Getting in vs Succeeding Forum

[flyingpanda]

Top law schools DO NOT fail anyone. Look at the attrition rates for the t14, they're all 1% or lower.

[englawyer]

Top law schools DO NOT fail anyone. Look at the attrition rates for the t14, they're all 1% or lower.

exactly. you don't worry about failing out; you worry about getting a job. and usually, its better to be median at a t14 than top of a tier ii. becomes more grayish area when the rankings are closer (columbia vs harvard or something)

[bceagles182]

flame?

[starstruck393]

It can definitely make sense to choose a lower ranked school, you just need to do it for the right reasons. For instance, if you want to avoid debt, sure take the full $$. Especially if you're not gunning for biglaw, the freedom of no or few loans can really help you off to a decent life. I definitely think taking a full $$ to a T30 over T14 at sticker can make sense. And I'd definitely take the full $$ to a T3/4 over sticker at anything lower than T30. Just don't go in with any expectations about your performance...

[Education1st]

It can definitely make sense to choose a lower ranked school, you just need to do it for the right reasons. For instance, if you want to avoid debt, sure take the full $$. Especially if you're not gunning for biglaw, the freedom of no or few loans can really help you off to a decent life. I definitely think taking a full $$ to a T30 over T14 at sticker can make sense. And I'd definitely take the full $$ to a T3/4 over sticker at anything lower than T30. Just don't go in with any expectations about your performance...

Thanks. This makes sense. I'm not interested in Biglaw. We're ready to start a family, and working 60-80 hours per week doesn't sound that appealing. I'm happy making 80k working 40-50 hours per week. That's not too much to ask...right?

[Education1st]

flame?

why would this thread be a flame? I'm pretty sure that my questions are legit.

[Oban]

The material is pretty much the same at all law schools. The main difference between a top school and a lower ranked schools, is that the material is more general and theoretical at top schools, and more practical and locality specific at lower ranked schools.

Thus i would posit, top schools aren't "harder" than lower ranked school. They also have more generous curves(hence low attrition rates)


Top schools also open more doors.

this thread is fail.

[chitown825]

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[whuts4lunch]

Everyone seems to apply to the very best school that they can gain admission, but I'm more interested in being successful at the school I attend. It seems that going to a "lower ranked" school has more advantages than going to a "higher ranked" school. First, you'll probably receive more scholly money. Second, you'll probably be more competitive (law reviews, in class, etc). Finally, you'll probably graduate higher in your class and get better job offers.

I'm particularly worried as a URM. I'll get accepted into a better school, but my grades will likely be toward the lower end of the grading curve. Unless, there is some validity to the idea that being around brighter, more competitive people raises the performance of everyone. Like, a rising tide of difficulty, raises all ships.

Any thought?

Your last two points are wrong. This isn't a safe assumption.

Isn't it also an unsafe assumption that it will necessarily be easier to reach median at a T14 than top 10% at a T2? It is ambiguous on both sides of the equation.

I think that the above bolded points are OP's educated guesses, not assumptions.

[whuts4lunch]

An article posted somewhere on TLS from Stanford Law Review argues that URMs would be better off if they attend lower ranked schools than they currently do, because they would get better grades and ultimately go on to more successful careers. If you factor in scholarship money that comes with attending lower ranked school, I think it makes sense.

[RVP11]

An article posted somewhere on TLS from Stanford Law Review argues that URMs would be better off if they attend lower ranked schools than they currently do, because they would get better grades and ultimately go on to more successful careers. If you factor in scholarship money that comes with attending lower ranked school, I think it makes sense.

But it doesn't really matter where URMs go, because employers are going to dip down as low as they need to go to get minority representation.

This is why the "OMG URMzz are taking our law skewl seatz" argument always fails. URMs get such a leg up in OCI that it's absurd to get upset at the boost they get in law school admissions.

[avacado111]

An article posted somewhere on TLS from Stanford Law Review argues that URMs would be better off if they attend lower ranked schools than they currently do, because they would get better grades and ultimately go on to more successful careers. If you factor in scholarship money that comes with attending lower ranked school, I think it makes sense.

But it doesn't really matter where URMs go, because employers are going to dip down as low as they need to go to get minority representation.

This is why the "OMG URMzz are taking our law skewl seatz" argument always fails. URMs get such a leg up in OCI that it's absurd to get upset at the boost they get in law school admissions.

hahahaha.