Top Law Schools

I just wanted to share my overall process of choice between schools and then see what your overall process is.

Please keep in mind. I don't care where I live as I plan to sell my soul (money) for 5-15 years and then move to no-man's land idaho/montana/wyomming.

1. Narrow schools down to a rough top 5.

2. Visit each school . One full day to take the schools tour (or admitted students weekend). And another day to wonder around the school and talk to a few students / take in the overall vibe.

3. Numbers. USNEWS & Leiter Rankings being the two major sources. In order of importance:

i: Starting Salaries 25/median/75
ii: Job Placement at Major Firms
iii: Clerkship Rates

4. Cost of school. Really, any difference of less than $100K in total cost does not phase me. I don't know why, I just don't really care. I see law school as an investment and would very quickly "pay" for a better school (even if it is just a little bit better). This is more of a tie breaker than anything...

After all 4 factors are considered I am just going to go for it!

Granted I am still waiting to hear back from the top 5... (Realistically I think I'm in at Columbia or NYU, one of the two) HYS are unlikely to accept me. So as of right now my list is

1/2. Chicago, Berkeley
3. Penn
4/5.Columbia / NYU
6.Boston U (got 100K in scholarship $)

My decision was largely rankings and educational quality based, and basically just tracked the rankings with the exception that I put SLS over HLS. I think in the current economy though, you might be better served not even thinking about educational quality nearly as much as a) where am I getting scholly money? b) what is the least risky investment I could possibly make?

lawyer879 wrote:I just wanted to share my overall process of choice between schools and then see what your overall process is.

Please keep in mind. I don't care where I live as I plan to sell my soul (money) for 5-15 years and then move to no-man's land idaho/montana/wyomming.

1. Narrow schools down to a rough top 5.

2. Visit each school . One full day to take the schools tour (or admitted students weekend). And another day to wonder around the school and talk to a few students / take in the overall vibe.

3. Numbers. USNEWS & Leiter Rankings being the two major sources. In order of importance:

i: Starting Salaries 25/median/75
ii: Job Placement at Major Firms
iii: Clerkship Rates

4. Cost of school. Really, any difference of less than $100K in total cost does not phase me. I don't know why, I just don't really care. I see law school as an investment and would very quickly "pay" for a better school (even if it is just a little bit better). This is more of a tie breaker than anything...

After all 4 factors are considered I am just going to go for it!

your numbers are pointless except for clerkships and even then other than HYS clerkship numbers aren't necessarily something that should go into your decision since your grades/recommendations become a lot more important than the school at that point. job placement at major firms outside of HYS is best at Columbia, and even then if all you want is a job at a major firm the other schools you mentioned can get you there relatively easily. and starting salaries should be almost the same for each school except maybe yale or stanford where people go clerk/academia and then even with the lower numbers id take YS over basically any school in the t14.