Top Law Schools

law school question wrote:Why does there always seem to be so much Harvard bashing on TLS (this doesn't have to do with your post, 356a, as I know that was advice to the guy deciding between Harvard and Stanford)? Posts about it being an impersonal diploma factory filled with kids who really would've rather been at Yale or Stanford, and it only being #2 because they selfishly game the rankings to boost their numbers (which Yale and Stanford are portrayed as being totally above doing)... it gets tiring after a while. You don't see the same snarkiness directed at Yale or Stanford (apart from occasional posts joking that Yale doesn't really teach the law). Is it because Harvard is such a huge, recognizable name that it inspires more vitriol and [maybe just a bit of] jealousy? Yale threads often have posters praising YLS, but frequently at the expense of HLS. You almost never see that in HLS threads. I don't get it.

Cleareyes wrote:

law school question wrote:Why does there always seem to be so much Harvard bashing on TLS (this doesn't have to do with your post, 356a, as I know that was advice to the guy deciding between Harvard and Stanford)? Posts about it being an impersonal diploma factory filled with kids who really would've rather been at Yale or Stanford, and it only being #2 because they selfishly game the rankings to boost their numbers (which Yale and Stanford are portrayed as being totally above doing)... it gets tiring after a while. You don't see the same snarkiness directed at Yale or Stanford (apart from occasional posts joking that Yale doesn't really teach the law). Is it because Harvard is such a huge, recognizable name that it inspires more vitriol and [maybe just a bit of] jealousy? Yale threads often have posters praising YLS, but frequently at the expense of HLS. You almost never see that in HLS threads. I don't get it.

Yale and Stanford are seen as more exclusive (which they are, they admit fewer applicants) and thus better, regardless of anything else because this site is all about getting admitted to the top school possible.

law school question wrote:

Cleareyes wrote:

law school question wrote:Why does there always seem to be so much Harvard bashing on TLS (this doesn't have to do with your post, 356a, as I know that was advice to the guy deciding between Harvard and Stanford)? Posts about it being an impersonal diploma factory filled with kids who really would've rather been at Yale or Stanford, and it only being #2 because they selfishly game the rankings to boost their numbers (which Yale and Stanford are portrayed as being totally above doing)... it gets tiring after a while. You don't see the same snarkiness directed at Yale or Stanford (apart from occasional posts joking that Yale doesn't really teach the law). Is it because Harvard is such a huge, recognizable name that it inspires more vitriol and [maybe just a bit of] jealousy? Yale threads often have posters praising YLS, but frequently at the expense of HLS. You almost never see that in HLS threads. I don't get it.

Yale and Stanford are seen as more exclusive (which they are, they admit fewer applicants) and thus better, regardless of anything else because this site is all about getting admitted to the top school possible.

I guess I can understand that... I just don't get why people who praise Y or S almost invariably follow it up with a criticism of HLS.

mallard wrote:Coming into a thread about a school and bashing that school wouldn't be acceptable for any other school. I'm not sure why it's acceptable here.

Cleareyes wrote:Harvard is powerful and doesn't need protection. Everyone going to Harvard has excellent prospects. Slings and arrows are less hurtful or threatening here than they are in the thread of a T2 school.

Yale and Stanford, on the other hand, are seen as above reproach because of their exclusivity. I think insofar as there is Harvard bashing from YS attendees it's because many of them are cross admits who are trying to make their choice feel more logical and secure by attacking the choice they didn't make. This is a fairly standard tactic for resolving feelings of doubt and potential regret.

Cleareyes wrote:

mallard wrote:Coming into a thread about a school and bashing that school wouldn't be acceptable for any other school. I'm not sure why it's acceptable here.

Harvard is powerful and doesn't need protection. Everyone going to Harvard has excellent prospects. Slings and arrows are less hurtful or threatening here than they are in the thread of a T2 school.

Yale and Stanford, on the other hand, are seen as above reproach because of their exclusivity. I think insofar as there is Harvard bashing from YS attendees it's because many of them are cross admits who are trying to make their choice feel more logical and secure by attacking the choice they didn't make. This is a fairly standard tactic for resolving feelings of doubt and potential regret.

heyguys wrote:

Objection wrote: Because most of them are rankings whores.

Your job opportunities will be nearly identical coming from any of the big 3. That's all that matters.

I don't really want to start a protracted argument or anything, but I'm just curious as to when anyone has justified choosing Yale over Harvard due to rankings...? Usually, the justifications have to do with some combination of faculty/student body/small classes/curriculum/job opps/etc. I definitely didn't choose Yale over Harvard even for the job opportunities (although I did probably choose Yale over Stanford because of them...I'm not sure what I want to do with my life, so Yale seemed the safer option even than Stanford, although both are obviously fantastic schools and offer amazing opportunities).

As to job opportunities, I don't think anyone would argue that they are nearly identical for those graduating at the top of the classes, but I would think that as far as the students who make up the median of the class are concerned, Yale has a nontrivial advantage over even Harvard and Stanford. The atmosphere at Yale really is more about figuring out what you want to do with the degree than what you'll be able to do with the degree given class rank and whatnot (...since there are none).

FrenchiePatootie wrote:hey harvard class of 2012,

aren't we supposed to get our windows for housing today?!

so excited! share when you get yours ya?

meesawoosa wrote:Got it - mine is for the last week of May - window 4 apparently.

Window 7. I have the shittiest luck ever when it comes to lotteries.

I didn't see the subject initially because I have my HLS email sync'd to Apple Mail, and for some reason it showed the subject as...

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