|
 |
Law Careers
Guide
Determining Where to Apply
With 186 accredited law schools in the United States, how do you decide where
to apply and ultimately where to attend? It will be important to balance factors
that address your personal preferences with those that affect your chances of
admission. Do not let the search for "long shots, good chances, and sure things"
govern your selection process. Begin by assembling a list of law schools based
on criteria that are important to you, then revise your choices according to your
chances of admission. This systematic approach should help limit frustration
and confusion during the process of applying to law school. Selecting schools
carefully will help reduce the time and expense of applying to an excessive number
of schools.
Criteria for Selection
Consider the following factors and determine which are important to you:
- National/Regional Schools: Does the school attract applicants from across the country and abroad, or are
most students from the region in which the school is located? Do most students
want to work throughout the country or in the school's region following graduation?
- Faculty: What are the academic and experiential backgrounds of faculty? How accessible
are they? What is the faculty-student ratio, the number of full-time vs. adjunct
faculty, and the number of female and minority faculty?
- Facilities and Resources: Is the school affiliated with a university? Do students have access to courses
from a range of academic disciplines to supplement their legal curriculum? Is
the library large enough to accommodate holdings and permit students to conduct
research and study? How helpful is the library staff? How accessible are electronic
databases such as Lexis and Westlaw? In general, do the facilities provide a
comfortable learning environment?
- Student Body: What is the size of the en tering class? What does the admissions profile tell
you about the quality of the student body? Where did students study as undergraduates
and what are their geographic backgrounds? Is there diversity in interests and
personal/cultural backgrounds? What is the overall atmosphere–are students friendly
or overly competitive? Is there much interaction with fellow students outside
the classroom?
- Special Programs: What coursework is available in specialized areas? What joint degree programs
of interest to you are available? What are the opportunities for practical experience,
including clinics, internships, etc.? What specialized institutes, journals,
or organizations exist in your areas of interest? Does the school demonstrate
a commitment to women and minorities through special programs?
- Placement: What advising and resources are available to help you find a job? Is career
counseling available? How many employers recruit at the law school and who are
they? What percentage of the class has positions at graduation? In what types
of positions and geographic areas are they employed? What is the percentage of
graduates holding judicial clerkships? What assistance is given to students not
interested in working in law firms? What is the bar passage rate for recent graduates?
- Student Life: Is housing provided for first-year students? If not, does the school offer assistance
in locating off-campus housing? Is the school located in a safe area? Is the
location rural or urban? What is the cost of living? What types of cultural
opportunities are there? Does the school provide recreational facilities?
- Costs: What are tuition, housing, and transportation costs? Is financial aid exclusively
need-based, or are merit scholarships available?
Reputation
The issue most often discussed by prospective law students, yet the most difficult
to define, is reputation. A number of factors contribute to a school's reputation,
including faculty, facilities, career services, reputation of the parent university,
etc. Though a number of law school rankings are available, most factors evaluated
are not quantifiable, and therefore you should not perceive the rankings as accurate
or definitive. Selectivity at law schools, however, is one factor which can be
quantified; you can gauge a school's relative selectivity by comparing the number
of applicants accepted to the overall number of applications. The Official Guide to ABA-Approved Law Schools contains charts and tables of recent admissions cycles at most schools, reflecting
the level of selectivity.
Schools can be divided roughly into three groups:
- Schools with national reputations which tend to appear in various "top ten" lists.
They draw students from a national pool and offer geographic mobility to graduates.
- Schools with good regional reputations which are attended primarily by students
from the region, who may want to remain in the area following graduation, but
who may also seek positions throughout the country.
- Local schools which draw students primarily from the immediate area who want
to practice there following graduation.
For a more detailed discussion of law school reputation and the process for evaluating
schools, refer to the Official Guide to ABA-Approved Law Schools.
Non-Traditional Alternatives
You should be aware that some law schools offer alternatives to fall admission
in a full-time law program. Evening divisions and part-time programs make it
possible for students to work and study law simultaneously, earning a J.D. in
four years. A few schools on the quarter system allow students to enter mid-year.
Summer entry and/or summer courses can accelerate the degree program from three
to two-and-a-half calendar years. And finally, some law schools have created
summer trial programs, which allow borderline applicants to prove themselves capable
of legal study in time for fall entrance.
Publications and Online Resources
There are a number of resources designed to help you research and evaluate law
schools. Resources listed below are available at the Cornell Career Services
Library; a complete listing of the Library's prelaw holdings is appended to this
Guide.
- The Official Guide to ABA-Approved Law Schools 2004 provides information on the 186 American Bar Association-approved law schools,
including faculty, library resources, enrollment, bar passage, placement, 25th-75th
percentile LSAT scores and GPAs. The Guide is accessible free of charge through
the LSAC Web site at lsac.org.
- Catalogs and bulletins published and distributed by law schools are available by contacting the schools
by phone, by U.S. mail, or through their Web sites. Copies are maintained as a reference in the Cornell Career Services Library.
- The NAPLA/SAPLA Book of Law School Lists 2003-2004 Edition provides information about joint degrees, areas of emphasis without graduate
degrees, treatment of multiple LSAT scores by individual schools, schools that
grant one-year deferrals, bar passage rates at a number of schools, schools that
award non-need-based scholarships, etc.
- A wide range of information concerning legal careers, the application process, financial aid resources,
and home pages of many law schools is accessible through the Cornell Career Services
home page at career.cornell.edu.
- The Boston College Online Law School Locator at www.bc.edu/offices/careers/gradschool/law/lawlocator/ helps applicants identify schools where their LSAT score and grades are most
competitive for admission.
Cornell Resources
- Law School Day, held each fall, is attended by representatives of approximately 85 law schools
who speak with students about their schools and admissions policies, and distribute
bulletins and application materials. Visiting law school admissions officers participate
in a panel discussion on the application process the afternoon prior to Law School
Day.
- The Action Report summarizes GPAs, LSAT scores, and admissions decisionsfor Cornellians who have
applied to law school. Information from the summary report is appended to this
publication; the complete report is available in the Cornell Career Services Library.
- Survey responses of Cornellians studying at law schools across the country provide information
about their experiences and offer advice to current applicants. Responses include
contact information for further discussion and are available in the Career Services
Library.
Determine what is most important to you as you evaluate law schools and decide
on a list of potential schools. Make sure your research is thorough and includes
discussions with current students at law schools in which you are interested.
After you complete your research and compile a list of schools, meet with a prelaw
advisor to discuss schools of interest to you.
|
|
|
