Top Law Schools

Does anyone know of a thread that discussed differences between students at HYS vs other T14 schools?

Mostly curious in terms of ambition, work ethic, background, etc. One thing that affects my school choice is the connections I'll make there--so it seems like the network of people you'd meet at Stanford would be more "successful" than Cornell (of course, both are great networks filled with brilliant people). But like, closer-ranked schools, i.e. Columbia v Harvard --- how do the student bodies differ?

I feel like I've seen threads on this type of thing but can't find any ATM. Thanks for any direction, or feel free to contribute a response ITT.

Posting quickly as I leave work, so sorry if this is not well written. I'll try to clarify if needed when I get home late tonight.

The differences are minute, and they should not impact your decision to the point that you're ignoring job placement or financials.

You're going to find students you like at any school and students you hate at any school. You'll probably only network with the former. There is no such thing as a "more successful" network, at least not in a sense that has nothing to do with the objective job placement power of that school.

The main difference I've seen between students at HYS vs. other T14 schools is that more people at HYS really believe that attending HYS at sticker is a phenomenal choice, even if they only want to work at a big NYC firm.

The higher up the ladder you go the more impressive (i.e., how rich a background they come from) the credentials of the student body.

star fox wrote:The higher up the ladder you go the more impressive (i.e., how rich a background they come from) the credentials of the student body.

I'm a little sad whenever the son/daughter of a legal luminary is "outed" in class. I think to myself, "Holy shit, you couldn't even get into HLS?"

Keep in mind the Harvard has the largest law school in the country: it enrolls 570 students each year. That's a massive number. Then there's Yale, with another 210 matriculates.

If you aren't among those 800 (EIGHT HUNDRED) law students, I mean...

Wild Card wrote:

star fox wrote:The higher up the ladder you go the more impressive (i.e., how rich a background they come from) the credentials of the student body.

I'm a little sad whenever the son/daughter of a legal luminary is "outed" in class. I think to myself, "Holy shit, you couldn't even get into HLS?"

Yes it's pretty humiliating. JB Pritzker had to donate $100M to Northwestern Law in order to boost its ranking presumably out of humiliation at going to a school not even in the Top 10.

Wild Card wrote:Keep in mind the Harvard has the largest law school in the country: it enrolls 570 students each year. That's a massive number. Then there's Yale, with another 210 matriculates.

If you aren't among those 800 (EIGHT HUNDRED) law students, I mean...

Add Stanford and you got a cool 1000

Very little/basically zero incrementally. Between UT (#14) and Yale (#1), its substantial. But that's taking lots of little increments and putting them together. There's no real distinction on average between the students at #X and #X+2 on US News.

jbagelboy wrote:Very little/basically zero incrementally. Between UT (#14) and Yale (#1), its substantial. But that's taking lots of little increments and putting them together. There's no real distinction on average between the students at #X and #X+2 on US News.

Stealthy NYU-trolling

UVA2B wrote:

jbagelboy wrote:Very little/basically zero incrementally. Between UT (#14) and Yale (#1), its substantial. But that's taking lots of little increments and putting them together. There's no real distinction on average between the students at #X and #X+2 on US News.

Stealthy NYU-trolling

I'm not seeing the trolling....

There's little difference, if any, between HYS and CCN. What matters when choosing a school is scholarship offers and job placement power.

star fox wrote:

Wild Card wrote:

star fox wrote:The higher up the ladder you go the more impressive (i.e., how rich a background they come from) the credentials of the student body.

I'm a little sad whenever the son/daughter of a legal luminary is "outed" in class. I think to myself, "Holy shit, you couldn't even get into HLS?"

Yes it's pretty humiliating. JB Pritzker had to donate $100M to Northwestern Law in order to boost its ranking presumably out of humiliation at going to a school not even in the Top 10.

He should have offered them more money to take his name off the wall.

Veil of Ignorance wrote:

UVA2B wrote:

jbagelboy wrote:Very little/basically zero incrementally. Between UT (#14) and Yale (#1), its substantial. But that's taking lots of little increments and putting them together. There's no real distinction on average between the students at #X and #X+2 on US News.

Stealthy NYU-trolling

I'm not seeing the trolling....

Bags regularly extols how close Columbia is to HYS. HYS+2=HYSCC forevs (obviously not what he was saying, just thought it was funny Columbia is at 5 and he set it at +2).

UVA2B wrote:

Veil of Ignorance wrote:

UVA2B wrote:

jbagelboy wrote:Very little/basically zero incrementally. Between UT (#14) and Yale (#1), its substantial. But that's taking lots of little increments and putting them together. There's no real distinction on average between the students at #X and #X+2 on US News.

Stealthy NYU-trolling

I'm not seeing the trolling....

Bags regularly extols how close Columbia is to HYS. HYS+2=HYSCC forevs (obviously not what he was saying, just thought it was funny Columbia is at 5 and he set it at +2).

Columbia is close to Harvard which is close to Yale. None of them are equals. I don't understand "H Y S."

My intention was not to convey any specific numbering scheme. I'm saying that generally speaking there's little to no differentiation in small US news increments. Call it +/- 3. But in broader swathes sure there will be some differences in average student quality.

UVA2B wrote:

Veil of Ignorance wrote:

UVA2B wrote:

jbagelboy wrote:Very little/basically zero incrementally. Between UT (#14) and Yale (#1), its substantial. But that's taking lots of little increments and putting them together. There's no real distinction on average between the students at #X and #X+2 on US News.

Stealthy NYU-trolling

I'm not seeing the trolling....

Bags regularly extols how close Columbia is to HYS. HYS+2=HYSCC forevs (obviously not what he was saying, just thought it was funny Columbia is at 5 and he set it at +2).

Gotta have pride in the alma mater I suppose.

jbagelboy wrote:

UVA2B wrote:

Veil of Ignorance wrote:

UVA2B wrote:

jbagelboy wrote:Very little/basically zero incrementally. Between UT (#14) and Yale (#1), its substantial. But that's taking lots of little increments and putting them together. There's no real distinction on average between the students at #X and #X+2 on US News.

Stealthy NYU-trolling

I'm not seeing the trolling....

Bags regularly extols how close Columbia is to HYS. HYS+2=HYSCC forevs (obviously not what he was saying, just thought it was funny Columbia is at 5 and he set it at +2).

Columbia is close to Harvard which is close to Yale. None of them are equals. I don't understand "H Y S."

My intention was not to convey any specific numbering scheme. I'm saying that generally speaking there's little to no differentiation in small US news increments. Call it +/- 3. But in broader swathes sure there will be some differences in average student quality.

I totally agree with your entire premise, but who are we if not anonymous Internet posters who rag on each other for sport?

ETA: I think it's probably closer to look at it as to what extent the institutions overlap in student quality. Like Harvard may have an arbitrary percent of students who are qualitatively better students than Columbia students and Columbia may have an arbitrary percent of students are markedly inferior quality students. It's primarily what you believe that percentage is (and this is all a ridiculous discussion to begin with because it's about quality of outcome, not quality of academic ability in this three year academic bubble).

ETA2: stupid phone typing

UVA2B wrote:

Veil of Ignorance wrote:

UVA2B wrote:

jbagelboy wrote:Very little/basically zero incrementally. Between UT (#14) and Yale (#1), its substantial. But that's taking lots of little increments and putting them together. There's no real distinction on average between the students at #X and #X+2 on US News.

Stealthy NYU-trolling

I'm not seeing the trolling....

Bags regularly extols how close Columbia is to HYS. HYS+2=HYSCC forevs (obviously not what he was saying, just thought it was funny Columbia is at 5 and he set it at +2).

I mean, CLS is a very good school, whereas HYS is obvs light years better than those lepers at NYU.

dabigchina wrote:

UVA2B wrote:

Veil of Ignorance wrote:

UVA2B wrote:

jbagelboy wrote:Very little/basically zero incrementally. Between UT (#14) and Yale (#1), its substantial. But that's taking lots of little increments and putting them together. There's no real distinction on average between the students at #X and #X+2 on US News.

Stealthy NYU-trolling

I'm not seeing the trolling....

Bags regularly extols how close Columbia is to HYS. HYS+2=HYSCC forevs (obviously not what he was saying, just thought it was funny Columbia is at 5 and he set it at +2).

I mean, CLS is a very good school, whereas HYS is obvs light years better than those lepers at NYU.

dabigchina wrote:

UVA2B wrote:

Veil of Ignorance wrote:

UVA2B wrote:

jbagelboy wrote:Very little/basically zero incrementally. Between UT (#14) and Yale (#1), its substantial. But that's taking lots of little increments and putting them together. There's no real distinction on average between the students at #X and #X+2 on US News.

Stealthy NYU-trolling

I'm not seeing the trolling....

Bags regularly extols how close Columbia is to HYS. HYS+2=HYSCC forevs (obviously not what he was saying, just thought it was funny Columbia is at 5 and he set it at +2).

I mean, CLS is a very good school, whereas HYS is obvs light years better than those lepers at NYU.