Ivy League vs. Regular Law Schools

[Ion1776]

New to the site...Someone probably already asked this...Sorry

Im a Pre-Law student at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. First, my family hate the fact im doing law (i.e. dads a doctor, moms a nurse. Uncle PhD Microbiology. 2 Aunts PhD Chemisty/Biology.) all science people....

Anyways...I want to go to an ivy league school, more specifically...Colombia, Stanford, Yale, Harvard, Duke. My parents think it doesnt make a difference where you graduate...

Im basically asking...

1. Say someone goes to Colombia (ranked 4) and someone goes to University TN law school (ranked 59). Is the Colombia graduate going to find a job easier?

2. Is the Colombia graduate going to get a better education?

Please feel free to expand further on any front, the info the better

Thanks

[Joey Porsche]

Anyways...I want to go to an ivy league school, more specifically...Colombia, Stanford, Yale, Harvard, Duke. My parents think it doesnt make a difference where you graduate...

Don't know much about the Ivy League do ya...

1. Say someone goes to Colombia (ranked 4) and someone goes to University TN law school (ranked 59). Is the Colombia graduate going to find a job easier?

Yes, everywhere but Tennessee.

2. Is the Colombia graduate going to get a better education?

Yes.

[MauveAvenger]

Unfortunately yes, it will make a big difference. Law is still an old school profession, and regardless of whether it's correct anymore the old classifications are still very much in place. Call it a glass ceiling, of sorts.

[nealric]

As others have pointed out, not all top schools are Ivy league. The Ivy League is a sports conference. Some top schools (NYU, Chicago) are better than certain "Ivy" Schools (i.e. Cornell). Duke is not an ivy (but nevertheless a top school).

To answer your question: yes, a top school will have significantly better job prospects from a national prospective. As far as the education, it's hard to say. I've had transfers tell me they entered a whole new ballgame when they came here as opposed to local third and fourth tier schools they transferred from. At the same time, the basic curriculum will be the same, and most of law school involves self study anyways.

Unlike science, legal employment is a caste system with two groups:  Ivy/top 10 and the other schools.  The difference is substantial akin to a cardiothoracic/neurosurgeon versus a nurse/physician assistant.

I think that's a bit overdoing it. It's not like things fall off a cliff at the top 10, the percentages of those getting the prestigious positions edges lower as you get down the scale. Also, some of those "Top 10" grads will be doing doc review with 4th tier grads in this economy.

[brocklanders12]

The two Ivys I recommend are Princeton and Dartmouth.

[IPFreely]

Anyways...I want to go to an ivy league school, more specifically...Colombia, Stanford, Yale, Harvard, Duke. My parents think it doesnt make a difference where you graduate...

Tell your parents that post-graduation employment statistics collected by NALP show that whereas a large percentage (well over 50%) of graduates of the top fourteen law schools get a high-paying job, only about 5% of UTK grads do.  A UTK grad might get a job, or in this economy might not, but it will be in Podunkville and pay peanuts.

Maybe someone around here can dig up the NALP 2005 survey results.  I haven't been able to find the chart lately.  But I remember that Tulane put 11% of its grads into biglaw, and I think Chicago-Kent managed to place around 6% into biglaw.  The numbers get a lot worse as you go further down.

[JDat45]

I assume you are interested in COLUMBIA University and not COLOMBIA as in Central, America.   

[mbw]

I assume you are interested in COLUMBIA University and not COLOMBIA as in Central, America.   

Um, before you criticize someone's spelling, you might want to polish up on your geography.  Just saying.

[mccarthy]

I assume you are interested in COLUMBIA University and not COLOMBIA as in Central, America.   

Also,it's Central America. No comma. It's not Central, America. I laugh because you try to criticize someone else and look like an ass in the process.

[goaliechica]

I assume you are interested in COLUMBIA University and not COLOMBIA as in Central, America.   

Also,it's Central America. No comma. It's not Central, America. I laugh because you try to criticize someone else and look like an ass in the process.

Er, and just to make MBW's point in a less subtle fashion: Colombia is not in Central America. It is in the northern part of South America.