The US News and World Report law school rankings, as has been discussed ad nauseum, have been released. My take?
Frankly, I don't think it's possible for me to give less of a crap.
The rankings of schools like this is wholly arbitrary and a fairly ridiculous exercise. It's even more ridiculous that we care so much. I love a good list. If VH-1 is ranking the Best 100 Rockstar Haircuts, I'm watching and probably yelling at the TV with some passionate opinion (the dude from Flock of Seagulls only is #7? And where is Fishbone?) But that's because we know it's a ridiculous, meaningless exercise. Random House ranked the best books of the 20th Century and it didn't suddenly change my evaluation of Cormac McCarthy (who was not ranked on the critic's list).
And once you get past Yale and Harvard, what is the real difference between the rankings? What separates #24 Iowa from #60 Villanova? And let's be honest, if I wanted to practice law in Philly*, the idea I would go to the "better" school in this case would be absurd. Also, comparing a state school in the Midwest to a Catholic college in a northeast city is comparing apples to oranges.
Guess what? They are both good schools. Go to the one you like. You'll get a good education at either place. But this slavish devotion to the rankings of some magazine is a bad idea. Hell, we all understand that the BCS can't rank football teams or that the RPI doesn't get it right on basketball teams, you think some formula can accurately rank every law school in the country with any degree of accuracy? How is this any different? Only with more BS factors.
*Note from Management - There is not a chance in hell I'm moving to Philly. I like the cheesesteak, but not enough to live there.
2 comments:
Agreed
By the way - sorry about yur Tigers. I hate West Virginia, but that's just because my brother is a Hokie and I've had the misfortune of being in Morgantown.
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