| Topic Name: |
schools 15-30 |
| Message Name: |
the wizard of watts. |
| Date Posted: |
05/08/2001 |
| In Reply To: |
I'd like to make a few points.
First, George Washington is a good school. People have heard of it even in Southern California, where I live. But it would be better to go to GULC or some other higher ranked school, if you can get in. That said, George Washington is a perfectly acceptable pedigree, even at a BIGLAW firm.
I'm at USC, which is ranked 18th this year, and is typically 15-18th. My experience is that schools that are ranked 15-20 offer pretty much the same jobs as schools ranked 6-14. The difference is that while graduates of USC get the same quality of job, our degree doesn't travel quite as well as a degree from, say, GULC or Michigan. I have friends at Georgetown and Cornell, and it turns out that you don't have to do any better at USC to get a BIGLAW job than you do at their schools. But they can travel better, and to different areas.
It's not that USC grads have any trouble getting a BIGLAW job in NY, LA, or DC, it's that we aren't quite as well known in cities like Boston, Atlanta, or Austin. That is, a degree from a school ranked 15-20 is the functional equivilant of a degree from a school ranked 6-14 in the large primary markets, but not in a large, but secondary, legal market. Then you'd be better off with a degree from a Northwestern or Cornell, or some school like that.
This is only true for BIGLAW. If you want an academic post, you're much better off with a degree from a top 14 school than from USC, UCLA, or UT, even though all these schools have been sometimes ranked as high as 15. And while USC, or similar schools, get you the same job as Penn or some school like that, these schools are still considered less prestigious than their more highly ranked counterparts. This may occasionaly make a difference when it comes to who gets what jobs after you're hired.
My advice is to ignore the specialty rankings and go for the school with the highest overall ranking. Don't be too rigid and pick number 19 over 20, just because of a one ranking difference, but generally try to pick the school with the highest overall ranking.
The principle to remember isn't that grads of higher ranked schools get better jobs--this isn't neccessarily true. The principle is that higher ranked schools offer a degree that travel's better. Unless you're really certain about where you want to practice, get the best degree possible. Then you'll be freer to travel around.
There are a few schools that have better reputations than US News rankings. This is true of both Boston College and Bosten University, as well as Hastings and possibly George Washington, the school you're considering.
Please notice I've been differentiating between schools ranked 6-14 and schools ranked slightly worse. Schools ranked 6 or higher do offer superior job opportunities than other schools do. If you get into Chicago or Columbia, do whatever you have to and go.
If you applied to USC, post on the board and I'll somehow try and give you my private e-mail address. USC is a great school--great faculty, facilities, student body, alumni, and so on. It's the only law school that treats its students like paying customers, and its alumni dominate BIGLAW firms throughout Southern California.
Otherwise, George Washington is a great school. Best of luck. |
| Message: |
keep telling yourself that, click the heels of your ruby red slippers together 100 times and it still won't come true.
usc will never, ever, ever, be compared with a school like michigan or georgetown. ever.
wait until fall hiring begins in this recession. top jobs will be limited to the very top schools. your empty words are a disservice to this poor person who may be stuck with a GW degree.
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