Greetings, Prospective Law Students!
Welcome to the law school admissions process. Well, not the part you have to endure. Today we’ll be talking about the signals the law schools are sending, and what they could mean.
I spent some time this weekend looking at law school marketing. It’s been interesting. I almost convinced myself to apply to law school again. You know, just because it’s so much fun! Or at least the law school pages make it sound fun.
But, I recognize there’s a lot of information out there for applicants to consider. The TRICK is to look at the information being offered and think about what information is NOT being offered. That will provide more information about the school.
Let’s try some examples.
“Our faculty are world-renowned experts with substantial scholarly impact.”
Q: If I request a meeting with one your world-renowned experts on the faculty, how long will they take to get back to me? Also, will they be annoyed?
“You will learn by doing in experiential classes.”
Q: To what degree have the faculty learned by doing?
“Our student body is one of the most diverse.”
Q: Is your faculty?
Q: What do you consider sufficiently “diverse?” If I look at the faculty webpage, will I see that same diversity?
Q: If you were holding classes on campus right now, and I walked around, would the classes look like the admissions brochure or whiter?
“Our students come out with very little debt relative to other schools.”
Q: Is that because they all come from wealthy families?
“Our program is respected around the globe.”
Q: For what? And do you mean in certain pockets or everywhere? If I walked by a random lawyer they’d recognize your program and say ‘AHHHHHH, yes!’?
“Study Abroad!”
Q: Yeah, to what extent have those programs been curtailed, and to what degree do you foresee them coming back in the next couple of years?
“Our faculty are thought leaders.”
Q: What does it mean to be a thought leader?
“Our legal writing faculty are not fellows who want to be law professors.”
Q: Does your statement suggest something about how you treat your legal writing professors?
Q: How many of your faculty had those same fellowships?
Q: While we are on the subject of legal writing, how DO you treat your legal writing professors and clinical professors?
“We have over 40 Centers and Institutes.”
Q: Does that roughly match the amount of faculty members you have?
“A lot of our faculty have Ph.D.s in economics.”
Q: Do they all come from the same school of thought? Also, why just economics?
“Law faculty members are highly regarded and frequently cited experts. They hold and express a diverse range of opinions on the law, its purpose, and its function in society. You will find their writings published in leading law journals, treatises, and books.”
Q: To the extent faculty members are not published in leading law journals, should I avoid taking those classes?
Q: What do you mean by “diverse range of opinions?”
“You’ll have small group class meetings.”
Q: Um, what will that entail?
LawProfBlawg is an anonymous professor at a top 100 law school. You can see more of his musings here. He is way funnier on social media, he claims. Please follow him on Twitter (@lawprofblawg). Email him at lawprofblawg@gmail.com.
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