How much does a law school rank matter in the grand scheme of things?

Comments

• FixedDice Member

  February 2019 edited February 2019 1804 karma

  how much does the rank of a law school matter in the grand scheme of things? [...] should I apply to schools that are (for example) #80 and #100 because they are known for what I want to take? Or aim for the top schools (who will may be able to offer me more in the long run?) once I have improved my LSAT score? I do not know how much weight I should put on the law school's national ranking.

  You kind of answered your own question already...
• Ohnoeshalpme Alum Member ⭐

  February 2019 edited February 2019 2531 karma

  Rank is a reflection of quality. I suggest that you check out the ABA required employment disclosures, Above the Law rankings and LST scores. All these three give insight into employment outcomes while dispensing of LSAT and GPA weight.

  It is true that in general the top 14 schools are going to have significantly better employment opportunities than the following 14. However, once you get to about rank 30 on any list, the employment differences between schools get smaller and smaller. Below the T20, It comes down to what region you want to practice in rather than the rank of the school.

  If you can't make it into the T20, try to find the best school for your desired region of employment rather than looking at rankings.
• FixedDice Member

  February 2019 edited February 2019 1804 karma

  Just a guesstimate, but I'm thinking this was discussed at least ten times here (and about a million times collectively on the Internet). So I will not go into much details. But, in sum, I would personally put way far more weight on the national rankings.

  People's interests change. For example, a law student who dreamed of becoming a litigator may, after getting destroyed by Civil Procedure, decide that (s)he wants to be a transactional lawyer instead. You might even realize that law is just not the path for you in the middle of your third year (like a FOAF did). When your interests change and you are in a law school whose overall ranking is, say, 150, your future prospects may not look as bright as it might have been if you opted for a law school whose overall ranking is something like 15.

  I may be being really ignorant about this topic, but I also have very strong reservations about those program rankings. Not because there are some "programs" that I think won't be commercially viable for a while (space law comes to my mind), but because of a secondhand anecdote concerning a relative.

  My aunt pursued a design-related major at a Korean college, which allegedly had a really strong design program back then but was otherwise unremarkable. One year before her graduation, some students in the department participated in a nationwide tournament. Teams from top universities also participated in the competition. Everyone on the team worked on the competition day and night; a good number of them even forwent their studies. Thanks to everyone's collective effort, the team won the first prize. The top universities' teams were eliminated quite quickly; all they got out of the experience was a line on their résumés about the experience.

  Then recruiting and job search season came. Did design students from my aunt's university (which, again, was nationally recognized for its design program) have an easy time securing offers from the fashion industry? The answer is a resounding no -- only few, including some on the champion team and a number of others with significant accomplishments and connections, were fortunate enough to receive offers. The rest had to opt for other kinds of jobs. Design students from top universities enjoyed far better results, including those who didn't even participate in the tournament a single time. Those from my aunt's university who joined the fashion industry supposedly found themselves outnumbered by people from top and high-ranking institutions.

  This is why I have serious reservations about program rankings. My story is not analogous at all. Quite the contrary -- different times, profession, culture, etc. But it indicates that institutional titles can mean a lot when it comes to opening doors. And the legal profession and those who resort to it seem to be very, very conscious of institutional background.
• TallahasseeKid Alum Member

  February 2019 12 karma

  It depends what you want to do and where you want to do it. The answer isn't the same for everybody, so I'd recommend having a general idea of what you want to do first.

  In some areas, a good state school with a strong local presence is arguably more likely to serve you well than a random #80-100 school without any sort of presence. If you want to go big law, rankings matter more--but I've known lots of folks even from T3 schools to land great federal clerkships and wind up at top big law firms after.

  The big thing is having a general sense of direction before you leap either way.
• Bethedream Alum Member

  February 2019 edited February 2019 27 karma

  @FixedDice The more responses and articles I read, the more I understand! Thank you Also, you story about you aunt made a lot of sense to me and helped put things into perspective. I totally understand what you were saying and I will opt to take a year to get the mark I want/need before applying to the best law school I can, in the region I want to live and practice in. Thank you again!
• Bethedream Alum Member

  February 2019 27 karma

  @Ohnoeshalpme That helps me so much, thank you! You have given me several things to consider!
• Bethedream Alum Member

  February 2019 27 karma

  @TallahasseeKid That makes me feel a lot more positive - thank you for your help!