Annual college rankings imply that an exacting scientific process was used and that using the rankings will lead to a
better degree and a better, higher paying job.
When thinking about law schools, consider these important points that the usual resources don’t discuss:
don’t get caught up the exact ranking numbers (in other words the difference between numbers 19 and 23 are not great)
public law schools can be excellent; do not get caught up in thinking you need to go to a private school
most law schools are pretty much regional because each state administers its own bar exam
graduates often end up working in-state
law school can give strong local ties if you make use of them which can lead to lots of opportunities (the power and advantage of networks)
Top tip from a colleague: “Choose the best law school you can afford. Translation: what school you go to matters, but
don’t go to a school that is so expensive that you are overloaded with debt and not making much money when you get out.”
Law school (actually, any higher education) gives you the opportunity to change where you live. You can jump-start
your exit out of a region, or get headed towards where you really want to live.
Your reasons can be personal, or because the the economy tanked where you currently are, or a region offers opportunities
in an industry or area of specialization that you seek, or many other reasons.
Use law school as your opportunity to move where you want to live rather than where you currently are, or where you were born.
Tie this in with the bottom three bullet points listed above. A major criteria for picking a law school should be
“where do you want to live?” It is not trivial to want to live in a city where you can indulge your love of
mountain climbing, or where the weather is warm, or where you can have a horse farm. Follow those dreams and use your choice
of law school to facilitate it happening.
This concept is important to me. If I had not used my undergraduate and post-graduate educational opportunities to change where I lived,
I could still be living in a decaying rust belt city rather than on the west coast working in high tech, living on salt water
with a sailboat. Replace my locations, professional and personal interests with your own dreams and fill in the blanks.
Cost of Living
The financial challenges of post graduate education. Consider the cost of living while going to school. Here is
a tool that lets you compare 2 cities even if you enter your job as “student” and a salary of “0”
Also Relevant: LSAT Exam Dates