Baylor University School of Law in Waco ranks first among 168 law schools for having the most competitive students, according to The Princeton Review’s “Best 168 Law Schools: 2013 Edition,” which was released Oct. 9.
The report lists the top 10 law schools in each of 11 categories, such as best career prospects, best environment for minority students and best professors.
The ranking for most competitive students is based on student answers to questions about the average number of hours they sleep each night, the number of hours they study each day, the number of hours they think their classmates study each day and the degree of competitiveness among classmates, according to information on the website of the Framingham, Mass.-based education services company, which is not affiliated with Princeton University.
“There is healthy and unhealthy competition,” writes Baylor Law Dean Brad Toben in an e-mail. “Because of our small size (we’re just over 400 students) our students share a tight camaraderie and are very aware of the work ethic of their classmates. Along with the rigor of our program, this combines to create an environment of high expectations of performance that our students strive to satisfy. They know that the faculty sets the bar high and that we also expect them to adhere to the highest moral and ethical standards. In that sense, the competition among our students is quite healthy.”
The 80-question online survey was conducted during the academic years beginning in 2009, 2010 and 2011 with an average of 107 students participating at each law school, according to information on The Princeton Review’s website.
Baylor Law is the only one of Texas’ nine American Bar Association-accredited law schools that took first place in one of the 11 categories cited in the report.
— Jeanne Graham
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