The quality of life at the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law has been ranked seventh in the nation by The Princeton Review.  That recognition puts the U of M school in the company of such well-known schools, public and private, as Duke, Virginia, Stanford, and Vanderbilt.

The organization’s “Best Quality of Life” designation is based on currently enrolled students’ answers to questions about a variety of factors.  Among them are:  whether there is a strong sense of community at the school; how aesthetically pleasing the school is; its location; its social life; its classroom facilities; and its library staff.

The “Best Quality of Life” article in The Princeton Review’s latest publication also included comments from students.  Several of them centered around the School’s January 2010 move to Downtown Memphis to occupy the renovated, historic U.S. Customs House.  “The new facility has changed the nature of the study of law in Memphis,” one said.  “It seems to have reinvigorated those within it. Students seem more eager to learn, and the professors more eager to teach.”

Said another survey respondent, “The move has allowed the Downtown legal community to be so much more involved in the School’s day-to-day activities, especially moot court and mock trial competitions.”

“An excellent legal education in a beautiful setting,” was another comment.  And, “Around every corner is a glorious room waiting for you to marvel at.”  Yet another student expressed it this way, “The building may be historic, but our technology is state-of-the-art.”

Students also called the school affordable, practical-minded in its approach to legal education, and “unfailingly diverse.”  They called the curriculum “well balanced,” and said “The professors are excellent and ... care about their students... Every professor is accessible and willing to help.”

The consensus of responses indicates that the U of M Law School “offers a solid educational experience, with very high standards.”  All students and faculty “have a lot of integrity.”

The survey respondents rated the School administration highly, too, saying it is “incredibly accessible,” and that the dean “does his best to maintain an open-door policy for students to discuss matters like career options and school improvements.”

The Princeton Review is an education services company headquartered in Massachusetts with locations across the United States and abroad.  It is best known for its classroom and online test-preparation courses, tutoring services, and more than 150 books published by Random House, which include the annual rankings of colleges in 62 categories.

The Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law will celebrate its 50^th  anniversary in 2012.