What schools are underrated by US News?

[hammer101]

clearly William & Mary is better than its current 27th ranking.

Of course -- you're attending!

[MTL]

Why Gonzaga of course!

In all seriousness, I have had several attorneys in Seattle state that Gonzaga, not UW or Seattle U, is the school to go to in WA in terms of law education.  They say that it is pretty common knowledge among many lawyers in the state that it produces the best all-around attorneys, while UW and SU produce highly skilled lawyers in certain specialized areas.

I guess I will soon find out...hope they are right!

Sorry, but this is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. I would agree with UW being overrated, and SU being underrated, but Gonzaga is exactly where it belongs. Most of the attorneys I know have stated that their firms flat out do not hire Gonzaga grads straight out of LS, indicating to me that the reputation is poor indeed. Don't get me wrong, you can succeed from Gonzaga, but it is an uphill climb relative to the other schools, largely because the pecking order is so firmly established.

[Paikea]

Why Gonzaga of course!

In all seriousness, I have had several attorneys in Seattle state that Gonzaga, not UW or Seattle U, is the school to go to in WA in terms of law education.  They say that it is pretty common knowledge among many lawyers in the state that it produces the best all-around attorneys, while UW and SU produce highly skilled lawyers in certain specialized areas.

I guess I will soon find out...hope they are right!

Sorry, but this is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. I would agree with UW being overrated, and SU being underrated, but Gonzaga is exactly where it belongs. Most of the attorneys I know have stated that their firms flat out do not hire Gonzaga grads straight out of LS, indicating to me that the reputation is poor indeed. Don't get me wrong, you can succeed from Gonzaga, but it is an uphill climb relative to the other schools, largely because the pecking order is so firmly established.

I had two informational interviews with lawyers from Preston Gates Ellis and Perkins Coie, all of whom stated this to me.  Both of these firms, two of the top in WA, said they have no problem hiring from Gonzaga as long as they have been on Law Review and/or have ample moot court experience (they require this of all new hires.) 

I also spoke with two attorneys who are public defenders in King County and stated that GU has a very strong rep in the public sector, moreso than SU.

By chance on a flight from San Fransisco, I sat next to an attorney for Betts Patterson Mines and, among other things, asked her about UW, SU and GU.  Her response was that if GU was in the greater Seattle area, it would be ranked as high or higher than SU - that it suffers because most people would rather live in Seattle for 3 years than Eastern WA.

Of course, they all had nothing but great things to say about UW and SU.  But each of their overall opinions were that GU was greatly underrated, and that it offered the better "all-around" education.

Like it or not, believe it or not, these were their words, not mine.   

[BigSplitDC]

Underrated:
Texas, BC, Hastings, Michigan, BYU

[nubova]

BC, ND, Hastings.

[shae]

Cooley.  They shoud by T14 for sure.

[ChlorasepticRelief]

BC for sure.

[Steve Butabi]

there are a few schools that are CRIMINALLY underrated by usnwr, those are unc, tulane, and wisconsin

[Steve Butabi]

yeah. suprisingly, Tulane undergrad degrees command a lot more respect than you would think. First of all, the school has excellent faculty, law and undergrad. When people hear that my buddy went to tulane, there are oohs and ahhs, not exactly what you would expect from a school that isn't extremely selective. A Tulane law degree also travels. Most students practice in nyc right out of school. You can't say that about many schools outside the T30 that aren't located in NY. Their maritime and intl law programs are also some of the best in the nation.

[Thikighoros]

Cooley.  They shoud by T14 for sure.

Underrated, maybe. T14, maybe not.