I`m sure you might find this online, but Baylor Law School specializes in procedural law. It`s also consistently ranked as the most competitive law school atmosphere in the country by Princeton Review (link below) — if you`re motivated by high stakes and competition, this could be a good choice. Finally, the National Trial Competition plays an important role in the Baylor Law School experience. All students are required to attend and it really takes over your life there for a few semesters. I haven`t experienced much of the deadly competition, but they made it clear that we are competing with each other. Many types of performers and students take their work very seriously, which is respectable. The workload is immense and we are expected to know it thoroughly, and we are trained in the details, which I think is quite common in law schools. However, my other options aren`t fantastic considering my situation, assuming I don`t fit into UT. I retired from public schools because I want to make sure I stay in Texas long-term (I have a fairly large family I`d like to stay close to and aging parents). SMU is not as generous as Baylor and would force me into heavy debt.
Houston might be the best alternative as I could probably go free of charge. But (and I understand this may sound a bit critical) I don`t like the city of Houston at all and I know a lot of UH alumni find their way around [I had the opportunity to talk to Texas SC Judge Jeff Brown a while ago, who went to UH Law. He at least hinted that his only options outside of school were in Houston]. The other options in Texas are schools, which I would feel a little guilty about, as I can get into much higher level schools. Somewhat related, Baylor`s scoring system is set to a lower average and regularly assigns lower grades than usual. Now, it`s important to note that everyone is in the same boat, so a B at Baylor can reasonably be likened to a higher grade at other schools. And employers familiar with Baylor (in Texas, especially litigation firms) know they have to adapt to it, because Baylors has a good job record. However, this is in addition to the general requirement that it is more difficult to find jobs in distant geographic markets. In addition to the regional division, there is also the lack of awareness of their lower average scores.
I apologize for the delay. I grew up on the outskirts of a big city, so having to drive a little further to Austin or Dallas was a change. But on the other hand, everyday life in Waco is actually more fun than life in the suburbs. At least before COVID, there were usually more things to do and things like coffee that are pretty good. When it comes to jobs, I`ve never seen Waco`s location as a hindrance for big-city companies to come here for job interviews. That being said, what is thin? I heard from reddit that it has a very good reputation for litigation and transactions? Please lmk 🙂 Princeton Review Link: www.princetonreview.com/law-school-rankings?rankings=most-competitive-students I did. I just have a few problems 1) they are quite greedy with scholarships (and tuition is really expensive) and 2) their number of internships is not that good. I`m just wondering what the probability is and in which cities it is. It`s very early in the cycle, but Baylor offered $$$$$$, so I`m super excited about it. I`m super shy and it`s a good start! Since this is my first A and probably the only one for a while since all the other applications have just opened.
I mean, it`s a competitive school, but I think the reputation is a bit of an exaggeration. The hours we spend reading and studying are skewed by our 3L PC courses, and the administrator sees Baylor Law`s harshness as a selling point for people who want to litigate. But the law is mostly what you make of it. I did a lot of average grades and met the girl who has since become my wife while I was here. If you want to reach the top of the class rankings, you may have to let your social life fall by the wayside more than I do. In my first few months here in Baylor. I will give my opinion. I don`t know anything about other law schools, so I don`t know what`s normal or not, but I can give what I do. Some professors are always horrible, but you will always be assigned them with no alternative (this probably happens in most law schools). Sometimes they cancel classes and don`t postpone them. Some will do things and get away with it, knowing that there will be no impact because they have a mandate.
I didn`t have a full round at Baylor (I`m a burst of over 75% LSAT, but GPA below the median), but I don`t think I would participate even if I did because of the competitive nature of the school and the conditional scholarship. The condition is 2.8, I believe, and I asked for admissions and they said if you were in the top 80%, you would be above a 2.8. I`m confident I would be, but I don`t think it`s worth paying for $60,000/year in tuition that isn`t T14. They are also right in litigation. I haven`t heard good things from alumni I know who are my age, and because it`s in Waco, there`s no real domestic market. From what I can tell, Austin obviously favors graduates from UT, Dallas SMU and Houston UH. It is also one of the few law schools that becomes harder than easier every year. I recently learned that Baylor specializes in process processes.
They subject all their students to strict practice courts, and the school and students in general are called “cutthroats.” They do anything but brag about the intense atmosphere on their website. I should add that since I am a Hazlewood beneficiary and another consideration, I would hardly see any tuition at UT. And while Baylor is a good law school that fascinates me a lot, there`s no way to choose them over UT Law if they`re both free. I`ve already applied to UT via an early decision, so I`m not trying to weigh the options. All I know is that there`s a good chance Baylor will end up being my goal. I would also post this question in r/LawSchool! I hope there are Baylor law students in this submarine who can talk about their school culture and personal experiences. UT is now technically a T14 school (depending on how you define it). Statistically, based on the 509 report, Baylor`s numbers on student diversity aren`t terrible. However, if you walk around here, you will hardly see any Asian or black students. As I come from a very diverse student, it was quite a change of scenery. If you are a minority and you go to school and see minority students, you may want to ask them about their experiences. www.reddit.com/r/lawschooladmissions/comments/tflloq/texas_schools_showed_me_love_wwyd/ Baylor Law is an excellent training ground for future litigators with a good reputation in Texas.
Baylor has a reputation for being more competitive than peer schools (in part because of conditional scholarships), and tuition fees are quite expensive compared to other schools in the area. Waco has a bad reputation for being a smaller city, but it`s a pretty decent place to spend three years, and smaller size might mean fewer distractions. The biggest downside to the location in Waco, in my opinion, is the distance from the main Texas subways (assuming that`s where you ultimately want to practice). Given this greater distance, you have fewer opportunities to talk to large companies in cities than schools like SMU, UH, and UT. Another potential downside is the school`s hyperfocus on litigation. Baylor is working to expand its transaction program, but they are not particularly well placed in BigLaw. Depending on your post-law school goals, Baylor could be a great choice. It really depends on what you`re looking for in a law school. I mean, where do you want to work? All of these schools are super regional, so I would focus less on the prosecutor`s office and more on the geographic area. Baylor has a reputation for litigation, but in reality, you can be a prosecutor of any of these schools.
Since I`m not a big fan of my options, I decided to look at schools outside of Texas that have a good placement in Texas, so if I decide to be close to my family after school, I can be.
