preLaw - Back To School 2008 - (Page 31) How to choose the BEST law school for you BY KAREN DYBIS Love them or loathe them, the U.S. News & World Report rankings are most likely here to stay. Find out how much they are relied upon, and what other factors you should definitely consider. L aw school rankings played a small yet mall important part in Linus Banghart-Linn’s art-Linn’s decision. The Lansing, Mich., native could ve have attended three different law schools, each ols, with vastly different rankings on the U.S. News & World Report scale — Michigan State University, niversity, Thomas Cooley Law School and the University of Michigan. Of the three, only University of versity Michigan ranked within the top 100. But he chose the one that offered the best scholarship, the shortest commute and the lowest debt west after graduation. Look in the backpack of the average pre-law student, and chances are you will find a dog-eared copy of U.S. News. Typically, it’s not there to help them catch up on current events. Instead, they are reading and re-reading the news magazine’s controversial annual survey of the nation’s top graduate schools. For better or worse, law-school rankings s are a fundamental tool applicants use when en selecting a law school, giving them a quick uick look at the quality and scope of schools available to them. But many pre-law advisors strongly rongly discourage relying too heavily on the rankings. ings. Back to School 2008 31
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