Here are some tips for selecting schools, based on an analysis comparing each school to all others across dozens of factors:
Schools Concentrating On Lawyers
- Focus: For schools with a focus on this career area, look at Harvard and Northeastern.
Fastest Response From Schools
- Request Info: For the fastest information for prospective students, look at the Spotlight schools on this page.
Student Body
- Diverse: For a diverse student body, consider BU, Harvard, Southern New England School of Law, and Northeastern.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of Harvard, BU, Tufts University, and BC.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of BC, Harvard, BU, and Tufts University.
Excellence
- SAT: For students with high SAT scores, look at Harvard, Tufts University, BC, and Northeastern.
- % Accepted: For selective institutions, look at Harvard, Tufts University, BC, and Northeastern.
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at Tufts University, Harvard, BC, and Suffolk University.
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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Boston University School Of Law • Boston, MA
Studying Law (completion in 2004)
• 9/14/2011
"I enjoy the practice of law. However, law school was very expensive."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | The law is interesting. However, law school was very expensive and there are not many jobs anymore. |
| Program Reputation | 10 | It's a top 25 law school. Top law firms recruit there. |
| Program Quality | 7 | The professors and curriculum are very good, but it is very expensive and the average job will not allow one to easily pay back student loans. |
| Instruction | 10 | The professors are very good. Princeton Review frequently ranks the instruction at BUSL as the best in the country. |
| How Difficult | 9 | This is a top 25 law school. The program is very rigorous, especially during the first year. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | They have several clinical programs. The criminal law clinic is very good. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | It's a standard program. It's mostly fall and spring classes during normal workdays and normal working hours. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | The libraries and IT are top notch. The building is old and ugly. |
| Social Life | 8 | I met lots of great people there. BU doesn't have very good sports teams, though. |
| Placement Services | 5 | They insinuate that everyone will get a high-paying job, but that is not the case. Also, the career development office has a very limited reach outside the Northeast. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | The network is solid in the Northeast, especially in MA and NY. It is lacking in other parts of the country. |
Suffolk University Law School • Boston, MA
Studying Juris Doctorate (completion in 2001)
• 10/14/2011
"As I stated above, the law school gave me enough substantial training that I was hired right away out of law school. On the down side, my student loan debt is extremely high and burdensome."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | I would tell the person to consider their dedication towards joining the law profession. They should balance that against the debt they will take on to achieve those goals. |
| Program Reputation | 5 | This is the largest law school in the Boston area. It has a good reputation locally, but is certainly not a nationally respected law school. It tends to be a bit of a "lawyer factory" |
| Program Quality | 9 | I did not earn the best grades nor did I receive the best training. I have been steadily employed since I graduated, however. |
| Instruction | 7 | Especially in the first year, the courses were completely mandated. You could neither choose which courses to take, nor the instructors for those courses. Some of the instructors in the law school were not very good teachers. |
| How Difficult | 9 | I was somewhat unprepared for the rigors of law school. My undergraduate school did not require as much analytical thought. For that reason, I spent about half my time in law school changing my way of thinking before I was able to adapt. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The school provides a good mix of both. The academic classes were excellent (particularly in the second and third years, where I could choose which classes to take) but there were also substantial practicums (law clinics) that I was able to take. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | The school has a substantial evening section. Although I was in the day section, I was able to take classes in the evenings in order to complete my degree. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | The school moved into a new facility in my second year. The facilities in my first year were quite poor. The physical set up of the new building was wonderful. The computer infrastructure was superb. The classrooms were better set up. |
| Social Life | 5 | Law school is not exactly a hugely social environment. I did interact with some of my fellow students, but I spent a huge amount of my time studying. |
| Placement Services | 8 | I have remained steadily employed throughout the 10 years since graduation. I have made consistent use of the school's career services even after graduation. |
| Alumni Network | 6 | I actually have not used my school's alumni network. The school does provide support for its alums, however. During job searches since graduation, I have made consistent use of the school's career services. |
Harvard Law School • Cambridge, MA
Studying Law (completion in 1986)
• 12/23/2011
"Harvard Law opened up many doors for me. I made many connections and received a very solid legal education."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | Harvard provides an excellent foundation for the practice of law. It also opens many opportunities for careers after law school. |
| Program Reputation | 10 | Harvard Law has one of the best programs in the country. It is hard to question this. |
| Program Quality | 8 | Harvard Law School opened up many opportunities for me. I was taught by some of the best professors. |
| Instruction | 9 | I was taught by renowned professors. However, I may have benefited by a smaller class size in certain courses. |
| How Difficult | 7 | Harvard Law School is not as competitive as other law schools, once you are admitted. However, it was challenging. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | When I was there, there were not many clinical opportunities. However, in recent years, this has changed. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 3 | Everyone is expected to follow a similar schedule. There is not much flexibility in the curriculum. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | In the mid-80s, some facilities were lacking. However, many have been much improved since my time there. |
| Social Life | 8 | Everyone is happy to attend Harvard. However, there are some who are antisocial by nature. |
| Placement Services | 10 | If you do not find a job after Harvard Law School, it is your own fault. Harvard Law opened up many opportunities for me and significantly advanced my career. |
| Alumni Network | 9 | There is a strong group of alumni who are very connected. There are some who are naturally alienated from law school. |
Harvard Law School • Cambridge, MA
Studying JD/Juris Doctor (completion in 1997)
• 1/18/2012
"I learned many things. I ave a world-class network of alumni with which I can connect."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | The only reason you would not go to HLS if accepted is if you were also accepted to Yale. Do not pass up a Harvard credential. |
| Program Reputation | 10 | Harvard is continuously in the top three law schools along with Yale and Stanford. Thousands apply to attend every year. |
| Program Quality | 10 | Harvard Law School is one of the best institutions in the world. My degree and experiences there have greatly contributed to my career. |
| Instruction | 8 | Some professors taught more theory than actual black letter law. I enjoyed courses I took with practitioners and clinics the best. |
| How Difficult | 8 | The curriculum was rigorous and challenging. The professors are the best academics in the world. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Book learning is the primary method of study. If you take a law clinic or volunteer, you can gain more hands-on experience. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | There were no summer or evening offerings when I attended--most students work during the summer. The courses offered after the first year are very broad. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | The facilities have improved since I graduated. There is more space for student journals and law clinics. |
| Social Life | 7 | Athletics are not relevant at Harvard Law School. Students provided their own social activities. The school provided a large range of lectures and extra-curricular activities relevant to the study of law. |
| Placement Services | 5 | Most students find law firm jobs after their clerkships in the summer of their 2nd year. I have not interacted with career services recently. |
| Alumni Network | 8 | The Alumni network is very good. I receive information from the alumni office weekly. I have returned to the school for alumni gatherings about every five years, the last time being in September 2011 for the Celebration of Black Alumni. |
New England School Of Law • Boston, MA
Studying General Studies (completion in 2009)
• 2/5/2012
"My loans are not crazy compared to others and I have a job. However, it would have been nice if there was more assistance with financial aid other than Stafford loans."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | It is affordable and well respected. It is the best of both worlds - small school for learning, however it gets great recognition in the legal community. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | The school's reputation is on the rise. Many judges that know of the school do respect the graduates. |
| Program Quality | 10 | The cost of the school was very affordable compared to other schools in the area. Plus, the bar passage rate is extremely competitive with other schools. |
| Instruction | 8 | Some of the professors were not trying their hardest. However, we also had many judges come in as our instructors in many of the night programs. |
| How Difficult | 10 | It's law school, so of course it is hard. Plus, the pressure to do well to raise the bar passage rate of the school was always there. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The clinical program placement was well incorporated into the real world. But there was always a classroom component to the clinical, so it was still grounded in classroom learning. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 2 | The majority of the interesting classes were night courses, and the part time night students had first choice of them. This made it difficult to take day and evening classes at the same time. Made for VERY long days. |
| Academic Facilities | 7 | The school was improving this aspect while I was there. More computers and technology were being implemented. |
| Social Life | 7 | Being a city law school, the organized social events were not very frequent. However, when the SBA did put something on, it was well attended. |
| Placement Services | 8 | It was very helpful with regards to getting my resume set up. Other than that, I did not utilize the career service office because I was approached by my employer. |
| Alumni Network | I do not participate in the alumni network. However, it is there, and I do receive emails, but I do not know about the level of support. |
Harvard Law School • Cambridge, MA
Studying Law; JD. (completion in 2008)
• 3/1/2012
"It provided a great education, a fun experience, great connections, and a good job. What more could I ask?"
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | Go to HLS if you get in. If you look at the rest of the ratings, there's no reason you'd question that decision. |
| Program Reputation | 10 | I shouldn't really need to explain this. HLS has long had a reputation as an excellent, though difficult, place to study. |
| Program Quality | 10 | The education was first-rate. Both faculty and students were brilliant, engaged, and provocative. |
| Instruction | 9 | While HLS doesn't teach "to the bar" (that's why I gave it a 9), its courses teach you far more than black-letter law. Understanding how to craft arguments has been far more beneficial in the long run than knowing the exact statute (that's what Westlaw is for). |
| How Difficult | 7 | If you weren't trying to be first in the class, you didn't have to kill yourself. However, no one wants to look stupid, so everyone worked hard. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | There are lots of opportunities for clinical work (trial advocacy, negotiation, legal aid). However, many people stick to regular classes. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 1 | This is a full-time program. Courses are held during the day. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | The library is second only to the Library of Congress in the amount of legal information it contains. Computer resources are extensive, as are services supporting student life. |
| Social Life | 10 | It's a tight-knit community, despite being so large. The school organizes social events weekly, at a minimum. |
| Placement Services | 10 | They are willing to work with you in whatever area you're interested in pursuing (big firm, government, public interest). They have the connection and experience to be able to do so successfully. |
| Alumni Network | 10 | HLS has more senators than any other school. Its reach in all areas is huge, since the classes are larger than many other law schools. |
Suffolk • Boston, MA
Studying JD (completion in 1998)
• 3/25/2012
"I believe that this school could do more if it gave the staff more resources. Also, I wish the alumni network was stronger."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | I would recommend this school if the person needs flexibility or is interested in politics. Otherwise, I would steer that person to one of the better schools in the State. |
| Program Reputation | 5 | I would put this as right at average; there are better schools academically and there are worse schools. If one is interested in politics, this school is a good bet. |
| Program Quality | 5 | It was the fourth best school in the city. It was better than a handful of other schools as well. |
| Instruction | 7 | I had some wonderful instructors, for instance the one who taught classes dealing with Evidence and Estate taxation. However, some bad apples tainted the experience as well. |
| How Difficult | 8 | All law school course work is difficult. Particularly when confronted with the Socratic method, law school can be quite demanding and challenging. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | I had the opportunity to work in both situations. I worked with a professor hands-on on one of his projects. I liked that flexibility. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 8 | My school had a night program, so it was very flexible in this regard. It did not offer weekends or online courses, though. |
| Academic Facilities | 7 | Right after my graduation the school moved to a new state-of-the-art building. The library and technology became top notch. |
| Social Life | 3 | I did not experience any social life. I was married and was working when not in school full time. |
| Placement Services | 6 | The staff worked quite hard at placing us. They worked long hours because of short staff and limited resources. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | I don't knowingly work with any graduates from my school. However, as older alums became partners, they are offering opportunities for the rest of us. I would put this right in the middle of the road. |
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