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Lauded as one of the most intellectual law schools in the country with one of the most acclaimed faculties, the University of Chicago Law School has long been rooted as one of the true elites. Located in Hyde Park, just south of the heart of Chicago, the school affords its students ready access to one of the country's most prominent legal markets, but some distance from its hustle and bustle.

"One of the strongest selling points of Chicago is its intellectual institutional culture-the expectation that we're all here to think and argue and learn and take ideas seriously," said professor Brian Leiter, a scholar of and philosophy and the author of a popular law school blog. "That's true of the faculty and it's true of the students, and there's a sense that the faculty and the students should be doing this together."

Chicago Law's relatively small class size and strong focus on academics fosters a close-knit learning community, students say. Though the school can get a bad rap for its not-so-glitzy south Chicago stomping grounds and the renowned "seriousness" of the student body, many students say the hype is overblown.

"It's law school. Obviously people are going to be intense and all that. But generally, people who go here really like it overall and if you're the type of person who is actually interested in what you learn, you'll love it," a rising 3L said.

And even if the student life is less than glamorous, students say the professional opportunities upon graduation are worth it.