Regent vs. U. of Baltimore Forum

[rellek]

Hello! I am currently stuck between a hard decision, and any advice would be appreciated. I've been accepted to Regent University, University of Baltimore, Oklahoma City University, and Ohio Northern. Awaiting to hear back from University of Maryland and University of Richmond. I think I have narrowed my decision down to University of Baltimore and Regent University (assuming I never hear back from the other two).

I am looking at concentrating in Intellectual Property and/or Sports and Entertainment Law, offered at both Baltimore and Regent.

Baltimore originally was my top choice, but I got a pretty decent scholarship at Regent. Though I qualify for in-state tuition at Baltimore, the scholarship I got from Regent would essentially make Regent half the price of Baltimore in terms of price of tuition.

I think my biggest concern would be job-prospects and which school would offer better ones and better connections post-graduation. I have been a resident of Maryland my whole life, so I would most likely be practicing in Maryland, and that fact alone would make it more logical for me to attend a Maryland school. HOWEVER, I live in close proximity to D.C., and am also interested in working for the Federal Government, and if I went that route, then the state of the school I choose wouldn't matter as much.

Also, I do realize Regent is a Christian university, and have seen a few critiques of some of its courses on this forum. I am a Christian, but the religiosity of a law school itself (or lack thereof) does not really swing me one direction or the other.

[cavalier1138]

Well, without your estimated COA at each school and your GPA/LSAT, specific recommendations are impossible, but here are some general thoughts.

In order:
-Specialty programs are meaningless.
-If you want to practice/live in Maryland, go to school in Maryland.
-Competitive federal government jobs are extremely unlikely from any of these schools. Hell, being a lawyer is unlikely from any of these schools
-Don't take on any debt at any of these schools.

[celticsfan]

Definitely need COA for each and stats. The number one thing I'd say is re-take the LSAT if you have to take on debt at schools like this with low employment prospects.

[zot1]

I don't like doing this, but please retake.

[Future Ex-Engineer]

-Specialty programs are meaningless.
-If you want to practice/live in Maryland, go to school in Maryland.
-Competitive federal government jobs are extremely unlikely from any of these schools. Hell, being a lawyer is unlikely from any of these schools
-Don't take on any debt at any of these schools.

[rellek]

The estimated COA at Regent is $53,000 ($35,500 tuition + $17,500 room and board, books, other expenses, etc.) BUT with renewable scholarship of $20,000/year, would bring total cost down to about $33,000/year.

The estimated COA at Baltimore is $50,000 (30,000 in-state tuition + $20,000 room and board, books, other expenses, etc.).

I have a 3.8GPA and have always been top of class in high school and college, but I did average on LSAT (149). Never have been a great standardized test-taker and am not considering holding off any time before going into Law School to take LSAT again.

[pancakes3]

you're not getting IP, sports law, or bigfed coming out of either of these schools

[Ronan]

The estimated COA at Regent is $53,000 ($35,500 tuition + $17,500 room and board, books, other expenses, etc.) BUT with renewable scholarship of $20,000/year, would bring total cost down to about $33,000/year.

The estimated COA at Baltimore is $50,000 (30,000 in-state tuition + $20,000 room and board, books, other expenses, etc.).

I have a 3.8GPA and have always been top of class in high school and college, but I did average on LSAT (149). Never have been a great standardized test-taker and am not considering holding off any time before going into Law School to take LSAT again.

Come on.

[Future Ex-Engineer]

I have a 3.8GPA and have always been top of class in high school and college, but I did average on LSAT (149). Never have been a great standardized test-taker and am not considering holding off any time before going into Law School to take LSAT again.

yeah, no. You didn't do average. You did poorly. Retake. This shouldn't even be a question. If you actually want to be a lawyer please don't go to either school or even think about taking out over 100k in debt for that level of education.

[Thomas Hagan, ESQ.]

The estimated COA at Regent is $53,000 ($35,500 tuition + $17,500 room and board, books, other expenses, etc.) BUT with renewable scholarship of $20,000/year, would bring total cost down to about $33,000/year.

The estimated COA at Baltimore is $50,000 (30,000 in-state tuition + $20,000 room and board, books, other expenses, etc.).

I have a 3.8GPA and have always been top of class in high school and college, but I did average on LSAT (149). Never have been a great standardized test-taker and am not considering holding off any time before going into Law School to take LSAT again.

If you want even like a 1% chance of ever achieving your stated career goals, then I really encourage you to retake (even though it sucks). That awesome GPA should open many doors that are unavailable to most people here on TLS, but you're literally shutting that door on you.

Otherwise, FedGov/entlaw jobs will be almost certainly out of reach with these schools.

This is literally the same as someone choosing to walk out with the $100 after the first question on Who Wants to Be A Millionaire.

[Thomas Hagan, ESQ.]

I have a 3.8GPA and have always been top of class in high school and college, but I did average on LSAT (149). Never have been a great standardized test-taker and am not considering holding off any time before going into Law School to take LSAT again.

yeah, no. You didn't do average. You did poorly. Retake. This shouldn't even be a question. If you actually want to be a lawyer please don't go to either school or even think about taking out over 100k in debt for that level of education.

[Npret]

Don't go to Regent.

[Npret]

The estimated COA at Regent is $53,000 ($35,500 tuition + $17,500 room and board, books, other expenses, etc.) BUT with renewable scholarship of $20,000/year, would bring total cost down to about $33,000/year.

The estimated COA at Baltimore is $50,000 (30,000 in-state tuition + $20,000 room and board, books, other expenses, etc.).

I have a 3.8GPA and have always been top of class in high school and college, but I did average on LSAT (149). Never have been a great standardized test-taker and am not considering holding off any time before going into Law School to take LSAT again.

Come on.

How did you study for the LSAT? I don't believe you couldn't improve on that atrocious score if you worked at it. We have guides and lots of advice and support to help you retake and improve.

You aren't getting close to your goals from either school. You will be lucky to even get a job.

https://www.lstreports.com/schools/baltimore/
https://www.lstreports.com/schools/regent/
It's like you are willfully throwing away your hard work in college to destroy your future.

[zot1]

Hello! I am currently stuck between a hard decision, and any advice would be appreciated. I've been accepted to Regent University, University of Baltimore, Oklahoma City University, and Ohio Northern. Awaiting to hear back from University of Maryland and University of Richmond. I think I have narrowed my decision down to University of Baltimore and Regent University (assuming I never hear back from the other two).

I am looking at concentrating in Intellectual Property and/or Sports and Entertainment Law, offered at both Baltimore and Regent.

Baltimore originally was my top choice, but I got a pretty decent scholarship at Regent. Though I qualify for in-state tuition at Baltimore, the scholarship I got from Regent would essentially make Regent half the price of Baltimore in terms of price of tuition.

I think my biggest concern would be job-prospects and which school would offer better ones and better connections post-graduation. I have been a resident of Maryland my whole life, so I would most likely be practicing in Maryland, and that fact alone would make it more logical for me to attend a Maryland school. HOWEVER, I live in close proximity to D.C., and am also interested in working for the Federal Government, and if I went that route, then the state of the school I choose wouldn't matter as much.

Also, I do realize Regent is a Christian university, and have seen a few critiques of some of its courses on this forum. I am a Christian, but the religiosity of a law school itself (or lack thereof) does not really swing me one direction or the other.

The bolded is patently untrue. Your school ranking does matter. And if you go to a school below top 50, you'd only be considered if you're top of your class and have some other interesting characteristics, which you can't really control the former or much of the latter.

Do yourself a favor and retake.

[Ferrisjso]

The estimated COA at Regent is $53,000 ($35,500 tuition + $17,500 room and board, books, other expenses, etc.) BUT with renewable scholarship of $20,000/year, would bring total cost down to about $33,000/year.

The estimated COA at Baltimore is $50,000 (30,000 in-state tuition + $20,000 room and board, books, other expenses, etc.).

I have a 3.8GPA and have always been top of class in high school and college, but I did average on LSAT (149). Never have been a great standardized test-taker and am not considering holding off any time before going into Law School to take LSAT again.

33,000 is a great price for law school generally IMO, but Regent is just a really bad school(even if you want VA, the employment numbers are just bad) you shouldn't be paying for. Have you taken the LSAT more than once because if you haven't and scored a 149, an improvement is pretty likely, and you should have retaken the test. Wasting a 3.8, a GPA people would die for to have to go to Regent and Baltimore is a tragedy on so many levels. Don't like encouraging people to retake and take a year off but why didn't you just take the test more than once in college? If you think I'm being harsh, if you look at my posting history I'm actually one of the most anti taking a year off to retake people on the site but damm man come on, what do you want people to say? I think the retake people are right for once, this really is a no brainier.

I feel morally obligated to answer your question though and I'd probably say the 17k extra at Baltimore is worth it because it's a better school with less competition in it's market. If you're dead set on VA, I guess go to Regent and pay less money, just know there's a very very very high chance you will either not have a job or not be happy with what you end up with.

[Npret]

Hello! I am currently stuck between a hard decision, and any advice would be appreciated. I've been accepted to Regent University, University of Baltimore, Oklahoma City University, and Ohio Northern. Awaiting to hear back from University of Maryland and University of Richmond. I think I have narrowed my decision down to University of Baltimore and Regent University (assuming I never hear back from the other two).

I am looking at concentrating in Intellectual Property and/or Sports and Entertainment Law, offered at both Baltimore and Regent.

Baltimore originally was my top choice, but I got a pretty decent scholarship at Regent. Though I qualify for in-state tuition at Baltimore, the scholarship I got from Regent would essentially make Regent half the price of Baltimore in terms of price of tuition.

I think my biggest concern would be job-prospects and which school would offer better ones and better connections post-graduation. I have been a resident of Maryland my whole life, so I would most likely be practicing in Maryland, and that fact alone would make it more logical for me to attend a Maryland school. HOWEVER, I live in close proximity to D.C., and am also interested in working for the Federal Government, and if I went that route, then the state of the school I choose wouldn't matter as much.

Also, I do realize Regent is a Christian university, and have seen a few critiques of some of its courses on this forum. I am a Christian, but the religiosity of a law school itself (or lack thereof) does not really swing me one direction or the other.

The bolded is patently untrue. Your school ranking does matter. And if you go to a school below top 50, you'd only be considered if you're top of your class and have some other interesting characteristics, which you can't really control the former or much of the latter.

Do yourself a favor and retake.

If you are talking about being licensed in any state lies you to do federal practice then you are correct.
If you are talking about actually getting a job then your school is incredibly important in getting a job. Also, there is hiring freeze which is going to turn into mandated reduction in government hiring and government budgets. I don't think going to school expecting a federal legal job in DC is a good plan for anyone right now.

[rellek]

I respect the opinions of you telling me to retake and wait another year to go into law school, but at this point in my life, I'd rather knock schooling out, rather than essentially waste a year with no guarantee of actually being able to improve on the test. Retaking the test is simply not an alternative for me.

[Future Ex-Engineer]

The estimated COA at Regent is $53,000 ($35,500 tuition + $17,500 room and board, books, other expenses, etc.) BUT with renewable scholarship of $20,000/year, would bring total cost down to about $33,000/year.

The estimated COA at Baltimore is $50,000 (30,000 in-state tuition + $20,000 room and board, books, other expenses, etc.).

I have a 3.8GPA and have always been top of class in high school and college, but I did average on LSAT (149). Never have been a great standardized test-taker and am not considering holding off any time before going into Law School to take LSAT again.

33,000 is a great price for law school generally IMO, but Regent is just a really bad school(even if you want VA, the employment numbers are just bad) you shouldn't be paying for. Have you taken the LSAT more than once because if you haven't and scored a 149, an improvement is pretty likely, and you should have retaken the test. Wasting a 3.8, a GPA people would die for to have to go to Regent and Baltimore is a tragedy on so many levels. Don't like encouraging people to retake and take a year off but why didn't you just take the test more than once in college? If you think I'm being harsh, if you look at my posting history I'm actually one of the most anti taking a year off to retake people on the site but damm man come on, what do you want people to say? I think the retake people are right for once, this really is a no brainier. RETAKE

I feel morally obligated to answer your question though and I'd probably say the 17k extra at Baltimore is worth it because it's a better school with less competition in it's market. If you're dead set on VA, I guess go to Regent and pay less money, just know there's a very very very high chance you will either not have a job or not be happy with what you end up with.

[Npret]

I respect the opinions of you telling me to retake and wait another year to go into law school, but at this point in my life, I'd rather knock schooling out, rather than essentially waste a year with no guarantee of actually being able to improve on the test. Retaking the test is simply not an alternative for me.

Then you are truly one of the most willfully blind and stubborn people to ever post on this site. Do what you want but you aren't getting your goals and you have about a 50% chance of getting a job anywhere- maybe you can defend DUIs or something for $40,000 a year if you are lucky. So, yes, rush into that future.

[pancakes3]

i'm telling y'all. the retake advice is a catch-22. someone smart enough to do well on the LSAT doesn't need the advice, and the ones who need it are too dumb to understand it.

[zot1]

I respect the opinions of you telling me to retake and wait another year to go into law school, but at this point in my life, I'd rather knock schooling out, rather than essentially waste a year with no guarantee of actually being able to improve on the test. Retaking the test is simply not an alternative for me.

That's totally fine. But go to a school with a clear understanding of what you're getting into. As someone who's actually done hiring for the federal government, I want you to know, in no uncertain terms, that your school does matter.

So when you graduate from Regent without a single interview from a federal agency, you won't say, oh why did no one tell me.

Finally, as someone who's employed and dealing with debt, it ain't fun, mate. It changes everything about your life for possibly decades. I couldn't imagine doing with this without a job. So when you say I don't want to delay schooling, just keep in mind how debt will restrict your life post-graduation.

Good luck.

[grades??]

I respect the opinions of you telling me to retake and wait another year to go into law school, but at this point in my life, I'd rather knock schooling out, rather than essentially waste a year with no guarantee of actually being able to improve on the test. Retaking the test is simply not an alternative for me.

Enjoy working at a ticket clinic. You cannot achieve any of your goals from either school. In fact, if you go to either, you will be explicitly blacklisted from fed gov jobs. Fed gov jobs really care about school ranking.

[Ronan]

I respect the opinions of you telling me to retake and wait another year to go into law school, but at this point in my life, I'd rather knock schooling out, rather than essentially waste a year with no guarantee of actually being able to improve on the test. Retaking the test is simply not an alternative for me.

Nevermind the very real possibility that "you'll knock school out" and then have the prospect of staring unemployment in the face and years and years of debt without the potential to obtain a high paying legal job...

But yeah, I can see why a few months of retaking the most important exam in your life would be, essentially, a waste.

[pancakes3]

but guys, there's no GUARANTEE!

[zot1]

but guys, there's no GUARANTEE!

There's a guarantee of crippling debt and unemployment.