Is undergrad college name recognition really that important for the top law schools?

Question

Just curious. My hope is to get break into the top ten lawschools in the nation, but i'm afraid that the name of my school is nearly as prestigious as Ivy League. Right now, i'm in community college and knockin' out core credits. I'm attending CC because of money reasons and to sharpen my study skills, and there is no risk involved if i fail. So far, i'm getting a 4.0 in the Honors program that my CC offers. I plan on transferring to a 4-year-school, but have not decided if i should i go to a prominent private school, where i'll have to pay back my loans till the day i die, or a state school, where i can receive a scholarship and most importantly, not worry about debt. I plan to study abroad for a semester. With that said, i'm more lenient to the cheaper option of state school. I'm wondering if the lack of prestige will hurt my chances of top 10 law schools, eveen if i continue to display an immaculate school record.

Answer 1

If you are interested in attending a top-flight law school the most critical factors will be high GPA, high LSAT score, and a CV/resume that speaks to the admissions councilors. Having a diploma from a university with a high degree of name recognition will certainly help your cause, but is not absolutely essential. If you are lucky enough to live in a state whose flagship public university ranks among the top in the nation (Virginia, North Carolina, California, Texas, Michigan), a degree from such an institution would not be at all disadvantageous.

I have provided a link to the class profile for a recent class of entering students at the Harvard. As you can see the Ivy League schools send a disproportionately large number of students to Harvard, as do schools like Duke and Stanford that are academically on par with the Ivy League. But then, Harvard admitted students from Ball State, Jackson State University, Minnesota State University, and Southern Oregon University.

Having paid attention to graduate education and admissions for some time, I can honestly make the following statement. Students from universities with higher name recognition have a tremendous advantage in the graduate school admissions process. Most of the folks who supervise admissions at elite institutions are themselves graduates of elite institutions. They carry their bias with them and it is reflected in their admissions policies. Its unfortunate, but the world in which we live.

As an aside, there are other advantages to going to schools with more name recognition. Should you be unable to gain admissions to a place like Harvard, or should you decide not to attend due to financial or personal considerations if you are admitted, your degree will still open doors for you. If you have an elite degree it will certainly help you gain admissions to graduate programs of lesser stature (say the 50th ranked law school) and, of equal or greater import, will put you in an advantageous position to secure participation in special programs and/or scholarship/fellowship opportunities.

So, despite the fact that the "elite" undergraduate degree costs more, it will likely pay for itself in the long term. If it results in you getting into Harvard or Yale and making a six-figure income or leads to a free ride at a less noteworthy institution, it seems like a great investment to me. This is a purely economic consideration that disregards invaluable intangible benefits like networking with prominent professors, fellow students, and alums.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

Don't assume that a "prominent private" university is going to cost an "arm and a leg" to attend.

Private universities give good grants and you can find good scholarships with good grades.
Also, a degree from a good university is more than a piece of paper or even the formal education you receive in the classroom.
NETWORKING, the people who you will meet and form friendships with will be invaluable to your future carreer.

Get into the best schools you can because investing in yourself never hurts.

Answer 4

that's a good question

Answer 5

can anyone tell what is the right answer for this question?