Hardest/Easiest Law Reviews in the T14 Forum

[rkellypeesonu]

Is LR substantially easier or harder to make at certain T-14 schools? If i don't have these figures wrong, it looks like both Stanford and Harvard have about 45 people on their respective LRs, while Harvard's class size is more than three times as large. Could this be a potential thing to consider when choosing schools?

[chasgoose]

Is LR substantially easier or harder to make at certain T-14 schools? If i don't have these figures wrong, it looks like both Stanford and Harvard have about 45 people on their respective LRs, while Harvard's class size is more than three times as large. Could this be a potential thing to consider when choosing schools?

It's not a thing to consider, but yes LR is a lot easier to make when there is less competition. H's is BY FAR the hardest, but seeing as most T14 law reviews are similar in size (or more similar in size than their student bodies are) after H it's probably determined by proportion to class size. I have heard anecdotally that, relative to say, Harvard Law Review, making Yale Law Journal is only marginally harder than signing up.

[Gecko of Doom]

If you're choosing schools based on the relative difficulty of getting on law review, you're doing it wrong.

[IAFG]

If you're choosing schools based on the relative difficulty of getting on law review, you're doing it wrong.

Not if your goal is academia

[Gecko of Doom]

If you're choosing schools based on the relative difficulty of getting on law review, you're doing it wrong.

Not if your goal is academia

Sure, but the chances are so small either way that there are many, many other factors that should make the decision for you before it comes down to law review selectivity.

[IAFG]

If you're choosing schools based on the relative difficulty of getting on law review, you're doing it wrong.

Not if your goal is academia

Sure, but the chances are so small either way that there are many, many other factors that should make the decision for you before it comes down to law review selectivity.

I don't agree. If you're comparing two schools, you absolutely should consider their ability to get you the job you want. If you have HYS numbers and get into a couple of them, the ease of getting onto law review is a smart thing to look at.

[chasgoose]

If you're choosing schools based on the relative difficulty of getting on law review, you're doing it wrong.

Not if your goal is academia

Sure, but the chances are so small either way that there are many, many other factors that should make the decision for you before it comes down to law review selectivity.

I don't agree. If you're comparing two schools, you absolutely should consider their ability to get you the job you want. If you have HYS numbers and get into a couple of them, the ease of getting onto law review is a smart thing to look at.

False. It's definitely easier to make law review at Cornell than it is at Harvard, but you would be stupid to choose Cornell over Harvard if academia is your goal. At Harvard you could have stellar grades and great faculty relationships and still not make law review because its so difficult, but you would be in a much better position for academia than you would with law review at Cornell. If academia is your goal, the answer is you need law review AND YHS. So yes, this could be a consideration if you are deciding between Yale, Harvard, or Stanford (Yale would win because they are better for academia and their law review is one of the easiest to get on to and conceivably Stanford could beat Harvard for this reason), but if your choice was between Harvard and a school with an easier law review to make, you still need to take Harvard if you want academia.

[IAFG]

False.

Okay, Dwight.

It's definitely easier to make law review at Cornell than it is at Harvard, but you would be stupid to choose Cornell over Harvard if academia is your goal. At Harvard you could have stellar grades and great faculty relationships and still not make law review because its so difficult, but you would be in a much better position for academia than you would with law review at Cornell.

But that's not what I said, now is it.

If academia is your goal, the answer is you need law review AND YHS. So yes, this could be a consideration if you are deciding between Yale, Harvard, or Stanford (Yale would win because they are better for academia and their law review is one of the easiest to get on to), but if your choice was between Harvard and a school with an easier law review to make, you still need to take Harvard if you want academia.

And that's what I actually said. Jesus, learn to read before you aspie rant on people.

Furthermore, if you got into Michigan and UVA, I've heard Michigan's LR is easier to get onto as well. It's a reasonable thing to consider when comparing peer schools.

[crumpetsandtea]

False.

Okay, Dwight.

I lol-ed.

[chasgoose]

I admit I came off like an asshole there. I shouldn't be posting when I am cranky and tired and don't want to read things all the way through.

[bdubs]

If you're choosing schools based on the relative difficulty of getting on law review, you're doing it wrong.

Not if your goal is academia

Sure, but the chances are so small either way that there are many, many other factors that should make the decision for you before it comes down to law review selectivity.

I was told by a senior partner at a V20 that this was one of the main factors (along with location) that I should consider when deciding between schools in the T14, outside of HYS (not that I had to choose between HYS and another T14).

[MrKappus]

When choosing a school, one should heavily consider how easy it is to get onto the law review. T100 + Law Review >>>> HYS w/o LR (if you want clerkships/academe). No question.

[IAFG]

When choosing a school, one should heavily consider how easy it is to get onto the law review. T100 + Law Review >>>> HYS w/o LR (if you want clerkships/academe). No question.

The OP is specifically comparing H and S. Obviously it's only something to look at if you're choosing between peer schools.

My first consideration between peer schools would be money, but if you're doing PI or academia if you can get it, LR makes sense as a criteria.

[MrKappus]

When choosing a school, one should heavily consider how easy it is to get onto the law review. T100 + Law Review >>>> HYS w/o LR (if you want clerkships/academe). No question.

The OP is specifically comparing H and S. Obviously it's only something to look at if you're choosing between peer schools.

My first consideration between peer schools would be money, but if you're doing PI or academia if you can get it, LR makes sense as a criteria.

I was kidding. Sorry. Should've layered the sarcasm thicker. That's on me.

[rkellypeesonu]

I agree that H/S is clearly the case where this could be the biggest factor, given the proximity of rank and significant difference in difficulty of LR

[IAFG]

When choosing a school, one should heavily consider how easy it is to get onto the law review. T100 + Law Review >>>> HYS w/o LR (if you want clerkships/academe). No question.

The OP is specifically comparing H and S. Obviously it's only something to look at if you're choosing between peer schools.

My first consideration between peer schools would be money, but if you're doing PI or academia if you can get it, LR makes sense as a criteria.

I was kidding. Sorry. Should've layered the sarcasm thicker. That's on me.

I did interpret it as sarcasm, but maybe I ran the wrong way with it.

I'm supposed to be asleep.

[Gecko of Doom]

Eh, I guess I'm just coming at this from a more pessimistic perspective. The way I see it, no matter where you go, chances are you won't make law review. So you might as well make your decision based on factors that have a much higher probability of actually affecting your school experience and job prospects.

[bluedvl]

So within tiers of the t14 whats the easiest?

It seems difficulty of hys is: y<s<h

what about ccn or the rest?

[IAFG]

Eh, I guess I'm just coming at this from a more pessimistic perspective. The way I see it, no matter where you go, chances are you won't make law review. So you might as well make your decision based on factors that have a much higher probability of actually affecting your school experience and job prospects.

A quarter of people getting on isn't that slim of odds.

[rkellypeesonu]

So within tiers of the t14 whats the easiest?

It seems difficulty of hys is: y<s<h

what about ccn or the rest?

Correct me if I'm mistaken, but it seems like all schools have the same number of people on LR in each class (40-45), so it seems like it would just be proportional to class size, assuming we're comparing similar ranks so that the competition level of other students is approximately the same.

[D-hops]

So within tiers of the t14 whats the easiest?

It seems difficulty of hys is: y<s<h

what about ccn or the rest?

Correct me if I'm mistaken, but it seems like all schools have the same number of people on LR in each class (40-45), so it seems like it would just be proportional to class size, assuming we're comparing similar ranks so that the competition level of other students is approximately the same.

You may also have to look at selection procedures. Some LRs have slots for pure grade on, pure write on, and then a combination. If you are a great editor/writer, you may want a school that has slots of those flavor.

[ahduth]

I think N takes 45 people: 15 grade-on, 15 write-on, and 15 hybrid. That is all I have to contribute here really, although possibly fewer eligible people select into LR because they're going PI. That's pure speculation though, and you're nuts if you're picking schools based on it.

[lawyerwannabe]

About 17 - 20% of Duke's class makes DLJ (13 grade-ons, 13 write-ons, 13 hybrids).

[bdubs]

I guess this is as good a place as any to compile LR write-on/grade-on information.

Northwestern: 36 write on slots for first year students. Of the spots, 26 are 50/50 grades and writing competition scores, the other 10 are pure writing competition score. This is a bit less than 15% of the first year students (Class of 2014 has 264 students)

AJDs and transfers compete for an additional 4-6 slots.

[KMaine]

Cornell has 12 write ons, 12 grade ons, and 14 composite ons. This year, there was some talk of increasing membership (I think by 3), but the vote failed. There are approximately 200 people per class. It seems to me the smaller class size coupled with the slightly lower admissions standards (as compared to most of the t-14) makes Cornell a good bet for somebody wanting to get on LR. It was a (minor) factor in my decision to come to Cornell. It worked out well for me. Am not sure if I would have made LR at the other schools I was admitted to.