Top Law Schools

I recently told my professors and some of my work colleagues about the schools I'm applying to, and the large majority of them have been astounded that I'm not considering applying to W&L. Based on their USNWR and their not so great employment stats, the thought of applying has literally not crossed my mind at all. Why are all my professors set in their conviction that W&L is an amazing, prestigious law school?

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Hikkomorist wrote:They used to be ranked higher, but you definitely shouldn't consider applying with your stats.

It doesn't hold appeal for me for multiple reasons - I was mainly just confounded since what I was hearing seemed to go against all TLS logic haha

Because your undergrad professors associate W&L with an old, private school that has undergrad prestige, which it does. Also, its idyllic locale and its tradition as being brokered as post-Civil War peace offering between the Yanks and the Good 'Ole Boys gives it an interesting backstory. The realty is that, if you aren't from Virginia AND on full ride, this school is a dangerous proposition.

I've learned laypeople don't know much about law school.

Random schools tend to have odd lay prestige.

KMart wrote:I've learned laypeople don't know much about law school.

Lol. This.

My family wouldve been stoked if I went to like UNC or something.

BasilHallward wrote:Because your undergrad professors associate W&L with an old, private school that has undergrad prestige, which it does. Also, its idyllic locale and its tradition as being brokered as post-Civil War peace offering between the Yanks and the Good 'Ole Boys gives it an interesting backstory. The realty is that, if you aren't from Virginia AND on full ride, this school is a dangerous proposition.

I honestly wasn't aware of that backstory, that's interesting. Even more interesting is that I'm in TX right now, and people seem to talk reverently about W&L. It would be one thing if we were anywhere near Virginia haha.
Agreed, it would make no sense for me.

just imagine how excited ur profs will be when u tell them about ur acceptance to dartmouth law!

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Hikkomorist wrote:

slizerd wrote:

BasilHallward wrote:Because your undergrad professors associate W&L with an old, private school that has undergrad prestige, which it does. Also, its idyllic locale and its tradition as being brokered as post-Civil War peace offering between the Yanks and the Good 'Ole Boys gives it an interesting backstory. The realty is that, if you aren't from Virginia AND on full ride, this school is a dangerous proposition.

I honestly wasn't aware of that backstory, that's interesting. Even more interesting is that I'm in TX right now, and people seem to talk reverently about W&L. It would be one thing if we were anywhere near Virginia haha.
Agreed, it would make no sense for me.

Pretty sure they should all view Duke as being superior to W&L, and you're extremely likely to get accepted there with significant money, so I still don't get their stance, either.

I like you. I like you a lot.

i received one promotion letter from Washington& lee last week. The cover is printed with capital letters:
columbia
harvard
washington lee

As an international student, I didn't know the back story about American civil war, and I thought it was a scam school lol

slizerd wrote:

BasilHallward wrote:Because your undergrad professors associate W&L with an old, private school that has undergrad prestige, which it does. Also, its idyllic locale and its tradition as being brokered as post-Civil War peace offering between the Yanks and the Good 'Ole Boys gives it an interesting backstory. The realty is that, if you aren't from Virginia AND on full ride, this school is a dangerous proposition.

I honestly wasn't aware of that backstory, that's interesting. Even more interesting is that I'm in TX right now, and people seem to talk reverently about W&L. It would be one thing if we were anywhere near Virginia haha.
Agreed, it would make no sense for me.

W&L definitely has name recognition in Texas, which until a couple years ago was the state after Virginia that sent the most students there...lots of country club types. Besides Davidson there aren't any other top-15 LACs (depending how you count Emory) in the south, and W&L was a T20 law school at one point and consistently T30 - one of the top in the south - so I don't think it's surprising people in Texas would wonder if you're applying there.

kartelite wrote:

slizerd wrote:

BasilHallward wrote:Because your undergrad professors associate W&L with an old, private school that has undergrad prestige, which it does. Also, its idyllic locale and its tradition as being brokered as post-Civil War peace offering between the Yanks and the Good 'Ole Boys gives it an interesting backstory. The realty is that, if you aren't from Virginia AND on full ride, this school is a dangerous proposition.

I honestly wasn't aware of that backstory, that's interesting. Even more interesting is that I'm in TX right now, and people seem to talk reverently about W&L. It would be one thing if we were anywhere near Virginia haha.
Agreed, it would make no sense for me.

W&L definitely has name recognition in Texas, which until a couple years ago was the state after Virginia that sent the most students there...lots of country club types. Besides Davidson there aren't any other top-15 LACs (depending how you count Emory) in the south, and W&L was a T20 law school at one point and consistently T30 - one of the top in the south - so I don't think it's surprising people in Texas would wonder if you're applying there.

Maybe it's a Dallas thing? I've never heard anybody mention the school in Houston.

kartelite wrote: W&L definitely has name recognition in Texas, which until a couple years ago was the state after Virginia that sent the most students there...lots of country club types. Besides Davidson there aren't any other top-15 LACs (depending how you count Emory) in the south, and W&L was a T20 law school at one point and consistently T30 - one of the top in the south - so I don't think it's surprising people in Texas would wonder if you're applying there.

Interesting! I wouldn't have thought of Virginia as a state lots of Texans go to, most of the people I know here are from Oklahoma or were born in TX.

nealric wrote:
Maybe it's a Dallas thing? I've never heard anybody mention the school in Houston.

Possibly, I'm definitely a lot closer to Dallas than I am to Houston lol