Culture of school vs Ranking in Decision Process Forum

[drummerboy]

An attorney previously posted that one can not simply chase rankings when choosing a school. He believed that ones personal fit into the schools culture ( Accessibilty of Profs, Location, Class size, and overall student satisfaction etc. ) are essential in ones overall success. What do you think?

[cinephile]

Well, of course you have to take the culture of the school into consideration. It's why I applied to UIUC, but not to the similarly ranked Notre Dame.


But, that doesn't mean you still shouldn't pursue the highest ranked school you can get into assuming you'd be a good fit there.

[bk1]

An attorney previously posted that one can not simply chase rankings when choosing a school. He believed that ones personal fit into the schools culture ( Accessibilty of Profs, Location, Class size, and overall student satisfaction etc. ) are essential in ones overall success. What do you think?

Location is obviously important as it pertains to where one can get a job.

Those things are only important insomuch as they affect ones ability to do well. If going somewhere would make you miserable, or somewhere else would make you really happy, then take the better place because it will help you do better. This is assuming the two places are comparable.

If you can get over the undergrad mentality about school and realize what law school is for (hint: to get you a job), then you can get over those other things and realize what is really important.

[Curry]

Within tiers location should play a role. That being said, choosing a law school in california because its cold in michigan is a really stupid reason.

[iShotFirst]

An attorney previously posted that one can not simply chase rankings when choosing a school. He believed that ones personal fit into the schools culture ( Accessibilty of Profs, Location, Class size, and overall student satisfaction etc. ) are essential in ones overall success. What do you think?

Makes sense, but the problem with this idea is that it is not easy to ascertain or experience the culture of a school before you go there (beyond generalities), but a one second internet search can get you the rankings. So more people are likely going to rely on the easily obtainable information.

[Cupidity]

Culture is why I chose BU over Cornell/BC/Fordham/GWU

If I had got into UVA, hell yeah I would have gone.

[drummerboy]

great answers. i too agree. sometimes class size and a favorable student faculty ratio can make an appreciable difference in gaining recognition and networking within the school itself.

[vanwinkle]

Within tiers location should play a role. That being said, choosing a law school in california because its cold in michigan is a really stupid reason.

That might not be the greatest example. If you hate the cold enough to not want to spend 3 years there, it's pretty obvious you'd be miserable spending the rest of your life there. Given that it's often better to go to school in a region you'd want to work...

[drummerboy]

true

[bk1]

Within tiers location should play a role. That being said, choosing a law school in california because its cold in michigan is a really stupid reason.

That might not be the greatest example. If you hate the cold enough to not want to spend 3 years there, it's pretty obvious you'd be miserable spending the rest of your life there. Given that it's often better to go to school in a region you'd want to work...

I think his comparison was something like UMich versus UCD/UCH for working in CA.

[drummerboy]

all else being equal and wishing to stay in fl, stetson a smaller more congenial school vs miami, a school by TLS standards, not the most pleasant intellectual atmosphere and a very large 1L class. Which would you chosse?

[bk1]

all else being equal and wishing to stay in fl, stetson a smaller more congenial school vs miami, a school by TLS standards, not the most pleasant intellectual atmosphere and a very large 1L class. Which would you chosse?

What do you mean all else being equal? Cost and job prospects are rarely equal and I'm pretty sure they are not in this case.

That being said, I'd hesitate to go to either of these schools on anything less than a full ride.

[SupraVln180]

Culture is why I chose BU over Cornell/BC/Fordham/GWU

If I had got into UVA, hell yeah I would have gone.

BC/Fordham/GW, Okay. But it doesn't make sense to me why you wouldn't go to Cornell. I get that it is the worst school in the T-14, but come on.

*Not Georgetown trolling.

[drummerboy]

so unless youre in the top 20 dont bother going?

[bk1]

so unless youre in the top 20 dont bother going?

At sticker it is probably something like that (heck maybe even just T10 or so).

Take a large scholly to a worse school if you really want to be a lawyer. And if you really want to be a lawyer and can't find a school for cheap, well then just go into it knowing that a TTT is very likely to leave you unemployed.

That said, if you haven't taken the LSAT 3 times, take it some more until you have taken it 3 times or have managed a 170+.

[Cupidity]

Culture is why I chose BU over Cornell/BC/Fordham/GWU

If I had got into UVA, hell yeah I would have gone.

BC/Fordham/GW, Okay. But it doesn't make sense to me why you wouldn't go to Cornell. I get that it is the worst school in the T-14, but come on.

*Not Georgetown trolling.

Boston is healthy and BU places well in it. NYC took a decent hit and it has firms burning Cornell students for HYS/CCN

[bergg007]

Within tiers location should play a role. That being said, choosing a law school in california because its cold in michigan is a really stupid reason.

not if you'll be miserable in the cold/not go to class in the cold, don't want to live in michigan because its effing cold. then it's not a bad reason.

[SupraVln180]

Culture is why I chose BU over Cornell/BC/Fordham/GWU

If I had got into UVA, hell yeah I would have gone.

BC/Fordham/GW, Okay. But it doesn't make sense to me why you wouldn't go to Cornell. I get that it is the worst school in the T-14, but come on.

*Not Georgetown trolling.

Boston is healthy and BU places well in it. NYC took a decent hit and it has firms burning Cornell students for HYS/CCN

Okay if you want Boston, I can see why. Anywhere else though, it wouldn't make sense. I did apply the BU/BC though and was just wondering, how do they place in NY? I know not as well as Cornell, but have you talked to any 3L's, do any of them end up there?

[drummerboy]

visiting the school, sitting on classes, talking to students, 1L, 2L, 3L would be advisable. Not everyone can get into T14 and most successful and currently employed lawyers didnt go to T14 either. Go to the region you would like to live in and look at the rosters of local Law Firms. Youll get a fairly decent chance on who they and when they were hired.Just an idea. What do you think?

[dakatz]

Culture is why I chose BU over Cornell/BC/Fordham/GWU

If I had got into UVA, hell yeah I would have gone.

BC/Fordham/GW, Okay. But it doesn't make sense to me why you wouldn't go to Cornell. I get that it is the worst school in the T-14, but come on.

*Not Georgetown trolling.

Boston is healthy and BU places well in it. NYC took a decent hit and it has firms burning Cornell students for HYS/CCN

Okay if you want Boston, I can see why. Anywhere else though, it wouldn't make sense. I did apply the BU/BC though and was just wondering, how do they place in NY? I know not as well as Cornell, but have you talked to any 3L's, do any of them end up there?

BU tends to place well in NY (2nd biggest market we place into). I know quite a few people who have positions lined up for next summer in NY and NJ. BU's student body has many people from NY and always has. Thus, many end up going back and it creates a nice alumni base there.

[SupraVln180]

BC/Fordham/GW, Okay. But it doesn't make sense to me why you wouldn't go to Cornell. I get that it is the worst school in the T-14, but come on.

*Not Georgetown trolling.

Boston is healthy and BU places well in it. NYC took a decent hit and it has firms burning Cornell students for HYS/CCN

Okay if you want Boston, I can see why. Anywhere else though, it wouldn't make sense. I did apply the BU/BC though and was just wondering, how do they place in NY? I know not as well as Cornell, but have you talked to any 3L's, do any of them end up there?

BU tends to place well in NY (2nd biggest market we place into). I know quite a few people who have positions lined up for next summer in NY and NJ. BU's student body has many people from NY and always has. Thus, many end up going back and it creates a nice alumni base there.

That's good to know, thank you.

[MrKappus]

I went through OCI and not one attorney asked me whether I thought I meshed well with my school's culture. It was easy to surmise, on the other hand, that they were very interested in the caliber of schools interviewees attend. Unless the culture of of a particular school that you're considering would be so jarring and distracting that it would impede your performance (in which case you might have bigger problems), a school's "culture" is peripheral. Go to the best school you get into that you feel you can afford.

[Skyhook]

Culture is why I chose BU over Cornell/BC/Fordham/GWU

Are you talking only about class size, classroom interaction, cutthroat antics, etc?
Can you elaborate a bit on your observations?

[drummerboy]

class size in particular. clearly has some influence on the quality of education and the ability to interact with profs etc. it can be significant in the process of successful internal networking. it cant hurt

[bk1]

class size in particular. clearly has some influence on the quality of education and the ability to interact with profs etc. it can be significant in the process of successful internal networking. it cant hurt

Larger class sizes means decrease in quality of education and time to talk to professors? That seems like a bit of a stretch, especially when you are not taking into account that classes are divided into sections which are not necessarily larger or smaller based on the size of the entire class.

And even if it were true in some minimal fashion, it would only matter when talking about peer schools and I think there are a great number of things that will come before that when considering peer schools (location, $, etc). Heck I think some people like having a smaller class and some like having a bigger one, and that is entirely fine as a personal preference. I highly doubt going to a smaller school is going to make your networking search miraculously better than if you had gone to a bigger school.