Rachel Bouman - Law

The Career Journey of A Legal Profession

Top 5 Law Schools in the US

by

columbia law school library

 

Law school has rightly been regarded as one of the most difficult graduate programs to pursue for a number of reasons. Aside from the sheer amount of work that needs to be done and studied, you’re constantly surrounded by incredibly intelligent and ambitious people that are willing to go above and beyond to guarantee their longevity within their field. Law is a tough field to enter, but it is an incredibly rewarding field once you’ve gotten through the schooling portion. With that in mind, here are the top 5 law schools in the country according to US News 7 World Report.

  • Yale University Law School: Along with consistently ranking amongst the best universities in the country (for good reason, by the way), Yale is also proudly the number one law school in the states. With only 607 students enrolled full-time and an acceptance rate of only 8.9%, the school is demanding and will cut you without a seconds notice.
  • Stanford University Law School (tied for 2nd): There are a number of schools tied for 2nd place and Stanford definitely deserves to be amongst them. It enrolls only 577 full-time students and has an acceptance rate of only 9.1%. It’s also comparable in cost to Yale and in a much nicer climate.
  • Harvard University Law School (tied for 2nd): Everyone knows about Harvard and it should come as no surprise that it is tied for the 2nd best law school in the country. It enrolls substantially more people (1,752) and has a higher acceptance rate of 15.4% but maintains the academic rigor and standards that Harvard is rightly known for.
  • University of Chicago Law School (tied for 2nd): For those who know the school, it makes complete sense that the University of Chicago is included on this list and tied for 2nd place. The school is full of amazing programs and faculty and this extends to the law school. Enrolling only 604 students full-time and accepting only 18.4%, you can be confident that you’ll be amongst the best of the best.
  • Columbia University Law School (tied for 2nd): Another school tied for 2nd place and another school that should surprise no one. Columbia has one of the best law schools in the country and it’s also located in New York City, allowing for easy access to some of the country’s most impressive legal firms and legal minds. With 1,170 full-time students and an acceptance rate of 18.9%, Columbia is going to continue creating fantastic lawyers for years to come.

While these are only 5 of the top law schools in the country, there are so many other amazing ones that weren’t mentioned. Read here for more!

Defeating Your “First Year of Law School” Demons

by

library-869061_1280Starting law school is as terrifying as it is exciting. As crippling as that fear may be, it can definitely be used for your personal growth if you approach it the right way. Here are a few of the most common first-year-of-law-school fears and how to deal with them.

  • Picking Your Own Courses – The idea of picking your courses can be daunting. Often times, you’ll want to avoid certain courses because they sound scary. If the legends are true, the professor is evil, you’ll never pass, and your GPA will be destroyed forever. But don’t allow those fears to dictate which courses you take or don’t take. The courses that you are most fearful of are the ones that you probably need the most help in. So take those “scary” courses. Work hard. Excel.
  • Law School Exams – Freezing up on exams happens to everyone. It’s even worse when you can hear all of your classmates scratching or typing away at their tests, while you can barely comprehend the first question. The fear of looking unintelligent on paper is very real; you know that your professors will read your exams and be judging your answers. Try to relax. The professors are not out to make you look bad, and will be looking to find the good (or salvageable) in all of your work. Just take the time to write out all of your thoughts on the topic, and then go back and edit. Your first year of law school will be the perfect time to get over your fear of tests. You’ll be ready for the bar exam before you know it.
  • Speaking Out Loud….In Front of Anyone – Talking in front of anyone in law school may seem terrifying at first. Whether it’s a normal conversation during a lunch break or answering a question in class, speaking out loud, where everyone can hear your thoughts and judge your words, can cause you to freeze up. Just remember that if you’re being called on in class, your professor is training you to work under pressure. If you’re nervous about whether you match up to your peers, just remember that you got into law school just like the rest of them. You’re qualified and you should use this time to grow confident in yourself and exercise your conversational abilities.

 

For more advice on surviving your first year of law school, see this article.

 

RSS From the WSJ Law Blog