OT: Rutgers Law - Newark vs. Camden

[bostonknight11]

Hi everyone - I copied this from a post I made in the "Rutgers Issues" forum, because the football board gets by far the most traffic, and there's not much actual football news to talk about at the moment, besides a recruiting story here or there.

I'm just curious if there are any Rutgers Law alumni, students or employees on the board. I'm trying to decide between the two schools, and wanted to find any info about the schools' reputations, staffs, campuses, placement, etc.

I know they're merging, though I'm not entirely sure what that entails. Regardless, I assume employers will still generally associate students with the campus they attended for the next several years.

Anyway, I'm all ears and would appreciate any insight. Thanks!

 

[Knight Shift]

Not a Rutgers Law grad, but Seton Hall Law. My impression is that if you want to work in Philly/South Jersey, Camden is the school to go to. If you want to work in NYC or Northern NJ, go to Newark. I don't know if things have changed in 24 years since I visited, but when I visited RU Camden Law School, I asked the postal carrier about the neighborhood--his advice was to get out before it got dark. I think that there are more opportunities for internships and jobs in Newark than in Camden, but I am not that familiar with the Camden job market.

You probably realize the legal job market has been terrible for the last several years. I know that at Seton Hall and other schools, they cut the incoming class sizes drastically.

 

[imbazza]

My daughter was accepted to both we chose Newark as I would not let her in Camden. understand that the "underprivileged" students get spoon feed. It is a very bias system in that sense.

 

[bostonknight11]

Thanks, I'm leaning towards Newark, mainly because I hear Camden is horrifying. I'm still going to visit before making a final decision, but I figured the legal job market is better in North Jersey/NYC, as opposed to Philly/Delaware(?) anyway.

imbazza - I went to the admitted student open house in Newark, and they spent a significant portion of time pushing the MSP program, for which I'm not applicable. How did your daughter find the advising and career services for the general student population? Did she have a positive overall experience at Newark?

 

[miketd1]

Legal market is really tight. Please make sure this is what you want to do before committing the time and money.

Honestly would only recommend a top-15 law school or up to top-25 if offered a scholarship. And be careful with the scholarships. Some places make the scholarship contingent on you keeping a certain class ranking or GPA. Meanwhile, these same schools institute a mandatory curve where only a few kids per class will ever achieve such a requirement.

 

[RutgersMO]

So Rutgers is in your TOP 2? Great it's either Rutgers...or Rutgers.

Now what's your 40 time?

MO

 

[Knight Shift]

And figure out what you want to do within the law. There are many specialized tracks like Intellectual Property, Health Care Law, etc. Even in the hot areas like patent law, the job market for new grads is terrible.

 

[MrsScrew]

Camden makes the top 10 most dangerous cities in America every year:

Camden, NJ

• Violent crimes: 1,995
• Breakdown of violent crimes: Camden has a population of 77,665, and as of 2013, the murder rate per 1,000 residents was 0.86. There were also 0.95 rapes per 1,000 residents, 9.73 robberies, and 14.14 assaults per 1,000 resident in Camden. All of these rates are higher than the U.S. nationwide rates.
• Property crimes: 4,085
• Breakdown of property crimes: There were 14.14 burglaries per 1,000 residents, 29.38 thefts per 1,000, and 9.08 motor vehicle thefts per 1,000.
• Total violent and property crimes per 1,000 residents: There were 6,080 total violent and property crimes in 2013, which equates to 78.29 per 1,000 Camden residents.
• Crime in New Jersey: New Jersey’s violent crime rate is moderately low, at 290.2 per 100,000 or around 2.9 per 1,000 residents. Camden’s violent crime rate is much higher than the statewide average, at 25.69 per 1,000.

Read more: http://www.cheatsheet.com/business/the-10-most-dangerous-cities-in-america.html/?a=viewall#ixzz3aVxqnjC3

 

[bostonknight11]

Legal market is really tight. Please make sure this is what you want to do before committing the time and money.

Honestly would only recommend a top-15 law school or up to top-25 if offered a scholarship. And be careful with the scholarships. Some places make the scholarship contingent on you keeping a certain class ranking or GPA. Meanwhile, these same schools institute a mandatory curve where only a few kids per class will ever achieve such a requirement.

I'm 4 years out of school, and I know it's what I want to do. I have a full tuition scholarship at each school (campus), which is a big part of why they're my finalists. I figured, outside of the top 14, I should take the money. Scholarship is conditional on maintaining a 2.67 - I'm very confident I can do that.

 

[Ty Webb]

You'd think listening to people talk the RU Law School in Camden would be working out of a crack house.

Camden is still a dangerous city but it has gotten much better with changes to the police force. Plus the RU Law School and overall RU campus is located in a more commercial area than in the middle of a slum. Within blocks of the school are the aquarium, Campbell's Soup's new HQ, the Riversharks baseball stadium. The 76ers are planning to build their new training/office facility right there. There is a major roadway located right by the school so getting in and out of the Law School is easy.

And it's not like Newark is Princeton. For 2015, Camden ranked #2 in murder rate, Newark was #10. Neighborhood Scout, a website that tracks these things actually seems to rank the area the Camden Law School is located as safer than Newark's.

So if you are basing your decision on safety, there's probably not much difference between Camden or Newark. If you are looking for a specific area of study or opportunities, then pick the one you think is best.

 

[imbazza]

Thanks, I'm leaning towards Newark, mainly because I hear Camden is horrifying. I'm still going to visit before making a final decision, but I figured the legal job market is better in North Jersey/NYC, as opposed to Philly/Delaware(?) anyway.

imbazza - I went to the admitted student open house in Newark, and they spent a significant portion of time pushing the MSP program, for which I'm not applicable. How did your daughter find the advising and career services for the general student population? Did she have a positive overall experience at Newark?

I see your handle is BostonKnight this is fitting her first year she make a lot of friends she is a social person she went and bought a drink at a local convince store and 7 minutes later the store keeper was shot dead. She transferred to Suffolk in Boston finished up there

 

[RickDaglessMD]

Hey all. Long time reader of the boards, but never wanted to post because some of the threads can get a bit too nasty for my taste. But, I thought I could lend a hand here.

I'm a Rutgers Camden 2013 grad. Had a great experience at the school and got a great job but, as has been stated above, the market is a real crapshoot.

First off, you're smart to go on a full scholarship; I wouldn't recommend doing it otherwise (or, I'd recommend going to a higher ranked school). However, if you do have a shot to go T-14 and you get a good deal, I still would highly recommend looking into it. It has a HUGE impact on employment, especially if you want to do federal clerkships down the line.

As for the two schools, it really depends on what you want to do. If it's biglaw, RU-N doesn't place super well at the top biglaw firms in NYC, mainly because there's so much competition from other local schools AND schools across the country, especially UPenn, who sends a lot of people up that way. Camden on the other hand places fairly well in the biglaw Philly market; maybe about 15-20 kids a year. I think you'd have a slightly better chance of getting biglaw from Camden (provided you have the metrics) but you'd have to work in Philly, as RU-Camden has about zero shot of placing you at a biglaw firm in NYC coming out of the gate.

As far as safety, I attended Camden for three years and was never hassled, robbed, or shot. The crime you hear of takes place mostly in the ghetto communities that are outside the direct downtown area. For the most part, it stays there. Just don't wander about. The statistics are scary but they're just that; statistics. If you use common sense, you'll be fine.

As far as Camden nightlife, there's none. But, you can live in places like Collingswood or Philly, and go out in either. The PATCO is super convenient.

The Camden faculty were super supportive in every way possible, from writing letters of rec to helping find employment. They really care, and they have a couple top notch faculty. HOWEVER, the career services office is fairly useless, so you're really going to have to take the initiative yourself to get things done. If you have good grades etc. and are on law review (which you absolutely should do) then it won't be a problem.

Those are all my initial thoughts. Please feel free to ask questions and I'll try and answer as best I can.

 

[bostonknight11]

Hey all. Long time reader of the boards, but never wanted to post because some of the threads can get a bit too nasty for my taste. But, I thought I could lend a hand here.

I'm a Rutgers Camden 2013 grad. Had a great experience at the school and got a great job but, as has been stated above, the market is a real crapshoot.

First off, you're smart to go on a full scholarship; I wouldn't recommend doing it otherwise (or, I'd recommend going to a higher ranked school). However, if you do have a shot to go T-14 and you get a good deal, I still would highly recommend looking into it. It has a HUGE impact on employment, especially if you want to do federal clerkships down the line.

As for the two schools, it really depends on what you want to do. If it's biglaw, RU-N doesn't place super well at the top biglaw firms in NYC, mainly because there's so much competition from other locals schools AND schools across the country, especially UPenn, who sends a lot of people up that way. Camden on the other hand places fairly well in the biglaw Philly market; maybe about 15-20 kids a year. I think you'd have a slightly better chance of getting biglaw from Camden (provided you have the metrics) but you'd have to work in Philly, as RU-Camden has about zero shot of placing you at a biglaw firm in NYC coming out of the gate.

As far as safety, I attended Camden for three years and was never hassled, robbed, or shot. The crime you hear of takes place mostly in the ghetto communities that are outside the direct downtown area. For the most part, it stays there. Just don't wander about. The statistics are scary but they're just that; statistics. If you use common sense, you'll be fine.

As far as Camden nightlife, there's none. But, you can live in places like Collingswood or Philly, and go out in either. The PATCO is super convenient.

The Camden faculty were super supportive in every way possible, from writing letters of rec to helping find employment. They really care, and they have a couple top notch faculty. HOWEVER, the career services office is fairly useless, so you're really going to have to take the initiative yourself to get things done. If you have good grades etc. and are on law review (which you absolutely should do) then it won't be a problem.

Those are all my initial thoughts. Please feel free to ask questions and I'll try and answer as best I can.

Thanks for the feedback. I was out of the country for work during the Camden admitted students day, so I still need to get down there to see campus. I'm definitely aware that neither Newark nor Camden will be Boston in terms of crime, safety, and cleanliness, but I'm sure the campus bubbles are fine if you use common sense.

I don't have a huge preference between NYC vs Philly. I'm from Somerset County and more familiar with the northern part of the state, and NYC. I do have a lot more friends and connections in NYC though, which is an advantage of that region.

I didn't get into any T-14 schools. "Best" school I got into, in terms of rankings, is BC. It's a ton of debt to incur though, and the money at Rutgers is enticing.

I definitely would want to join the law review, but don't know much about the process yet.

Out of curiosity - why did you ultimately make the decision to attend RU-Camden?

 

[RickDaglessMD]

BC is in the 30's...if they're asking you to pay full freight then I would definitely advise going to Rutgers for free.

So, I also got into Newark and Camden. For me, the choice was a bit easier; Camden offered me more money than any school I got into. Also, I knew people in Philly and wanted to work there at the time, so it was a good fit.

Like I said, I'm happy with my choice. I should also note that, with the exception of a few people, the student body at Camden was great and I made some really great friendships.

One thing you should know going into either campus that you're really going to have to work in the classroom and hustle outside of it if you want a top job. I have no doubt that you will, since you're obviously bright enough to get a full ride. I just want you to have the full picture, because I have a lot of friends who had decent grades but were shocked when they didn't get their first, second, or even third choice jobs. I TA'd for a section of 1Ls, many of whom thought that simply being in law school was a guarantee for any job they wanted and ended up receiving a rude awakening. Maybe it was like that in 2003, but it's not like that anymore. You'll be up against people from top law schools across the country, and a lot of big firms and judges can be very elitist in their hiring.

Re: law review, that's something you'll learn about during your first year on campus. As the schools are merging now, the reviews from each school are merging into a single entity called the "Rutgers University Law Review".

 

[RickDaglessMD]

I should add that another option for you is to take the free year at Rutgers, work your tail off, and try to transfer to a top local T-14 (either NYU, UPenn, or Columbia). I had a friend who made the jump from Rutgers Camden to UPenn after he/she finished the first year with a 3.8. So, it can be done.

 

[bostonknight11]

Thanks for your help Dagless!

 

[Will Scarlet]

I didn't get into any T-14 schools. "Best" school I got into, in terms of rankings, is BC. It's a ton of debt to incur though, and the money at Rutgers is enticing.

I definitely would want to join the law review, but don't know much about the process yet.

For what it's worth, I wouldn't even consider BC if you're being offered free rides at Newark and Camden. This isn't a knock on BC. I'm sure it's a fine school. But, it doesn't carry the cache to justify the cost. Honestly, I don't even think I'd consider law school in the absence of T-14 or a free ride. The market, at least from a numbers standpoint, just looks god-awful for recent grads. And, as a consequence of the profession's failure to adequately respond to changes in demographics and technology and its overall financial model, things might not ever actually really turn-around. Take the scholarship at one school or the other, study hard, grade-on to law review and everything should work-out fine.

 

[Knight Shift]

Perhaps one thing that was not pointed out is the cost of housing near Camden is probably lower than in/around Newark. When I went to Seton Hall, I lived near New Brunswick and took the train to Newark. Dagless has good points about getting connected at a large Philadelphia firm. Not a bad city to work in, and lower cost of living than NYC and Northern NJ.

 

[RickDaglessMD]

Thanks for your help Dagless!

You're welcome. Either way, it sounds like you've put yourself in a great position.

If you ever have any questions now or at any time in the future, feel free to PM me.

 

[Leonard23]

Legal market is really tight. Please make sure this is what you want to do before committing the time and money.

Honestly would only recommend a top-15 law school or up to top-25 if offered a scholarship. And be careful with the scholarships. Some places make the scholarship contingent on you keeping a certain class ranking or GPA. Meanwhile, these same schools institute a mandatory curve where only a few kids per class will ever achieve such a requirement.

I wouldn't be that extremely limited, as top grads from non T25 schools have good job prospects too.

 

[Leonard23]

I should add that another option for you is to take the free year at Rutgers, work your tail off, and try to transfer to a top local T-14 (either NYU, UPenn, or Columbia). I had a friend who made the jump from Rutgers Camden to UPenn after he/she finished the first year with a 3.8. So, it can be done.

I also knew someone who went to Camden & transfered to Columbia after 1st yr. Obviously you need 3.8+.

I would take the free ride over BC.

 

[ruforever]

I also knew someone who went to Camden & transfered to Columbia after 1st yr. Obviously you need 3.8+.

I would take the free ride over BC.

The Newark and Camden Law Schools are merging into one school

 

[NotInRHouse]

For what it's worth, I wouldn't even consider BC if you're being offered free rides at Newark and Camden. This isn't a knock on BC. I'm sure it's a fine school. But, it doesn't carry the cache to justify the cost. Honestly, I don't even think I'd consider law school in the absence of T-14 or a free ride. The market, at least from a numbers standpoint, just looks god-awful for recent grads. And, as a consequence of the profession's failure to adequately respond to changes in demographics and technology and its overall financial model, things might not ever actually really turn-around. Take the scholarship at one school or the other, study hard, grade-on to law review and everything should work-out fine.

The OP, if he or she is willing to go take the risk of oing to law school, should definitely choose BC Law over the RU schools. This is not football.

Unless you're T14 or very top of your class you won't make that 160k off the bat but you'd be closer at BC and have options from NJ to MA versus mostly in NJ.

I went to a school ranked the same as BC and it did make a difference. You distinguish yourself from the pack...not sure overall I would advise law school at this time but if the OP is interested he or she should go to highest ranked school admitted to.

 

[Leonard23]

The Newark and Camden Law Schools are merging into one school

I'm aware of that but what does it have to do with this discussion as you still pick a campus?

The OP, if he or she is willing to go take the risk of oing to law school, should definitely choose BC Law over the RU schools. This is not football.

Unless you're T14 or very top of your class you won't make that 160k off the bat but you'd be closer at BC and have options from NJ to MA versus mostly in NJ.

I went to a school ranked the same as BC and it did make a difference. You distinguish yourself from the pack...not sure overall I would advise law school at this time but if the OP is interested he or she should go to highest ranked school admitted to.

I strongly disagree with passing up free RLS to pay $60k/yr for BC. I wouldn't do it in a million years.

 

[RickDaglessMD]

I would not go to BC and pass up a free ride. This isn't about football teams at all; it's about money. I went to RU for cheap, and my job prospects weren't hindered because I did very well. As I said above, if OP is willing to put in the time and effort, they will be fine.

 

[Terry_2426]

I work with the Camden Riversharks which is right across the street from the RU Camden campus. Like stated by Ty Webb, the surrounding area isn't bad at all with the Susquehanna Bank Center, aquarium, Campbell's Field, and the RU campus all bordering each other. There's obviously bad areas throughout Camden but around the handful of blocks near the campus, no one I work with has ever had any issues.

 

[knight_ru]

Do not take out loans to go to BC - that would be madness. If it was Penn or Columbia or NYU, that is another story.

As for N or C ... I graduated from C and had zero issues in terms of safety and I graduated over 10 yrs ago. With the law schools merging, you should be able to use the career services offices of both locations.

You should come down and tour the Camden campus/law building before making a final decision.

 

[NotInRHouse]

A "free ride" is likely not free when you consider most schools in the ranking range of RU put all the scholarship kids in one section and set terms where you have to really beat the curve to keep the scholarship.

If the scholarship is "good standing" that's one thing but outside of the top 40 or so schools that's extremely rare.

 

[RickDaglessMD]

Rutgers doesn't do that to my knowledge; in our class the scholarship students seemed pretty evenly distributed throughout.

Also, OP said that all he needs is a 2.67. If you can't keep a 2.67, you probably shouldn't be going to law school.

 

[jonRU09]

Recent RU-N grad here. Enjoyed my time there and worked my ass off and ultimately graduated with a solid job. As far as the Camden/Newark distinction, it really depends on where you want to work afterwards. Law degrees, in my experience, are very regional (which is one reason I wouldn't pay $60k to go to BC or any other non T14 over a free ride at RU). Most of my friends that graduated RU-C took the NJ and PA bars, whereas myself and most others from RU-N took the NJ and NY bars.

I am not too familiar with the Camden campus, but I will say that the area around the Newark law school has been improving pretty significantly. The campus is safe as long as you're not walking around at 2 a.m. with your phone out or some other bullseye on your back. The campus area is home to RU-N, NJIT, and Essex County College, so it is patrolled pretty significantly by the city police as well as each school's security. I lived on campus for my three years there and often took night classes to spread out my schedule. I never once had an issue. It is my understanding that they will be opening new graduate housing shortly as well.

As far as other musings on RU-N, as others have echoed, the two schools are merging and I do not know what impact it will have on the law school's rankings (although I can't imagine it will be favorable initially). When I was on law review, they were just beginning to work out how the merger would work between the schools and it seems like law review may end up being more selective if the number of volumes published will remain the same, but divided among schools.

As far as job prospects go, other than being well connected, doing well your first semester is the most important factor in whether you will graduate with a solid job. Folks I graduated with got jobs at the top firms within the state, as well as jobs with V5 firms in the city. So going to RU-N is not much of a limiting factor on your earning potential so long as you do well. If you do well enough that you could transfer to a T14, I am not sure I would even go that route because you will likely be set at on-campus interviews. I would keep the full-ride. The only caveat would be if you want to go into public interest, big fed, or academia. In those situations, going to a T14 would be beneficial.

The only knock I have on RU-N is the career services department. As much as I appreciate the hard work that they do, they are severely understaffed in my opinion. It does not even qualify as a department. It is literally four or five people. That being said, with applications at schools across the board being down, I imagine the job market will be looking a bit better, though probably not great.

Feel free to pm me if you have any questions.

 

[bostonknight11]

Recent RU-N grad here. Enjoyed my time there and worked my ass off and ultimately graduated with a solid job. As far as the Camden/Newark distinction, it really depends on where you want to work afterwards. Law degrees, in my experience, are very regional (which is one reason I wouldn't pay $60k to go to BC or any other non T14 over a free ride at RU). Most of my friends that graduated RU-C took the NJ and PA bars, whereas myself and most others from RU-N took the NJ and NY bars.

I am not too familiar with the Camden campus, but I will say that the area around the Newark law school has been improving pretty significantly. The campus is safe as long as you're not walking around at 2 a.m. with your phone out or some other bullseye on your back. The campus area is home to RU-N, NJIT, and Essex County College, so it is patrolled pretty significantly by the city police as well as each school's security. I lived on campus for my three years there and often took night classes to spread out my schedule. I never once had an issue. It is my understanding that they will be opening new graduate housing shortly as well.

As far as other musings on RU-N, as others have echoed, the two schools are merging and I do not know what impact it will have on the law school's rankings (although I can't imagine it will be favorable initially). When I was on law review, they were just beginning to work out how the merger would work between the schools and it seems like law review may end up being more selective if the number of volumes published will remain the same, but divided among schools.

As far as job prospects go, other than being well connected, doing well your first semester is the most important factor in whether you will graduate with a solid job. Folks I graduated with got jobs at the top firms within the state, as well as jobs with V5 firms in the city. So going to RU-N is not much of a limiting factor on your earning potential so long as you do well. If you do well enough that you could transfer to a T14, I am not sure I would even go that route because you will likely be set at on-campus interviews. I would keep the full-ride. The only caveat would be if you want to go into public interest, big fed, or academia. In those situations, going to a T14 would be beneficial.

The only knock I have on RU-N is the career services department. As much as I appreciate the hard work that they do, they are severely understaffed in my opinion. It does not even qualify as a department. It is literally four or five people. That being said, with applications at schools across the board being down, I imagine the job market will be looking a bit better, though probably not great.

Feel free to pm me if you have any questions.

Thanks Jon! Would you recommend on-campus housing? I'm pretty sure both campuses touted brand new grad-housing buildings opening this summer. Also, interesting note about OCIs. How is the OCI process there?

(not sure how to PM on here)

 

[jonRU09]

Thanks Jon! Would you recommend on-campus housing? I'm pretty sure both campuses touted brand new grad-housing buildings opening this summer. Also, interesting note about OCIs. How is the OCI process there?

I can't comment on the new stuff, but I lived in University Square which was about a two minute walk from the school, if that. It was nice enough for what I was looking for. You have your own bedroom and share the kitchen/bathroom with two others who will also be grad students. If you're open to the idea of living on campus then I'd definitely recommend checking out what each school has to offer. I really enjoyed not having to commute and all the time that saved me. When you make your own schedule after your first year courses it also allows you a lot of flexibility in scheduling. I know I took a few great classes that were offered at night that I probably would not have taken otherwise since I would have been hanging around school all day. There are also some nice off-campus places relatively close, but I assume they're going to be more expensive.


As for OCI, the turnout was decent. If I remember correctly, Rutgers doesn't have any kind of ranked bidding system that other schools have. We just submitted our docs to the firms we were interested in on the career services page and lived or died based on our grades, experience, and writing samples. If any firms wanted to interview us they would set it up. Not much more to add other than that it is obviously super competitive since you're competing for limited spots against both Rutgers campuses, Seton Hall and other regional schools, and the ivy leaguers that want to live and work in the area. So don't go into law school thinking that a job at OCI is guaranteed, since reality is that the majority will not secure any positions through OCI.

 

[NotInRHouse]

If it is 2.67 to keep the scholly and it's totally free, then it would be worth it to go to RU....have you tried to parlay that offer to get free rides from other schools?

 

[knight_ru]

@NotInRHouse - the clumping of the scholly students is not done at either RU campus. I heard that is the norm at seton hall law though.

 

[MrWise]

Rutgers Camden Law grad here. When I compared schools which was admittedly 20 years ago, there was no comparison in terms of safety concerns. You couldn't get me to stay in Newark after dark without an armed escort. Since then, I set up a succesful law practice in Camden around the corner from the law school. My wife finished her Masters at night in Camden ten years ago with zero issues and South Jersey is a helluva nicer and less congested than the Newark area. You need to visit both schools and talk to some of the locals before making your decision but do not rule out Camden because of hyped up fears about security.

 

[jonS]

I'm senior counsel at a major company in the Boston area. Go to the best school in the area you wish to settle down and practice law. If you wish to return to Boston , I'd strongly recommend Northeastern or Suffolk over Rutgers Camden or Newark. Frankly , as others have said, the job market for attorneys is still quite poor and salaries are very mediocre unless you land a job at a Wall street firm. Unfortunately , neither Rutgerrs Camden or Newark will land you that job. If you can't get into a top 20 school, your job prospects are poor.

 

[RUinsane]

My wife went to Camden Law 1997-2000. She lived in Mapleshade the whole three years. It was only a 15 minute drive to get to school, but it was obviously a much better/safer environment at night.

 

[HeavenUniv.]

Speaking of Rutgers graduates who later went on to law school, I know former NBA Commissioner David Stern was making $25 million a year his last few years as Commissioner. What do you think he made in total leading the NBA--$150 million ? 200 million ?

 

[retired711]

Speaking of Rutgers graduates who later went on to law school, I know former NBA Commissioner David Stern was making $25 million a year his last few years as Commissioner. What do you think he made in total leading the NBA--$150 million ? 200 million ?

(cross-posted from the Rutgers issues board)

Yes, the two schools are merging as of July 1. That means they will have a common first-year curriculum; that there is a high-tech classroom in which students from both campuses can have a common course and that admissions will be under a single roof; that there will be a common career placement office, and that the degree will be from the Rutgers University School of Law no matter which campus someone attends. Traditionally, the Newark school was more interested than Camden in admitting minorities and in public service, while Camden was more interested in faculty research and scholarship. These differences are ebbing. So I think it mostly depends on whether you want to be in the New York area or the Philadelphia area.

 

[Knight Shift]

Speaking of Rutgers graduates who later went on to law school, I know former NBA Commissioner David Stern was making $25 million a year his last few years as Commissioner. What do you think he made in total leading the NBA--$150 million ? 200 million ?

What has he given back to Rutgers? A guy like him could kick start fundraising for any number of projects.