Why didn't UCLA move up?! Forum

[Grad09]

I'm probably going there so I'm pissed!!!! I was optimistic it would crack 14th.

Who's with me?

[im_blue]

It's only 1 point behind GULC, right? Call it rounding error, if you'd like.

[tranandy]

Indeed, the T14 is a tough nut to crack.

On the positive side, UCLA statistically improved year over year so it could happen in the long term. Its overall score went up 2 points this year. Also, LSATs, GPAs and selectivity improved. Unfortunately for UCLA, Georgetown also increased two points overall and maintains its lead by 1 point overall.

Basically, the reason UCLA is stuck at 15 is that its rep scores aren't improving enough to leapfrog Georgetown or Cornell. Curiously, out of the top 100 schools in the new rankings, UCLA, USC and Michigan are the only 3 schools that have lawyer/judge rep scores that are at least .2 points below their respective peer assessment scores. In UCLA's case, its peer assessment is 4.0 and lawyer/judge score is 3.8.

For about 95% of the other law schools, lawyers/judges are more generous with their rep scores than the academics. I have no idea why UCLA, Michigan and USC get the short end of the stick from the lawyers and judges. The only reasons I can think of in the case of UCLA and USC are that: (1) many of their grads see no reason to leave LA and therefore their reputations are not spread to other lawyers and judges across the country or (2) there is some bias against LA.

Unless UCLA can get its rep score among lawyers and judges up above its peer assessment score like most other schools, it is going to be hard to pass Georgetown or Cornell in the near future. Look on the bright side though, the gap between UCLA and USC in the rankings is growing by the year.

[Mr. Matlock]

Rick Neuheisel?