University of Minnesota Law School

University of Minnesota Law School

University of Minnesota Law School

229 19th Ave S #285,
Minneapolis, MN 55455
612-625-3487
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Rankings:
TipppingTheScales (2013): 18
U.S. News (2013): 19
AboveTheLaw (2013): 32
Class of 2016 Profile

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA LAW STUDENTS SAY…
Academics & Programs: Located in the heart of Minnesota’s Twin Cities, University of Minnesota Law School offers students an amazing “cost to ranking ratio: it’s relatively quite cheap for how highly ranked a school it is.” Students especially appreciate the fact that the school provides “balance across academic fields—you can leave Minnesota practicing employment, environmental, transactional, international, immigration, etc. and be very competent in your field. You aren’t pigeonholed into a certain area by any means.” Additionally, “the University of Minnesota Law School has all the resources of a top-quality public university available to it. Interested students can get a dual degree in business, public policy, medicine, health care administration or any other field.”
Of course, as one would expect from any esteemed institution, one of the “greatest strengths of our law school is the quality of the instructors.” A content third year shares, “We are lucky to have top notch tenured faculty as well as talented lecturers from venerable institutions such as the Federal Reserve Bank.” Indeed, many students describe their professors as “supportive, encouraging, available, and brilliant.” Another student excitedly states, “We have some of the smartest people in the nation teaching us what they know, and on the whole, they actually seem to enjoy it. Sometimes I feel awed to be in the same place as my professors.” And a satisfied second-year adds, “Not only are they always accessible, but they take a genuine interest in you and help you in your law school career. I once had a job I was considering applying for and had the employer call me up personally before I sent in any notification of interest because a professor I talked to about the job called on my behalf.”
However, one aspect of University of Minnesota that does leave students wanting is the school’s actual facilities. As one chagrined third-year puts it, “The classrooms are underground and windowless. It feels like you’re in a dungeon.” A fellow third-year continues, “The building is ugly and outdated, the printers . . . are unreliable, and the classrooms are poorly designed and filled with old equipment.” Many students also feel that “the school could benefit from better lighting.”
Fortunately, “There are several lounges on various floors that are friendly and sunny.”<p>Additionally, the “administration is generally effective and communicates well with the students.” They are “very approachable and flexible” and “work to accommodate [students] to the fullest extent possible.” Perhaps it’s best to sum up student sentiment using the words of an ecstatic first-year student, “Minnesota is the Midwest at its best. Being in a place with four distinct seasons is amazing, and the people here are so nice, you can’t help but feel welcomed right away. If you can manage to put up with the cold winters, Minneapolis is an extraordinary place to be. The city is large enough to afford its residents plenty of employment and entertainment opportunities, while at the same time still having the quick and easy accessibility of a smaller city.”
Campus Life/Facilities: Students at University of Minnesota are generally quite content with life at the law school. Most respondents define their peers as “friendly and easygoing” and “willing to share notes and help each other with assignments.” Though some do warn that “students [can be] extremely competitive with each other for grades and jobs.
Additionally, there are some grumblings from students who generally fall on the right of the political spectrum. As one second-year shares, “As a conservative libertarian, the political bent of the university’s faculty, administration and student body is sometimes very frustrating and challenging. From time to time my viewpoints have been, shall we say, less than welcome in class discussions and more importantly, outside of the classroom.”
Fortunately, once you get outside of the classroom, “social life is pretty solid.” Students can participate in a number of activities such as “Bar Review Weekly, Legal Bowling, and Theatre of the Relatively Talentless,” which “provide some opportunity for students to be real with each other.” And as a supremely satisfied third-year reveals, “The great thing about Minnesotans is that they love to drink. So do lawyers. This is a fantastic combination. Also, beer in Minneapolis can be as cheap as a dollar a pint…It’s worth putting up with the bad weather to party with UMN law kids!”
* The Princeton Review is not affiliated with Princeton University.