4.0/174 - What do you think? Forum

[Emma.]

On question #2, I have alot of interests and I try to stay open to new possibilities. My main areas of interest in law are policy-related.

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 2&t=103109

[vanwinkle]

As for whether everyone should go to the best law school (by which I assume you mean according to the USNWR) they possibly can, I do not think that is always sage advice. People who have a strong, focused sense of how they want to use their law degree may not find that to be the case (or may if they are determined to make it in a V10). If my goal was BigLaw or to stay in DC or even to work in the field I have been working, I would certainly be applying eagerly to Georgetown. Its an undeniably great school, with fabulous professors (a few of who have confirmed my concerns and know me well), and great job prospects for some. I appreciate your perspective on this, I just don't agree. I was also told as an undergrad I was insane with my numbers and background to not go Ivy. I chose American because I knew what I wanted from my undergrad experience and I set out making that happen for me.

There's an enormous difference between UG and LS in the way your school affects your opportunities. Honestly, you can get nearly the same legal education at almost any law school; there's not a huge difference in what you'll learn in the classroom between a top-ten school and a top-fifty. However, the differences are in the prestige of your degree and the opportunities you get while you're at a particular school, and particularly in the legal field, those differences are enormous.

It's not that you can't succeed from everywhere, it's that you get a similar education at about the same price anywhere, and it's far, far easier to succeed in law from one of the very top schools. Legal employers care a lot about where you got your degree. Lawyers can be very loyal to their school network and go out of their way to help current or graduating students. This isn't just true in BigLaw but everywhere. When you consider the dramatic differences in where alumni are (for example, there are a large number of HYS alumni in the DOJ, State Dep't, and other federal legal departments), those things really immensely matter. This is especially true since you say you want to do policy-related work; those are often influential, competitive jobs that are already filled by people from top schools, and you'll have much better odds of getting one of those jobs if you put yourself in a top alumni network.

When it comes to finding a job, it really doesn't matter what you want from your "law school experience". A JD is a professional degree and it's best to think about it in terms of what job opportunities it'll get you when you graduate, and with your numbers and background you can practically pick where you're going to go. Imagine running a marathon where you got to pick how many miles from the finish line you started. If your goal was to win, wouldn't you choose at the start to run a shorter distance than everyone else?

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[sunynp]

I wasn't advocating for Georgetown. I think Georgetown (even for free) is a mistake if you can do HYS. I didn't want you to go to CU without understanding that the reasons employers want local ties may not apply to you. Also, that going to a school where you have to be top of the class to succeed is not the best choice when you have other options.

I don't refer to the USNWR rankings to determine what school is best. The best schools give the most opportunities, in jobs, clerkships, internships, clinics, to their students; have good programs for debt repayment; and, place the most graduates into the jobs they want. You don't have to want biglaw to be concerned about making money. ( Almost everyone needs to earn money to support themselves and their families.) Many people only want biglaw so they can knock out a huge amount of their debt and then go work somewhere else without the grinding pressure of repaying loans.

I'm sure you will keep researching this and make a good decision. Best of luck!

[splitmuch]

sorry for hijack but im a 4.0 179 half AA/half PR gay transgender (male to female but like females) rhodes scholar and former Olympic athlete (they won't let me compete as a woman).

Chance me?

[MumofCad]

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[firemed]

MumofCad


May I strongly suggest, if you haven't already, that you look into how law school grading works and how someone like me who is clearly your intellectual inferior has just as good of a shot of being top of my class as you do?

Law school grading largely dismisses the advantages of being smart or hard working.