Undergrad Reputation in Biglaw hiring Forum

[A. Nony Mouse]

Ya I think we keep arguing past each other forgetting that everything in this thread is said in the context of why and whether undergrad reputation matters. It's certainly not an either or. But it's a very good soft both in reality, and I think in theory (in that I do believe it at the very least signals an increased chance of the having certain desirable attributes).

I may not agree with you, but going to the original question, I can't say you're the only person out there who feels that way.

[FinanceStudent28]

How much does high-school preftige matter for BIGLAW???

One time during an interview the guy looked at my resume, saw I hadn't attended exeter phillips, and threw my resume into the trash

Going to a fancy HS can only help you IMO. Obv. not a big (or likely even small) factor, but not nothing.

If you wen't somewhere like Phillips Exeter you'd probably know people in important positions and have a decent alumni network.

[FinanceStudent28]

Actually, I don't think quality of education is really what distinguishes Directional State University from the blueboods, nor do I think you can make any assumptions about a person's intellectual ability based on where they went to school. I could see firms using UG prestige as a tiebreaker when they're deciding between largely equal candidates, but I don't think that has anything to do with the quality of education the person received.

Are you kidding me? You think that if I holler from a balcony on spring break at a group of 8 ole miss chicks to come up and play drinking games... and then do the same at a group of duke chicks, there's no way to predict who will be smarter?

Three answers to this:

1. The girls that would come up to your room? Probably not.

2. In general, I agree with your point. If we took a random sampling of Ole Miss vs. Duke students there would be a difference.

3. A random sampling of Ole Miss and Duke grads enrolled at HYS Law? Probably not.

And that's what were talking about.

That said, Undergrad Reputation is going to be a factor, probably less than other more important things (Law grades, Law school rep, etc.,) just like anything else you did before Law School is probably going to matter (did you work for Bain Consulting for 2 years or did you deliver pizzas for 2 years?)

[Mack.Hambleton]

How much does high-school preftige matter for BIGLAW???

One time during an interview the guy looked at my resume, saw I hadn't attended exeter phillips, and threw my resume into the trash

Going to a fancy HS can only help you IMO. Obv. not a big (or likely even small) factor, but not nothing.

If you wen't somewhere like Phillips Exeter you'd probably know people in important positions and have a decent alumni network.

Like the illuminati?

[PDaddy]

Anecdotal information here: my firm just specifically rejected a candidate who was otherwise qualified based solely on the fact that a person went to a terrible undergrad school. The fact that your school is not well known will not hurt, but if it is truly a terrible undergrad institution reputationwise, it can be held against you.

Now this intrigues me. What do you mean by "terrible"? Are we talking about schools that are just generally unranked? Schools that aren't tier 1? Not top 100? 50? Have a reputation for being party school? Public state institutions?

Any to-100 UG (national university/college) is a "good" college. The top 65 or so are prestigious, the top-30 are more prestigious, and the top-12 or so are elite. It's pretty hard to go to a "bad" university/college in the U.S.. We have it good.

[FinanceStudent28]

How much does high-school preftige matter for BIGLAW???

One time during an interview the guy looked at my resume, saw I hadn't attended exeter phillips, and threw my resume into the trash

Going to a fancy HS can only help you IMO. Obv. not a big (or likely even small) factor, but not nothing.

If you wen't somewhere like Phillips Exeter you'd probably know people in important positions and have a decent alumni network.

Like the illuminati?

Yes.

You are being facetious, but it's not unlikely that it's possible to network with alum of a HS. I'm sure many people have obtained jobs through HS connections, and if those connections are A+ then its even better for you. (Like I said, this is not a big deal, but it's definitely a plus).

Any sort of group you are involved with is most likely going to be helpful.

If you are a member of a large fraternity or sorority for example, the chances of you connecting/networking with fellow alums is possible.

[norkanite]

.

[Hipster but Athletic]

They'll ask why you went there in your interview

[abl]

I'm curious about this. My undergrad is ranked 100-150 but is perennially ranked one of the top 10 schools nationally in my major. I'm definitely not stressing out about this because I think it's a nonissue, but I'm still curious if hiring partners would ever look at certain school's reputation in a certain field, especially if it's not apparent to a layperson.

Unless you are trying to get a specialized job in the area of your major, or applying to grad school/professional school in that major, nobody's going to care. Sorry!

[norkanite]

.

[t14splitter]

Anecdotal information here: my firm just specifically rejected a candidate who was otherwise qualified based solely on the fact that a person went to a terrible undergrad school. The fact that your school is not well known will not hurt, but if it is truly a terrible undergrad institution reputationwise, it can be held against you.

Now this intrigues me. What do you mean by "terrible"? Are we talking about schools that are just generally unranked? Schools that aren't tier 1? Not top 100? 50? Have a reputation for being party school? Public state institutions?

Any to-100 UG (national university/college) is a "good" college. The top 65 or so are prestigious, the top-30 are more prestigious, and the top-12 or so are elite. It's pretty hard to go to a "bad" university/college in the U.S.. We have it good.

I'm a big fan of how you broke down the "elite" category

[scifiguy]

What if I attend Cal Tech? Will that help?

EDIT: hypothetically speaking