2009 USNWR Rankings

[Batman21]

Coxless,

Just a little FYI. Don't just look at the LSAT scores posted on LSAC. Iowa has to accept close to 50% in state students, which brings down their LSAT scores. I was told directly by a member of the admissions committee that it is MUCH MUCH harder to get in if you are from out of state. I don't have the specific numbers, so take it for what it's worth.

[legal seagull]

Not to mention the games that some schools play to raise their numbers.  Some schools have part-time students, and I don't think their numbers are recorded.  Plus, some shools accept tons of transfer students with significantly lower numbers that also are not reported.  In fact, Coxless, aren't you a transfer student? At Illinois? A school that accepts a ton of transfers?  Hmmm....

[Pixies]

Coxless,

Just a little FYI. Don't just look at the LSAT scores posted on LSAC. Iowa has to accept close to 50% in state students, which brings down their LSAT scores. I was told directly by a member of the admissions committee that it is MUCH MUCH harder to get in if you are from out of state. I don't have the specific numbers, so take it for what it's worth.

I understand this argument but it doesn't seem like it would support the argument that Iowa has a strong class. In fact, I think I would rather go to a school that had a universally mediocre class than a school that filled half of the class with great candidates and the other half with sub par in-state students. But that's just my 2 cents.

[iceepop]

I think we're missing the point:  since when is a school's rank supposed to be based wholly and constitutively of how difficult it is to get into that school?

[SteelersandGators]

I think we're missing the point:  since when is a school's rank supposed to be based wholly and constitutively of how difficult it is to get into that school?

Well, schools' ranks don't seem to be based on the difficulty of admission this year. Look at Vandy/UCLA this year, who both seem to be harder to get into than Cornell, for example.

[Pixies]

I think we're missing the point:  since when is a school's rank supposed to be based wholly and constitutively of how difficult it is to get into that school?

While I would agree that rank should not be based WHOLLY on difficulty of admissions, it seems that this variable has a domino effect on many of the other criteria measured by usnswr.

[Boyce Baylor]

I think we're missing the point:  since when is a school's rank supposed to be based wholly and constitutively of how difficult it is to get into that school?

Sure they should.

[R.P. McMurphy]

I think we're missing the point:  since when is a school's rank supposed to be based wholly and constitutively of how difficult it is to get into that school?

Sure they should.

TITCR. Ranking should be based solely upon the 25/75 percentile GPA/LSAT of the incoming class.

[iowactor]

Hey Everyone!

I found some of these boards helpful when I was looking at law schools. So here is my two cents on my alma mater IOWA:

1. Each Class is Academically Diverse. Some students went to undergrads like Yale, MIT, or UChicago and others went to schools you never heard of like Buena Vista, Florida Atlantic or the Univ. of Northern Iowa. Some have LSATs in the 170s and others are scraping the bottom of the 150s. Beware! Some of the best law students who finish Order of the Coif and Law Review EIC don't always have the "Ivy League" pedigree or a 173 LSAT. People who have the toughest time adjusting to IOWA are those who feel they should be somewhere "better" and never get over the fact that UMichigan or NYU or whoever rejected them. I discourage students from entering any law school with this mentality. Life is too short. Either retake the LSAT or join the Peace Corps or something to improve your resume. For example, I had a friend who took the LSAT the same time I did. I did a little better than she did, but she was determined to go to Yale. She waited two years and took the LSAT again. She is now a second-year student at YLS;
2. Hard Work is (generally) Rewarded at IOWA. My friends who wanted to work in big law firms and earn big money (130K+)are doing so in cities like Chicago, Minneapolis, Phoenix, D.C. and Miami (Yes! I have three friends in MIAMI of all places). If you want a clerkship at SCOTUS you should not go to IOWA, but we do place several students in Federal District and State Supreme Courts. Even students who finish at the bottom (Yes, half the class finishes at the "bottom") find employment in a variety of places, but it is harder to make big $;
3. Acceptance IS More Difficult for Non-Iowans. You need higher LSATs and higher GPAs to be accepted if you are not from Iowa, unless you are a student who brings a unique/special quality to the class;
4. $. Finances are a big issue. For example, I had the choice of going to a school between #9-#14 and paying $35k plus living per year or going to IOWA sans tuition cost. If money is not an issue or if you positively, absolutely know you want to work in a big law firm after graduation (so you can pay back your loans) then a more "prestigious" school may be for you. Also, I know at IOWA they tout that RAs (Research Assistants) get in-state tuition. Beware that when I went to IOWA these RA positions were not guaranteed and can be extremely competitive.

Okay, I have written too much. I would be happy to answer any questions you have about IOWA or law school in general.

Take Care...

[StudentUVA]

I think we're missing the point:  since when is a school's rank supposed to be based wholly and constitutively of how difficult it is to get into that school?

Sure they should.

TITCR. Ranking should be based solely upon the 25/75 percentile GPA/LSAT of the incoming class.

I agree. All the other data is quite questionable. I mean who cares how big is the library or some other data that can easily be fudged. I suppose you could include student/faculty ratio and maybe one or two other factors. But student quality should be the strongest factor.