Top Law Schools

I'm reading about horrible law school experiences like being berated by professors, excessively competitive classmates, and worse.

I can handle cold-calling, I've dealt with intense classmates and competitive types who don't mind stepping on you to get ahead, but I don't particularly enjoy it. I'm sure I'll deal with tough professors and classmates at any school. Having said that, are all law schools like this? Are there 'friendlier' schools?

It's law school. It's the legal industry.

Every guy ahead of you is taking a job you want (need). Every guy below you wants you to do worse so he can eat your lunch. Winning is everything.

If I am wrong (and I hope I am) someone please give me evidence to the contrary.

mudiverse wrote:It's law school. It's the legal industry.

Every guy ahead of you is taking a job you want (need). Every guy below you wants you to do worse so he can eat your lunch. Winning is everything.

If I am wrong (and I hope I am) someone please give me evidence to the contrary.

Lol no. Of course there are going to be shitty people in law, maybe a bit more so than other professions but it is certainly not universally true.

As for the OP, 1L kinda sucks no matter where you go, but that is the inherent nature of law school. I can think of maybe a handful of insufferable people in law school. In generally people are super nice, though maybe that's because I'm at UVA and it doesn't have to be as cutthroat as a school where there are like 15 biglaw jobs each year.

Also OP FWIW I hear Baylor sucks.

SeewhathappensLarry wrote:

mudiverse wrote:It's law school. It's the legal industry.

Every guy ahead of you is taking a job you want (need). Every guy below you wants you to do worse so he can eat your lunch. Winning is everything.

If I am wrong (and I hope I am) someone please give me evidence to the contrary.

Lol no. Of course there are going to be shitty people in law, maybe a bit more so than other professions but it is certainly not universally true.

As for the OP, 1L kinda sucks no matter where you go, but that is the inherent nature of law school. I can think of maybe a handful of insufferable people in law school. In generally people are super nice, though maybe that's because I'm at UVA and it doesn't have to be as cutthroat as a school where there are like 15 biglaw jobs each year.

Also OP FWIW I hear Baylor sucks.

Thanks! I think that's what I'm looking for--schools that are less cutthroat. I guess it'd be interesting to know how cutthroat the average law school actually is.

Overall, I found the law school environment to be friendly. You make friendships that far outlast law school…..this year alone I’ve traveled to attend weddings of law school cohorts. Individually, we all wanted to succeed at OCI. You do your own thing and lets the chips fall. Doing your own thing translates to your grades and your personal presentations at OCI. Think of it as archery competition, not ice hockey.

SeewhathappensLarry wrote:

mudiverse wrote:It's law school. It's the legal industry.

Every guy ahead of you is taking a job you want (need). Every guy below you wants you to do worse so he can eat your lunch. Winning is everything.

If I am wrong (and I hope I am) someone please give me evidence to the contrary.

Lol no. Of course there are going to be shitty people in law, maybe a bit more so than other professions but it is certainly not universally true.

As for the OP, 1L kinda sucks no matter where you go, but that is the inherent nature of law school. I can think of maybe a handful of insufferable people in law school. In generally people are super nice, though maybe that's because I'm at UVA and it doesn't have to be as cutthroat as a school where there are like 15 biglaw jobs each year.

Also OP FWIW I hear Baylor sucks.

Had my interview for UVA a couple days ago, and Chris Colby (director of admissions) very much emphasized that people at UVA aren't cutthroat and everyone's friends. Granted, of course he was just trying to sell the school to me, but he was going on and on and on about it...

Maybe that helps, OP?

airwrecka wrote:

SeewhathappensLarry wrote:

mudiverse wrote:It's law school. It's the legal industry.

Every guy ahead of you is taking a job you want (need). Every guy below you wants you to do worse so he can eat your lunch. Winning is everything.

If I am wrong (and I hope I am) someone please give me evidence to the contrary.

Lol no. Of course there are going to be shitty people in law, maybe a bit more so than other professions but it is certainly not universally true.

As for the OP, 1L kinda sucks no matter where you go, but that is the inherent nature of law school. I can think of maybe a handful of insufferable people in law school. In generally people are super nice, though maybe that's because I'm at UVA and it doesn't have to be as cutthroat as a school where there are like 15 biglaw jobs each year.

Also OP FWIW I hear Baylor sucks.

Had my interview for UVA a couple days ago, and Chris Colby (director of admissions) very much emphasized that people at UVA aren't cutthroat and everyone's friends. Granted, of course he was just trying to sell the school to me, but he was going on and on and on about it...

Maybe that helps, OP?

Definitely puts UVA higher on my list, thanks! Interested in hearing more about these kinds of schools..

I've seen people get more pissed with each other over softball than studying/grades.

I think if you find the schools with the highest feeder rates into Public Interest you will naturally have more students that are more people and less lizard-man.

I agree that UVA is a very friendly place to go to law school. People gladly share their notes and outlines even without asking. Everyone is pretty confident that they will get a decent job, and students at the bottom of the class end up with good jobs, so nobody is trying to tear each other down. Another big factor that seems to reduce competitiveness here (in my opinion) is the fact that UVA places nationally. Students in my section were all going for a variety of different markets, so I never really felt like I was directly competing with anyone.

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lymenheimer wrote:I've seen people get more pissed with each other over softball than studying/grades.

Softball was heated for bit

Until the rain shit on the season

bokampers wrote:

lymenheimer wrote:I've seen people get more pissed with each other over softball than studying/grades.

Softball was heated for bit

Until the rain shit on the season

And all the chump teams forfeiting. We ended up playing the 3Ls like 4 times. Got creamed.

Ls really isn't bad. Some are dickheads but that's everywhere.

0L, so don't take my opinion lightly

I assume that the higher ranked/more prestigious a school is, the less likely there will be lots of competition since hiring outcomes will be better.

UCI.

sublime wrote:Ls really isn't bad. Some are dickheads but that's everywhere.

Yeah

/thread mods plz lock. Thank

At Yale, some students take notes on dumb things their classmates said in con law class, with the intent of using the comments against them at potential confirmation hearings on the future.

I wish I was making this up.

Vursz wrote:At Yale, some students take notes on dumb things their classmates said in con law class, with the intent of using the comments against them at potential confirmation hearings on the future.

I wish I was making this up.

I'll allow this story, but only if you don't go to Yale

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Feel free to PM me, but Michigan 1L here, and I find it quite friendly/collegial overall. There are always a few assholes pretty much everywhere you go and Michigan isn't immune but my section and most other people I have met seem quite nice and helpful. People share outlines and stuff like that pretty readily.

ICYMI

zot1 wrote:UCI.

zeglo wrote:

BigZuck wrote:

Vursz wrote:At Yale, some students take notes on dumb things their classmates said in con law class, with the intent of using the comments against them at potential confirmation hearings on the future.

I wish I was making this up.

I'll allow this story, but only if you don't go to Yale

Holy crap they sound like buttholes.

Also, most of the T14 seem pretty friendly except for maybe Harvard.

1. I'd like to hear more about Yale being buttholes.
2. Why is Harvard considered unfriendly?

cantyoloforever wrote:

zeglo wrote:

BigZuck wrote:

Vursz wrote:At Yale, some students take notes on dumb things their classmates said in con law class, with the intent of using the comments against them at potential confirmation hearings on the future.

I wish I was making this up.

I'll allow this story, but only if you don't go to Yale

Holy crap they sound like buttholes.

Also, most of the T14 seem pretty friendly except for maybe Harvard.

1. I'd like to hear more about Yale being buttholes.
2. Why is Harvard considered unfriendly?

Harvard people are generally super friendly. Sometimes aggressively so. Of course there is a group of awfuls, but that's life.

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