Top Law Schools

So I just discovered TLS. I've been reading through some old topics and was jw why there was seemed to be a lot of animosity towards Georgetown. I was thinking of applying there so I was just curious.

(I also didn't really know where else to out this ? So I hope here is ok)

It' a "T14" but has markedly worse job prospects than the other T14

It does not offer that much of an advantage, if at all, in its home market

It costs a buttload of $ with high CoL

It does not offer that much scholarship money

It's a mill that admits a shitton of people

It markets itself as a "law center"

If that 3.8/180 is real enjoy one of Harvard, Yale, or Stanford. GULC's problems come from the large class size and its location in a popular market that it doesn't really dominate.

Moved to the Law School Admissions Forum.

Thanks for the quick answer!

So are there just no good law schools in the DC market then? Because it seems like it would be a great location which is why it interested me.

politics89 wrote:Thanks for the quick answer!

So are there just no good law schools in the DC market then? Because it seems like it would be a great location which is why it interested me.

GULC & GWU are both "good", relatively speaking.. Just not the best.

I agree that DC should have a stronger law school, but UVA isn't far and services it heavily. Also, it's worth noting that Georgetown could have a great law school if it stopped wasting it away as a cash cow for policy PhD stipends and undergrad scholarships/finaid. All they need to do is cut half the class size and 1/3 the profs & actually give competitive scholarships to retain a 170 median, and they'd go from bottom of 14 to at least middle if not top half.

GULC is still good, but if you want a job in DC then HYS is TCR.

Sorry "good" was probably a bad word choice.

Also TCR? Sorry

And what exactly is meant by calling it a "law center"?

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Bc Jessuf

sublime wrote:

politics89 wrote:Sorry "good" was probably a bad word choice.

Also TCR? Sorry

And what exactly is meant by calling it a "law center"?

TCR - The credited response (right answer)

Law center just makes them seem kind of pompous and it rubs some people the wrong way.

I would suggest looking at lawschooltransparency.com and looking at GULC's employment stats (good, no doubt) but then compare them to the rest of the T14 and you will see what they are saying.

What an awesome website (although also kind of scary). Thanks!

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scotth724 wrote:If that 3.8/180 is real enjoy one of Harvard, Yale, or Stanford. GULC's problems come from the large class size and its location in a popular market that it doesn't really dominate.

Pretty much this, although I disagree that class size really hurts all that much. Coming from someone who just did 1L at GULC, DC is a really tough nut to crack, even coming from the best school in the area. That hurts it more than anything, I think.

scotth724 wrote:If that 3.8/180 is real enjoy one of Harvard, Yale, or Stanford. GULC's problems come from the large class size and its location in a popular market that it doesn't really dominate.

+1. Someone with your credentials has no business considering GeorgeTTTown. Look at it this way: GULC is pumping out 500+ law graduates per year, whereas a school like SLS pumps out ~180. Given GULC's 73.2% LST employment score, we know that 134-ish GULC students aren't finding full-time, long-term legal employment each year. Scary.

The 180 is real. The GPA is more like a 3.78, I dont know how big a deal .02 is.

Thanks for all the encouragement about HYS! I'm still pretty concerned that I just won't get in there and even if I do, they're hella expensive hence why I was considering Georgetown.

politics89 wrote:The 180 is real. The GPA is more like a 3.78, I dont know how big a deal .02 is.

Thanks for all the encouragement about HYS! I'm still pretty concerned that I just won't get in there and even if I do, they're hella expensive hence why I was considering Georgetown.

Georgetown is stingy as hell with their $ so it's usually no bargain even with good numbers. In any case, HYS need-based aid policies are generous enough that you probably won't have to worry about taking out 250k in loans. Congrats on dat 180 btw

scotth724 wrote:If that 3.8/180 is real enjoy one of Harvard, Yale, or Stanford.

Yes. Just save your app fee, even if it's just the $25 the LSAC charges. You're not going to GULC.

politics89 wrote:The 180 is real. The GPA is more like a 3.78, I dont know how big a deal .02 is.

Thanks for all the encouragement about HYS! I'm still pretty concerned that I just won't get in there and even if I do, they're hella expensive hence why I was considering Georgetown.

Oops, should have read further down.

Unless you have some significant criminal red flag, I would be shocked if you didn't get into Harvard. Just don't submit a personal statement in haiku or something else outlandish and pointlessly risky. With their tiny classes, Yale and Stanford are never predictable, even for people with very high numbers, and it's true that they both have pretty hard 3.8 GPA floors for non-URMs. But you should absolutely still apply to all three. Harvard's traditional GPA floor is 3.7, but they've been letting in plenty of 3.6-3.69 folks over the last couple of years with the massive decline in applicants.

Like the poster above said, all three are very generous with need-based aid. If you think you would qualify, you'll almost certainly get a good amount. They also have the best LRAP programs if there's any part of you that thinks you would be open to lower-paying public interest work. I think a significant part of the ill will toward GULC here stems from the fact that it just almost never seems to be anyone's best option. People either have bigger scholarship offers to schools with better to far better placement (the entire rest of the T14), or they have very sizable scholarships to strong regional schools like UT, UCLA, USC, and Vandy (or a full-ride to the state flagship in the state where they hope to practice), which in those cases make much more sense than paying full freight at GULC.

ColtsFan88 wrote:

scotth724 wrote:If that 3.8/180 is real enjoy one of Harvard, Yale, or Stanford. GULC's problems come from the large class size and its location in a popular market that it doesn't really dominate.

Pretty much this, although I disagree that class size really hurts all that much. Coming from someone who just did 1L at GULC, DC is a really tough nut to crack, even coming from the best school in the area. That hurts it more than anything, I think.

Well if GULC's class size was like that of Cornell's it would surely do better in DC...

As a GULC alum, I do think the school gets a lot of unfair hate around here. Government placement is actually quite good, which doesn't show up in the standard am law/clerkship ranking. Placement isn't really much different than schools like Cornell or Michigan.

That said, someone with those numbers should go to YLS or get a full ride to a T6. No need to consider GULC except maybe as a safety.

Yeah, if you have a 180 and 3.78, you should easily get CCN and have a good shot at HYS.

Don't worry about GULC.