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 Ohio State.
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 Cleveland State, Ohio State, and University of Cincinnati.
- Diverse: For a diverse student body, consider Case Western Reserve and Cleveland State.
- Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider Cleveland State.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of Case Western Reserve, University of Dayton, Ohio State, and Ohio Northern University.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of University of Dayton, Ohio Northern University, Case Western Reserve, and Capital University.
Excellence
- SAT: For students with high SAT scores, look at Case Western Reserve, Ohio State, Ohio Northern University, and University of Dayton.
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at Case Western Reserve, Capital University, Ohio Northern University, and University of Dayton.
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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University Of Dayton School Of Law • Dayton, OH
Studying Law (completion in 2011)
• 9/25/2011
"I got a law degree, so that part is satisfying. It could have been better, but it also could have been worse. I had a good time and learned a lot, but I didn't love it."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | UD was ok. I wouldn't really recommend it to anyone, but at the same time I wouldn't dissuade someone from attending. Expect a middle of the road experience. |
| Program Reputation | 4 | Nationally, it has almost no reputation. Attorneys in the area consider it to be a good law school. The score is low because no one outside of Ohio has any idea whether or not UD is a good school. |
| Program Quality | 5 | UD is a middle of the road law school. There was nothing special about it. At the same time, there is nothing terrible about it either. |
| Instruction | 6 | This rating is skewed to the low side because of the poor quality of a few professors that I had. UD actually has some very good professors, but there are also quite a few that were some of the worst that I have ever had in my academic career. |
| How Difficult | 7 | Despite UD being a middle of the road school, law school is still difficult. The material was challenging and I had lots of homework each night for every class. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Most courses were taught straight from the book. Classes consisted of a discussion of the previously assigned reading. There were also several practicums and capstone-like classes offered that were more hands on. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | UD has an extremely flexible schedule. They offered morning, afternoon, and evening classes. There were also three, three 1/2, and two year graduation options. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | UD's law school was brand new when I attended. The library was fully stocked with books and technology resources. All rooms had wi-fi, projectors, and smartboards. |
| Social Life | 2 | I was pretty much unaware of any activities happening on campus during law school. This could have been because I didn't pay attention, or it could have been because UD didn't do much in this respect. I don't know. |
| Placement Services | 4 | The CSO at UD is below average in my opinion. This opinion could be skewed by the currently poor market for attorneys. That said, I still feel like the CSO did little to help students. |
| Alumni Network | 7 | UD has a fairly good alumni network. There are lots of practicing alumni in the area. The only complaint that I have is that the alumni network is pretty much limited to the Ohio area. There aren't very many chapters across the country. |
University Of Cincinnati College Of Law • Cincinnati, OH
Studying General Law (completion in 2003)
• 10/10/2011
"I love going to UC Law School! It had the perfect combination of great eduction and quality people."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | If you want to work in Cincinnati, nothing is better than getting to know your future coworkers in law school. Cincinnati is also a fun town to live in. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | |
| Program Quality | 9 | It prepared me well and had a great sense of community. The professors were friendly and smart. |
| Instruction | 5 | The curriculum was good, but I would have liked to have more professors with career work as practicing lawyers. Also, there were too few criminal law classes. |
| How Difficult | 5 | The work was challenging, but the students are supportive and help one another. Once we got used to the homework, it wasn't so bad. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | I was an extern one semester and participated in a hands-on Oral Advocacy class. Other than those two classes, all classes were book oriented. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 2 | All of the interesting classes were taught by adjuncts. All adjuncts teach in the evening, so I had too many night classes. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | Our library staff is amazing. Our computer lab is large and accommodating. |
| Social Life | 10 | I made some of my best friends at law school and I still see them frequently. I'm just as thankful for the friendships as for the education. |
| Placement Services | 2 | The Career Placement center was very poor. They brought in the big firms, but not much else. |
| Alumni Network | 8 | We have a lot of financial support from alumni. Also, the school offers us CLEs and invitations to many events. |
Cleveland-Marshall College Of Law • Cleveland, OH
Studying JD (completion in 2006)
• 10/7/2011
"A good bang for my buck for higher education, just wondering if the law degree was really worth it at this point."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | Again, the cost of tuition is very low compared to other schools; very accessible campus. Schedule is flexible, teachers are A+. |
| Program Reputation | 10 | Again, great reputation in Cleveland - all the big lawyers and judges are graduates of C-M. However, once you leave the area, it is not so well known. |
| Program Quality | 9 | Cleveland Marshall was a great deal for a legal education in Cleveland. Tuition is reasonable compared to private schools. We had a higher bar passage rate than Case. |
| Instruction | 10 | Again, we tied for the highest bar passage rate in Ohio the year I took it. While some professors were less than stellar, the majority were very very good. |
| How Difficult | 10 | It's a law degree - it's hard. Much more difficult than college. The time required just to read the materials is great, plus the analysis that's necessary for exams is extensive. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | No mandatory hands-on activities - however, if you were looking to get involved, there were plenty of opportunities. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 9 | Seems to be an ideal school for 2nd career folks - I went full time during the day, so I didn't use too many options. Took a few online classes, and maybe 4 night classes. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | Beautiful new library - just built a new moot court room. Completely wireless now, cafeteria lacks a little. Great classrooms. |
| Social Life | 7 | We were law students, so we didn't have much of a social life. Those students I was in class with were pleasant, though. |
| Placement Services | 5 | Nothing special - minimal effort from them. Had a very hard time finding a job after taking the bar exam. |
| Alumni Network | 7 | Good network for getting a job in Cleveland, not a good network for finding a job outside of the area. Career office was of little help as a 3L. |
The University Of Dayton School Of Law • Dayton, OH
Studying Juris Doctor (completion in 2011)
• 3/5/2012
"The University of Dayton provided a vary caring and welcoming learning environment for me. I excelled personally and professionally as a student. What more could you ask for?"
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | The University of Dayton is the pioneer in the area of accelerated J.D. programs. As such, I always recommend the University of Dayton to students who are interested in completing their degree as quickly as possible. |
| Program Reputation | 5 | The University of Dayton School of Law (UDSL) is a fourth tier school, so the program does not have a strong national reputation. However, in Ohio and the midwest, UDSL has an excellent reputation for providing quality instruction. |
| Program Quality | 10 | I was enrolled in the accelerated J.D. program and I was very satisfied with the program because it was well organized and had top notch professors in the classroom. |
| Instruction | 10 | The University of Dayton School of Law has some of the best and brightest professors in the classroom teaching their students. More importantly, the professors really care about each student learning the material and doing well on the exams. |
| How Difficult | 9 | I was enrolled in the two year J.D. program so I was taking 18 credit hours a semester. This alone made each semester challenging. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The courses for the most part were all book driven. On any given night I would have multiple cases to read and brief for a single class. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 1 | The University of Dayton School of Law does not have any part-time, evening, weekend, or online options. The class offerings are a little limited so in turn the class schedules end up being really inflexible as well. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | The University of Dayton has a state of the art facility. The building is only about 12 years old and is completely wireless. |
| Social Life | 10 | There was a lot of school pride at the University of Dayton. It was not unusual to see people walking around with school colors or logos on their clothing. The Student Bar Association did a really good job of offering social events for all students. |
| Placement Services | 5 | Although the career services staff is very helpful, friendly, and caring, they could improve in the job placement category. I don't think they actively pursue opportunities for the students pre or post graduation. |
| Alumni Network | 10 | I am currently considering a move to New York City, so I contacted my school's career services office to get a list of alumni in the area; they gladly provided me with a list. I reached out to an alum in the area who immediately responded to my email and has set up a phone meeting to discuss possible job leads. |
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