Who has the best reputation- yale or harvard? Forum

[bananasinpajamas]

Reputation meaning in general (not just to those in the legal field)

Although Yale is highest ranked and most selective according to USNWR, to the non law school obsessed person, it would seem Harvard is most prestigious.

Example: Legally Blonde

Please avoid Cooley flames. Just because your mother says you are funny doesn't mean you are.

[chadwick218]

In the legal community, there is little question that Yale is the most prestigious!

[ihatelaw]

lay person: harvard
legal profession: yale

obviously there are people in both categories who think that a different school may be more prestigious. this is true in the legal profession where some people think yale is too academic or harvard is too much of a factory. either way, lay person reputation shouldn't effect law school decisions.

[vespertiliovir]

I don't think there's any legitimate way to measure overall reputation.

[rw2264]

the difference is negligible.

[Helmholtz]

http://www.gallup.com/poll/9109/harvard ... ublic.aspx

Also, as a university system as a whole, I don't think there's any doubt that Harvard is better than Yale, no question.

[vespertiliovir]

http://www.gallup.com/poll/9109/harvard ... ublic.aspx

The fact that Texas A&M ranks twelfth makes those rankings slightly dubious

[vespertiliovir]

laypeople in America are pretty much morons

TITCR

Also, the size of the school comes into play at that point in the rankings. A&M has a large alumni base and name recognition (at least here in Texas), so it'd be one of the first schools to come to mind.

[anthonyc350]

http://www.gallup.com/poll/9109/harvard ... ublic.aspx

The fact that Texas A&M ranks twelfth makes those rankings slightly dubious

Not the validity of the poll, it just reinforces the notion that laypeople in America are pretty much morons when it comes to determining university quality. Do you know how many people in Ohio I've had to convince that, as a whole, UMich is a much better institution than OSU? They just don't believe it. You can probably find plenty of people in Texas who things Texas A&M is the shit because their nephew/niece goes there and s/he's super smart, or maybe they like the football team?

In academic circles, UChicago is one of the strongest educational institutions in the world, but the guy changing the oil in your car's probably never heard of it. Guarantee he's heard of Harvard and Yale, though.

I'll bet there is little to no different between the educational quality of Mich and OSU UG for the average college student

[insidethetwenty]

Yale.

[Renaixença]

Yale.

[Celibidache]

YLS

[fonzerelli]

Each think they're better than each other and both think they're better than you.

[fonzerelli]

With that said - as far as pure elitism is concerned, YLS wins, unlabored hands down. As an aside, their class size is what... 200? More exclusive.

[CordeliusX]

For whatever reason I think Harvard has the "name" in pop culture but then again so do McDonalds, Starbucks, whatever. Yale is nothing to sneeze at though, nor Stanford I guess? I think the more crucial question would be Harvard vs. NYU, or Columbia, or whatever. There's a definite prestige gap amongst the ordinary Joes of the world.

http://www.gallup.com/poll/9109/harvard ... ublic.aspx

Also, as a university system as a whole, I don't think there's any doubt that Harvard is better than Yale, no question.

I was surprised to see Stanford so high. Way to go - because it's so "new" compared to the ivies

[CordeliusX]

PEOPLE - OP is clearly talking about the universities as a whole. Not Law School.

[Renaixença]

PEOPLE - OP is clearly talking about the universities as a whole. Not Law School.

close, but read again.

[CordeliusX]

PEOPLE - OP is clearly talking about the universities as a whole. Not Law School.

close, but read again.

Well he should be then because the ordinary person just thinks grad school quality = undergrad quality = university as a whole.

Seriously. I'm sure a person with a certificate of attendance at a Harvard seminar would be more esteemed by Joe Average than a PhD from a state school.

[Credit]

Do you know how many people in Ohio I've had to convince that, as a whole, UMich is a much better institution than OSU? They just don't believe it.

I'm fighting this battle nearly every day it seems. Ohioans only see Michigan for its rivalry with OSU.

[reasonable_man]

http://www.gallup.com/poll/9109/harvard ... ublic.aspx

Also, as a university system as a whole, I don't think there's any doubt that Harvard is better than Yale, no question.

At least my U-grad made the list lol.

As an aside... YLS dominance, while obvious to the rankings obsessed TLSer, is not nearly as well understood by the masses. Frankly, I believe that if you asked 10 non-lawyers, which LS is the best, 7 or more would say HLS.

Moreover, if you asked 10 average members of the bar, i believe the response would be mostly split, maybe favoring YLS just slightly.

[Renaixença]

http://www.gallup.com/poll/9109/harvard ... ublic.aspx

Also, as a university system as a whole, I don't think there's any doubt that Harvard is better than Yale, no question.

At least my U-grad made the list lol.

As an aside... YLS dominance, while obvious to the rankings obsessed TLSer, is not nearly as well understood by the masses. Frankly, I believe that if you asked 10 non-lawyers, which LS is the best, 7 or more would say HLS.

Moreover, if you asked 10 average members of the bar, i believe the response would be mostly split, maybe favoring YLS just slightly.

I doubt passing the bar makes you any smarter or more aware than your average Ohioan.

[tristanlxboyd]

A lot of people I've talked to have asked whether I'm applying to Princeton School of Law...

[reasonable_man]

http://www.gallup.com/poll/9109/harvard ... ublic.aspx

Also, as a university system as a whole, I don't think there's any doubt that Harvard is better than Yale, no question.

At least my U-grad made the list lol.

As an aside... YLS dominance, while obvious to the rankings obsessed TLSer, is not nearly as well understood by the masses. Frankly, I believe that if you asked 10 non-lawyers, which LS is the best, 7 or more would say HLS.

Moreover, if you asked 10 average members of the bar, i believe the response would be mostly split, maybe favoring YLS just slightly.

I doubt passing the bar makes you any smarter or more aware than your average Ohioan.

What is the point of this post? Is it really a problem (and for that matter even debatable), that members of the bar are slightly more aware of the intricacies of the practice of law?

[Renaixença]

http://www.gallup.com/poll/9109/harvard ... ublic.aspx

Also, as a university system as a whole, I don't think there's any doubt that Harvard is better than Yale, no question.

At least my U-grad made the list lol.

As an aside... YLS dominance, while obvious to the rankings obsessed TLSer, is not nearly as well understood by the masses. Frankly, I believe that if you asked 10 non-lawyers, which LS is the best, 7 or more would say HLS.

Moreover, if you asked 10 average members of the bar, i believe the response would be mostly split, maybe favoring YLS just slightly.

I doubt passing the bar makes you any smarter or more aware than your average Ohioan.

Presumably, the average person who has passed the bar applied to law schools, was admitted, chose one, graduated, and has had a considerable amount of experience with other people who have passed the bar. This alone makes them more knowledgeable about which law school is better than the "average Ohioan."

Perhaps, though it depends how we define "better." Plus, even if such people do have more knowledge about which school is "better," it does not mean they'll put that knowledge to use or that their knowledge is any more free of bias than the average Ohioan's.

[Renaixença]

What is the point of this post? Is it really a problem (and for that matter even debatable), that members of the bar are slightly more aware of the intricacies of the practice of law?

A quip against lawyers. Don't take it so personally . . . at least not before you pass the bar.