Graduate, Law and Medical School Applicants: Should You Go to an Ivy League University?
Attorney Harvey Wax has been extensively interviewed regarding a law school rejection letter he received. In 1957, before the advent of the Internet and online applications, Wax wrote a series of letters to Ivy League universities to apply to their law schools. Princeton rebuffed him with this response: “In response to your recent letter, I regret to inform you that Princeton University does not have a law school.”
Wax’s letter appears in a new book by Bill Shapiro called Rejection letters from other people, according to a CNN report. He went to Harvard Law School.
Wax’s mistake is comical, but it got me wondering: how many people apply to graduate schools that have name recognition, without serious research into the value of the program?
I think it’s important to note here that the Ivy League began as an athletic conference in the northeastern United States, not as a prestigious academic club. It has evolved over time to become a status symbol. While it’s true that Ivy League universities tend to live up to their reputations for academic excellence (the Ivy League is made up of Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton, U Penn, and Yale), the ” Ivy League” doesn’t necessarily mean “best.” Not many people would dispute the excellence of schools like MIT, Stanford, the University of Chicago, and Duke, none of which are Ivie and all of which rank above Cornell and Brown in US News and World Report rankings.
If you’re applying to graduate school, law, business, or medicine, the rankings differ even more than a direct indicator of the Ivy League, and it would be a big mistake to choose a program simply because of its name, without researching the reputation of the program. specific program. program that interests you. Different schools are known for their programs in different areas. The best schools are often not Ivy League; In every industry’s job market, the best programs are known and respected.
The type of graduate school I’m most familiar with is law school, and it’s well known that NYU, ranked 32nd for undergraduates, ranks right up there with Yale, Harvard, Stanford, and Columbia in about your law school. For tax law, NYU is #1; for international law it is #2. For health law the Ivies don’t even rank.
Other examples:
- For biology, chemistry, and computer science, Stanford, MIT, and UC Berkeley tend to be the best options.
- For math geniuses, Princeton is number 1.
- Are you looking for a Master in Fine Arts? Try the Rhode Island School of Design. is #1
- Library and Information Studies? The University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill are tied for first place.
Make your graduate school application selections after seriously studying the programs to find the one that best suits your needs. You may want to choose the highest rated program, or the best placement based on your needs, or the school that gives you the best scholarship package. If you can get all three from the same school, you’re all set!
Location is especially important with law school and other geographically specific fields (architecture could be one). A lower-ranked law school often offers a smart, affordable option if you want to practice at a smaller firm or firm in the school’s geographic area; there are many other professionals from that school who practice in the area, and they love to hire their fellow alumni.
With the availability of the Internet, Princeton probably won’t get too many applications for its law school, which doesn’t exist yet. You probably won’t make a mistake like that. But make sure you don’t make the mistake of choosing schools blindly. Do your research, evaluate the factors that are important to you, and submit your best apps.
Where are you going to apply? Why does that school have the best program for you?