Tier 3/4 rankings

[Sweetpri]

Anywhere to get rankings for these schools, or do they just get the Tier 3 or Tier 4 title?

[Richard B. Riddick]

I think they're all pretty much lumped together.  At that point there really isn't a reason or a way to differentiate the 150/151st ranked schools.

Of course, some schools are more highly regarded than others (ie. everything > Cooley).  However, that is more public opinion, which is very hard to quantify.  Of course, its hard to quantify any kind of law school ranking, but that's a dead horse that is still getting the crud beat out of it.  Poor horsie.

[Sweetpri]

I think they're all pretty much lumped together.  At that point there really isn't a reason or a way to differentiate the 150/151st ranked schools.

That's lame - I would rather go to a school that's 101 then 150!

[brain_bliss]

i get tired of the whole ranking discussion   


One of my top choices is a 4th tier school, because I would like to practice in that area and it places well there.  Plus - no matter what anybody says - you can get a Big Law job 3-4 years after graduation.  A friend of mine went to a T3 and works for Skadden in NYC.

[ptown]

I think that once you make the decision to go to t3/t4 you are pretty much saying "ok, I don't care about the stupid rankings", therefore, the discussion is moot.

When selecting a t3/t4 you have to look at the "soft factors", namely location.  I know you have said you don't know where you want to end up, but if you are looking to go to a lower ranked school, I think you need to make some decisions.  If you want to live on in California for example, look for local schools, check out their placement stats, and try to find out as much as possible about their rep in the area. 

I do not think it is a good idea to pick any school just because of rank, but it even worse for a t3/t4 because the ranks are so low that they have no meaning.  You really should try to decide what areas of the country you are interested in living in.  If you don't, you will invariably end up somewhere you don't like.

My top choice is a t3 school, entirely because of location and local reputation.

[pinkytrc]

I think that once you make the decision to go to t3/t4 you are pretty much saying "ok, I don't care about the stupid rankings", therefore, the discussion is moot.

When selecting a t3/t4 you have to look at the "soft factors", namely location.  I know you have said you don't know where you want to end up, but if you are looking to go to a lower ranked school, I think you need to make some decisions.  If you want to live on in California for example, look for local schools, check out their placement stats, and try to find out as much as possible about their rep in the area. 

I do not think it is a good idea to pick any school just because of rank, but it even worse for a t3/t4 because the ranks are so low that they have no meaning.  You really should try to decide what areas of the country you are interested in living in.  If you don't, you will invariably end up somewhere you don't like.

My top choice is a t3 school, entirely because of location and local reputation.

Excellent points.  A higher ranked school generally has more of a national reputation, it's name is just known more, like everyone knows of Harvard.  So if your looking to work anywhere in the United States, a recognized name will seem better because they have heard of it.  A t3/4 school has more of a local reputation because what would people in Arizona know of a school in Ohio unless the name was thrown in their face by the ranking book?  That's the only way people hear the school names for a big part.  I'm sure the education is very similar, its just name recognition for a big part.  I would just look at where the grads from your choice schools end up working.  Other than that, who cares?  Many of the people on here are high scorers, so just do what you want, don't worry about what they are doing!

[ImVinny!]

If i want to end up in DC what schools should I go to then?

[budlaw]

If i want to end up in DC what schools should I go to then?

Either a T14 or a DC area school.

[ImVinny!]

Does the gov care which school I went to, any particular recommendations for working with gov? Or just T14?

[Reesespbcup]

Does the gov care which school I went to, any particular recommendations for working with gov? Or just T14?

I think the gov cares less about rank and more about programs (eg IRS= LLM Tax-law program). UNLESS you are looking for a really prestigious position down the road (eg Assistant US atty), then rank may matter more 'cause it is more competitive. Where you should go depends more on which office you want to work for. For example, I want to work for the SEC but I've lived in FL all my life so I want to work at their Miami office. Therefore, I am applying to Miami-location schools. Then, I plan to try to get an internship.

If you want to live in DC, depending on your scores, you might check out American and/or George Mason (George Mason has higher standards).