Top Law Schools

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You're concerned that your low LSAT might mean that you will struggle at YLS. That concern is unfounded. For one thing, YLS doesn't even have grades first semester of 1L, and it only sorta has grades after that. For another thing, even someone with straight-Ps at Yale will have no problem finding a job. Oh...and the overall intelligence/ability of YLS students is basically the same as the overall intelligence/ability of SLS and Berkeley students. Do NOT turn down YLS because you're worried about the competition.

As for your other concerns, those are personal and we can't really tell you how much to value them. In general, YLS will, overall, give you slightly better opportunities than SLS, which will, overall, give you slightly better opportunities than Berkeley. But attending SLS or Berkeley over YLS for personal reasons isn't necessarily a bad decision, depending on how compelling those personal reasons are.

Is there a reason you didn't just apply to SLS and Berkeley this cycle? Why don't you apply now?

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Yale, Stanford, and Berkeley have equivalent international law programs, i.e. a student can find very good faculty, couses, and clinics at each school. And whatever specialized course may be missing, a student can pursue via a directed study with a professor. Employment outcomes in public international law are uncertain in general, as that field is very competitive and the jobs are few. The three schools probably give a graduate a roughly equal (and moderate) chance at getting those rare jobs (U.N., U.S. government, prestigious NGOs etc.), though Yale does have an edge for some top positions, e.g. international tribunals and U.S. State Department's Legal Adviser's office, where alumni recruiting is really thing. Private international law (international litigation and arbitration) is practiced at big law firms, and for those types of careers, I believe the three schools provide a roughly equivalent chance. HTH.

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Redamon1 wrote:Yale, Stanford, and Berkeley have equivalent international law programs, i.e. a student can find very good faculty, couses, and clinics at each school. And whatever specialized course may be missing, a student can pursue via a directed study with a professor. Employment outcomes in public international law are uncertain in general, as that field is very competitive and the jobs are few. The three schools probably give a graduate a roughly equal (and moderate) chance at getting those rare jobs (U.N., U.S. government, prestigious NGOs etc.), though Yale does have an edge for some top positions, e.g. international tribunals and U.S. State Department's Legal Adviser's office, where alumni recruiting is really thing. Private international law (international litigation and arbitration) is practiced at big law firms, and for those types of careers, I believe the three schools provide a roughly equivalent chance. HTH.

Yale and Berkeley have stronger international law programs than Stanford on a faculty, scholarship, resources (centers & programs), alumni, ect basis--the factors of academic experience. There's really no denying that, and many SLS alums and faculty would admit its been a traditional subject area of relative weakness compared to peer schools.

Does this impact hiring from a student perspective? Probably not at all. I agree with the rundown of employment outcomes Redamon provided. And employment is more important than the traditional institutional preeminence in a field, unless you wanted to become a professor.

Berkeley gives merit scholarships. Yale and Stanford don't. If you are going for public international law jobs, you will not be making a lot of money. Therefore you should look to minimize your cost of attending law school.

I will also throw in a shout-out for my school, Penn. Penn came second in the world last year in the Jessup International Law Competition, and multiple members of that team got summer jobs at the State Department Office of Legal Counsel. And the school is loading up on its international offerings, this semester offering a new course in International Investment Law and opening an international affairs center, the Perry World House.