<p>Given my LSAT/GPA, I think I have decent shots at UCLA, USC, and the mid to lower T-14. Although I am not guaranteed admissions to any, I think I am getting into at least one of the following. Please rank the following, and which would be your top choice?</p>
<p>USC
UCLA
Georgetown
Duke
Cornell
Michigan
Northwestern
U Penn</p>
<p>Also, should I go purely by USNews rank when choosing schools, given that I have no strong preference for any region in particular? I hear that there's a significant hiring drop-off past the T-14 for certain firms.</p>
<p>If you are truly undecided about what region you want to end up in, I'd pick a school that has good alumni connections in lots of places. Of those you've mentioned, Michigan probably sends graduates to the widest range of locations: Graduate</a> Job Locations</p>
<p>You should also think about where you'll be happiest living: warm weather (USC, UCLA, Duke), close to/in a big city (Georgetown, USC, UCLA, Northwestern, Penn), college town (Michigan, Cornell, Duke), etc. The cost of living (and thus, how much you have to borrow) is going to vary a lot at these places, too--you might save on rent at some places, or have to buy a car. </p>
<p>But I think rather than trying to rank the schools now, your best bet is to wait and see where you get in, and choose from those. chances are, the decision will be much easier once your choices have been narrowed down.</p>
<p>Georgetown and Northwestern would be my top choices; they are both located at arguably the best part of their respective city. I hate Los Angeles; people here are rude; public transit is bad; the city is so ugly and anti-intellectual.</p>
<p>My top choice (the law school I DID attend) isn't on your list - University of Virginia. My husband graduated from USC law school and he liked it, but it was more cut-throat than UVa. This is dated info, of course, because we graduated quite some time ago.</p>
<p>Having been involved in recruiting for large national law firms (I worked in NY, Chicago and Los Angeles), I can tell you that if you do well at any of those schools, you'll have no trouble getting an interview. The difference between one school and another in that top tier isn't that significant. And I agree that once you get out of the top tier there is a dropoff, and then region becomes more important, because the next tier schools will be more well known and more highly regarded in their own areas.</p>
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Georgetown and Northwestern would be my top choices; they are both located at arguably the best part of their respective city. I hate Los Angeles; people here are rude; public transit is bad; the city is so ugly and anti-intellectual.</p>
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<p>Georgetown is certainly not located "at arguably the best part of their respective city." If you actually did some research, instead of giving out bad information, you would know that GULC is located in one of the worst parts of DC and seperate from the UG campus.</p>
<p>Mdoc, I had heard rumors that there is a drop-off past the T-14 (top firms don't hire at UCLA and USC). I was just wondering if the disparity was truly that significant. I think this is something I need to take into account because I am not particularly inclined to work only in the LA area, and if I end up working in areas like Chicago and NYC a T-14 degree would open many more doors. I had heard that a T-14 degree even opens more doors in Northern California than UCLA. I'm not sure if this is true though. </p>
<p>I have slightly higher numbers for GPA/LSAT, and I am going for similar choices plus a few of the higher T14 (not really a chance there). Out of those choices, I prefer Penn, Northwestern, and Georgetown. I wouldn't go exclusively by US News - it's just one source and can be arbitrary. After the top 3, I don't think it makes a huge difference and would rather choose the law school and location that works best for me. I have heard that it's better to stay in the T14, but the California ones are probably good too.</p>
<p>^ Yeah, I agree there isn't really that big of a difference between the rest of the T-14, although I may draw the distinction after the T-4, because CLS places the best in biglaw. Pity my LSAT score is sub par.</p>
<p>Lawschoolbound,
You said you are interested in working in Cali. Are you a Cali resident? If you are, you have competitive numbers for Berkeley and you might as well give Stanford a shot. Those would be my top choices.</p>
<p>Otherwise, I would go with Michigan as my first choice. Michigan arguably the best rep of the schools you listed. I wouldn't go strictly by the numerical US news rankings. Michigan places well in every possible location. Northwestern is my second choice because of the great location and good placement in big law. This is assuming I had to pay full price for both. UCLA would be my third choice for Cali assuming in-state resident tuition savings and a competitive financial aid offer. UCLA places well all over California, but maybe not as well on the east coast.</p>
<p>Penn and Michigan would be best for NYC. Duke and GULC also are very good schools, but at full price, I just don't think they have the rep or competitive advantage that the other schools have on your list. GULC has simply too big of a class to place well in this economy and relative to the rest of its T14 mates. Duke has a small class but doesn't really have the same rep and national reputation of Michigan, Berkeley or Penn.</p>
<p><strong><em>Mdoc, I had heard rumors that there is a drop-off past the T-14 (top firms don't hire at UCLA and USC). I was just wondering if the disparity was truly that significant. I think this is something I need to take into account because I am not particularly inclined to work only in the LA area, and if I end up working in areas like Chicago and NYC a T-14 degree would open many more doors. I had heard that a T-14 degree even opens more doors in Northern California than UCLA. I'm not sure if this is true though.</em></strong></p>
<p>Not true that top firms don't hire at UCLA and USC. They do, but they might hire closer to the top of the class. So while a firm might interview top third of the class at Penn, it might be top quarter or above at USC or UCLA. My husband, who went to USC, was #1 and EIC of the law review and top firms were falling all over each other to hire him. If you're concerned, see if you can get a list of the firms that visit the school to recruit - if they visit the school, they'll definitely hire from it. I worked at a top NY law firm and a top Chicago law firm and went to both USC and UCLA to recruit for both (I was in their LA offices at the time, but I was recruiting for the whole firm, not just the LA office). If we got a resume in from someone who attended a school we'd barely heard of (particularly its night school) and this person was at the very top (#1 or #2), they'd get interviewed and often hired. The person is more important than the school; the school just makes it easier to get in the door for an interview.</p>
<p>I'm living in NYC right now. Want to meet some REALLY rude people? We'll take a trip to The Bronx. You pay for the ticket and I'll pay for lunch.</p>
<p>Like several other posters my top choices would be Northwestern & Georgetown. However, this means nothing as do the rankings in Post #12. Law schools have different strengths, weaknesses & styles. Northwestern University prefers to interview all applicants, has a strong preference for candidates with two years of work experience & emphasises teamwork. Chicago & Yale are tops for those aspiring to be judicial clerks & appellate judges. USC may be strong in entertainment law & feed firms serving that industry. Columbia & NYU do especially well with law & finance. Duke is great at allowing law students to get joint graduate degrees. Georgetown may afford better internships with federal agencies.</p>
<p>In response to Post #12: If I had to rank or tier law schools:</p>
<p>Tier One: Chicago, Yale, Stanford, Harvard, Northwestern, Columbia & NYU</p>
<p>Tier Two: Michigan, Cornell, Georgetown, Duke, Penn & Berkeley.</p>
<p>Tier Three: Fordham, Illinois, Alabama, Minnesota, UCLA, GWU, Vanderbilt. With strong arguments for Boston University, Georgia, Boston College, Emory, Notre Dame, Univ. of Washington & USC.</p>