who is more impressive to you: Forum

[RVP11]

I say the latter. Doing well in law school is one thing, but getting into a top law shows long-term commitment.

Seriously? The minimum for getting into Cornell requires four years of slacking in UG and excelling for three hours of your life.

And the minimum for NYLS is four years slacking and then massively fucking up a three hour test.

I think there's a huge crapshoot element to both law school admissions and law school exam performance.

[Space_Cowboy]

Which one describes you best?

Attending a T2/T3 school with hopes of Big Law

OR

Attending a lower T-14 and are worried about career prospects?

Not sure if that is directed at me, but in any case I was talking about my undergrad...

And if it is directed at me, then neither(probably middle tier 1/JAG/SJA)...

Sorry. Directed at no one. The poll just seems like a proxy for identity (T14 vs. non-T14). If you're the former (in the choices I listed), you're probably banking on TTT top 5% + law review [strike]getting you to the promise land[/strike] being impressive. If you're the latter, you're hoping your lower T-14 J.D. [strike]still has the pull to make your $100k gamble pay off[/strike] is impressive.

EDIT: where noted.

[lsatbdog]

Which one describes you best?

Attending a T2/T3 school with hopes of Big Law

OR

Attending a lower T-14 and are worried about career prospects?

Not sure if that is directed at me, but in any case I was talking about my undergrad...

And if it is directed at me, then neither(probably middle tier 1/JAG/SJA)...

Sorry. Directed at no one. The poll just seems like a proxy for identity (T14 vs. non-T14). If you're the former (in the choices I listed), you're probably banking on TTT top 5% + law review [strike]getting you to the promise land[/strike] being impressive. If you're the latter, you're hoping your lower T-14 J.D. [strike]still has the pull to make your $100k gamble pay off[/strike] is impressive.

EDIT: where noted.

Yeah, that sounds about right. Personally, I'd think you want to be upper-middle of the T-14 because you are going to have a bigger alumni base in those big firms, and location wise, you are going to have better job options, due to the portability of the degree, whereas a T3 is pretty much limited to the state you got it from.

Of course, if that top 5% has no debt, and they likely would due to scholarship, that would be huge in the consideration.

[Space_Cowboy]

Yeah, that sounds about right. Personally, I'd think you want to be upper-middle of the T-14 because you are going to have a bigger alumni base in those big firms, and location wise, you are going to have better job options, due to the portability of the degree, whereas a T3 is pretty much limited to the state you got it from.

Of course, if that top 5% has no debt, and they likely would due to scholarship, that would be huge in the consideration.

If TTT admissions offers, well maybe T2 admissions offers, came with scholarships AND a guaranteed class rank, I'd be willing to call it a dilemma. Who knows, maybe some TTTs will get creative and offer to section stack the hell out your competition?

[lsatbdog]

Yeah, that sounds about right. Personally, I'd think you want to be upper-middle of the T-14 because you are going to have a bigger alumni base in those big firms, and location wise, you are going to have better job options, due to the portability of the degree, whereas a T3 is pretty much limited to the state you got it from.

Of course, if that top 5% has no debt, and they likely would due to scholarship, that would be huge in the consideration.

If TTT admissions offers, well maybe T2 admissions offers, came with scholarships AND a guaranteed class rank, I'd be willing to call it a dilemma. Who knows, maybe some TTTs will get creative and offer to section stack the hell out your competition?

Haha, wouldn't that be nice? But yeah, that was kind of what I was getting at, that if someone could tell you "in 3 years you could be top 5% at a T3 with no debt, or 100K and 40% at Georgetown" you might have something to think about, if you were happy to work in the state the T3 was in. Otherwise I'd say Georgetown hands down (higher debt, say 250K, which is possible, might change this). No debt at say, Alabama, Georgia or Iowa with top 5% against top 1/3rd at Georgetown with 100K debt, I think you go Bama, UGA or Iowa. But since you can never know where you will finish, its all kind of moot anyway.

[Renaixença]

I'll take the Third Tier Toilet Turd-scrubber over the GULC/Cornell/Duke Douche-plugger any day. of. the. week.

[rayiner]

Neither is impressive, because neither is getting biglaw.

[Space_Cowboy]

Neither is impressive, because neither is getting biglaw.

Right, but we aren't comparing Ferraris and Maseratis, just Honda Civics and Vespas.

Honda Civics >>>>> Vespas.

[Renaixença]

Neither is impressive, because neither is getting biglaw.

Right, but we aren't comparing Ferraris and Maseratis, just Honda Civics and Vespas.

Honda Civics >>>>> Vespas.

And which are you, Maurice?

[Space_Cowboy]

Neither is impressive, because neither is getting biglaw.

Right, but we aren't comparing Ferraris and Maseratis, just Honda Civics and Vespas.

Honda Civics >>>>> Vespas.

And which are you, Maurice?

Space Cowboys >>>>> everything else

[nealric]

--ImageRemoved--

[harvey2L]

--ImageRemoved--

Worst. Post. Ever.

[nealric]

Worst. Post. Ever.

I win!

[Leeroy Jenkins]

Neither is impressive, because neither is getting biglaw.

TCR

[CalBear2011]

what is more impressive?

the person you meet that says he graduated from Georgetown Law

or

the person you meet that graduated from NYLS or John Marshall but insists he graduated at the top of his class

if you asked me when phrased this way there is no way i would be more impressed by the TTTT individual

TITCR.

[FlightoftheEarls]

top 5% + Law review at TTT like Drake/Albany/Mercer/NYLS

OR

top top 1/2 at somewhere like GULC/Duke/Cornell

Top 1/2 at GULC/Duke/Cornell still has a solid, if not quite decent, shot at biglaw ITE. Especially top 1/3.

Anecdotally, I have a friend who is a 2L in the top 7-5% and on Law Review at a T1 who couldn't land a biglaw offer in the in the main legal market of his school (and there are no other law schools that are ranked as high in the same state or that place into this market with any regularity - it's not a primary market). He is also one of the most down to earth, easy to talk to, and level-headed kids I've ever met. And apparently a good percentage of other LR members faced the same issue. Keep in mind, this is still at a T1 school.

Granted that's a somewhat limited sample, there is still not even a doubt in my mind as to what the correct answer to this question is when it comes to how law schools are perceived in relation to each other. Yes, this is an example limited to biglaw, but it does correlate to the overall view of hiring prestige among different schools.

[como]

former.

[mallard]

The latter, without a doubt.

[Borhas]

top 5% + Law review at TTT like Drake/Albany/Mercer/NYLS

OR

top top 1/2 at somewhere like GULC/Duke/Cornell

neither characteristic will leave me impressed at all, but if I had to choose I'd go with the first option

[Doritos]

top 5% + Law review at TTT like Drake/Albany/Mercer/NYLS

OR

top top 1/2 at somewhere like GULC/Duke/Cornell

neither characteristic will leave me impressed at all, but if I had to choose I'd go with the first option

I don't disagree I just had a strange moment of clarity. To get into GDC you have to be in the top 10 percent of all people enrolling in accredited law schools (It made be lower than that I just seem to remember only 10 percent or less of LS grads are T14) and to graduate at median or higher at one of those institutes is pretty quality I think. Granted it doesn't mean you are smarter than those 90% who didn't go to T14 but you are in elite company and to do that well is something that I dare say most human beings could not do. Chances you are damn smart. I know in the TLS world it's not impressive but you get a high five from me if you do that. Granted I will be graduating top 0.5% from my class of course but you do get that high five if you want it.

[MC Southstar]

Latter but only if its dook

This.

[como]

Latter but only if its dook

This.

Ouch.

[prezidentv8]

Against my better judgment, I'll chime in on this one.

The average person at Duke is very impressive to me. Really, it's a fairly high standard. But to be fair, the disparity I see with a lot of students at the lower schools is that the lower you go, the lower the average student's family's wealth seems to get (generally, based on personal experience). And to get to the top at almost any law school seems to require a) hard work, b) inherent talent, and c) luck. So I guess my answer, which probably varies based on the individual people I'd be comparing, will look like this: it depends.

Now which one would I rather be? Middle of the pack at Duke.

[kn6542]

I'm really impressed with myself.

[ArkansasFan]

I'm never impressed by academics.