Are you that guy?  You know, the guy who says, “I’m going to go to this law school which is ranked at #37 because this other school that I got into is ranked lower, at #56.”  Worse yet, are you that gal who says. “I can’t go to this school ranked at #12 – not when I can go to this other school ranked at #8.  After all, this other program is in the top ten!”

If either of these people sounds like you, it’s important that you take a step back and recognize that basing the decision to attend a school solely, and oftentimes, even primarily on its rankings – including the US News rankings – can be hazardous to your educational and career well-being.  There are many ways in which focusing too heavily on the rankings can come back to haunt you.… Read full post