<p>Does going to undergraduate college at the same institution where you want to attend law school put you at a disadvantage when applying to the law school? Or, if you're from an institution, though different from the law school, that is geographically nearby?</p>
<p>I assume this varies from college to college and plays a lesser role at lower ranked law schools. But any information regarding the role/non-role this plays at T14 or T25 colleges would be greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>Given that most top law schools are part of universities with top undergrad programs, it's hard to see how it could be a disadvantage. </p>
<p>The only one where I have direct knowledge is Harvard, where it is definitely an advantage, not a disadvantage, to be applying as a Harvard undergrad. This is reflected in the numbers - there are 241 Harvard undergrads currently enrolled at HLS, more than twice the number from any other undergrad institution. The next highest is Yale, at 113. <a href="http://www.law.harvard.edu/admissions/jd/colleges.php%5B/url%5D">http://www.law.harvard.edu/admissions/jd/colleges.php</a></p>
<p>At Yale Law School, there are more than twice as many students from Yale undergrad as from any other undergrad institution other than Harvard. Harvard undergrad is actually the most represented at YLS, with 89, Yale undergrad is next with 86, and Stanford undergrad is third with 42. So it doesn't seem to be a disadvantage there either, and perhaps is an advantage. <a href="http://www.yale.edu/bulletin/html/law/students.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.yale.edu/bulletin/html/law/students.html</a></p>
<p>Michigan Law School's website states expressly that it's not a disadvantage to be a Michigan undergrad:
[quote]
And for the record, contrary to popular belief/persistent and intractable rumor, students who attended the University of Michigan for their undergraduate studies are not at any disadvantage over students from other schools. Go Blue! <a href="http://www.law.umich.edu/prospective...ssions/faq.htm%5B/url%5D%5B/quote%5D">http://www.law.umich.edu/prospective...ssions/faq.htm
[/quote]
</a></p>
<p>For Boalt you are at a disadvantage because they have to inflate the value of the GPA versus the LSAT in order to have enough minorities in their classes (since Affirmative action is banned). The same is probably true for UCLA law.</p>
<p>
[quote]
For Boalt you are at a disadvantage because they have to inflate the value of the GPA versus the LSAT in order to have enough minorities in their classes (since Affirmative action is banned). The same is probably true for UCLA law.
[/quote]
Is that the reason? Damn. So hilarious.</p>
<p>The reality is, though, that if you don't have the goods (high GPA, high LSAT score), you're likely not going to get into a top law school no matter where you went to undergrad - same university or otherwise.</p>
<p>With that said, depending on what you want to do with your degree, it might be in your interests to attend two different schools: helps with the "branding", allows you to tap into two different alumni networks, etc. "This kid came through Stanford and Columbia" sounds cooler than "This kid went to Stanford and Stanford", even though the latter would actually be a more selective path.</p>
<p>I think "Stanford and Stanford" sounds cooler :) </p>
<p>besides, they are two different alumni networks. the law alumni are one thing and the undergraduates are another. it might have a little more effect than that, but i doubt it would come to anything. maybe a stanford undergrad would be partial to a guy who went to stanford law, more so from harvard or yale (to subtract the fact that SLS is obviously a very good law school to start with). they seem pretty separate to me, though.</p>
<p>I somewhat disagree with your post, Cosar. The raw numbers don't reflect the competitive realities of each school. A lot of people at Yale, for example, want to be lawyers and they all want to go to Harvard or Yale Law. The competition is intense. If you go to another school, ideally one in a different region - because diversity still matters in professional school - your competition may not be as fierce and not as directed at one or two schools. To put some semblance of numbers on this, the real comparison is not the absolute number of people admitted from school x; you need to include the relative number of applicants from school x. More may be taken from x but the ratio may actually be the same or lower than the ratio for school y. Even if the ratio for x is higher, the level of competition may be that much greater, so if you then adjust x's ratio a high quality applicant may find y is a better bet.</p>