How to choose schools

[Lawschool2005]

I am not applying to Law School untill next year. I have about 30 schools that I am interested in applying to. However I cannot afford to apply to that many. My mother thinks I should apply to 5 and if I don't get into any that it means I wasn't meant to go.
 Now I don't believe that. How do I narrow down the schools I am interested in applying to? I don't know which branch of Law I go into. I don't really mind where I live and work. Does anyone have any tips on narrowing schools down to apply to?

[thechoson]

Use your stats, get some grids that show you the odds of getting into each school from a previous year.  If the grids are from this year, they should be pretty accurate for next year as well, because this year was murder and next year should be the same.  You should ideally apply to more than 5 schools. 

Common advice is apply to about 2 reach schools (where you have less than a 20 percent chance of getting in), about 4-5 schools that you should get in (40-60 percent chance) and then maybe 3-4 safeties (60-80 percent chance of getting in). 

This should be a good starting point for picking schools you want to go to.  Having said that, make sure all these schools are schools you'd go to, even if *&^% happens.  No point wasting money on schools you wouldn't go to no matter what. 

Also, take advantage of fee waivers.

Good luck

[Louder Than Bombs]

I am not applying to Law School untill next year. I have about 30 schools that I am interested in applying to. However I cannot afford to apply to that many. My mother thinks I should apply to 5 and if I don't get into any that it means I wasn't meant to go.
 Now I don't believe that. How do I narrow down the schools I am interested in applying to? I don't know which branch of Law I go into. I don't really mind where I live and work. Does anyone have any tips on narrowing schools down to apply to?

No offense, but your mother's suggestion is pretty poor...I could have applied to Harvard, Yale, Stanfor, Columbia, and NYU and would have been rejected by them all - does that mean I shouldn't go to law school? Most likely it doesn't.

Law admissions has become very competitive. I chose the schools I applied to by location - mainly NYC schools. However, if I could do it over again I would have applied to a few more top-14's (I also would have applied early in the admissions cycle). You will get a rough idea of your chances from your numbers, but there are a few schools out there that aren't as numbers-heavy (apparently Boalt is one of them).

Mostly though, be prepared to practice in the area you go to school unless you go top-14. While there are exceptions, this is the general rule.

Chris

[zpops]

I know people who applied to 24 schools!  While that's excessive, it's better than applying to a mere 5.  Unless you have the time to visit a ton of schools right now, I'd apply to lots of schools you're likely to get into, so that you don't risk being locked into a school you hate because it's the only one that accepted you.

[Lawschool2005]

[QUOTE

No offense, but your mother's suggestion is pretty poor...
QUOTE FROM LOUDER THAN BOMBS

  NO OFFENSE TAKEN, THANKS, I AGREE, MY MUM DOESN'T REALLY UNDERSTAND THAT IT JUST ISN'T ALL ABOUT NUMBERS TO GET IN TO A SCHOOL. AS I HAVE SEEN THIS YEAR LOTS OF PEOPLE HAVE GOTTEN INTO SCHOOLS THAT WERE SAFETIES. I REALLY WANT TO GO TO LAW SCHOOL AND LIVE IN A NICE PLACE.

[scolomon]

I applied to 15 law schools
I am glad I did
I didnt get into any of my reaches and got into no schools full time regular acceptance I thought I was borderline in
It's getting competitive, you need to cover your bases

[Lipper316]

I agree. I applied to 11 schools, and so far rejected from 6, waitlisted 2, and accepted.....1!! These schools were all target/safety schools mind you, not reaches. Whats even more odd, is the one school I was accepted to, was a lot harder to get into than some I was rejected from. The one I was waitlisted at is a Tier 2, while I have been rejected by (yes i know, pitiful) 3 Tier-4 schools. Mind-boggling....YES! Soooooo, in conclusion, u never really know what the hell the stupid adcoms are looking for. Apply to minimum 8 schools, and the maximum being the most you can afford.

[Findedeux]

I think it's good to apply to a lot of schools just because of the randomness factor. My numbers were not that great, but at a few (tier one) schools were I was a little less than average I was accepted. Another good reason is because say you apply to 6 reach schools and you get waitlisted at them, your chances getting into one of them aren't bad. I should have done that as I onld had one real reach school and was waitlisted (Iowa).

[dsong02]

im planning on applying to about 30+ schools myself.  im not too worried about the cost since i can sell my body outside my office building and probably get enough for an application a day...

i figure, the only thing that would hurt to apply to so many schools would be the bank account.  but i look at it this way:  i worked damn hard to study and get myself into the best school possible.  i know that my chances are slim getting anywhere, but i have to try...otherwise, the blood, sweat, tears, nicotine, caffeine addiction, insomnia, stress, weight-loss, weight-gain, hair-loss, and alcoholism wouldnt have been worth it. 

who knows...maybe my application will be the fluke of the century at harvard. 

[ajlynnette]

i think you should first decide where you want to live or the region of the US you'd be okay living in. of course if you live near a good school that could get you in anywhere? apply there first. maybe it could be one of your 'reach' schools?

but i say apply to as many as you can REALISTICALLY afford. and if a school offers you a fee waiver? take it and run! who knows, you might like the school (especially if it's one you never thought about or heard much about). as for myself, i think i'm just gonna apply to about 5-6 schools because i know that there aren't many who have what i'm looking for (inclusive MA/MS in a science discipline) or are in partnership w/another school for what i'm looking for.

but best of luck to you!