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Related Discussions
2020 US News Rankings
almostthere17
Live Member
I thought I knew where I was going to deposit, but now I am not so sure.
There are a lot of changes in the schools ranked 25-15
The 2019 ranking---> 2020 ranking
University of Texas 15-->16
UCLA 16-->15
Vanderbilt 17 --> 18
Boston University 22--> 23
George Washington 24--> 22
Notre Dame 24 --> 21
Is anyone factoring in the new rankings into their decision?
I’m aware rankings change all the time.I just think ranking trends are interesting and want to know how much they impact a decision making process.
Comments
All of this is my personal opinion so treat it accordingly:
The changes you listed are so minor as to be completely irrelevant. If you had listed a school that was -10/-15, then maybe a consideration of the underlying cause might be called for; but even then, these rankings are just one data point. I would hope that much more consideration goes into an applicant's decision (such as employment outcomes, placement within the legal market segment (BL, government, PI, etc) desired, organizational / student body match, specialization and experiential learning opportunities, location/location/location) than 1 to 2 places on a ranking chart that changes every.single.year.
The new rankings are not impacting my decision at all. My top choice went -2. They are the exact same school, with the exact same philosophy, with the exact same students, the exact same professors, the exact same employment outcomes, and the exact same location / market served as they were yesterday. It remains my top choice.
Good luck making your decision. Chose the school that is best for you, regardless of their current ranking. I guarantee their ranking will change again over the next three years.
What @LSAT_Wrecker said.
@LSAT_Wrecker Agreed. These changes almost mean nothing in my humble opinion.
Also, i'd like to point out that below WUSTL, pretty much every school is a regional trap. For example, If you hate Minnesota but love Atlanta, then the University of Georgia is going to be a better school for you even though it's 7 places lower. The employment outcomes are so similar from ranks 20-30 it really comes down more to where you want to work once you graduate.
Just out of curiosity what about the changes you listed are making you reconsider your deposit. There doesn’t seem to be anything of particular relevance besides maybe ND jumping 3 spots, but that still is certainly not a major change.
The exact numerical rank doesn't matter as much as the tier. So I think it'll only really be surprising or matter if a T14 school, for example, drop to T20 tier.
I agree with everything said. You have to consider more than just these rankings. What are your goals? If its more of a regional game (like me) then these rankings don't matter as much per se as job outcomes in your target areas and other factors like cost of living.
The more I study these rankings, the more I don't care for them as much. Are they important? Yes, but to a certain extent. The question that should be asked is "Can school X help you achieve your career goals?" Usually the answer to that questions will help you have a clear picture of these rankings.
The Notre Dame jump over Boston University is what I wanted to personally emphasize. I would never choose a school solely on rankings! BU and Notre Dame offered me scholarships. Comparing both schools has me weighing a lot of factors. For example, does it make sense for me to pack up and move to Indiana when I live 4 hours from Boston and have lived there already? I've always had the philosophy you go to the best school that gives you the most money. Although I really like Notre Dame, I had trouble rationalizing a huge move. Especially when technically BU was considered to be a better school, especially in the Northeast. The slight shift in rankings cast a different light on how I had been favoring BU over Notre Dame, mostly because of rankings. It had me questioning which was the better school and the better school for me. It just helped me see both schools in a different light and intensified my decision-making process.
Yeah I suppose that could make t slightly more difficult to decide. I think you would be best off going to whatever school you think you will feel most comfortable at. That will set you up for success, and when the rankings are this close the students are viewed as close to interchangeable and the grades are what set people apart.
I don't mean to be argumentative, but the two bolded statements seem to be in direct contradiction to each other. If ND had not moved over BU, would you still have an issue? What is different about ND and BU today (besides the numbers on an internet page / magazine) as opposed to two weeks ago? Shouldn't every other part of your analysis about location and moving stay the same? If it does, why are you doubting your previous leanings?
So given the two options 135k to ND and full ride to BU. When BU was a full ride, close to home, and the higher ranked school it made it hard to discuss people who do not know a lot about law school admissions would have trouble understanding why I like ND. It kind of felt ineffable at the time because I couldn't utter a good concrete reason beyond a "feeling". Later I understood that those feelings were motivated by interest in their faculty, collegiality, class size, and student organizations. So once I was able to describe my feelings and when there was this slight shift in rankings, my intuition towards ND felt validated. I reached out to this community to discuss whether or not this shifted anyone's feelings as well. I know that caring about all of those factors beyond rankings and finances are important, but I felt more comfortable using it as a reason to make it a stronger contender. Even before the rankings, I knew I was going to go visit the school to see if I could envision myself there. So essentially I posted because I felt this way before the rankings, but it helped me make a better case to family and friends about why I was so interested in ND. I wanted to know if anyone else cared or had similar stories. In the most practical sense, many people mostly care about numbers: money, distance, and rankings.People do not consider how you "feel." I applied all over, and I would not mind moving away. However, moving further away includes additional stress, cost, and logistics. So when the rankings scale tipped in ND's favor, it helped me validate those pesky human emotions I felt. Does that make more sense?