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 Thomas M. Cooley Law School and University of Michigan.
Fastest Response From Schools
- Request Info: For the fastest information for prospective students, look at the Spotlight schools on this page.
Student Body
- Part-Time: For schools emphasizing part-time studies, consider Wayne State and University of Michigan.
- Diverse: For a diverse student body, consider University of Detroit Mercy, Wayne State, and University of Michigan.
- Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider University of Detroit Mercy and Wayne State.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of University of Michigan, University of Detroit Mercy, and Wayne State.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of University of Michigan, University of Detroit Mercy, and Wayne State.
Excellence
- SAT: For students with high SAT scores, look at University of Michigan.
- % Accepted: For selective institutions, look at University of Michigan.
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at Michigan State University College of Law, University of Michigan, University of Detroit Mercy, and Wayne State.
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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University Of Michigan • Ann Arbor, MI
Studying Law (completion in 2003)
• 10/7/2011
"I enjoyed law school. Michigan was a good choice."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | Michigan was a great experience. It is well-respected across the country. |
| Program Reputation | 9 | U of M is widely recognized for having a premiere law school. It is well-respected. |
| Program Quality | 8 | U of M is highly rated and respected as a law school. Its alumni are generally very successful. |
| Instruction | 8 | The professors are among the best in the field. They really allow you to explore and develop ideas and skills. |
| How Difficult | 8 | Law school was extremely difficult. The work load was several hundreds of pages of reading per week. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Extremely biased towards case law study. Not too many clinical learning opportunities. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | Law schools in general do not offer much flexibility in scheduling. Michigan was no different. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | The facilities were top-notch. The UM law library is among the best in the country. |
| Social Life | 8 | Athletics are a big part of the social experience. There were groups for pretty much every interest. |
| Placement Services | 4 | Jobs for large firms were plentiful. If you wanted to do anything else, you were pretty much on your own. |
| Alumni Network | 6 | Michigan's alumni network is among the largest in the country. They have local alumni clubs everywhere. |
Wayne State University • Detroit, MI
Studying J.D. (completion in 2010)
• 12/26/2011
"Wished they created more social events."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | Depends on where they want to end up after graduation. |
| Program Reputation | 4 | Not a top 100. |
| Program Quality | 10 | Did a good job of finding us jobs when we graduated. |
| Instruction | 7 | Some professors didn't respect the students. |
| How Difficult | 5 | Law school is hard, regardless of where you go. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Very little classes with hands-on experience (minus clinics). | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 3 | Provided day and night classes. |
| Academic Facilities | 5 | Small classes, lots of computers, professors always available. |
| Social Life | 1 | Not many social activities. |
| Placement Services | 9 | Really emphasized networking. |
| Alumni Network | 8 | If you stay in Detroit, the alumni network is good, but it is not so good outside of Michigan. |
University Of Michigan Law School • Ann Arbor, MI
Studying Juris Doctor (completion in 2005)
• 2/13/2012
"I am a very happy customer... err, graduate. No complaints, other than the cost of tuition."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I don't know if I would recommend that anyone pursue my career. But if I did, Michigan would be a top recommendation. |
| Program Reputation | 9 | The ranking of Michigan's law school has dropped a bit from its usual historical rank of 4-6, but it remains excellent. I am not worried about this. |
| Program Quality | 9 | Going to law school at the University of Michigan was a great experience. The program is very strong, the teaching rather motivated for such a highly-ranked school (top ranked schools attract the best publishing academics, not necessarily the top pedagogues), and Ann Arbor is a beautiful place. |
| Instruction | 7 | Top ranked law schools tend to attract professors who are famous for their research and publishing efforts, whereas schools below the top tier attract teachers devoted to actual teaching. As a result, the quality of teaching at the top schools is actually somewhat inferior to that at nominally 'inferior' schools. Still, many professors at UM School of Law are quite skilled at teaching. |
| How Difficult | 8 | Law school isn't easy, but aside from the competitiveness at the University of Michigan, the program was not unusually difficult. At least from my perspective. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Like most large law schools, the University of Michigan is more book-oriented (well, theory oriented) than hands-on oriented. But the opportunities were there if one were inclined to get more hands-on experience. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 7 | Scheduling is up to the student because all courses are elective to one degree or another. I was able to schedule things to fit my lifestyle. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | Great facilities, a lot of investment. No complaints here. |
| Social Life | 10 | I had a lot of fun. A great time. Ann Arbor is a special place. |
| Placement Services | 10 | The recruitment events organized by the school have led to many good interviews and an amazing first job for me. Top notch stuff. |
| Alumni Network | 8 | The University of Michigan has a very extensive network of alumni, and because graduates are widely dispersed geographically, it is helpful in obtaining employment in many corners of the country. The alumni association also has helpful programs. |
Wayne State University • Detroit, MI
Studying Juris Doctorate (completion in 2008)
• 3/6/2012
"In retrospect, I should not have attended this school. It was not the right fit for me."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | The school has excellent scholarship packages. I would recommend it for those who need cheap education, as it's very inexpensive. |
| Program Reputation | 2 | Although WSU is - or was - well regarded in Michigan, at the time I chose to go to it, it was more highly ranked than MSU. Unfortunately, it has been consistently falling in the rankings and is now only the 2nd best in the state for in state jobs (many UMich students go out of state, so it's not really a state-job feeder). |
| Program Quality | 3 | WSU is a fine school, but the market is clearly over saturated. It's not highly ranked enough for enough people to get good jobs afterwards. |
| Instruction | 8 | The instruction was great. Unfortunately, many of my favorite professors have since moved to U of M. |
| How Difficult | 5 | I think many law schools are equally difficult or hard. The grade curve may have made ours a bit more difficult than, say, UMich's, while the ranking remained very low. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | WSU required both practical courses and more traditional book-heavy subjects. The clinics were quite difficult to get into. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | WSU has a great program for part time students. I'm not sure if there are online classes, but there are definitely night time and possibly weekend classes. |
| Academic Facilities | 7 | The school had a great library, classes, and the professors were very easy to talk to. |
| Social Life | 2 | I went to undergrad at a Big 10 school, and was used to that sort of social experience. WSU is a commuter school and is quite different, and law school stressed me out, so I probably socialized differently and less than I would have otherwise. |
| Placement Services | 3 | The career services was not great, but I think that may have had as much to do with the economic crash. Of course, I only graduated in 08, which was when the market crashed, so I'm not sure what it was like before. |
| Alumni Network | 3 | I did not feel supported by alumni. In fact, I met very few during my time at the school. |
Michigan State University College Of Law • East Lansing, MI
Studying Law (completion in 2011)
• 3/14/2012
"I was very satisfied with the education I received and the friendships I made while at Michigan State. I am still a little worried about my debt load and my current job prospects, but I remain optimistic about my future."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I would recommend my school to someone who has already taken the LSAT. I may have reservations for those considering even going to law school, but once that decision has been made by that individual I would suggest Michigan State University College of Law for all of the reasons above. |
| Program Reputation | 7 | Michigan State's reputation is improving every year. Every year that I was at the school and every year after, the school's ranking has improved. They continue to attract brighter students and more qualified faculty. |
| Program Quality | 8 | I thought Michigan State was a great school to study law at. The faculty were extremely knowledgeable, my colleagues were smart and challenged me, and the environment was enjoyable. |
| Instruction | 7 | I thought the faculty were well versed in their specialties/fields. They provided us with an immense amount of information that helped make us practice-ready. The curriculum was highly relevant for practice and for bar preparation. |
| How Difficult | 9 | I thought the program of study was extremely challenging and time-consuming. I had almost no down-time and was constantly reading and writing. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The classes I chose were very book learning oriented. I think there were many other options for those who wanted hands-on. I chose a variety of hands-on classes/clinics and book-learning classes. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 7 | Michigan State had great class schedule flexibility. There were evening and some weekend options. I know that they had a part-time program (although I think they have since eliminated it). |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | The academic facilities and resources were extremely vast and relevant. Michigan State has a large library, off-site clinics, and other programs available for law students to make us well-rounded practitioners. |
| Social Life | 8 | My colleagues were extremely knowledgeable and challenging. However, we also knew how to let go and release and have a good time once our studies were over. |
| Placement Services | 7 | I thought the career counselors did a great job connecting with jobs while we were in school. I think that they could do a better job to reach out to recent graduates to ensure that they have secured employment. |
| Alumni Network | 7 | There are quite a few alumni in the Michigan area and throughout the country. How willing they are to hire new alumni remains to be seen, however. |
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