Top Feeder Schools to Yale Law

[abl]

<p>I get your point about “fit factors,” but I just don’t think that’s how law school admissions works these days (I completely agree that it IS how undergrad admissions works). That was my point about the bassoonist–Yale Law School WOULD admit a dozen accomplished bassoonists to its class at the cost of leaving out the marginally less accomplished, but still fantastically talented trumpeter (and yes, law schools do care about things like bassoon accomplishments, although far less than undergrads do). Because law school is a form of professional school, and because it’s not the same sort of residential “life-building” experience as undergrad, there’s far less of a need, and therefore far less of an admissions drive, to build a balanced class. Sure, there are probably a handful of people on the margins that may lose out because the year they applied there was a surplus of people with their skills, but it’s going to be FAR less of a factor for law schools admissions than for undergrad.</p>

[Alexandre]

<p>abl, there are several 3.9-4.0 students at Michigan annually who choose not to apply to HYS law schools. For whatever reason, they are perfectly content staying in Ann Arbor. The college experience is considered one of the best in the nation and the town is hip and fun. The law school itself is gorgeous and has a rich history and great tradition. In the 50s-80s, Michigan Law was often ranked among the top 3 Law schools in the nation. Only in the last 20 years or so has it dropped out of the top 3. </p>

<p>Many of those students are in significant relationships that restrict their mobility while others simply do not wish to leave home. </p>

<p>Regardless of their reasons, reputationally, Michigan Law school is clearly among the top 10, arguably among the top 5. Whether we agree with that statement or not is immaterial. Legal academics, professionals and recruiters certainly agree. Below are the reputational ratings that show exactly where Michigan belongs:</p>

<p>RATING ACCORDING TO LEGAL SCHOLARS:

1. Harvard Law School 4.9
2. Stanford Law School 4.8
3. Yale Law School 4.8
4. Columbia Law School 4.7
5. University of Chicago Law School 4.6
6. New York University Law School 4.5
7. University of California-Berkeley Law School 4.5
8. University of Michigan Law School 4.5
9. University of Pennsylvania 4.4
10. University of Virginia 4.4</p>

<p>RATING ACCORDING TO LAWYERS AND JUDGES:

1. Harvard Law School 4.8
2. Stanford Law School 4.7
3. Yale Law School 4.7
4. Columbia Law School 4.6
5. University of Chicago Law School 4.6
6. University of Virginia Law School 4.6
7. University of Michigan Law School 4.5
8. University of Pennsylvania Law School 4.5
9. Duke Law School 4.4
10. New York University Law School 4.4
11. University of California-Berkeley 4.4</p>

<p>RATING ACCORDING TO “BIG LAW”:

1. Harvard Law School 4.9
2. Stanford Law School 4.8
3. Yale Law School 4.8
4. Columbia Law School 4.7
5. University of Michigan Law School 4.7
6. New York University Law School 4.6
7. University of Virginia Law School 4.6
8. Cornell Law School 4.5
9. Duke Law School 4.5
10. Northwestern Law School 4.5
11. University of California-Berkeley Law School 4.5
12. University of Chicago Law School 4.5</p>

<p>AVERAGE REPUTATIONAL RATING:

1. Harvard Law School 4.9
2. Stanford Law School 4.8
3. Yale Law School 4.8
4. Columbia Law School 4.7
5. University of Chicago Law School 4.6
6. University of Michigan Law School 4.6
7. New York Law School School 4.5
8. University of California-Berkeley 4.5
9. University of Virginia Law School 4.5
10. University of Pennsylvania Law School 4.4
11. Duke Law School 4.4</p>

<p>As one can see, the notion that Chicago, Columbia and NYU are somehow better Law schools than Cal, Michigan or UVa is not supported by the experts. The average reputational rating is probably the most accurate measure of reputation in the Legal profession. Oustide of HSY, no law school ranked among the top 10 has the edge over the others as far as legal experts are concerned.</p>

<p>As such, Michigan is not a significant step down for them to bother applying to other top law schools since Michigan is a virtual lock and they do not even have to take the LSAT. </p>

<p>Although not many of those brilliant students choose not to apply to other top law schools, there are several each year that fall into this category.</p>

[abl]

<p>Alexandre–sure, I don’t disagree.</p>

[bclintonk]

<p>

@abl

You’re right that Yale can choose among the best students to take those who are the best <em>AND</em> the most interesting. I wouldn’t call that quirky–all of the top law schools, to some extent, are willing to bend their standards to get interesting applicants. Yale just has the luxury of being able to make most of its choice about how interesting a candidate is (of course, this choice is only made after basically everyone who doesn’t have a 3.8/170 is cut from the pile).

</p>

<p>LOL, are you a YLS student? Only someone at YLS would have the arrogance to divide the world into “interesting” and “uninteresting” people, and assume that YLS takes all & only those who are both academically the best qualified and “interesting,” and leaves the well-qualified but “uninteresting” to lesser schools.</p>

<p>

First, “quirky” implies that Yale is unpredictable, that it takes applicants that other schools don’t want. That’s far from the truth.

</p>

<p>No, “quirky” doesn’t imply that Yale takes applicants that other schools don’t want. The process I described is one in which Yale chooses among highly qualified candidates based on highly subjective criteria that will give it, as you put it, the most “interesting” class. Every other law school covets those students. Most don’t have the luxury of deciding whether to accept or reject such academically well qualified candidates on the basis of the kinds of idiosyncratic criteria YLS uses. I’d describe that as “quirky.” Many at YLS might choose some other word—“unique” or “interesting” perhaps—but the point is, YLS views itself as something apart from and different from other law schools, and it will choose its entering class to fit those aspects of itself that it feels set it apart.</p>

<p>

Because law school is a form of professional school, and because it’s not the same sort of residential “life-building” experience as undergrad, there’s far less of a need, and therefore far less of an admissions drive, to build a balanced class.

</p>

<p>Well, I never said YLS was trying to build a “balanced” class. No, not at all. Given their self-image, they’re going to want a class that’s tilted toward the academic/intellectual side of law; among other things, they view themselves as the cradle of law professors, and that seems to be more important to them than churning out practicing lawyers. Of course, many, proably most of their graduates will end up practicing law, but even for them, Yale places far more emphasis on examining law from a variety of theoretical and interdisciplinary “law-and-” perspectives rather than “merely” (in their view) “learning to think like a lawyer”, which is the mantra at most other law schools. So they’re going to look for more diversity of academic backgrounds, as well as, of course, academic accomplishments; and they’ll love people who are more interested in pursuing “interesting” ideas than in “merely” getting pre-professional training. They also really like to think of themselves as producing public servants of the highest order of achievement; a lot of law schools share this aspiration, but my sense is it may get translated into admissions decisions more at Yale than at most other schools, just because Yale can afford to be so choosy. But again, these are all “fit factors,” not qualifications.</p>

[abl]

<p>I’m sorry–I didn’t mean to imply that those who were not at YLS were uninteresting. Anyways, I think we’ve left the high school students on this board with more than enough to handle…I have to get back to law school now.</p>

[Pea]

<p>You didn’t imply it, you didn’t even say it. Technically, you divided students into most interesting and everyone else, which I agree with.</p>

[kwu]

<p>One has to be “interesting” to be admitted to YLS. One does not necessarily have to be “interesting” to be admitted to HLS, as long as one compensates with strong numbers.</p>

<p>I can imagine that a good number of applicants admitted to both H and M choose the latter. Applicants strong enough to be admitted to H/Y typically receive substantial merit scholarships from lower-ranked schools. These folks are wise to decide that a J.D. from that diploma mill H just isn’t worth $225,000, especially when the alternative is a free one from C/M/V.</p>

[bluebayou]

<p>

These folks are wise to decide that a J.D. from that diploma mill H just isn’t worth $225,000…

</p>

<p>Thems would be fightin’ word to sakky’s ears. :D</p>