What happened to W&L? Forum

[FlanAl]

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... ?f=1&t=213

almost always in the T25 now its down pretty far. what happens in 7 years that drops a school so far? I'm sure there is a simple-ish answer to this i just can't come up with it.

[ran12]

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... ?f=1&t=213

almost always in the T25 now its down pretty far. what happens in 7 years that drops a school so far? I'm sure there is a simple-ish answer to this i just can't come up with it.

Nothing really happened. W&L still offers just as good or better education and is well respected. The reason it's dropped is that schools around it have pushed up their efforts to get up in the rankings. The difference in rankings are also explained by very little difference in raw scores. The rankings are arbitrary anyway so don't look too much into it.

No one should pick school based on ranking alone because that is not the best indicator of future prospects. I know that placement data and things of that nature that are important do factor in the rankings but don't think a school's better b/c it's a few spots higher. There's virtually little difference between W&L and the schools in the 20s.

[rundoxierun]

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... ?f=1&t=213

almost always in the T25 now its down pretty far. what happens in 7 years that drops a school so far? I'm sure there is a simple-ish answer to this i just can't come up with it.

Nothing really happened. W&L still offers just as good or better education and is well respected. The reason it's dropped is that schools around it have pushed up their efforts to get up in the rankings. The difference in rankings are also explained by very little difference in raw scores. The rankings are arbitrary anyway so don't look too much into it.

No one should pick school based on ranking alone because that is not the best indicator of future prospects. I know that placement data and things of that nature that are important do factor in the rankings but don't think a school's better b/c it's a few spots higher. There's virtually little difference between W&L and the schools in the 20s.

This. School ranking should be looked at as something that gives you an overall idea of where a school stands rather than as something that distinguishes two similarly regarded schools. When comparing schools of similar standing personal factors should be the primary concern. Basically, for the majority of schools in the 20-50 range you should be looking at what area you want to live in, how you feel about the campus, specific things you are interested in, etc.

[FlanAl]

it seems like their gpa and lsat median are still up there and definitely above many of the higher ranked schools. i'm sure it is still a great school and i know that it has a good reputation i'm just wondering what part of the usnews equation it is slipping in because its numbers are still pretty good.

[ran12]

it seems like their gpa and lsat median are still up there and definitely above many of the higher ranked schools. i'm sure it is still a great school and i know that it has a good reputation i'm just wondering what part of the usnews equation it is slipping in because its numbers are still pretty good.

Maybe peer reviews and facilities.

[soullesswonder]

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... ?f=1&t=213

almost always in the T25 now its down pretty far. what happens in 7 years that drops a school so far? I'm sure there is a simple-ish answer to this i just can't come up with it.

Nothing really happened. W&L still offers just as good or better education and is well respected. The reason it's dropped is that schools around it have pushed up their efforts to get up in the rankings. The difference in rankings are also explained by very little difference in raw scores. The rankings are arbitrary anyway so don't look too much into it.

No one should pick school based on ranking alone because that is not the best indicator of future prospects. I know that placement data and things of that nature that are important do factor in the rankings but don't think a school's better b/c it's a few spots higher. There's virtually little difference between W&L and the schools in the 20s.

Flawed does not equal arbitrary. My initial impression of law schools is still broadly shaped by US News (especially the T25/T1/T3 cutoffs) even though I use other considerations when possible and appropriate.

The silver lining to W&L's fall in the rankings, though, is that like other schools whose placement exceed their ranking, W&L has become more transparent. I seriously doubt they would be so forth coming if they had worked their way into the T20

[FlanAl]

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... ?f=1&t=213

almost always in the T25 now its down pretty far. what happens in 7 years that drops a school so far? I'm sure there is a simple-ish answer to this i just can't come up with it.

Nothing really happened. W&L still offers just as good or better education and is well respected. The reason it's dropped is that schools around it have pushed up their efforts to get up in the rankings. The difference in rankings are also explained by very little difference in raw scores. The rankings are arbitrary anyway so don't look too much into it.

No one should pick school based on ranking alone because that is not the best indicator of future prospects. I know that placement data and things of that nature that are important do factor in the rankings but don't think a school's better b/c it's a few spots higher. There's virtually little difference between W&L and the schools in the 20s.

This. School ranking should be looked at as something that gives you an overall idea of where a school stands rather than as something that distinguishes two similarly regarded schools. When comparing schools of similar standing personal factors should be the primary concern. Basically, for the majority of schools in the 20-50 range you should be looking at what area you want to live in, how you feel about the campus, specific things you are interested in, etc.

not picking necessarily on rankings but when their numbers are higher than many better ranked schools it makes me wonder if they are just tanking in the peer review or what. i know this doesn't matter a ton i'm just curious. im really interested in w&l so i'm trying to figure out where the deficiency is in the usnews.

[Veyron]

And in conclusion, no one cares. Doesn't change their placement one bit.