Anyone else here not really fazed by the new rankings? Forum

[weis14]

I'm not fazed (or phased, for that matter), but then my schools of interest didn't change much.
IU-B will lose people who were thinking of taking it over a less-generous UIUC/ND offer.

I'll still be there. IU-B is still the highest school by far giving out full tuition scholarships to people with my numbers. (It's too bad really, ND is my dream school, but $120k has a way of changing things.)

[najumobi]

I'm not fazed (or phased, for that matter), but then my schools of interest didn't change much.
IU-B will lose people who were thinking of taking it over a less-generous UIUC/ND offer.

I'll still be there. IU-B is still the highest school by far giving out full tuition scholarships to people with my numbers. (It's too bad really, ND is my dream school, but $120k has a way of changing things.)

eh....i don't know....iu-b's nlj placement isn't even in the top 50 (near 10%) while ND's is ~30% and after factoring federal clerkships, their competitive placement (NLJ + federal clerkship) nears 40%. i think iu-b's ranking and the actual job placement of their grads are incredibly mismatched

[Z3RO]

Yeah, they just fixed the T14. I didn't really pay any attention to other rankings before or after.

[MURPH]

I thought it was pretty good news that NYU dropped in rank. I haven't heard from them yet and I hope that a bunch of people withdraw because of the rankings. It may be the only way I get in.

[bschroeder]

Not phased by the new rankings- they tend to fluctuate year-to-year.

Although, I am glad to see that Hawaii placed back among the top 100 (after a reporting error(s) placed them among the tier 3 last year) since that is the school I chose over Lewis and Clark and Seattle University.

[sundevil77]

I can't help but be a little miffed at the new rankings. I pretty much threw out the possibility of going to Arizona STTT. and I am strongly considering going to U of A. Now ASU has come out of nowhere to pass U of A The rivalry between the two schools is bitter and bragging rights are paramount, even if it's about gamed law school rankings.

[charlesjd]

We all knew about IU-B's drop. It was inevitable.

With regards to ASU and UofA? That came out of the blue. Good luck with your decision.

Harvard should be number 1. That is all.

[Tall]

In my opinion, you have to take all rankings in perspective. No rankings can tell you what school is best for you. Keeping this in mind, the rankings are very interesting to look at, however, that is all they are. Interesting. There is some good information that is calculated into the rankings that would be very important to look at when selecting schools (bar passage rate, employment statistics; and no I'm not talking about starting salary). Having said that, I say again that the rankings should be taken into perspective. I think most future lawyers will realize that things like this are not an end all and should be taken at face value.

[najumobi]

I can't help but be a little miffed at the new rankings. I pretty much threw out the possibility of going to Arizona STTT. and I am strongly considering going to U of A. Now ASU has come out of nowhere to pass U of A The rivalry between the two schools is bitter and bragging rights are paramount, even if it's about gamed law school rankings.

lol....calm down....you shouldn't be using the rankings when trying to pick between the schools anyway.

[najumobi]

In my opinion, you have to take all rankings in perspective. No rankings can tell you what school is best for you. Keeping this in mind, the rankings are very interesting to look at, however, that is all they are. Interesting. There is some good information that is calculated into the rankings that would be very important to look at when selecting schools (bar passage rate, employment statistics; and no I'm not talking about starting salary). Having said that, I say again that the rankings should be taken into perspective. I think most future lawyers will realize that things like this are not an end all and should be taken at face value.

+1 i liken the rankings to a movie...i hope the protagonist succeeds (my school overtakes other schools) but whatever happens stays within the context of a movie (the ranking), for the most part at least.

[holydonkey]

Of the two schools I'm considering, the first school went from 9 to 9 and the second went from 17 to 17. I'm also on a school that went from 10 to 10's waitlist.

[ArthurEdens]

I recommend looking at ranking trends over the past 20 years or so. You get a better idea of whether a school is rising (e.g. BU), dropping (e.g. W&L), or remaining about the same (e.g. T14). This year's rankings are just a snapshot. I wouldn't worry about slight changes (i.e. +/- 2 spots), since they really mean nothing. Worry more about employment percentages, indebtedness, and bar passage rates.

http://www.prelawhandbook.com/law_schoo ... _1987_1999

http://www.prelawhandbook.com/law_schoo ... 00_present

[BenJ]

Yale remains stagnant.

Such a constant failure to improve must really be demoralizing for the admissions office at Yale. Their 75th LSAT even went down this year. So sad to see a school in decline.

[SamSeaborn2016]

The only thing I really paid any attention to with the new rankings is the leap made by ASU. Seeing as they are the only school I am waiting to hear a final decision from, I'm even more curious to see if I get in. Not likely.

[onthecusp]

Changes in the rankings only faze people who get an ego boost when they tell others where they're going to law school.

Each school still has the exact same reputation as it did last year as far as employers are concerned. Employers aren't all of a sudden going to say "WOW. We will definitely start hiring more ASU grads." or "I used to think Missouri was a decent schools but it is obviously a crap law school now."

Why not? I would think a large jump in the rankings would get employers attention. You don't think employers are going to recognize the fact that Loyola moved from 72 to 56? Or that Chapman moved from T3 to T2 status? I don't think it makes much of a difference for the top 30 schools; but schools that jump more than 10 spots in the rankings, or move up in tier are going to attract attention.

[honestabe84]

Changes in the rankings only faze people who get an ego boost when they tell others where they're going to law school.

Each school still has the exact same reputation as it did last year as far as employers are concerned. Employers aren't all of a sudden going to say "WOW. We will definitely start hiring more ASU grads." or "I used to think Missouri was a decent schools but it is obviously a crap law school now."

Why not? I would think a large jump in the rankings would get employers attention. You don't think employers are going to recognize the fact that Loyola moved from 72 to 56? Or that Chapman moved from T3 to T2 status? I don't think it makes much of a difference for the top 30 schools; but schools that jump more than 10 spots in the rankings, or move up in tier are going to attract attention.

Actually, I'm not even sure employers look at the rankings, unless they know nothing about a school from which an applicant is applying. From what I understand it is the reputation of a school within a region (which is already set) and the the alumni base of a particular firm that dictates how firms hire.

And no, I don't think LA partners are all of sudden going to think that the caliber of graduates from Loyola is so much better than they use to be. These firms already know what type of grads each school produces, and they don't need USNWR to tell them anything. Further, a school ranked 56 and a school ranked 72 is the exact same IMHO.

[texas man]

In my opinion, you have to take all rankings in perspective. No rankings can tell you what school is best for you. Keeping this in mind, the rankings are very interesting to look at, however, that is all they are. Interesting. There is some good information that is calculated into the rankings that would be very important to look at when selecting schools (bar passage rate, employment statistics; and no I'm not talking about starting salary). Having said that, I say again that the rankings should be taken into perspective. I think most future lawyers will realize that things like this are not an end all and should be taken at face value.

+1 i liken the rankings to a movie...i hope the protagonist succeeds (my school overtakes other schools) but whatever happens stays within the context of a movie (the ranking), for the most part at least.

+1

[weis14]

I'm not fazed (or phased, for that matter), but then my schools of interest didn't change much.
IU-B will lose people who were thinking of taking it over a less-generous UIUC/ND offer.

I'll still be there. IU-B is still the highest school by far giving out full tuition scholarships to people with my numbers. (It's too bad really, ND is my dream school, but $120k has a way of changing things.)

eh....i don't know....iu-b's nlj placement isn't even in the top 50 (near 10%) while ND's is ~30% and after factoring federal clerkships, their competitive placement (NLJ + federal clerkship) nears 40%. i think iu-b's ranking and the actual job placement of their grads are incredibly mismatched

You are right. I don't think that IUB places even close to ND. However, in my opinion less debt = less risk / dependence on being one of the lucky 40% to get a clerkship or big law. With no real debt to speak of, I can take a less lucrative offer initially and still have a higher standard of living. My career goals are to work as a patent attorney, first in a small firm and then in house at a small / medium sized company. I may even get a MS Engineering after my JD and teach some engineering when I get older.

Obviously, if your heart is set on a clerkship or big law you are certainly justified in making a different choice.

[Richard Rorty]

where is the new ranking?!?