Northwestern University - Pritzker School of Law

Located "in the heart of Chicago," on a lakefront campus, the Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law "does a tremendous job making Chicago a valuable asset to students," who say that the "opportunities for practical experiences" are among the school's greatest strengths. A "wide variety of practical courses that prepare students for work, as opposed to the classic, theoretical law school classes" means that students enjoy great "employment prospects" after graduation. "EVERYONE here who wants a Biglaw job gets one," one student claims. In addition to these great job prospects at major firms, "public interest careers have received a great deal more attention now than they used to." "I am leaving school with a community of public interest lawyers in my network and a public interest job of my dreams thanks to Northwestern Law law," one student explains. Students universally praise the Bluhm Legal Clinic, which houses more than twenty individual clinics and is "is big enough so that any student who wants to do a clinic will have an opportunity to do so at some point in their time at Northwestern."

The "faculty are absolute all-stars," representing "some of the foremost legal minds in an array of fields." Students rate "professor accessibility" as "excellent" and agree that "professors have been able to offer valuable, candid advice on academics and employment." Because Northwestern Law faculty have "long experience in their respective [fields]," they can provide students with "very realistic" perspectives about "how the legal profession works." Northwestern Law tends to admit students with a few years of post-undergraduate work experience, so "the student body is generally a bit older," consequently "students are able to bring real-world experiences into the classroom" as well as "a much broader and more interesting perspective" to classroom discussion. However, most students agree that "the administration (Student Services) could be more transparent about what resources they offer" and overall "communication to students from all of the administrative-type offices (Student Services, Academic Affairs, the Career Strategy Center) could be improved." Other elements of the administration receive praise though: "I am starting two clerkships after graduation that I never would have applied for or gotten without the awesome Northwestern Law clerkship advisor," one student tells us.

Within the Northwestern Law student body "supportive and friendly is the norm." "My other classmates were smart, driven, social, and just really nice people," one student says. And students agree that this camaraderie "is particularly fostered by the school." "The fact that the school doesn't publish class rankings means we all compete mostly with ourselves. As a result it is common to find peers who are "eager to share notes and insights, and people tend to be friendly." And because the student body tends to be a tad bit older, "students are generally more mature and very willing to help each other." The "horror stories [. . .] of unpleasant professors, hyper-competitive students, and a generally high level of stress" that student heard about law school before applying "were pretty much all untrue of Northwestern. It is an overall well-adjusted and collaborative community." Overall, "there is a really authentic and collegial attitude among all the students, and it makes the entire law school experience really enjoyable." Northwestern Law hosts "speaker events three to four times a week during the school year where food is provided for all attendees (diligent students can reduce their food expenditures as a result)." In addition, "Northwestern has bar reviews every week, and numerous events during the lunch hour and often in the evenings." There are enough social offerings that "if you end up missing one, there is about another fifty or so you can attend to make up the lost social time."