Top Law Schools

Excuse my ignorance, but I was wondering if somebody could explain to me what constitutes a tier one, tier two and tier three.

I am a one thing at a time guy so I haven't thought at all about where I want to go yet as I was all LSAT till I finished that last month.

Different sites list different things. For example LSN lists tier 3 as starting after Hofstra at the end of the top 100, but a poster called Tulane a tier 3 and they're in the t-50.

For example are USC, UCLA and Texas (three schools I'm over the median in both) considered tier-1? Moreover, can somebody provide a cut off of which is the last school that placing in the median through law school will be enough to relatively secure a job pending good social skills?

logicman86 wrote: For example are USC, UCLA and Texas (three schools I'm over the median in both) considered tier-1?

Yes.

logicman86 wrote: Moreover, can somebody provide a cut off of which is the last school that placing in the median through law school will be enough to relatively secure a job pending good social skills?

I think this depends on what kind of job you're talking about (biglaw/government etc)... I'm sure other people will have more details. I'm just a lowly 0L.

The tiers are based on US News, which technically has only Tier 1 (1-100), Tier 3, and Tier 4. In common usage, however, Tier 1 is 1-50 and Tier 2 is 51-100. Tiers 3 and 4 are unranked.

BaiAilian2013 wrote:The tiers are based on US News, which technically has only Tier 1 (1-100), Tier 3, and Tier 4. In common usage, however, Tier 1 is 1-50 and Tier 2 is 51-100. Tiers 3 and 4 are unranked.

Okay... some guy on here said Vandy was tier 3, and that didn't make sense to me. On this note, is a full ride to a bottom feeder tier 1 like Cordoza worth taking over a school like Texas with minimal $. I'm not a hubris guy so I don't care at all about the school's reputation. I just want to be able to provide for kids and a hot wife, and fight for my gangstas.

logicman86 wrote:

BaiAilian2013 wrote:The tiers are based on US News, which technically has only Tier 1 (1-100), Tier 3, and Tier 4. In common usage, however, Tier 1 is 1-50 and Tier 2 is 51-100. Tiers 3 and 4 are unranked.

Okay... some guy on here said Vandy was tier 3, and that didn't make sense to me. On this note, is a full ride to a bottom feeder tier 1 like Cordoza worth taking over a school like Texas with minimal $. I'm not a hubris guy so I don't care at all about the school's reputation. I just want to be able to provide for kids and a hot wife, and fight for my gangstas.

I want to attend school with you. What are your choices?

logicman86 wrote:I just want to be able to provide for kids and a hot wife, and fight for my gangstas.

Don't we all?

Unfortunately, any school with a T in its name will be called a T3 at some point on this site because typing TTTulane and VanderbilTTT is just more fun than using their real names. This is a good enough reason never to go to any school that can be taken advantage of in this way. GeorgeTTTown is a bad school for the same reason. It doesn't stop there, however. Dook is also a bad school, because you can spell its name in a funny way. Some schools that you think are safe still aren't (MichiTTTgan, for example). Also Chicago is declining. And Berkeley.

SandyC877 wrote:

logicman86 wrote:

BaiAilian2013 wrote:The tiers are based on US News, which technically has only Tier 1 (1-100), Tier 3, and Tier 4. In common usage, however, Tier 1 is 1-50 and Tier 2 is 51-100. Tiers 3 and 4 are unranked.

Okay... some guy on here said Vandy was tier 3, and that didn't make sense to me. On this note, is a full ride to a bottom feeder tier 1 like Cordoza worth taking over a school like Texas with minimal $. I'm not a hubris guy so I don't care at all about the school's reputation. I just want to be able to provide for kids and a hot wife, and fight for my gangstas.

I want to attend school with you. What are your choices?

Haven't applied yet.. based off the #'s...

Long shot (early decision w' a dream cause I might have their intangibles): STANFORD
Possible (around median in both): GEORGETOWN, CORNELL
Probable (median in GPA, 75th in LSAT): USC, UCLA, TEXAS, BU
Safety: FORDHAM, CORDOZA

yours?

bees wrote:

logicman86 wrote:I just want to be able to provide for kids and a hot wife, and fight for my gangstas.

Don't we all?

Unfortunately, any school with a T in its name will be called a T3 at some point on this site because typing TTTulane and VanderbilTTT is just more fun than using their real names. This is a good enough reason never to go to any school that can be taken advantage of in this way. GeorgeTTTown is a bad school for the same reason. It doesn't stop there, however. Dook is also a bad school, because you can spell its name in a funny way. Some schools that you think are safe still aren't (MichiTTTgan, for example). Also Chicago is declining. And Berkeley.

Why are you going to law school when you can be the next Seinfeld?

logicman86 wrote:

bees wrote:

logicman86 wrote:I just want to be able to provide for kids and a hot wife, and fight for my gangstas.

Don't we all?

Unfortunately, any school with a T in its name will be called a T3 at some point on this site because typing TTTulane and VanderbilTTT is just more fun than using their real names. This is a good enough reason never to go to any school that can be taken advantage of in this way. GeorgeTTTown is a bad school for the same reason. It doesn't stop there, however. Dook is also a bad school, because you can spell its name in a funny way. Some schools that you think are safe still aren't (MichiTTTgan, for example). Also Chicago is declining. And Berkeley.

Why are you going to law school when you can be the next Seinfeld?

Come on. Bees was explaining very nicely that just because someone calls a school T3 on this site doesn't mean it actually is.

USNWR used to denote Tier 1 as 1-50 and Tier 2 as 51-100. Recently they changed it so that Tier 1 is 1-100. But most people still use the old ranking system.

Kilpatrick wrote:USNWR used to denote Tier 1 as 1-50 and Tier 2 as 51-100. Recently they changed it so that Tier 1 is 1-100. But most people still use the old ranking system.

what's the difference between t3 and t4? Examples of what schools are each tier?

msbeautifulbasham wrote:

Kilpatrick wrote:USNWR used to denote Tier 1 as 1-50 and Tier 2 as 51-100. Recently they changed it so that Tier 1 is 1-100. But most people still use the old ranking system.

what's the difference between t3 and t4? Examples of what schools are each tier?

Practically, I don't think there's much of a difference between attending a t3 and a t4.

http://www.top-law-schools.com/third-fourth-tier.html

Why are people taking this question seriously? Although it's a question someone may need answered, it's not this guy. Why beginning this thread is amusing to OP I have no idea.

logicman86 wrote:Excuse my ignorance, but I was wondering if somebody could explain to me what constitutes a tier one, tier two and tier three.

Sure thing, Bud.

Here you go:

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logicman86 wrote: Haven't applied yet.. based off the #'s...

Long shot (early decision w' a dream cause I might have their intangibles): STANFORD
Possible (around median in both): GEORGETOWN, CORNELL
Probable (median in GPA, 75th in LSAT): USC, UCLA, TEXAS, BU
Safety: FORDHAM, CORDOZA

yours?

your #s make no sense at all. how are you around the median at Cornell, but above the median at UCLA, Texas. You realize UCLA and Texas have higher medians than Cornell right? and that Georgetown has a higher median than Stanford?

f0bolous wrote:

logicman86 wrote: Haven't applied yet.. based off the #'s...

Long shot (early decision w' a dream cause I might have their intangibles): STANFORD
Possible (around median in both): GEORGETOWN, CORNELL
Probable (median in GPA, 75th in LSAT): USC, UCLA, TEXAS, BU
Safety: FORDHAM, CORDOZA

yours?

your #s make no sense at all. how are you around the median at Cornell, but above the median at UCLA, Texas. You realize UCLA and Texas have higher medians than Cornell right? and that Georgetown has a higher median than Stanford?

My info says Georgetown is substantially lower than Stanford. Cornell's GPA is worse than UCLA and Texas, but their LSAT is higher according to the charts I am seeing.

logicman86 wrote:

f0bolous wrote:

logicman86 wrote: Haven't applied yet.. based off the #'s...

Long shot (early decision w' a dream cause I might have their intangibles): STANFORD
Possible (around median in both): GEORGETOWN, CORNELL
Probable (median in GPA, 75th in LSAT): USC, UCLA, TEXAS, BU
Safety: FORDHAM, CORDOZA

yours?

your #s make no sense at all. how are you around the median at Cornell, but above the median at UCLA, Texas. You realize UCLA and Texas have higher medians than Cornell right? and that Georgetown has a higher median than Stanford?

My info says Georgetown is substantially lower than Stanford. Cornell's GPA is worse than UCLA and Texas, but their LSAT is higher according to the charts I am seeing.

Median LSAT / GPA
Stanford 170 / 3.87
GULC 170 / 3.68
UCLA 168 / 3.75
Texas 167 / 3.71
Cornell 167 / 3.61

not sure which charts you're seeing

you're right in that stanford has higher stats. for some reason, i thought stanford's lsat median was lower, but i may have gotten that confused with berkeley

The rankings / Tiers are:

T3>T6>T10>T14>T30>Regional Manager for McDonalds>Most other ABA approved Law Schools>Katherine Gibbs Typing Classes>Non-Hamburger College Graduate employee of McDonald's>NYC Area Law schools that aren't T14 or Fordham

In sum.. Outside of the T30... rankings mean nothing. People will argue this point, but those people don't know what they are talking about.