what's with Washington and Lee?

[moosemeatpie]

so why is it that W&L seems to have been dropping in the rankings consistently in the past few years? is this an alarming sign of times to come?

[CoxlessPair]

*

[Zam]

 

[General2010]

Check out some of the other threads where they compare rankings. W&L's average since the inception of the US News rankings has been at about #21 I believe. Schools will fluctuate back and forth--3 drops in a ranking really doesn't mean much. It's when you have a situation like UNC, where it drops from 27th to 36th, where things get worrisome.

As for the gay issue, despite whatever really happened at W&L a few weeks ago because we do not know for sure, the fact that one person may dislike gays is not representative of the entire law school. Every single law school will have people that are bigotted or racist in at least some degree, and some may even act on those views, but this does not mean everyone or the majority agrees with them.

And yes, I am officially a W&L troll now.

[Alamo]

Tag - I haven't seen the data as to why we dropped a bit this year, but I can't say it worries me, and it's definitely not a consistent decline over the past few years.  If anyone has the USNews data for W&L for this year - I'd love to see it so I could understand it more fully, but I don't see it as a big deal.

The dean we're getting here next year is awesome; I've got high hopes for the school's future.

[The Doctor is IN!]

so why is it that W&L seems to have been dropping in the rankings consistently in the past few years? is this an alarming sign of times to come?

Just as an FYI reference, here are the US News Rankings for W&L Law from 1990-2008:

1990: 25 (0 difference compared to 2008)
1991: not in Top 25 (at least -1 difference compared to 2008)
1992: not in Top 25 (at least -1 difference compared to 2008)
1993: not in Top 25 (at least -1 difference compared to 2008)
1994: 22 (+3 difference compared to 2008)
1995: 21 (+4 difference compared to 2008)
1996: 20 (+5 difference compared to 2008)
1997: 25 (0 difference compared to 2008)
1998: 19 (+6 difference compared to 2008)
1999: 20 (+5 difference compared to 2008)
2000: 20 (+5 difference compared to 2008)
2001: 20 (+5 difference compared to 2008)
2002: 18: (+7 difference compared to 2008)
2003: 19 (+6 difference compared to 2008)
2004: 23 (+2 difference compared to 2008)
2005: 22 (+3 difference compared to 2008)
2006: 22 (+3 difference compared to 2008)
2007: 22 (+3 difference compared to 2008)
2008: 25 (0 difference compared to 2008)

Average Over 15 Years (not counting 1990-1993 due to lack of data for 3 out of 4 of those years)= 21.2
Average Over Last 5 Years= 22.8

While obviously W&L Law has done better in the past than it did in 2008, this isn't their first time at 25 (and between 1991-1993 they weren't even in the Top 25).

Just as it won't be their first time when their Ranking picks up & improves for NEXT YEAR! 

[philibusters]

I do think some posters are on this site are too quick to find trends in one or two year movements.  The school is almost the exact same year to year.

W&L is a good school.  To answer the question, small number changes have caused them to drop in the rankings, but nothing systematic.  Lets face it, when a school goes up a few spots, thats not a trend, because likely a few inconsequential numbers changed a tiny bit and the school almost lucked its way into moving up (luck may not be the right word as Deans now watch the rankings closely), the same goes for schools that drop a tiny bit.

[ANBUDOM]

i was told that the rank dipped a little because we didn't have an official dean.  we had an acting/temporary dean because the previous dude left.  we got a new guy and apparently he's supposed to help the school's rep or something...

i really do think that the school needs to move out of lexington though.  i don't mind the town all that much but i know that a lot of very qualified candidates probably choose other similarly-ranked schools due to the location.  i know people try to play it off like the small-town feel is nice and all but most young adults don't wanna be in a place like that...

[Alamo]

i really do think that the school needs to move out of lexington though.  i don't mind the town all that much but i know that a lot of very qualified candidates probably choose other similarly-ranked schools due to the location.  i know people try to play it off like the small-town feel is nice and all but most young adults don't wanna be in a place like that...

With all due respect (which for ANBUDOM = mad props), I completely disagree.  Lexington, and the school's long tradition there, is part of what makes W&L such a unique institution.  Many potential students and faculty don't give it a chance because of its remote location; that's their loss.  A school in a more urban environment simply does not end up with the same sense of community, because students spend less time with one another as more outside activities compete for their attention.  Lexington also provides freedom from distractions and traffic, scenic beauty, fresh air and loads of outdoor activities.  For 3 years of law school, I think it's ideal, and that it's a great life experience, especially for lifelong city slickers.

I may be biased because I feel like W&L is uniquely suited to me personally, but I would hate to see it located anywhere else.  The fact that it gets almost 200 OCI firms a year for a class size of 125-135 in a place this isolated is simply amazing.  Move it elsewhere, and it becomes just another mid-tier-1 law school.

[ANBUDOM]

i really do think that the school needs to move out of lexington though.  i don't mind the town all that much but i know that a lot of very qualified candidates probably choose other similarly-ranked schools due to the location.  i know people try to play it off like the small-town feel is nice and all but most young adults don't wanna be in a place like that...

With all due respect (which for ANBUDOM = mad props), I completely disagree.  Lexington, and the school's long tradition there, is part of what makes W&L such a unique institution.  Many potential students and faculty don't give it a chance because of its remote location; that's their loss.  A school in a more urban environment simply does not end up with the same sense of community, because students spend less time with one another as more outside activities compete for their attention.  Lexington also provides freedom from distractions and traffic, scenic beauty, fresh air and loads of outdoor activities.  For 3 years of law school, I think it's ideal, and that it's a great life experience, especially for lifelong city slickers.

I may be biased because I feel like W&L is uniquely suited to me personally, but I would hate to see it located anywhere else.  The fact that it gets almost 200 OCI firms a year for a class size of 125-135 in a place this isolated is simply amazing.  Move it elsewhere, and it becomes just another mid-tier-1 law school.

i mean i agree with you in that if you gave it a chance lexington really isn't all that bad.  the great thing is that there are no distractions around so you can really get a lot of work done.  your performance in the first year of law school will pretty much determine what job you'll be getting after you graduate so you'd wanna be in a place like lex to get stuff done.  also, even if the town isn't too great, the students attending W&L are amazing people so going to class and socializing w/ the faculty and students is great. 

that and i like don tequilas

oh and it's dirt cheap to live there... you be saving a lot of money

plus alamo and i go to W&L... how can it get any better than that