Princeton Review's Best 170 Law Schools

TaxProf Blog:

The Princeton Review has published the 2008 edition of The 170 Best Law Schools:

We surveyed more than 18,000 students at 170 law schools and used the information that they reported to us, along with school statistics provided by school administrators, to create 11 ranking lists (free registration required):

Toughest to Get Into: Based on the Admissions Selectivity Rating.

1. Yale
2. Harvard
3. Stanford
4. Penn
5. UC-Berkeley

Best Classroom Experience: Based on student assessment of professors' teaching abilities, balance of theory and practical skills in the curricula, tolerance for differing opinions in class discussion, and classroom facilities.

1. Loyola-L.A.
2. Duke
3. Stanford
4. Vanderbilt
5. Boston University

Professors Rock (Legally Speaking): Based on the Professors Interesting and Professors Accessible Ratings.

1. Boston University
2. Chicago
3. Stanford
4. Loyola-L.A.
5. Chapman

Most Competitive Students:Based on law student assessment of: the number of hours they spend studying outside of class each day, the number of hours they think their fellow law students spend studying outside of class each day, the degree of competitiveness among law students at their school, and the average number of hours they sleep each night.

1. BYU
2. Baylor
3. Whittier
4. St. Thomas University
5. Roger Williams

Best Career Prospects: Based on the Career Rating.

1. Northwestern
2. Michigan
3. Chicago
4. Harvard
5. Boston College

Candidates for Heritage Foundation Fellowships? (Students Lean to the Right): Based on student assessment of the political bent of the student body at large.

1. Regent
2. Ave Maria
3. BYU
4. George Mason
5. Notre Dame

Candidates for Center for American Progress Fellowships? (Students Lean to the Left): Based on student assessment of the political bent of the student body at large.

1. District of Columbia
2. Northeastern
3. CUNY
4. Lewis & Clark
5. American

Best Quality of Life: Based on student assessment of: whether there is a strong sense of community at the school, how aesthetically pleasing the law school is, the location of the law school, the quality of the social life, classroom facilities, and the library staff.

1. Chapmen
2. University of St. Thomas
3. Stanford
4. Vanderbilt
5. Virginia