Fun B-School and Law School Rankings?
Once you get in to college, you probably think you’re done reviewing all the ridiculous education rankings. Not so for those looking ahead to grad school.
For law school and b-school hopefuls, however, the rankings review might not be as bad as you think.
The hot-off-the-press 2009 print and online editions of “Best 174 Law Schools” and “Best 296 Business Schools” may appear daunting at first glance. But The Princeton Review’s annual guidebooks are chock full of fun lists that are mostly based on student input. It’s kind of like having a grad school insider give you the scoop on what each school is really like. Each guidebook lists the top 10 schools in 11 categories.
So if you’re interested in the best business school for career prospects, you would click on Stanford University (Stanford, CA). Or if you want to be aware of the toughest law school to get into — the only ranking in the books based entirely on school-reported 
data — you would take note of Yale University (New Haven, CT).
Both books include lists of schools that are the toughest to get into and that present the best career prospects, best classroom experience, and most competitive students.
The b-school ranking categories also include best administered, best campus environment, best campus facilities, best professors, greatest opportunity for minority students, greatest opportunity for women, and most family friendly.
The law school categories also include best environment for minority students,
best quality of life, candidates for Center for American Progress Fellowships? (or, students lean to the left), candidates for Heritage Foundation Fellowships? (or, students lean to the right), most diverse faculty, most welcoming of older students, and professors rock (legally speaking).
Remember, the schools are ranked from their students’ perspective. So the guidebooks can serve as a sort of shorthand for you. Say you’re a minority student interested in Badabing U., but it didn’t make the list of the top 10 schools for minority students. That’s your cue to follow up with the school and get your questions answered directly.
It can be dangerous to take grad school rankings at face value. But if you take the guidebooks and online listings for what they really are — a guide — you’ll have a valuable tool to determine how various schools rate in the areas that matter most to you.
For those looking toward law school or b-school: Do you plan to review the rankings first?
-Robyn Tellefsen
Add comment October 8th, 2008