I'm sure this question has been posed many times, but just how important are the rankings of the school when deciding where to go. I have acceptances from such schools as the University of Iowa, UW Madison, and American University, however schools such as Marquette, Sturm Denver College of Law, and Kent have all offerred scholarships that would significantly relieve the finanancial burdens of law school. Is there any significant source that says I would be at a disadvantage if I went to a lower ranked school and did well as opposed to a higher ranked school where I would perhaps not stand out as much. Any feedback would be appreiciated....

There are not many sources that examine the trade off between going to a better school and paying full tuition versus going to a lesser law school and getting a scholarship. It really depends upon the circumstances, such as how much money for how much of a drop in ranking and how important finances are to the student (very important if you want to practice public interest law or work for the government, less important if you will make the big $$ in private practice).

While it is just my opinion, I generally recommend going to the better law schools. Note that everyone will ask where you went to law school, few ask where you went to college (it is your final degree that matters). Thus, where you spend 3 years of law school affects your job prospects, but also overshadows the 4+ years you spent in college.

In your case, there is such a differential in the quality of the University of Iowa Law School and the University of Wisconsin Law School versus the other 2nd and 3rd tier law schools that you received scholarships at, that I would recommend going to Iowa or Wisconsin.

Since finances do matter, you should research to determine whether Iowa and Wisconsin allow you to easily become an in-state resident after one year (California is quite easy) or if instead you cannot become a resident while attending school (such as in Virginia). For if you can become a resident and enjoy the very low in-state tuition at either law school, that is equivilent to getting a scholarship. I would appreciate it if you could post your results about residency for these two excellent public law schools.

Note that law school rankings are not always correct (I feel they undervalue public law schools), and I consider Iowa on the cusp of being a top 20 law school and Wisconsin a top 25-28 law school.

Thanks, now that I've been accepted to University of Wisconsin as a resident, I should be able to achieve both financial capability and a highly ranked school. Appreciate the advice!

Congratulations on getting accepted to the University of Wisconsin Law School! I am a strong proponent of going to the elite public law schools such as the UC schools, UNC, UVA, Michigan, Wisconsin, etc., for anyone, but especially if you are a resident and can benefit from in-state tuition. Minimizing law school debt gives you freedom of choice and allows one to take a lower paying job, such as a public interest fellowship, if desired.

Given that you are a resident of Wisconsin, I think the choice is clear and even a great law school like the University of Iowa is now out of consideration.

Go Badgers!