Region vs. Rank

Some students do everything right. They study effectively, raise their LSAT score, and earn great  offers.

Then comes the hard part: Choosing one.

One school is ranked higher. The other is in the place you actually want to live and work.

What should you do?

Rankings Matter Less Than You Think

Outside the very top, rankings don’t carry much weight.

For example, a school ranked 46th may seem much stronger than one ranked 115th. But in reality, both are regional schools that place most students in local markets.

Employers aren’t splitting hairs over those rankings. They’re hiring from the schools they know in their region.

So if you’re choosing between two schools outside the T14, don’t assume the higher ranked school is meaningfully better. 

Location Shapes Your Career

Where you go to law school is often where you’ll start your career. Your professors will have connections in that state. Your classmates will build careers there. Local employers will recruit there.

If you want to practice in Michigan, going to school in Michigan makes that easier. If you want to practice in Illinois, going to school in Illinois helps.

You’re not only choosing a school. You’re choosing a network.

Outcomes Tell the Real Story

Instead of focusing on rank, look at employment outcomes.

Are graduates going into big law? Government? Small and midsize firms?

For many regional schools, the outcomes are very similar. Big law placement is limited. Most students start in smaller firms or government roles.

Develop an idea of what you want to do and where you want to live. Then investigate which school gives you a better chance of getting there. 

Don’t Pay for Prestige

If you have a full ride, you’ve already won. There’s little reason to pay tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars to attend a higher-ranked school, especially if your career goals don’t require it.

If you want to be a law professor or you get into Yale, prestige could be worth the cost. But in the vast majority of cases, it’s not. 

Prestige might feel important now. Debt will feel very real later.

Make the Practical Choice

If the money is the same, choose the school that puts you in the place you want to be.

That’s where your opportunities will be. That’s where your network will grow. That’s where your career will start.

Check out our Scholarship Estimator to get started.