michigan state - INFO APPRECIATED!!!

[geoff tuck]

does anyone know anything about michigan state - DCL and why it might be ranked so poorly? any info on the school would be appreciated.

thanks.

[Bob]

MSU is ranked poorly because, as I understand it, they let in just about anybody that wants to attend. However, I've heard they make the first year extra tough to weed out the undeserving. So, all in all, its not a bad school. But good luck getting a job outside of Lansing or Detroit.

[Annie]

I have heard that MSU/DCL is ranked poorly because when the two schools joined they lost a lot af faculty members.  MSU/DCL is not a particularly selctive school which would contribute to a low ranking, but remember that its not what law school you go to that counts, its whether or not you're in the top 10% of your class and passing the bar that really matter!

[MSU-DCL]

MSU-DCL is an amazing school. Geoffrey Fieger, one of the top trial lawyer's in the country is a graduate.

[Butters!]

If it's such a wonderful, great place, why is it 4th tier with scores not much better than Cooley, generally considered the worst school in the country? I didn't get into UMich so I ended up leaving the state to Ohio.

[frank6439]

Michigan State's law school might not be much to write home about, but its business school is highly rated (#37 most recent USN).  My guess is that this is a little unusual for two schools to be so differently ranked and still part of the same parent university.  Anyway, can anyone offer any insight into the possiblity of gaining admission to the business school to pursue a joint jd/mba after/during the first year law school?  Would the business school tend to look more favorably on an applicant from their own law school or since the b-school is so competitive is that not much of a factor?

[eldorado]

in order to get the combined JD/MBA one must be admitted seperately to both schools. although the acceptance standards at the law school are minimal, you must also have appropriate credentials to be admitted to the B school. hope that helps.

[Cal]

As a MSU-DCL student who did well my first year, I am asking myself the same question.  MSU has always wanted a law school, and when DCL was looking to move, out of convenience the two schools combined.  8 years later, only a 4 million endownment has improved the phsyical structure of the law school, but the academic reputation remains the smae. Wayne State has a powerful alumni that won't let the state legislature publicly fund the MSU law school, and sever all ties to DCL. Thus, MSU-DCL continues to be a perpetual bottom-feeder, while Wayne State continues to attract the UMICH kids who couldn't get in to UMICH.  

[Ivy_Hopeful]

MSU is a fine institution (so I've heard) and the rankings just accumulate poor numbers becasue of its high admission rate.  They want to give everybody a shot.  But if you ask around the board (as I am sure they will tell you) MSU is still a highly respected school that law applicants want to apply to (just look at another passage where MSU is in a list of other much higher ranked schools like U Penn, Columbia, Georgetown.  and these are top 25 schools (presumably). Hope this helps.