Washington and Lee Forum

[emhellmer]

I applied to this school on a whim, was accepted, and am now giving it another look. However, when I search the TLS forums for dirt, opinions, etc., I find nothing. There are certain things about it I find pretty appealing (still waiting to hear about scholarships before I get too excited). I think I could dig the whole small town Virginia thing for a few years, could be interesting.

Does anyone go there, or know someone who is a student?

[user08132021]

Try searching W&L instead of Washington and Lee

[megaTTTron]

Great school. Location is a college town. Plenty to do, party-wise. Socially, great. Attracts a lot of souther students. Great vibe. Good profs. Job prospects are questionable unless you're top of the class + LR. But with a good enough scholly (like, full) it's a great choice for the southeast (including DC). Nothing but great things to say.

[NorCalBruin]

I'm also interested in W&L.

The only negatives I can think of is that it's ranking has been dropping for the last few years and that it's in a really small town. It seems that the ranking has been dropping mostly because the schools around it and just below it (in ranking and quality) have been improving, not that W&L has been getting worse. Most of the students I've talked to that have gone there or go there really enjoy it.

[emhellmer]

Try searching W&L instead of Washington and Lee

Worked like a charm! Thanks. Regarding questionalbe employment prospects, I also thought that going to law school in the middle of nowhere seemed like a bad idea if one wanted to make connections with employers prior to graduation. However, I'm rather impressed with the employment report for the class of 2009:

http://law.wlu.edu/deptimages/Career%20 ... %20WEB.pdf

I know that law schools play games with their career reporting, but this report seems pretty direct. Aside from out-right lying, the employment prospects as reported seem promising.

[emhellmer]

I'm also interested in W&L.

The only negatives I can think of is that it's ranking has been dropping for the last few years and that it's in a really small town. It seems that the ranking has been dropping mostly because the schools around it and just below it (in ranking and quality) have been improving, not that W&L has been getting worse. Most of the students I've talked to that have gone there or go there really enjoy it.

I read the same thing. I do wonder if the people doing the hiring care what the rankings say? It seems to me that the reputation can go a long way. I imagine a recruiter thinking "wow, Wahington and Lee was a T-20 back when I was applying." Maybe I'm just ignorant about how this all works. To me, ranking is a just a number, but many other prospective students stress out about it, so maybe it is worth worrying about?

Yeah, I like the looks of the school. Can't wait to go visit!

[ran12]

Don't worry about W&L's rankings drop. It still has a pretty good reputation. The case may be that the schools around it have gotten better but the difference in ranking can sometimes be such a small number in the raw score that it's irrelevent. There is no real difference between W&L and most of the schools in the 20s.

It's actually an advantage that W&L is in its own enclave of sorts in VA. There won't be many distractions and you can focus on school. Your GPA is a huge factor in getting hired. W&L does a good job placing students in DC and the Southeast. If you do well at W&L, you shouldn't be too worried about getting a job.