There
are
few
rites
of
passage
in
legal
education
more
enduring
than
the
annual
ritual
of
obsessing
over
the
U.S.
News
&
World
Report
rankings.
And
yet,
according
to
a
new
survey
from
Kaplan,
the
people
who
arguably
should
care
the
most
—
law
school
admissions
officers
—
are
increasingly
willing
to
admit
the
rankings
might
be
kind
of…
nonsense.
A
full
58
percent
of
admissions
officers
say
the
rankings
have
“lost
some
of
their
prestige
over
the
last
couple
of
years.”
Not
surprising,
since
Yale
Law’s
decision
to
nope
out
of
the
rankings
in
2022
led
to
a
pile
on
and
a
change
in
methodology
that
tanked
the
OG
ranking’s
credibility.
That’s
down
slightly
from
62
percent
in
Kaplan’s
last
survey,
but
still
up
from
51
percent
in
2023
—
which
is
just
a
long,
slow
march
toward
“we
all
see
the
emperor,
and
yes,
he’s
definitely
underdressed.”
The
quotes
from
admissions
officers
read
like
a
group
therapy
session
where
everyone
knows
the
problem
but
no
one
wants
to
be
the
first
to
log
off.
Rankings
are
a
“double-edged
sword.”
That
are
“helpful
for
students
if
they
are
used
properly,
but
I
don’t
think
students
fully
comprehend
rankings.”
They’re
“biased.”
They’re
“contrived.”
They
“promote
the
same
T14.”
They
“create
an
opportunity
gap.”
They
“limit
student
choices.”
And
yet
schools
keep
playing
along
because
the
alternative
is
worse.
One
admissions
officer
admitted
their
higher-ranked
specialty
program
could
take
a
hit
if
they
opted
out,
which
is
the
rankings
equivalent
of
“I’d
quit
social
media,
but
my
brand
would
suffer.”
Kaplan’s
Krystin
Major
puts
it
a
little
more
diplomatically:
For
law
school
leaders,
the
rankings
can
influence
everything
from
student
recruitment
to
alumni
donations,
and
in
some
cases,
even
their
own
job
security.
Some
admissions
officers
have
joked
with
us
that
they
stay
up
just
past
midnight
when
the
rankings
drop,
unable
to
wait
until
morning,
because
they
know
that
by
sunrise
their
inboxes
will
be
flooded
with
either
ecstatic
or
apoplectic
messages
from
colleagues
and
law
school
leaders.
It’s
important
to
note
that
while
a
few
schools
have
withdrawn
in
protest
and
many
acknowledge
the
rankings’
flaws,
most
still
participate,
showing
just
how
powerful
they
remain.
We
continue
to
tell
students
that
while
the
rankings
can
offer
helpful
data
on
employment
outcomes
and
starting
salaries,
they’re
just
one
piece
of
the
puzzle.
We
advise
them
to
focus
on
the
law
schools
that
fit
their
long-term
professional
goals,
not
just
their
rank.
Meanwhile,
the
broader
context
makes
this
all
feel
even
more
absurd.
Law
school
applications
are
surging,
up
11
percent
from
last
year
and
a
whopping
32
percent
from
two
years
ago,
according
to
the
Law
School
Admission
Council.
Whether
that’s
driven
by
recession
anxiety,
political
chaos,
or
the
enduring
belief
that
a
JD
is
a
personality
trait
remains
an
open
question.
What’s
not
in
question
is
that
applicants
are
still
using
rankings
as
a
north
star,
even
as
the
people
behind
the
curtain
are
waving
frantically
and
mouthing,
“maybe
don’t.”