Fuel to the Fire

In case you've been under a rock, I thought I'd let you know that USN&WR released their 2005 rankings and pretty much everyone already looked.

Several people already blogged, commented, ranted and discussed the use, misuse, futility, and effect of the rankings. And, I didn't add anything because really, what is there to say that hasn't been said?

Until today, that is.

For some reason, the folks over at law.com have decided that my blog belongs on their short-list, so I've been getting a bunch of referrals from them. I went to go poke around their site today and found the 2003 BCG Guide to Class Ranking Distinctions & Law Review Admission at America's Top 50 Law Schools.

If you're a student who's concerned about your school's drop or consistently low rankings and how it may affect your future career, you might want to check out the PDF to gather information about your school's strengths and weaknesses vis-a-vis other schools. If your school has a difficult curve, the numbers in the PDF may help you make the case that your grades are better than they appear at first blush. If nothing else, you can read it for the gossipy tidbits, such as:

• Only 25 of the top 50 schools use a 4.0 GPA scale.
  
• The difference between failing and a B- in Stanford's GPA system is .4 points.
  
• Columbia is so secretive about its grading policies that BCG couldn't obtain any information on grading.
  
• At Boalt, Colorado, Iowa, Minnesota, Stanford, UCLA and UC Davis, there is no grading-on to law review. It's all based on the writing competition.