> In law, graduates of top-10 schools make on average half more than graduates of schools ranked 21 to 100
When you consider where the people who graduate from top-10 schools live, this is neither surprising nor impressive. Most of these law grads live in NYC/Chicago/DC/SF/LA or a handful of other expensive cities. They make good money — starting salaries are around $200k — but they also pay tons in rent, mortgages, private school bills, etc.
Compare this with a graduate of a 50-something ranked law school. This person probably lives in a city or town that where the cost of living is half of NYC/SF. They likely also work fewer hours than their top-10 counterparts. If they are making 2/3 of what a top-10 law grad is making, they're getting the better deal by far.
That's a weird wording: Half more would mean 50% more (so not double, but 1.5x)?
I think the real reason people willingly take on that Big City grind is to have a shot at making partner at a top firm (which would mean they make 10x more than their midwest prairie dweller counterparts).
Yes, it is very weird wording. It is also strange that the comparison omits graduates of schools ranked 11-20. Those schools are not as prestigious as the top-10, but their graduates (like me) go on to practice in the same expensive cities so their salaries are in the same order of magnitude.
Including this cohort in the comparison would have made the not-shocking 50% gap even less impressive.
When you consider where the people who graduate from top-10 schools live, this is neither surprising nor impressive. Most of these law grads live in NYC/Chicago/DC/SF/LA or a handful of other expensive cities. They make good money — starting salaries are around $200k — but they also pay tons in rent, mortgages, private school bills, etc.
Compare this with a graduate of a 50-something ranked law school. This person probably lives in a city or town that where the cost of living is half of NYC/SF. They likely also work fewer hours than their top-10 counterparts. If they are making 2/3 of what a top-10 law grad is making, they're getting the better deal by far.
Source: former Palo Alto lawyer