top 14

[NoFear]

<p>Ive heard top 14 thrown around alot. Can someone explain to me why that number is significant. Instead of saying like the best 20 or 50.</p>

[sybbie719]

<p>tho quote Jonri</p>

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<p>All of the top 14 have been in the “top 10” in US News’ rankings at least once. No other law schools have been. </p>

<p>Since US News starting ranking Law schools, Yale has been #1 every year. Harvard and Stanford have been 2 and 3 every year, but which is 2 and which is 3 has varied. </p>

<p>For at least the last 15 years, places 4,5, and 6 have been occupied by Chicago, Columbia and NYU, hence the CCN. These schools have switched places too–but are always 4, 5, and 6. (Back when I was applying to law school, UMIch was more prestigious than NYU.)</p>

<p>7-14 go up and down in the ratings and in and out of the “top 10.”</p>

<p>Moreover, in truth, these 14 are the only truly “national” law schools. Their student bodies come from all over the US. UTexas, which is every bit as good a school academically as those near the bottom of the top 14, IMO, is not a “national” law school because most of its students come from Texas. Ditto UCLA.–except of course its students come from California. Vanderbilt has leapfrogged up the rankings in recent years, but its reputation is still much stronger in the South than it is in the rest of the US and it has never been in the top 10.

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<p>For the the top 10 schools. There are tiers: group 1:YHS, group 2:CCN, group3: UVa, UPenn, UCal-Berk, Georgetown, UMich, Cornell, Duke, Northwestern. (No particular order within groups.)

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