Top Law Schools

Could someone rank these schools in terms of their prospects for DC BigLaw:
Michigan, Cornell, Duke, Vanderbilt, Boalt.

I'll be applying next year, and am still waiting for a December LSAT score, but am probably in that range (3.76 GPA from a top school, but still a junior, probably 167~169 LSAT depending on curve). I know I want to work in DC or Virginia or somewhere in that region. If I don't get UVA (top choice), my best bets are Michigan (Median LSAT 169), Duke (also 169), Cornell (168), Vandy (168) and Boalt (167).

Which would be best if I want to come back to Virginia/DC afterward -- flying off to Ann Arbor, Durham, Ithaca, Nashville or Berkeley?

Are you a VA resident? If so, you will likely get to Virginia. After that, I don't know because I'm a 0L.

I'd say Mich, Duke, or Boalt, but the reality is that coming from any of them you are going to need absolutely stellar grades to land DC. The edge that any of them have is going to be largely negligible considering how competitive DC is.

Kabuo: My family's in the process of moving now & Ill be a VA resident for admissions purposes (will have lived there 12 months by the time school starts).
UVA's median is 171. This thread is to help me figure out what my back-up dream school should be if they reject me Early Decision -- they let you know in 15 days so I'll have time to ED somewhere else.

bk187: Thanks for being so down-to-earth I didn't realize DC was that hard to break into...

LeParadisTerrestre wrote:Kabuo: My family's in the process of moving now & Ill be a VA resident for admissions purposes (will have lived there 12 months by the time school starts).
UVA's median is 171. This thread is to help me figure out what my back-up dream school should be if they reject me Early Decision -- they let you know in 15 days so I'll have time to ED somewhere else.

bk187: Thanks for being so down-to-earth

UVA medians are 170/3.85

edit: even as a va resident, you're going to have a very tough time getting in ED without hitting one of these medians.

hipstermafia wrote:

LeParadisTerrestre wrote:Kabuo: My family's in the process of moving now & Ill be a VA resident for admissions purposes (will have lived there 12 months by the time school starts).
UVA's median is 171. This thread is to help me figure out what my back-up dream school should be if they reject me Early Decision -- they let you know in 15 days so I'll have time to ED somewhere else.

bk187: Thanks for being so down-to-earth

UVA medians are 170/3.85

Thanks for correcting me.

# of D.C. firms that come to OCI can serve as a quick, crude proxy:
1. Duke 47, with slightly over 200 students per graduating class
2. UM 42, with slightly more than 350
3. UCB 29, with slightly under 300
4. Vandy 19, with slightly under 200
5. Cornell 13, with slightly under 200

To get a better handle on your question, you'd also need to know the grade cut-offs for each firm and compare that to each school's grade distribution curve. And btw, Vandy's median is 169.

Rawlsian wrote:# of D.C. firms that come to OCI can serve as a quick, crude proxy:
1. Duke 47, with slightly over 200 students per graduating class
2. UM 42, with slightly more than 350
3. Vandy 19, with slightly under 200
4. Cornell 13, with slightly under 200

To get a better handle on your question, you'd also need to know the grade cut-offs for each firm and compare that to each school's grade distribution curve. And btw, Vandy's median is 169.

Awesome stats! Thanks
According to http://www.top-law-schools.com/vanderbi ... chool.html, Vandy's LSAT Median = 168, GPA Median = 3.71

LeParadisTerrestre wrote:Awesome stats! Thanks
According to http://www.top-law-schools.com/vanderbi ... chool.html, Vandy's LSAT Median = 168, GPA Median = 3.71

The TLS profiles are old, I'm pretty sure Vandy's lsat median is now 169 and Duke is 170.

Here ya go, the incoming class medians from 2010:

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... ng+medians

Expand your horizons. That LSAT range may not get you into Cornell or Mich (or others). You need to be at around 75% and even then it is no sure thing.

bmore wrote:Expand your horizons. That LSAT range may not get you into Cornell or Mich (or others). You need to be at around 75% and even then it is no sure thing.

This is truly awful advice.

OP, good luck with your lsat score and if you don't hit 170 this round retake if you want to get in to UVA.

bmore: Haha, this is to find a school to ED to! Full list of schools I'm applying to -- W&M (safety), GW, Boalt, Wash U, Cornell, Vandy, Mich, Duke, Penn, UVa, GTown, possibly UIUC.

hipstermafia: Thanks! I don't think I'll retake if I get 168 or 169 though -- those are good scores.

LeParadisTerrestre wrote:hipstermafia: Thanks! I don't think I'll retake if I get 168 or 169 though -- those are good scores.

They're great scores, but they aren't going to get you into UVA

LeParadisTerrestre wrote:bmore: Haha, this is to find a school to ED to! Full list of schools I'm applying to -- W&M (safety), GW, Boalt, Wash U, Cornell, Vandy, Mich, Duke, Penn, UVa, GTown, possibly UIUC.

hipstermafia: Thanks! I don't think I'll retake if I get 168 or 169 though -- those are good scores.

You should retake a 168/169. If you really want a T14 there is no reason not to retake until you've taken it 3 times or you've gotten a 170. There is no downside other than a couple hundred bucks and some of your time, but the upside of possibly attending a T14 over a regional school is huge.

Think about Georgetown and George Washington U for your list of schools to apply to.

Georgetown is a top 14 in DC and GWU is a strong regional/ overall strong school.

American is a great school for DC Law. OP, I think you should apply there.

benedict.assnold wrote:American is a great school for DC Law. OP, I think you should apply there.

No.

Thanks for the suggestions all. GW & GTown are definitely in my list of schools (see above). Probably not American though, although I hear they have some very nice programs.

You're probably right, I have nothing to lose by retaking the LSAT -- probably. Thing is, I'm going abroad to a country without any LSAT test centers & won't be back in time for any LSAT before October. I really wanted to apply to everything super-early -- to apply to UVA ED on Sep. 1st, learn whether I'm in fifteen days later, then ED somewhere else. Schools start accepting applications mostly either on Sep 1st or Oct 1st. If I take the October LSAT and have them hold my application until the score is released, then I'll no longer seem super-early when they process my application ... and admissions are rolling. Ugh.

You do realize that DC is an insane market to break into right?

LeParadisTerrestre wrote:Thanks for the suggestions all. GW & GTown are definitely in my list of schools (see above). Probably not American though, although I hear they have some very nice programs.

You're probably right, I have nothing to lose by retaking the LSAT -- probably. Thing is, I'm going abroad to a country without any LSAT test centers & won't be back in time for any LSAT before October. I really wanted to apply to everything super-early -- to apply to UVA ED on Sep. 1st, learn whether I'm in fifteen days later, then ED somewhere else. Schools start accepting applications mostly either on Sep 1st or Oct 1st. If I take the October LSAT and have them hold my application until the score is released, then I'll no longer seem super-early when they process my application ... and admissions are rolling. Ugh.

That's pretty close to my plan. Hope to see you in C'Ville.

I wouldn't go anywhere other than YHS and maybe C if I were dead set on DC BigLaw.

If you hit 170, you can probably make it into UVA RD as a resident. If you're below 170, you're not getting in RD or ED. You're also going to need to hit at (or extremely close to) 170 to be competitive for many of the other schools on your list (Duke, Michigan, GULC, Cornell). Solution: hit 170. Attend UVA.

beachbum wrote:If you hit 170, you can probably make it into UVA RD as a resident. If you're below 170, you're not getting in RD or ED. You're also going to need to hit at (or extremely close to) 170 to be competitive for many of the other schools on your list (Duke, Michigan, GULC, Cornell). Solution: hit 170. Attend UVA.

Then be top quarter of the class so you can have a fighting chance in DC. Easier said than done.

There are lots of thumbs ups in this thread.