Rank based on name prestige Forum

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MysticalWheel

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Re: Rank based on name prestige

Post by MysticalWheel » Mon Nov 15, 2010 2:12 am

im_blue wrote:Based on the Gallup poll, the top 10 law schools for lay prestige are:

Harvard
Stanford
Yale
Berkeley
Notre Dame
Michigan
Duke
UCLA
Texas
Ohio State

http://www.gallup.com/poll/9109/harvard ... ublic.aspx
This makes no sense to me. I can almost understand Michigan and Texas, but Ohio State?

Based on the responses, this is my new "LIST O' PRESTIGE" for law schools:

1.) Harvard
2.) Stanford
3.) Columbia/ Yale (Oh yes, I did)
5.) Cornell
6.) Berkeley
...
and the rest.

For some reason, Yale's name doesn't strike me as hard as Harvard/Stanford, and I'm very close to saying that Columbia supersedes it. My 2 cents.

MW

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The Gentleman

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Re: Rank based on name prestige

Post by The Gentleman » Mon Nov 15, 2010 2:35 am

MysticalWheel wrote:This makes no sense to me. I can almost understand Michigan and Texas, but Ohio State?
When I mentioned that I was applying to law school, one of my coworkers spent 5 minutes trying to tell me that Ohio State is ranked in the top 10 nationally.

Then my aunt (a successful local attorney) told me that the TTT school down the road is "the 2nd best school in the country, aside from the Ivies." She's an alumna and wants me to attend despite my 170+/3.9+

There's only two ways to end these conversations civilly. You can either smile and agree with the person, or you can carry a copy of USNWR at all times.

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Re: Rank based on name prestige

Post by 09042014 » Mon Nov 15, 2010 2:58 am

I didn't know UVA, and NYU existed.

I wouldn't have assumed Duke was a top school. I didn't know Penn was ivy, I kinda assumed it was one of those tiny liberal arts schools that people pretend are preftsigious.

I was vaguely aware of Columbia but I didn't know where it was located.

It's crazy how little prestige UChi gets inside Chicago. Less than Loyola and Depaul to lay people.

irishman86

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Re: Rank based on name prestige

Post by irishman86 » Mon Nov 15, 2010 3:00 am

MysticalWheel wrote:
im_blue wrote:Based on the Gallup poll, the top 10 law schools for lay prestige are:

Harvard
Stanford
Yale
Berkeley
Notre Dame
Michigan
Duke
UCLA
Texas
Ohio State

http://www.gallup.com/poll/9109/harvard ... ublic.aspx
This makes no sense to me. I can almost understand Michigan and Texas, but Ohio State?

Based on the responses, this is my new "LIST O' PRESTIGE" for law schools:

1.) Harvard
2.) Stanford
3.) Columbia/ Yale (Oh yes, I did)
5.) Cornell
6.) Berkeley
...
and the rest.

For some reason, Yale's name doesn't strike me as hard as Harvard/Stanford, and I'm very close to saying that Columbia supersedes it. My 2 cents.

MW
Gallup poll >>>>>>>>>> one poster. A poll doesn't have to "make sense" to you.

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calilaw

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Re: Rank based on name prestige

Post by calilaw » Mon Nov 15, 2010 3:32 am

I've lived in California all my life. Columbia seems to be a pretty well known school out here, not sure about the rest of the country. I assumed it would be a pretty nationally-recognized name like Harvard or Stanford.

I'm surprised Berkeley isn't as respected throughout the country. Most lay Californians (and perhaps the rest of the west coast) seem to act as though it's prestige rivals that of HYS in pretty much anything (law, grad programs, undergrad.. which it does, in some respects at least)

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mst

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Re: Rank based on name prestige

Post by mst » Mon Nov 15, 2010 3:38 am

Looking at a national scale is ridiculous because the scope will change completely depending on geography and other factors, even if they don't know about law schools explicitly. If I had to say the national rank, lay prestige for the common person who knows nothing about law, in the t14 schools will kind of run like this:

1. Harvard - Harvard law is just way overplayed in the media. Undergrad yale/harvard is a wash but law... The big h for sure
2. Yale
3. Stanford
4. Columbia - Ivy league, fancy sounding name. That's all people need to know.
5. Cornell - Ivy league, fancy sounding name.
6. Georgetown - Fancy sounding name, famous institution

At this point, lay prestige starts washing out with the "average joe" guy who didn't go to college. IE the guy at the party who got his b.s. (bulshit) culture degree from north-southeastern-low standards college will significantly drop down in the "OMG wowww" response when your parents brag about your law school. So from here on, it basically comes down to what very educated people know about the institution.

7. Chicago - Home of many, many famous thinkers of the 20th century, especially in regards to economics. While many will think it's a shitty local school, the impression you will leave on the educated who know that it is a rigorous, intense university will be enough to bump it up.
8. Berkeley - 2nd best school on the west coast in almost every regard, and people know this. And Cal is generally regarded as the #1 or #2 public in the country. Plus the name sounds really fancy. Next years "MST" rankings, it could be number 7! Watch out Chicago!
9. Penn - Obviously the most "prestigous" undergrad of the bottom prestige tier, Penn get's f'd because it sounds like a state school and is frequently confused with Penn State, which people equate with a football powerhouse state school, not a nerdy or prestigious institution. Even if they know its not Penn State, most people are surprised to realize its an Ivy from my experience. But Ivy league status and knowledge among the business elite is enough to bump it up above the other 5.
10. Duke - Great name. Great undergrad. But kind of regional for undergrad matriculation, and that effects its rep. Nobody is confused that this school is shitty, but nobody is confused it is harvard either...
11. Northwestern - Great undergrad program and national reach for recruitment for undergrad + rather reputable name keep this out of the bottom 3.
12. Virginia - Everyone knows its a great state school but nobody who doesn't know about law school would ever think it's a "Top 10" schools in the nation with a law school, simply because they assume most of the better schools (IVY, Stanford, etc.) are better.
13. Michigan - Same as Virginia, to a lesser extent. I'm betting people think that the law school is tied into the regional market, and since everyone knows the state of Michigan sucks right now, they'll wonder why you had to go here if you didn't have to.
14. NYU - No undergrad prestige at all. Even the characters of gossip girl bolted to columbia this season for greener pastures. Despite NYU being a perennial top 5 law school, nobody outside of law is aware of this. Sucks to suck.

FOR MID ATLANTIC: BUMP UP PENN, DUKE
FOR MID WEST: BUMP UP NORTHWESTERN, CHICAGO
FOR WEST: BUMP UP BERKELEY
FOR SOUTHEAST: BUMP UP DUKE

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MysticalWheel

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Re: Rank based on name prestige

Post by MysticalWheel » Mon Nov 15, 2010 3:59 am

irishman86 wrote: Gallup poll >>>>>>>>>> one poster. A poll doesn't have to "make sense" to you.
No one said anything had to make sense- I'm merely expressing my sentiments, which, by the way, are shared by others.

MW
Last edited by MysticalWheel on Mon Nov 15, 2010 4:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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MrKappus

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Re: Rank based on name prestige

Post by MrKappus » Mon Nov 15, 2010 4:11 am

Desert Fox wrote:I didn't know UVA, and NYU existed.

I wouldn't have assumed Duke was a top school. I didn't know Penn was ivy, I kinda assumed it was one of those tiny liberal arts schools that people pretend are preftsigious.

I was vaguely aware of Columbia but I didn't know where it was located.

It's crazy how little prestige UChi gets inside Chicago. Less than Loyola and Depaul to lay people.
I'm all for trolling your school, dude...but UVA has considerably higher lay prestige than NU. It's not even close.

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DieAntwoord

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Re: Rank based on name prestige

Post by DieAntwoord » Mon Nov 15, 2010 4:19 am

I'm From Texas:

Harvard
Yale
Princeton
Stanford
Texas
Berkely
SMU
Georgetown
Vanderbilt
Tulane
Columbia
Baylor

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09042014

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Re: Rank based on name prestige

Post by 09042014 » Mon Nov 15, 2010 4:23 am

MrKappus wrote:
Desert Fox wrote:I didn't know UVA, and NYU existed.

I wouldn't have assumed Duke was a top school. I didn't know Penn was ivy, I kinda assumed it was one of those tiny liberal arts schools that people pretend are preftsigious.

I was vaguely aware of Columbia but I didn't know where it was located.

It's crazy how little prestige UChi gets inside Chicago. Less than Loyola and Depaul to lay people.
I'm all for trolling your school, dude...but UVA has considerably higher lay prestige than NU. It's not even close.
I'm from Chicago so I have a midwestern's view of prestige. There are about zero UVA grads in this are. I'd imagine UVA is the East's Michigan. In the midwest we all think Michigan is amazing.

But if you poll midwesterners, I'm guessing they've never heard of UVA either.

Lay prestige is all regional.

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MrKappus

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Re: Rank based on name prestige

Post by MrKappus » Mon Nov 15, 2010 4:28 am

^ Seriously!? Well, I retract then. I always thought UVA had a lot of prestige among the hoi polloi. NU is prestigious, obviously, don't get me wrong, but doesn't quite have lay prestige.

IMO.

irishman86

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Re: Rank based on name prestige

Post by irishman86 » Mon Nov 15, 2010 4:47 am

MrKappus wrote:^ Seriously!? Well, I retract then. I always thought UVA had a lot of prestige among the hoi polloi. NU is prestigious, obviously, don't get me wrong, but doesn't quite have lay prestige.

IMO.
I'm going to have to agree with Desert. I'm originally from the West Coast, where UVA has no lay prestige whatsoever. My friends think UVA is Virginia Tech. I'm convinced my parents still think I applied to Virginia Tech for law school.

Northwestern has a lot more lay prestige in comparison, at least among West Coasters.

Also, people I know from the South don't think UVA has lay prestige down there either. Apparently Duke and Vanderbilt (and Emory?) are the big names down there.

Of course none of this matters. All that matters is getting a job, and attorneys know which law schools are good and which aren't.
Last edited by irishman86 on Mon Nov 15, 2010 4:51 am, edited 1 time in total.

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MrKappus

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Re: Rank based on name prestige

Post by MrKappus » Mon Nov 15, 2010 4:50 am

irishman86 wrote:Also, people I know from the South don't think UVA has lay prestige down there either.
Haha no.

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irishman86

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Re: Rank based on name prestige

Post by irishman86 » Mon Nov 15, 2010 4:55 am

MrKappus wrote:
irishman86 wrote:Also, people I know from the South don't think UVA has lay prestige down there either.
Haha no.
Because you know the people I'm friends with.

If you want my personal opinion, I think UVA and NYU have the least lay prestige among the T-14.

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Blindmelon

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Re: Rank based on name prestige

Post by Blindmelon » Mon Nov 15, 2010 8:34 am

Desert Fox wrote:
But if you poll midwesterners, I'm guessing they've never heard of UVA either.

Lay prestige is all regional.
Yea, I always got Northeastern/Northwestern confused, not in terms of where they were located, but which one was the coop one, etc.

Also, people are forgetting UNC. Before applying, I thought UNC was the best state school outside of Berk.

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Cupidity

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Re: Rank based on name prestige

Post by Cupidity » Mon Nov 15, 2010 9:35 am

#1 Harvard -- Legally Blonde
#2 Northwestern -- Van Wilder (I don't care if they were talking about med school)
#3 Cooley -- Because didn't you hear, they are like number 8 nationally, but since they graduate 1million people a year, if all those people vote for it, it wins.

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Blindc1rca

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Re: Rank based on name prestige

Post by Blindc1rca » Mon Nov 15, 2010 10:00 am

Blindmelon wrote:
Desert Fox wrote:
But if you poll midwesterners, I'm guessing they've never heard of UVA either.

Lay prestige is all regional.
Yea, I always got Northeastern/Northwestern confused, not in terms of where they were located, but which one was the coop one, etc.

Also, people are forgetting UNC. Before applying, I thought UNC was the best state school outside of Berk.
This.

In the south, Duke, UNC, Vandy, Emory, William & Mary, and Virginia, probably in that order, are known as the "prestigious schools."

My nationwide lay prestige rankings would probably look like this:

Harvard
Stanford/Yale
Georgetown/Duke
Berkeley/Columbia
Cornell/Vanderbilt
UNC/UCLA
Penn/Northwestern/William & Mary
Michigan/Virginia
Wisconsin

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starrydreamz3

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Re: Rank based on name prestige

Post by starrydreamz3 » Mon Nov 15, 2010 10:09 am

arism87 wrote:1. Harvard
2. Yale
3. Princeton
4. Stanford
5. Columbia
6. Georgetown

titcr coming from the Mid Atlantic

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James Bond

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Re: Rank based on name prestige

Post by James Bond » Mon Nov 15, 2010 10:19 am

Arism, I'll give you that to a point, but here's my read on mid-atlantic.

1. Harvard
2. Princeton
3. Georgetown
4. MIT
5. Yale
6. Johns Hopkins
7. Stanford
8. Columbia
9. NYU
10. Carnegie Mellon

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pinkzeppelin

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Re: Rank based on name prestige

Post by pinkzeppelin » Mon Nov 15, 2010 10:33 am

These threads are my favorite.

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arism87

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Re: Rank based on name prestige

Post by arism87 » Mon Nov 15, 2010 10:34 am

James Bond wrote:Arism, I'll give you that to a point, but here's my read on mid-atlantic.

1. Harvard
2. Princeton
3. Georgetown
4. MIT
5. Yale
6. Johns Hopkins
7. Stanford
8. Columbia
9. NYU
10. Carnegie Mellon
If only Hopkins were an option!! <3 Bmore.

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thexfactor

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Re: Rank based on name prestige

Post by thexfactor » Mon Nov 15, 2010 11:57 am

in looking at the schools in the nd/bc/bu/wustl/emory/fordham range... ND is the most prestigous...

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artichoke

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Re: Rank based on name prestige

Post by artichoke » Mon Nov 15, 2010 12:02 pm

Desert Fox wrote:
MrKappus wrote:
Desert Fox wrote:I didn't know UVA, and NYU existed.

I wouldn't have assumed Duke was a top school. I didn't know Penn was ivy, I kinda assumed it was one of those tiny liberal arts schools that people pretend are preftsigious.

I was vaguely aware of Columbia but I didn't know where it was located.

It's crazy how little prestige UChi gets inside Chicago. Less than Loyola and Depaul to lay people.
I'm all for trolling your school, dude...but UVA has considerably higher lay prestige than NU. It's not even close.
I'm from Chicago so I have a midwestern's view of prestige. There are about zero UVA grads in this are. I'd imagine UVA is the East's Michigan. In the midwest we all think Michigan is amazing.

But if you poll midwesterners, I'm guessing they've never heard of UVA either.

Lay prestige is all regional.
I'm FROM MIchigan, went to MIchigan State, and I never heard anyone talk about MIchigan's law school as being amazing.

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rayiner

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Re: Rank based on name prestige

Post by rayiner » Mon Nov 15, 2010 12:04 pm

MrKappus wrote:
irishman86 wrote:Also, people I know from the South don't think UVA has lay prestige down there either.
Haha no.
My friends in Atlanta (educated guys) think the prestige ladder in the south goes Duke, then Emory.

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rayiner

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Re: Rank based on name prestige

Post by rayiner » Mon Nov 15, 2010 12:04 pm

Cupidity wrote:#1 Harvard -- Legally Blonde
#2 Northwestern -- Van Wilder (I don't care if they were talking about med school)
#3 Cooley -- Because didn't you hear, they are like number 8 nationally, but since they graduate 1million people a year, if all those people vote for it, it wins.
Stanford -- Featured prominently in "Chuck"

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