Iowa - What are they good for?

[yiplong]

Iowa has always been ranked in the top 25, but I seriously don't see why they deserve such ranking.  They are located in a very small town, far away from any major legal market, it doesn't have such a strong national reputation and the school doesn't seem particularly strong in any field.  Can someone explain to me why they are so highly regarded?

[The Poster]

Iowa has always been ranked in the top 25, but I seriously don't see why they deserve such ranking.  They are located in a very small town, far away from any major legal market, it doesn't have such a strong national reputation and the school doesn't seem particularly strong in any field.  Can someone explain to me why they are so highly regarded?

I offer up the following, sun to the tune of "War (what is it good for)" with a few changes here and there by your truly:

Iowa, huh yeah
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing.
Iowa huh yeah
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing.
Say it again y'all
Iowa, huh good god
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing. Listen to me

Iowa-I despise
cause its way out
In the middle of nowhere
Iowa means boredom every day and night
When there ain’t nothing to do
And your bored outta your mind

Iowa, huh good god y'all
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing. say it again
Iowa whoa lord
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing. listen to me
It ain't nothin but a heartbreaker
Friend only to the undertaker

Oh Iowa, is an enemy to all mankind
the thought of spending three years in surely Iowa blows my mind
Iowa is in the top 25 for no damn good reason
damn fake prestige, who wants to go there?

Iowa, good god y'all
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing. say it say it say it
Iowa uh huh yeah huh
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing. listen to me
It ain't nothin but a heartbreaker
got one friend that's the undertaker

oh Iowa has shattered many young law lawyer’s dreams
made him wish he’d gone to a better school, made him bitter and mean
life is much to short and precious to go to a school like Iowa at all
Iowa can't give life it can only take it away oooooh

Iowa, huh good god y'all
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing. say it say again
Iowa whoa lord
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing. listen
It ain't nothin but a heartbreaker
Friend only to the undertaker

Prestige, money and a good nightlife, tell me
Is there no place for them today
they say going to any top 25 will bring them to us
but lord knows there's got to be a better way than Iowa, good god ya’ll!

[florentino ariza]

they have the best creative writing program in the country.

it rubs off on their lawyers.

their briefs read like works of art.

[Academia]

First off to say they have no national reputation makes no sense.  The two key factors that make up the USNWR rankings are surverys sent out to the deans of all law schools and hiring partners at major firms throughout the country.  So, if a law school is not located in a major market and is ranking in the top 25, well that shows how strong its reputation is nationwide. 

[yiplong]

Maybe I only said Iowa has no real national reputation due to influence by people on this board.  I constantly hear people trashing schools like Iowa and Minnesota as being 'regional'.

I was looking through Iowa's employment Stats, it stated that their privat sector salary range from 30k - 140k.  Can someone explain how come an attorney in private practice would be paid in the 30's?  I earn about 40k now, working as an IT specialist, doing 2 hour worth of real work a day, and have no real responsibility.  I don't see why people would practice law for only 30k.   

[gcs451]

Iowa is a state school and many of their graduates choose to stay and work in their home state.  And Iowa's cost of living is not that high so salaries are not that high.  Also, looking at starting salaries does not tell you much if you are not taking into consideration where people are living and working.  A lot of people on this site seem to be saying that you are better off going to Kent or Loyola over Iowa because the average starting salary is higher.  But if you are graduating 80,000 in debt and want to live in the city, 60,000 a year is not that much money. 

[yiplong]

Iowa is a state school and many of their graduates choose to stay and work in their home state.  And Iowa's cost of living is not that high so salaries are not that high.  Also, looking at starting salaries does not tell you much if you are not taking into consideration where people are living and working.  A lot of people on this site seem to be saying that you are better off going to Kent or Loyola over Iowa because the average starting salary is higher.  But if you are graduating 80,000 in debt and want to live in the city, 60,000 a year is not that much money. 

Kent and Loyola are tier 2 or 3, are they not?  I can hardly imagine how they can compete with Iowa, which is a top 25.  I am thinking of going to Iowa myself, that's why I am asking why Iowa is so highly regarded.   

[ACK!]

Iowa is a state school and many of their graduates choose to stay and work in their home state.  And Iowa's cost of living is not that high so salaries are not that high.  Also, looking at starting salaries does not tell you much if you are not taking into consideration where people are living and working.  A lot of people on this site seem to be saying that you are better off going to Kent or Loyola over Iowa because the average starting salary is higher.  But if you are graduating 80,000 in debt and want to live in the city, 60,000 a year is not that much money. 

Kent and Loyola are tier 2 or 3, are they not?  I can hardly imagine how they can compete with Iowa, which is a top 25.  I am thinking of going to Iowa myself, that's why I am asking why Iowa is so highly regarded.   

The admissions director at Minnesota is an Iowa grad. She did two clerkships on the 8th circuit. She then went to work for a boutique law firm in DC, representing many foreign flag air carriers. She made a lot of money. Iowa is a good school. Go visit, look at Martindale and see where Iowa grads are actually working. A lot of times certain schools will get a stiff arm to the face on this board merely due to their distance from the eastern seaboard…

[florentino ariza]

the best coast, you mean.

but yeah. schools that don't obviously feed into a major legal market get the shaft in where people think they place. hence the shaftage iowa and minnesota get.

[ACK!]

the best coast, you mean.

but yeah. schools that don't obviously feed into a major legal market get the shaft in where people think they place. hence the shaftage iowa and minnesota get.

Is that parrot eating your ear Su?! *OUCH* How horrible!