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<p>You misinterpreted my statement. I could definitely find all of those things outside the the top schools, just that they're more concentrated at the top (hence making up a huge part of the school's culture itself). I'm in a unique position to make this judgment given that I transferred from a second-tier school to Northwestern.</p>
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<p>Geography and all those factors definitely play a role, but even taking into account those things, I would still argue that the top schools have a stronger culture of inquiry and enlightenment than other schools.</p>
<p>I can't read all the above posts...but I went to an average college and an average law school and worked for one of the largest corporate law firms in the world, right along with ivy law school grads.</p>