Harder to get good grades Forum

[rmend]

I know that you can't assume you will get good grades, but is it any easier to get better grades at a school like UF vs schools that are ranked much higher? I am specifically considering/curious about UF vs

UCLA
Texas
Fordham
GW
Vanderbilt
Emory

Will it be harder to get better grades at these schools that are ranked higher because students' credentials are better or is it just as difficult everywhere because of the curve? Do you have a better chance of making law review at UF vs these schools? Thank you.

[nealric]

Nobody can answer this question. It's all speculation.

Talking to transfers might help- but finding them will be tough. And even transfers aren't fully useful because they didn't experience 1L year at two different schools.

[sky7]

Anecdotal Evidence:

A law student from Oklahoma was in my Trusts and Estates class last summer. He had the grades to transfer to GW, and was considering it; this implies that he was doing very well at Oklahoma (ranked around 70, I think).

He proceeded to get a B in the T&E class at GW (which, incidentally, I also got).

There are a million reasons why he might have done worse in this class, but one of them is simply that the competition is harder at higher ranked schools.

[rmend]

Is there any wisdom to going to a school like UF over GW or Emory considering that it may be easier and easier to get on law review, get better grades, etc.

[rmend]

Anyone?

[rando]

Is there any wisdom to going to a school like UF over GW or Emory considering that it may be easier and easier to get on law review, get better grades, etc.

Wisdom? Probably not. No one can accurately say whether or not the grading at each of these schools would apply differently to the same student because no one has experienced it. Even transfers don't experience the competition of 1L year at their new schools.
That being said, it makes perfect logical sense that competing against "brighter" students will make it harder to get to the top of the class. I think that choosing a school comes down to the tradeoff between scholarship $ and ranking. To some extent you should consider your competition. If you are above 75%iles at the school you are entering, you at least have the tools to do well. Making it happen is another thing.

[dakatz]

This issue is definitely one I'm considering. I am pretty set on going to BU with a good scholarship, but I have a Chicago acceptance at sticker price. I'm just so worried that, because the competition is so much more intense at Chicago, I will finish far lower in my class if I go there. Finishing low in your class, even at T-14, can be VERY bad, especially with 200K in loans riding on the outcome. So the issue of whether or not it is harder to do well at a better school is one I'd really like to know more about.

[rando]

This issue is definitely one I'm considering. I am pretty set on going to BU with a good scholarship, but I have a Chicago acceptance at sticker price. I'm just so worried that, because the competition is so much more intense at Chicago, I will finish far lower in my class if I go there. Finishing low in your class, even at T-14, can be VERY bad, especially with 200K in loans riding on the outcome. So the issue of whether or not it is harder to do well at a better school is one I'd really like to know more about.

Ehhh. Chicago is T6 though. Probably nothing you need to worry about.
But even the "brilliant" ones among us may not be so great at law school, so going to BU might not be the greatest idea as far as long-term job opportunities go. I wouldn't normally say to take on the debt, but in your situation, Chicago probably won't let you down. Add in the possibility of clerkships and academia and you have a lot of options to kick that debt down the road.

[rmend]

I think that the name recognition of Chicago will carry you no matter what. As for a school like GW vs UF, is there as a large gap in prestige, considering the rankings?

[sky7]

Is there a large gap in prestige?

Yes.

Will GW's name "carry you" like Chicago would?

Not so much (and yes, I go to GW).

It's a great school, with a great reputation, but if you suck you're probably going to have a sucky job.

[Cupidity]

Everyone busts ass at UF because its so TTT that they al want to transfer out

[rmend]

Is there a large gap in prestige?

Yes.

Will GW's name "carry you" like Chicago would?

Not so much (and yes, I go to GW).

It's a great school, with a great reputation, but if you suck you're probably going to have a sucky job.

Do you know what the job prospects have been like at GW recently?

Everyone busts ass at UF because its so TTT that they al want to transfer out

How can it be considered that if it's the top school in the state? It seems general knowledge from everything I've read and heard that employers will take UF over almost any school for Florida jobs

[Nicholasnickynic]

This issue is definitely one I'm considering. I am pretty set on going to BU with a good scholarship, but I have a Chicago acceptance at sticker price. I'm just so worried that, because the competition is so much more intense at Chicago, I will finish far lower in my class if I go there. Finishing low in your class, even at T-14, can be VERY bad, especially with 200K in loans riding on the outcome. So the issue of whether or not it is harder to do well at a better school is one I'd really like to know more about.

+1.
FWIW, I think you are doing the right thing. Boston=cool place, and BU does very well in Boston and NY, so you'd have good opportunites to work in a cool city.

GL