I recently discussed the initial stages of putting together a list of potential law schools for applicants preparing to to apply for admission. I recommended creating a list of approximately 30 schools based on tentative LSAT score and GPA, geography and career goals.
This week’s post follows up on the process of narrowing the list of schools to the 10 or 15 schools where you will actually end up applying. Since the U.S. News updated law school rankings have just been released, this is a good time to begin this process of making a short list based on the most recent rankings and information .
A law school’s overall rank is a good basic measure of the school’s reputation among future employers. The higher the ranking, the more attractive a graduate from that school tends to be to employers.
It is obvious to prospective law students that they should , for the most part , go to the highest-ranked school they can get into. But a n important part of the U.S. News rankings is in the information regarding admissions statistics. Below are three elements of the U.S. News rankings to use when cutting your long list to 10 to 15 law schools.
1. LSAT score and GPA: Use the most up-to-date information when making your decision regarding where to apply , especially the LSAT and GPA numbers that are updated every year.
The reason this is so important is that these numbers can change from year to year, and the only way to make an accurate estimate of your admissions chances is by using last year’s numbers.
Learn to [use GPA and LSAT scores to set a law school application strategy.]
In the past several years, for example, there has been a significant decrease in the LSAT scores for many schools, particularly for some schools ranked in the top 14. If you decide where to apply based on old numbers, you risk not applying to schools where you might have a decent shot at getting in . You should look primarily at the LSAT and GPA ranges for each school to get a realistic picture of your chances at each school.
2. Rankings within regionas: Geography can play a major role in determining where to apply. As you continue to pare down your list of potential schools, you can use the rankings to determine the best options for where you plan to practice law.
Check out [photos of the top-ranked law schools for 2016.]
Top 14 schools have been historically considered nationwide schools, meaning that their graduates are competitive applicants for jobs all over the country.
Schools that are not at the top of the rankings are generally regional schools that have good reputations in their geographical regions , but are less well known and have weaker alumni networks outside those regions. If you are planning on practicing law in a specific region, use the relative rankings of schools in that region to determine where you should consider applying.
3. Specialized practice area rankings: So far, the discussion has been focused on the overall rankings that U.S. News compiles. An equally important, and often overlooked, resource is the U.S. News rankings for many different specific areas of law.
See [facts from the 2016 Best Law Schools rankings.]
Similar to the discussion of geography above, schools that are very highly ranked will make you a good job applicant for any practice area, but if you know what specific area you want to practice, you should look at the ranking for that practice area.
It is often the case that a school’s practice area ranking can be much higher than its overall ranking. In that case, if you know you are going to practice that area of law and might not have the numbers to be a competitive applicant at the top schools, you can set yourself up for a successful career in that area by attending a school that has a stellar reputation in that practice area.
For example, the top two law schools for environmental law are the Northwestern School of Law at Lewis & Clark College and Vermont Law School, both of which are ranked around 100 overall. An applicant committed to practicing environmental law who might not be a viable candidate at the nation’s top schools will be a much stronger candidate at those schools.
Which factors are most important to you as you further narrow down your law school list? Let me know in an email, or tweet me @shawnpoconnor.
More from U.S. News
Drop in Applications Spurs Changes at Law Schools
3 Ways for Law School Applicants to Brainstorm a Long List
Use Rankings, Statistics to Narrow Your Law School Choices originally appeared on usnews.com