UW (Full Ride) vs Iowa (2/3) Forum

[WELLOKAYTHEN]

I'm curious to get people's thoughts on Iowa vs Wisconsin. I have scholarships to both schools. As noted in the title, I have a full scholarship to Wisconsin and a 2/3 scholarship to Iowa. I understand that neither school really has nationally reach. That's fine. While I've spent the last couple years in San Francisco and DC, I'm originally from the Midwest. With that said, Iowa seems to have a better history of placement out of state. I suppose part of this explanation could be that the state of Wisconsin has almost twice as many people as Iowa (5.7 vs 3.1 million).

In any case, what's the general opinion of Iowa & Wisconsin? Having read through a few forums, it seems like there is a sense that Iowa affords more opportunity than Wisconsin.

[IExistedOnceBefore]

What do you want to do and where do you want to live? UW is fine if you want to stay in Wisconsin. You don't have to take the bar and can start work right away, which gives you a leg up in Wisconsin hiring.

It really depends on your goals and your stats.

[UVA2B]

I'm curious to get people's thoughts on Iowa vs Wisconsin. I have scholarships to both schools. As noted in the title, I have a full scholarship to Wisconsin and a 2/3 scholarship to Iowa. I understand that neither school really has nationally reach. That's fine. While I've spent the last couple years in San Francisco and DC, I'm originally from the Midwest. With that said, Iowa seems to have a better history of placement out of state. I suppose part of this explanation could be that the state of Wisconsin has almost twice as many people as Iowa (5.7 vs 3.1 million).

In any case, what's the general opinion of Iowa & Wisconsin? Having read through a few forums, it seems like there is a sense that Iowa affords more opportunity than Wisconsin.

Not exactly sure where you got this sense. If you want to work in WI, go to Wisconsin on a full ride. If you want to work in IA, get them to match the full ride at Wisconsin and go to Iowa.

Neither of them are going to be placing you out of state with any amount of certainty and you shouldn't attend either if that's what you really want.

What do you want to do and where do you want to live? UW is fine if you want to stay in Wisconsin. You don't have to take the bar and can start work right away, which gives you a leg up in Wisconsin hiring.

It really depends on your goals and your stats.

Also, this.

[WELLOKAYTHEN]

My goal is to practice law. Precisely what kind of law is up for debate since I'm aware that I have a lot to learn. At the moment, I'm interested in privacy/tech law and administrative law. As for where I want to end up, I'm not opposed to Wisconsin out of hand. I'm less concerned about where I live and more concerned about finding a job. As for stats, I have enough money saved from working that, with the scholarship, debt isn't really an issue. If by stats you meant my GPA/LSAT it's: 3.7 from a top 20 school (undergrad)/162 (not great, I know).

The bit about being able to start working right away in Wisconsin is definitely helpful.

As to why it seems like Iowa has better placement out of state, there were a few comments that I found on this forum that seemed to view Iowa more positively than Wisconsin. One of the statements that stuck with me was that Iowa, according to one individual, places better across the Midwest. As for opportunities, I found this post (http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 1&t=276222) that shows 26% of Iowa grads get clerkships or biglaw positions while 18.5% of Wisconsin grads get those positions. To be fair, Wisconsin also had a larger 2016 class. Additionally, in the past three years, 55-62% of Wisconsin grads end up in state (62% - 2014, 55% - 2015, 62% - 2016) while the numbers for Iowa are 43% -2014, 42% - 2015, 39% - 2016. So, while Iowa isn't leaps and bounds better at placing out of state, it does seem like it has a slight edge. With that said, I'm not opposed to ending up in either location. I just prefer to keep options open whenever possible.

[IExistedOnceBefore]

My goal is to practice law. Precisely what kind of law is up for debate since I'm aware that I have a lot to learn. At the moment, I'm interested in privacy/tech law and administrative law. As for where I want to end up, I'm not opposed to Wisconsin out of hand. I'm less concerned about where I live and more concerned about finding a job. As for stats, I have enough money saved from working that, with the scholarship, debt isn't really an issue. If by stats you meant my GPA/LSAT it's: 3.7 from a top 20 school (undergrad)/162 (not great, I know).

The bit about being able to start working right away in Wisconsin is definitely helpful.

As to why it seems like Iowa has better placement out of state, there were a few comments that I found on this forum that seemed to view Iowa more positively than Wisconsin. One of the statements that stuck with me was that Iowa, according to one individual, places better across the Midwest. As for opportunities, I found this post (http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 1&t=276222) that shows 26% of Iowa grads get clerkships or biglaw positions while 18.5% of Wisconsin grads get those positions. To be fair, Wisconsin also had a larger 2016 class. Additionally, in the past three years, 55-62% of Wisconsin grads end up in state (62% - 2014, 55% - 2015, 62% - 2016) while the numbers for Iowa are 43% -2014, 42% - 2015, 39% - 2016. So, while Iowa isn't leaps and bounds better at placing out of state, it does seem like it has a slight edge. With that said, I'm not opposed to ending up in either location. I just prefer to keep options open whenever possible.

If you truly want to keep your options open retake the lsat and go to a T13. Both schools are fine schools but they are regional and if you aren't sure or want the ability to move they aren't the right fit for you.

[WELLOKAYTHEN]

If you truly want to keep your options open retake the lsat and go to a T13. Both schools are fine schools but they are regional and if you aren't sure or want the ability to move they aren't the right fit for you.

Fair enough

[westcoastbestcoastt]

Current UW student here. I also feel like UW gets beat up on here a lot. It's a great school as long as you're realistic. Is it possible to go to NYC? Yes, technically, and one or two people in the top 10 do it most years. Chicago isn't out of the question, but it's far from a sure thing. We've sent a good number to the Twin Cities in recent years. In the end, most people take advantage of diploma privilege and stay in state. If you're interested in public interest work then UW is probably a good fit - the school pushes it hard and the clinical programs are great. Our faculty is incredible and Madison is a nice place to spend 3 years. I came with no ties to Wisconsin (followed my partner who took a job here) and plan on staying, words I honest to God never expected to say. Feel free to PM me with any questions!