Administrators and students said the GW Law School's drop from 23rd to 25th in the U.S. News and World Report rankings was not significant and attributed the change to minimal changes implemented by other law schools.
"Because the law schools around us in the rankings are very tightly bunched together, the slightest change in any factor … could account for this small movement," said Roger Trangsrud, a senior associate dean for academic affairs and Law School professor.
GW is tied for 25th with Boston University and Washington University in St. Louis, and the Universities of Illinois, Washington and Wisconsin-Madison.
Yale, Stanford, Harvard, Columbia and New York universities hold the top five rankings.
Students said they are not concerned with the drop.
"It doesn't concern me that much, because I understand that rankings aren't accurate gauges of how a school really is," said Mikhia Hawkins, a first-year Law School student. " It would be nice to have a higher ranking, however I think our reputation speaks for itself."
The average LSAT score for this year's entering class was between 160 and 164
"I don't think it's a deterrent for prospective applicants, and therefore I am not that worried about (the rank)," first year student Joyanna Smith said.
Trangsrud said he thinks the methodology of measuring the schools is flawed, arguing that schools of such different caliber cannot be compared on one scale.
"Law schools are very different from one another and should be. Some are publicly funded; some private," Transgrud said in an email. "Some are large and some tiny. Some are in urban areas and others in the boonies."
The rankings take into account LSAT scores, undergraduate GPAs, acceptance rates, employment rates, bar passage rates, student-to-faculty ratios, spending per student and the total number of library volumes and titles, according to U.S. News "2003 Best Graduate Schools" guide.
Trangsrud said he is concerned that U.S. News "completely ignores" the quality of teaching at schools.
"Because the law schools around us in the rankings are very tightly bunched together, the slightest change in any factor … could account for this small movement," said Roger Trangsrud, a senior associate dean for academic affairs and Law School professor.
GW is tied for 25th with Boston University and Washington University in St. Louis, and the Universities of Illinois, Washington and Wisconsin-Madison.
Yale, Stanford, Harvard, Columbia and New York universities hold the top five rankings.
Students said they are not concerned with the drop.
"It doesn't concern me that much, because I understand that rankings aren't accurate gauges of how a school really is," said Mikhia Hawkins, a first-year Law School student. " It would be nice to have a higher ranking, however I think our reputation speaks for itself."
The average LSAT score for this year's entering class was between 160 and 164
"I don't think it's a deterrent for prospective applicants, and therefore I am not that worried about (the rank)," first year student Joyanna Smith said.
Trangsrud said he thinks the methodology of measuring the schools is flawed, arguing that schools of such different caliber cannot be compared on one scale.
"Law schools are very different from one another and should be. Some are publicly funded; some private," Transgrud said in an email. "Some are large and some tiny. Some are in urban areas and others in the boonies."
The rankings take into account LSAT scores, undergraduate GPAs, acceptance rates, employment rates, bar passage rates, student-to-faculty ratios, spending per student and the total number of library volumes and titles, according to U.S. News "2003 Best Graduate Schools" guide.
Trangsrud said he is concerned that U.S. News "completely ignores" the quality of teaching at schools.
