, I would like to work in. Something about option 2, though is just so appealing to me! 

 

So I guess my questions, aside from the title are:

• What would you do if you were me? 
• Where did you go? What were your likes/dislikes of your school?  (if you are comfortable sharing)
• Did you attend school in the market/region you wanted to practice?
• Is it possible to still land a big law job/articles/summers if you don't attend school in the region you want to practice?

 

If you read all of this, thank you for your time, and I truly appreciate any insights you might have!

P.S. Sorry for being so vague not sure if schools care about potential students making decisions. 

 

 

 

[tiktok]

I chose the school that would give me the most options. I wasn't sure that I wanted to pursue biglaw so I made my choice based on tuition only. 

[GoatDuck]

Law school staff generally don't try to uncover the identities of people behind CanLawForum posts to determine whether it's their applicants, and then punish them for being indecisive. It's pretty safe to disclose what schools you're choosing between, though it's absolutely your personal choice and you may prefer not to do this for other reasons.

The description of option #2 is very similar to how applicants like to describe Dal btw, so I'm almost sure you're referring to Dal there. If you are, then don't expect much gain from the supposed national reach of the law school. Dal is a wonderful school, their alumni work all across Canada, but this is in part due to the limited legal market in the Atlantic provinces. Applicants sometimes think that Dal has an almost-magical national recognition that makes it much easier for Dal's grads to work in any province in Canada compared to grads of other law schools, but this is not the case (at least not according to what I've heard from people here). Whatever factors you consider during your decision-making process, don't assign too much weight to Dal's nationwide reach. If you're not talking about Dal, then ignore what I've just said!

[beans]

Thank you! I wasn’t sure if it mattered to post schools or not! You’re correct, option 2 is Dal. I have heard that too, I am interested in its wider offerings for courses, clinics, extra curricular etc. I was considering it as I don’t think I would be considered a “flight risk” for Calgary/Toronto firm but not sure if it’s worth moving too if I have other options. It’s super appealing to move to Halifax and the scholarship is a nice bonus! 

In case it helps other people with insights my options are as follows:

Option 1: Calgary

Option 2: Dal

Option 3: Western 

 

[KOMODO]

If I were in your shoes, I would probably choose Calgary. I wouldn't go with Dal because it's not where you want to work, and I don't really think it's a better known school than the other two. And I probably wouldn't choose Western because the tuition is higher and then the cost of living in Toronto is so much higher than in Calgary. You'll have a much more enjoyable life if you can be less stressed about paying down law school debt and buying a house. Plus, if you have family in Alberta but not Ontario, that would seal the deal for me as it becomes more important to be close to them as you get older.

[beans]

Thank you for your insight! My immediate family is actually in Toronto, and I moved to Calgary 10 years ago for my undergrad, although I do have some family here. A reason I was considering Toronto is to be closer to them. The cost is a large factor for sure, I have a pretty enjoyable and cost-effective life in Calgary, but Toronto is Toronto I definitely miss it sometimes. Like many, I dream of Bay St but Calgary has a few big and medium size corporate firms so I don't think I would be at a major disadvantage competing for summers/articles for a big firm in Calgary. Also, thank you for your input about Dal; as you and GoatDuck have posted above, I think I am slightly glamorizing the school while moving to Halifax would be a fun adventure, and the scholarship is an amazing bonus, logistically to find someone to rent my condo, finding a place to rent, and flying from Halifax to Calgary/Toronto for Christmas and summers would be added expenses/stresses. 

[Byzantine]

Family is definitely important. Law school can be stressful at times and being near to family helped that for me. I would also take a look at the course offerings / clinician offerings to see if anything jumps out at you. For me I got accepted into two different schools but the course/clinican offerings at one stood out to me as more interesting/varied and that helped me make the choice. 

[ltmaverick25]

17 hours ago, beans said:

In case it helps other people with insights my options are as follows:

Option 1: Calgary

Option 2: Dal

Option 3: Western 

 

Since you said you are interested in Big Law and are willing to work in the Toronto market, I would go with Western. They are well known for corporate law. But if you want to do big law in the energy market, Calgary is definitely the way to go.