Bricks on the Brain

UM Law

Monday, April 03, 2006

Nice USNWR Jump

Good news. Perhaps old news to some, but I just found out. I made no effort to check the sources, but I think last year UM Law was ranked #73, and now its at #65.

There are many critiques of the USNWR rankings available online, and many law schools game the system. I know very well that UM Law plays the game just like the rest. UM Law offers scholarship money to 165+ LSAT scores like nobody's business, and those students would never have come but for the full or nearly-full rides. Many transfer out....

But employers and clients usually aren't that sophisticated when it comes to these matters, and thus in their minds 65 is better than 73. So I tip my hat to Dean V. and Dean L. and say "play on, playa.".

1 Comments:

  • At 7:28 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    And the year before last, I think that UM Law was in the 80s. I remember somthing like 83 or 86. I have heard a rumor that Miami used to be in the 50s a decade or so ago. Can anyone verify that? Froomkin, you out there? You've been around a while. Is it true?

    If so, I am worried that UM Law's ranking in US News is too volatile. But, in general, this year, we should be happy. I just hope that employers don't pay as much attention to the rankings as suggested because they would obviously know that UM is volatile and may go down to 80 next year, or go up to 40. Your guess is as good as anyone's...

    How does the blogger know that the scholarship recipients transfer out? Seems unlikely as we don't have many people who transfer out in total. Also, how does the blogger know that employers aren't sophisticated in tracking a school's reputation. One year in the upper echelons of the 2d tier will not impress many. If employers are sophisticated, they will recognize that UM's ranking is all over the place and will discredit the current ranking as flavor of the year. If they are not sophisticated, they wont care about 65. Unsophisticated people only care about #1 - 3 and honorable mentions, which could be any other school's name in or around tier one that a client remembers or occasionally sees in print. (By the way, the maxim that unsophisticated people only care about 1 -3 and occasionally honorable mentions applies to the US News rankings and most everything else in life).

    Also, check out some of the LSAT scores of much lower ranked schools than Miami and you will see that it is not necessarily LSAT scores that is pushing Miami up these years... what is it? Froomkin? Dean V? Dean L? What's going on? Well whatever it is, keep it up, get us into the top tier so one day we can maybe achieve "honorable mention" status in our employer's and client's eyes. In the meantime we will be slaving away at our law practices to make up for never having achieved a 165+ on the LSAT.

     

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