Top Law Schools

Has anybody read this book? It looks promising!

Above the Law discussion of the book:

http://abovethelaw.com/2012/10/the-best ... -not-yale/

Short Article discussing the book's contents:

http://www.onbeingablacklawyer.com/word ... k-students

Link directly to the book (you can flip through the pages):

http://www.onbeingablacklawyer.com/obab ... x.html#/1/

What are your thoughts? For non-URM's, keep a healthy perspective. The book aims to give URM's bthe tools to make decisions based on specific needs that may also apply to non-URM's. Despite its title, it appears that it could benefit people from all ethnic backgrounds, especially those who desire to work in metropolitan areas heavily populated with people of color, or who may go into civil rights law and desire to connect with mentors of color.

Keep it clean, please.

I'll never understand the "best law schools for X minority" group rankings. For a book that aims to guide AA students through misinformation it seems a bit unfortunate to have Howard right below Harvard, with Yale several spots below both. But, whatever. I would have also liked to see a bit of a discussion on what the author considers "black" (Afro-hispanic/Dominicans/Cubans/etc. that are racially mixed are never really mentioned re: AA).

ETA: Also the admissions info is a bit misleading too. While it is true that any URM (not just an AA) with a 3.82/175 is definitely getting in to CLS, not mentioning that AAs with much lower numbers are frequently admitted is inaccurate at best.

howlery wrote:I'll never understand the "best law schools for X minority" group rankings. For a book that aims to guide AA students through misinformation it seems a bit unfortunate to have Howard right below Harvard, with Yale several spots below both. But, whatever. I would have also liked to see a bit of a discussion on what the author considers "black" (Afro-hispanic/Dominicans/Cubans/etc. that are racially mixed are never really mentioned re: AA).

ETA: Also the admissions info is a bit misleading too. While it is true that any URM (not just an AA) with a 3.82/175 is definitely getting in to CLS, not mentioning that AAs with much lower numbers are frequently admitted is inaccurate at best.

I think those groups ARE considered in the calculus; they are simply lumped in with African-Americans, because too few of them are applying. Secondly, the statistics support the hypothesis that Howard is by far one of the best schools for people of color; that includes cost of attendance, career prospects, networks, social experiences, etc.

If AA students eschew a strict rankings-based formula in making their school choices, that's a good thing. I believe the book aims to encourage AA students to think a bit more deeply when considering their school choices. Leaving out the information you note is a great start. AA students should not expect admission to elite law schools without performing their absolute best during UG.

The rankings offered in the book are supported by the statistics.

I will agree that URM's with "lower" numbers get into schools like CLS, but not URM's with "much lower numbers". The typical AA T14 admit is either a true splitter or a student whose numbers square-up with those of the general population at this/her school. The third group you may be thinking of consists of slight outliers who get in with numbers that, while normally prohibitive of non-URM admission at certain schools, are nevertheless outstanding.

For example, instead of 3.82/175 a successful AA student may have a 3.6/165. This is certainly a student who is qualified to attend and perform well at any law school in the country. Similarly situated non-URM's don't get in with the same GPA/LSAT because of the sheer numbers in which they apply. There are just too many of them competing for seats at the elite schools, and that results in a higher GPA/LSAT curve.

That doesn't suggest that students with marginally higher numbers are any more qualified for those schools, especially when it is nearly impossible to compare GPA's at all - barring obvious differences in performance (ex. 3.9 in Biology from Brown v. a 2.9 in biology from Cal State Fullerton).

The book correctly encourages students to consider location, costs, career prospects, on-campus experiences, and post-graduate networks when choosing law schools. For AA students seeking biglaw, those are the important factors.

To answer your question, YES, I think it is helpful for black law school applicants - especially seeing how so many remain misinformed/uninformed- but would hope anyone considering attending law school not solely rely on a guide for and by us [black people] to understand the entire process of law school - from applying right up to graduating.

Now, if only this type of information can be disseminated on college campuses, etc. Not everyone is aware of TLS.

As a side note, I'm glad to see that Yolanda Young, Esq. is taking a negative experience and turning it into a positive for fellow and aspiring black attorneys.