[blindlaw] Choosing a School

[Daniel McBride]

Sanho:

James said what I was saying in my previous post, only James said it better.
Couldn't agree with him more.

Daniel McBride

-----Original Message-----
From: BlindLaw [mailto:blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of James T.
Fetter via BlindLaw
Sent: Thursday, February 21, 2019 9:15 AM
To: Blind Law Mailing List
Cc: James T. Fetter
Subject: Re: [blindlaw] Choosing a School

A few things to consider:

1. Ranking in certain key areas of study looks nice in marketing 
materials, but generally, employers don't care.

2. What matters at the end of the day is job placement rate. Will this 
school position you on the market to get whatever type of job you're 
looking for? Big law likes high rankings; small firms tend to like more 
practical experience; connections never hurt, no matter what.

3. How hard will you have to fight for basic accommodations? I wasted a 
ton of time in both undergrad and grad school (before law school) 
fighting for things that should have been automatic. In law school, by 
contrast, I had only one real fight about accommodations, and that was 
with other students on journal. I won that fight very quickly, because 
the administration was supportive. Do as much due diligence as you can 
to avoid an unaccommodating law school.

4. You will have to be better than your sighted peers to land jobs 
similar to those offered to them. That's just reality. In light of that, 
it's never a bad idea to go to the highest ranked school in your state, 
though even that isn't a guarantee of anything, as I have learned the 
hard way.

5. Law school will be emotionally taxing at times, so think about other 
aspects of your life e.g. general quality of life, proximity to family 
and friends who have nothing to do with law school, etc. Though part of 
me wishes I had shot the moon and gone to a T14, part of me is very 
happy I didn't, because I enabled my wife to be near her family for 
three years. This made her happier, which in turn made me happier.

6. How much will you pay at both law schools? Those student loans will 
be sitting there looking at you, waiting to be fed, once you graduate.

At the end of the day, it's about your happiness, your quality of life, 
etc. If the thought of going to a particular school makes you 
particularly anxious, don't do it, no matter the other perceived 
advantages. Peace of mind is highly underrated. Good luck with your 
decision!

On 2/20/2019 6:15 PM, Sanho Steele-Louchart via BlindLaw wrote:
> Good afternoon,
>
> Do you have any tips on selecting a law school? I have excellent offers to
several, and two of them have particularly great reputations in my state,
but one is fairly highly ranked, but would require relocating and leaving a
city I love. The other is ranked right in the middle of the pack, but is
extremely highly ranked in some key areas of study, and would mean staying
in a place I already know I enjoy and have several preexisting friendships.
What do you folks think? How do you choose between two great options? In
your experience, do school rankings matter as much as the internet would
have you beleive?
>
> Warmth,
> Sanho
>
>
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