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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I will play:

Nursing-absolutely not, same salaries for Ivy or CC trained nurses, same options for NP/PA school(many which are online).

Lawyers--seems this one is the most important to land high paying jobs, though still think being connected(through family or friends) and good social skills come a long way

Medicine-absolutely not, MD/DO the same, i guess if you are a cash pay derm/psych r plastic surgeon and Ivy will get you more customers but charisma. how you do your work and patient referrals do more for you.

Social work--not really-cash pay patients seeing online degree therapists also a thing here, more about your marketing skills than therapy skills.[/quote]

Nursing -- correctish.  You can get higher paying jobs from top programs in specialties that are not open to most.

Lawyers -- connected not a help at all in biglaw.  They have taken that all out of the process.  If a partner came and said take a look at kid X he is a family friend, most firms would not look at or would and dismiss.  Law school and law school grades most important.  Undergrad secondary but still counts when interviewing.

Medicine -- agree

Social work ---- agree but when it comes to running non-profits, donors are still impressed with a Harvard or Stanford.[/quote]

+1. True about law firms - if you have ever worked for the biggest (and also the top, BTW) law firms in the metropolitan areas, you know that they only hire from certain schools - but you know know that before you even step foot in law school.

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This statement is quickly refuted by looking at the bios of the attorneys at any law firm. Nobody hires 'only from certain schools'.[/quote]

I worked at Davis Polk.  The list of law schools was longer than I would have thought, but the firm did prefer certain schools.  Going to a top law school clearly is an advantage at a firm of that caliber.  [/quote]

Do they prefer certain schools, or are they just in a position to hire only the very best? Because it makes sense that the very best would be found mostly at the most selective law schools, since those schools get first choice of most of the strongest undergraduate talent.[/quote]

DP. Both, I guess, but law school ranking is used by these firms as a proxy for “the very best.” Big law is notoriously elitist with respect to law school credentials and firms mostly/preferentially hire from T14 schools. They typically only participate in formal recruiting (OCI) at T14 schools. They do hire non-T14 students, but those students are typically stars at their schools and/or have some sort of connection to the firm. [/quote]

As a former big-law lawyer (not Davis Polk) who went to a top 3 law school and took part in hiring meetings, yes many firms only target specific schools with rare exceptions (for instance, a government contracts practice may hire from non-T14 schools especially those known for that specialty).  Some partners gave weight to undergrad prestige when comparing applicants for summer associate positions (i.e. their grades at an elite college were a plus when compared to someone from a more average college). It is a very elitist field. People could come in as lateral hires with less prestigious educational backgrounds, as they had demonstrated their chops with actual work.  Once you get to senior associate level, the ‘golden resume’ advantage decreases (unless you have a Supreme Court clerkship in which case you’re forever golden), but as a law student/recent grad I think prestige of law school plus grades (if the school has real grades) are the two most important factors.  [/quote]

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