Building Your Law School List: What Matters to You

By Alice Foley, Director of Pre-Law Programming 

Of the 200 ABA-accredited law schools, which ones should you apply to? How do you decide what the “right” schools for you are? How do you make sure you’re building a balanced list of law schools? 

In this blog post, we’re going to walk through some of the soft factors you may want to consider as you are beginning to build your law school list. Soft factors typically refer to what you are personally looking for in a law school, like class size or location. They’re also “soft” in terms they change person-to-person (where things like bar passage rate are the same). 

While these are only one half of what you should consider (learn about hard factors here), these are arguably some of the most important. 

Name Recognition 

There are two major types of law schools — regional and national. One is not inherently better than the other, but there are different things to consider based on what you want to get out of law school. 

If you’re going to a national law school, this is where things like the rankings tend to come in and there is strong name recognition. It’s the Harvard, Yale, Stanfords; you hear the name, and you have a pretty good idea of what’s happening there. 

On the other hand, regional law schools are great for students who are looking for a different type of experience. Maybe your family has a small firm on Main Street that you’re hoping to take over as they retire. You may not be involved in crazy litigation or major corporates; you’re going to be doing estates and family law for the people that live near you. You may be better served to learn about the things that are important in the area you’re in, and a regional school will provide that much better than a national law school.

There are pros and cons to each, but the location is a major part of it. If you talk to most students that attend a national law school and then do a summer program near a regional law school, most of the people they end up working with in that position go to the regional school. They may know a lot more people than you do and have a better handle on what it is that you’re doing. That does not mean that their education was better; it just means that it fits that space more.

They're going to have gone to that regional law school and they may know a lot more people than you do. They may have a better handle on what it is that they are doing, and what it is that you are being asked. To do as a summer associate than you do does not mean their education was better. It just fits this space more.

Again, either are great options, but don’t feel pigeonholed just because of a name that is recognizable. You’re going to get a good education regardless. 

Community

Law school applications take a lot of time and energy. You want to make sure that you are doing this and trying to get to a place where you will be happy. You will be spending a lot of time with your classmates, so you want to make sure you’re surrounded by people you enjoy and feel supported by. 

If you are very laidback and non-competitive, ending up at a law school that is hypercompetitive may make you unhappy. If you’re hypercompetitive and thrive in that environment, then going to a more close-knit community may make you stand out (and honestly, may come off as a bit of a jerk in the wrong crowd).

Another thing to consider is your connection with the faculty. Are you coming from a place where you have ready access to your faculty members? I came from a small school where I really got to know my professors, and I was lucky enough to go to a law school that was similar so I didn’t have to adjust my expectations. Having professors that were personally invested in my life and how I was doing academically was really important to me.

Are you interested in community organizations or being involved in philanthropic efforts? What clubs or organizations did you enjoy in undergrad? Look at their website or do some research on social media to see if these are the types of things you could get involved in again. 

A lot of this research can be done online, but we always suggest visiting if you’re able. That will help you get a real gauge of what it’s like to be a part of the campus community. If you’re worried about being able to afford to visit, we have some tips here! 

Location

While the location may seem “hard” — as in the address itself isn’t going to be moving — what’s important to you in a location is what makes it a soft factor. The decision on where you want to be is going to vary with what you feel comfortable with. 

At this point in time in my life, I don’t love a giant city. I wouldn’t be happy if I lived full-time in New York City. If I was looking at my options and applying to NYU or Columbia, got in, and just went without thinking about the location, I would be realizing very quickly that it wasn’t a good fit.

On a similar note, sometimes a big city means a big class size. If you prefer to be a big fish in a small pond or vice versa, make sure you’re looking into what the class size at a school is.

Figure out what feels good for you. Figure out where you feel the most comfortable, and take that into consideration as you start building out your law school. 

Another thing to consider is where you want to practice. If you already know where you’re interested in practicing, it may be a good idea to attend a law school in that area (or state) so you can begin building connections throughout law school. 

If you’re considering going into something specific, like maritime or admiralty, you really want to pay attention to where you’re applying. You’re probably going to want to go to a coastal school, because that is where those types of law exist. 

On the other hand, if you’re figuring out what you want to do as you go (like me), I wouldn’t suggest leaning toward a school that puts all of its resources behind one particular area of law. Go somewhere that’s a little more general and gives you the place to explore. 

Final Thoughts

There are a lot of things to consider when you’re creating a balanced school list (and we haven’t even gotten to the hard factors yet!). It’s important that you’re learning about yourself and understanding what would make you feel at home at a specific school while you’re building your list. 

Having a community and atmosphere that suits you is so important, because you don’t want to be unhappy where you are. If you’re unhappy, generally your academics are going to suffer. Law school is hard enough when you’re happy and feeling good. 

When you find a place that meshes with the way that you learn, the way that you want to be, and the place that you want to be, that’s important.

When you work with us one-on-one, we’ll walk you through this process and help you build a school list that is customized to your wants and needs! Learn more about our private packages with sliding scale pricing for BIPOC, first-generation, and other marginalized students here.

As always, reach out to us if you have any questions at hello@smontgomeryconsulting.com.