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[stuwags]

I sent my law school applications in about two weeks ago, and while I wait to hear back I'd like to get an idea which might be better for me.  I'm from NV, have a BSEE, and I would like to work in pros (maybe a little lit) in the Palo Alto area.  Of course it is much too early to tell where I'll wind up, but I would love to end up in-house at a semiconductor manufacturer.

The schools I am applying to are: Stanford, Harvard, Columbia, NYU, U Chicago, U Penn, Duke, U Virginia, U Michigan, Georgetown.  Clearly for me Stanford is the best choice, but each school has something to offer and I'm not sure after Stanford and Harvard which would be best for my plans.  Columbia and NYU, being in New York, are great for summer internships, UVA is close to DC, Duke has a dual degree JD-MSEE that I can finish in 3 years.  Duke is the only school where I have applied for the dual-degree, though I might add the MSEE at other schools after my first year, if it would be worthwhile.  I don't really want to be in school forever, but I don't want to be underqualified later.

Does anyone have an opinion on which they would choose (assuming I'm accepted to these)?  I feel relatively confident I'll be accepted to most of them, except Stanford and Harvard.

[MYK]

Well, personally, you'd have to drug me into a coma to get me to go to New York City or Massachusetts.

Visit the schools you get into, decide which one has an environment that will let you stay sane for three years, and then go.  At that level, you won't have to worry all that much about being trapped in one region.

[emanresu]

I would choose UVA or Duke.  But I am not you.

Those are all excellent schools.  I would recommend considering very heavily (1) total debt upon graduation, and (2) geographical proximity to where you would like to practice law.

[stuwags]

Another question, maybe easier to answer (maybe not).  Would anyone recommend an MS EE?  I do enjoy EE work, I would enjoy the extra exposure to engineering, but I want it to be worthwhile, especially if it means another year or two of school.  The JD/MS at Duke would only take the normal 3 years with a summer rather than fall start, but would clearly add to my LS workload.

On the other hand, I can always get my JD, start working, and get the MS in the future.  I have the impression that so far MS EE hasn't been a big factor, but does anyone see a trend towards the MS being important for patent lawyers?

Thanks for the responses.  The waiting sure makes me nervous, not knowing what to do if Stanford doesn't pan out.  Probably right about looking at the schools once I'm accepted, just big airfare to the east coast.