An insider's scoop on the top 5 law schools of 2019

law law school admissions strategy

 Screen Shot 2019-04-05 at 5.40.07 PMNo two ways about it: getting into one of the top 5 law schools in the United States is extremely challenging.  Your candidacy is a culmination of the hard work you put forward for academics (aka GPA), the hours you dedicated to preparing for the LSAT, and the most salient experiences that pushed you to want to be a lawyer.

Though the top 5 law schools aren't for everyone, if you have your heart set on one of the best, you should know which school or schools make the most sense for your numbers and long term goals as a lawyer. 

#1 Yale

Yale's program is clinically driven (20 clinics in total!) and is ranked number 1 by US news. 

GPA (median / 25th - 75th)

3.92 / 3.84 - 3.98

LSAT (median / 25th - 75th

173 / 170 - 176

Faculty/Student Ratio

4.2:1

Tuition

$64,267.00

Interesting Alum

The dynamic duo - Bill and Hillary Clinton - both graduated from Yale Law School.  In 1969, Hillary was one of 27 women in Yale Law School's entering class - the total was 235.  She refined her passion for children protection law there, and was also an avid activist for anti-war policy.

#2 Stanford University 

GPA (median / 25th-75th)

3.93 / 3.82 - 3.99

LSAT (median / 25th-75th)

171 (169 - 174)

Faculty/Student Ratio

4:1

Tuition

$62,373.00

Interesting Alum

Sandra Day O'Connor Supreme Court Justice hailed from Stanford.  Like many notable alum, she served on the Stanford Law Review; however, many people don't know that she worked under Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist (who she also briefly dated!).

#3 Harvard University

GPA (median/25th-75th)

3.9 / 3.8 - 3.97

LSAT (median/25th-75th)

173 / 170 - 175

Faculty/Student Ratio

7.6:1

Tuition

$64,978.00

Interesting Alum

Ruth Bader Ginsburg (the notorious R.B.G) attended Harvard Law before transferring to Columbia.  She was one of 9 of 500 women in her entering class.  Ginsburg built her career on gender equality, and championed both male and female cases before the Supreme Court to reinforce gender equality.  

#4 University of Chicago

GPA (median/25th-75th)

3.89 (3.73 - 3.96)

LSAT (median/25th-75th)

171 (167 - 173)

Faculty/Student Ratio

5.1:1

Tuition

$64,089.00

Interesting Alum

James Comey, the former FBI director who was dismissed under president Trump, attended University of Chicago. 

#5 Columbia University

GPA (median/25th-75th)

3.75 / 3.63 - 3.84

LSAT (median/25th-75th)

172/ 170 - 174

Faculty/Student Ratio

4.9:1

Tuition

$69,916.00

Interesting Alum

Both Franklin D Roosevelt and Theodore Roosevelt attended Columbia Law School.  Some sincerely historic figures.  Also, as mentioned above, Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a graduate from here!

Comments

topicTopics
academics study skills MCAT medical school admissions SAT expository writing college admissions English MD/PhD admissions strategy writing LSAT GMAT GRE physics chemistry math biology graduate admissions academic advice ACT interview prep law school admissions test anxiety language learning premed MBA admissions career advice personal statements homework help AP exams creative writing MD study schedules test prep computer science Common Application summer activities history mathematics philosophy organic chemistry secondary applications economics supplements research 1L PSAT admissions coaching grammar law psychology statistics & probability legal studies ESL CARS SSAT covid-19 dental admissions logic games reading comprehension engineering USMLE calculus PhD admissions Spanish mentorship parents Latin biochemistry case coaching verbal reasoning DAT English literature STEM excel medical school political science skills AMCAS French Linguistics MBA coursework Tutoring Approaches academic integrity chinese letters of recommendation Anki DO Social Advocacy admissions advice algebra art history artificial intelligence astrophysics business cell biology classics diversity statement gap year genetics geometry kinematics linear algebra mechanical engineering mental health presentations quantitative reasoning study abroad technical interviews time management work and activities 2L DMD IB exams ISEE MD/PhD programs Sentence Correction adjusting to college algorithms amino acids analysis essay athletics business skills careers cold emails data science dental school finance first generation student functions graphing information sessions international students internships logic networking poetry resume revising science social sciences software engineering tech industry trigonometry writer's block 3L AAMC Academic Interest EMT FlexMed Fourier Series Greek Health Professional Shortage Area Italian Lagrange multipliers London MD vs PhD MMI Montessori National Health Service Corps Pythagorean Theorem Python Shakespeare Step 2 TMDSAS Taylor Series Truss Analysis Zoom acids and bases active learning architecture argumentative writing art art and design schools art portfolios bacteriology bibliographies biomedicine brain teaser campus visits cantonese capacitors capital markets central limit theorem centrifugal force chemical engineering chess chromatography class participation climate change clinical experience community service constitutional law consulting cover letters curriculum dementia demonstrated interest dimensional analysis distance learning econometrics electric engineering electricity and magnetism escape velocity evolution executive function freewriting genomics harmonics health policy history of medicine history of science hybrid vehicles hydrophobic effect ideal gas law immunology induction infinite institutional actions integrated reasoning intermolecular forces intern investing investment banking lab reports linear maps mandarin chinese matrices mba medical physics meiosis microeconomics mitosis mnemonics music music theory nervous system neurology neuroscience object-oriented programming office hours operating systems