William and Mary offers a good example of how a law school as a whole doesn't change from year to year, but it's ranking in US News fluctuates. I offer this to prove a point - if you choose a school because it's 26th, rather than going to one that is 35th, you may end up disappointed in your reasoning rather quickly. (William and Mary has been through the ringer with its leadership of late and yet climbed in the ranking?)
I know my readers have been waiting for my overall analysis of this year's rankings - I am working on it and will post this week.
U.S. News Mentions AIGAC Admission Counselors
U.S. News mentioned that Admission Consultants with membership in AIGAC provide assistance to applicants in an ethical manner. I'm proud to be one of 40 members of this group!
Deciding to Apply to Law School?
Here are 2 more posts I came across today:
U.S. News provided some insight into salary and specialization trends.
Here is one George Washington University Law student's take on the important considerations in rankings.
U.S. News provided some insight into salary and specialization trends.
Here is one George Washington University Law student's take on the important considerations in rankings.
More About the Law School Rankings
As you know, I've done quite a bit of blogging on both the productive and detrimental reliance of law school applicants (and of the law schools themselves) on the U.S. News Rankings. As you know, the 2009 results have leaked. Here are two good postings you should read to help take the rankings with a grain of salt. The US News rankings are only useful in the appropriate context, so this information is vital to law school applicants:
- Information about Bar Passage rates as an ingredient in the rankings.
- For an example of how one ingredient (UGPA) is unlikely to change the worthiness of an entire law school.
2009 US News Rankings Leaked Early!
Thanks to Daniel Filler, at Drexel University College
Not sure how a law school can change so much that it jumps from #8 to #6 in one year but no one doubts that Berkeley is a law school to be reckoned with. This will definitely impact Fall 2008 law school applicants as deposit deadlines loom. Talk about timing!
I know I have clients who will change their minds over this little jump. I also have clients that will probably decide not to transfer from Berkeley to a higher-up nearby based on this new release. That's a lot of power for a little magazine....
Not sure how a law school can change so much that it jumps from #8 to #6 in one year but no one doubts that Berkeley is a law school to be reckoned with. This will definitely impact Fall 2008 law school applicants as deposit deadlines loom. Talk about timing!
I know I have clients who will change their minds over this little jump. I also have clients that will probably decide not to transfer from Berkeley to a higher-up nearby based on this new release. That's a lot of power for a little magazine....
BC Meeting Coming up soon!
The RALS conference at Boston College April 6-8 promises to be a great experience. It's not limited to those at Religiously Affiliated Schools, and those from secular schools have registered and attended in the past. All that is required is an interest in the subject matter...
For complete details and registration info, check the BC site here.
For complete details and registration info, check the BC site here.
Petfinder.com
With the insane number of dogs out there for adoption in every shape, size, color, and breed you could possibly imagine, I am a staunch advocate against buying one from a breeder. It blows my mind that people will actually choose to pay, for instance, $1000 or more for a yipping 3-lb rat dog.
I've been considering getting a[nother] dog for quite a while now, and whilst searching for something to keep me from studying last night, I stumbled upon this little guy. The wheels are in motion...
I've been considering getting a[nother] dog for quite a while now, and whilst searching for something to keep me from studying last night, I stumbled upon this little guy. The wheels are in motion...
Thinking About Multiple Seat Deposits?
If you've been admitted to law school for Fall 2008, you probably have a seat deposit due April 1 or April 15. The complication, of course, is you may be one of the many law school applicants waiting to hear from other schools and you probably don't feel ready to make a commitment to one school without knowing what your other options might be.
The most common question is whether an applicant can submit a deposit to more than one law school. The answer to this question has changed in the last year thanks to a new LSAC policy.
Here is what LSAC says:
The most common question is whether an applicant can submit a deposit to more than one law school. The answer to this question has changed in the last year thanks to a new LSAC policy.
Here is what LSAC says:
Seat Deposits
Many law schools use seat deposits to help keep track of their new classes. For example, a typical fee is $200, which is credited to your first-term tuition if you actually register at the school; if you don’t register, the deposit may be forfeited or partially returned. A school may require a larger deposit around July 1, which is also credited to tuition. If you decline the offer of admission after you’ve paid your deposit, a portion of the money may be refunded, depending on the date you actually decline the offer. At some schools, you may not be refunded any of the deposit.
The official position of the Law School Admission Council is:
Except under early decision plans, no law school should require an enrollment commitment of any kind, binding or non-binding, to an offer of admission or scholarship prior to April 1. Admitted applicants who have submitted a timely financial aid application should not be required to commit to enroll by having to make a nonrefundable financial commitment until notified of financial aid awards that are within the control of the law school.
Multiple Deposit Notification
Each year, LSAC provides participating law schools with periodic reports detailing the number of applicants who have submitted seat deposits or commitments at other participating schools, along with identification of those other schools. Beginning June 15, 2008, those reports will also include the names and LSAC account numbers for all candidates who have deposits/commitments at multiple participating schools.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
Be smart and ask each law school about their policy on multiple deposits. (NYLS has been kind enough to send a threatening e-mail about this to some of my clients this year). If a school says they will not penalize you for multiple deposits, then great. If they say they might revoke your offer of admission then that will definitely impact your decision.
I'd love to hear comments from applicants who are navigating these unchartered waters....
Getting Ready for the June LSAT
Here's a nice reminder post that we're within 3 months of the June 2008 LSAT.
The Bluebook Gets Electronic!
The Bluebook has gone electronic! Students and faculty may now purchase
an electronic key for $25/year, or $55 for 3 years and access the rules
from their desktop.
No, it won't put the citation in blue book form for you, but it will
make finding the rule a whole lot easier. There is an alphabetical
index, or you can execute an advanced search. Or, if you prefer, there
is a table of contents framed on the left side of your screen, just
click and go to the rules you need.
For more information and a quick tour, check our their website at
www.legalbluebook.com
an electronic key for $25/year, or $55 for 3 years and access the rules
from their desktop.
No, it won't put the citation in blue book form for you, but it will
make finding the rule a whole lot easier. There is an alphabetical
index, or you can execute an advanced search. Or, if you prefer, there
is a table of contents framed on the left side of your screen, just
click and go to the rules you need.
For more information and a quick tour, check our their website at
www.legalbluebook.com
Dedication or constipation?
Sheriff: Woman sat on boyfriend's toilet for 2 years; didn't want to leave bathroom
NESS CITY, Kan. — Authorities are considering charges in the bizarre case of a woman who sat on her boyfriend's toilet for two years--so long that her body was stuck to the seat by the time the boyfriend finally called police.
Ness County Sheriff Bryan Whipple said it appeared the 35-year-old Ness City woman's skin had grown around the seat. She initially refused emergency medical services but was finally convinced by responders and her boyfriend that she needed to be checked out at a hospital.
"We pried the toilet seat off with a pry bar and the seat went with her to the hospital," Whipple said. "The hospital removed it."
Whipple said investigators planned to present their report Wednesday to the county attorney, who will determine whether any charges should be filed against the woman's 36-year-old boyfriend.
"She was not glued. She was not tied. She was just physically stuck by her body," Whipple said. "It is hard to imagine. ... I still have a hard time imagining it myself."
He told investigators he brought his girlfriend food and water, and asked her every day to come out of the bathroom.
"And her reply would be, 'Maybe tomorrow,'" Whipple said. "According to him, she did not want to leave the bathroom."
The boyfriend called police on Feb. 27 to report that "there was something wrong with his girlfriend," Whipple said, adding that he never explained why it took him two years to call.
Police found the clothed woman sitting on the toilet, her sweat pants down to her mid-thigh. She was "somewhat disoriented," and her legs looked like they had atrophied, Whipple said.
"She said that she didn't need any help, that she was OK and did not want to leave," he said.
She was reported in fair condition at a hospital in Wichita, about 150 miles southeast of Ness City. Whipple said she has refused to cooperate with medical providers or law enforcement investigators.
Authorities said they did not know if she was mentally or physically disabled.
Police have declined to release the couple's names, but the house where authorities say the incident happened is listed in public records as the residence of Kory McFarren. No one answered his home phone number.
The case has been the buzz Ness City, said James Ellis, a neighbor.
"I don't think anybody can make any sense out of it," he said.
Ellis said he had known the woman since she was a child but that he had not seen her for at least six years.
He said she had a tough childhood after her mother died at a young age and apparently was usually kept inside the house as she grew up. At one time the woman worked for a long-term care facility, he said, but he did not know what kind of work she did there.
"It really doesn't surprise me," Ellis said of the bathroom incident. "What surprises me is somebody wasn't called in a bit earlier."
Podcasts
I've had an iPod for the better part of this century. It's an amazing little device and I love the hell out of it. Which is why I am flabbergasted that I just now discovered the vast universe of podcasts.
I always knew they existed, but I didn't really expect that there was anything I'd be interested in. I remember checking them out about four years ago, when they were still a budding young technological phenomenon, and all that I found were a few esoteric lectures on the state of Latin American politics and other issues about which I could not possibly care less.
But last night, while entrenched in one of my greatest procrastinatory episodes ever, I sat in front of the computer desperately scrambling for another online game or website to keep me from actually doing real work, and I ventured into the podcasts section of the iTunes store.
It was wondrous. There's something on every damn topic imaginable! You can get every daily ESPN show, NPR shows and interviews, famous speeches, deejay mixtapes, and history lectures. There are also weekly trivia podcasts. Of course, 75% of the categories I encountered consisted of such titles as "Master Slovenian in just one podcast!" but there are plenty of gems in there for anyone's downloading pleasure. A few of the... ehem, 19 that I downloaded:
- Plato: The Republic
- History of Rome
- Stones Throw Records: J-Rocc remixes
- Byzantine Rulers
- Some conversation w/ Justice Ginsburg (this should be good for my recent bouts of insomnia)
- NPR Science Friday: How Old Is the Grand Canyon?
- The "What-ifs" of 1066 (yes, the year 1066)
Looking back over this list, it actually doesn't seem as exciting as I celebrated at the beginning of this post. But fuck it, they're all free, so...
Late Opening for the Library
On March 19, 2008, the Fred Parks Law Library will be opening at 8:00 am instead of the usual 7:30 am, due to maintenenance issues
Transfer Applicants: Get Started Now!
It's that time of year for 1Ls to start the transfer process. If you've earned good grades as a 1L and would like to attend a different law school, now is the time to compile deadlines, get your letters of rec in line (ask professors now before everyone else does!) and start the process.
Here are some previous posts about law school transfer applications and transfer admissions.
Here are some previous posts about law school transfer applications and transfer admissions.
A Crazy Year for Wait Lists, Deferrals & Holds
As I noted in a previous post, there have been some strange admission trends this year. Schools are waitlisting like crazy, and using "deferrals" and "holds" more than I've seen in the past 5 years. Here are some examples:
As I've said before, American is one of these schools (consistently waitlisting high 150s LSAT applicants this year).
University of Miami is among those issuing more "hold" decisions (or non-decisions) than usual.
Fordham's waitlist is usually a long one, and this year is no exception. The good news is that people have gotten into this school off the waitlist in the past. However, by the time they get around to it, most applicants are so happy with their scholarships from Cardozo or Brooklyn that they don't want to make the jump.
What does this mean for applicants? Don't be scared to send in a deposit to more than one school while you wait for some of the more lazy schools that haven't made an official decision on your file.
As I've said before, American is one of these schools (consistently waitlisting high 150s LSAT applicants this year).
University of Miami is among those issuing more "hold" decisions (or non-decisions) than usual.
Fordham's waitlist is usually a long one, and this year is no exception. The good news is that people have gotten into this school off the waitlist in the past. However, by the time they get around to it, most applicants are so happy with their scholarships from Cardozo or Brooklyn that they don't want to make the jump.
What does this mean for applicants? Don't be scared to send in a deposit to more than one school while you wait for some of the more lazy schools that haven't made an official decision on your file.
This... is... SPECTACULAR
Play the best video game ever created, here, online, for free, nothing to download, no strings attached...
U.S. News Rankings To Be Released This Month
See this funny faculty post on the upcoming release of US News and World Report's Law School Rankings.
Alcohol sometimes makes me mean
Eh, sorry about the last post... I considered deleting it altogether, but then I decided I should have to be punished by seeing it every time I visited the page, and also that it would encourage me to post more in order to knock it further and further down.
And a couple of you made some good points there. It also wouldn't make much sense to bitch and rant about not getting comments then delete a comment-inducing post.
It is good to know there are some of you out there checking in every now and then, so now I feel motivated to write more useless nonsense. Yeehaw!
And a couple of you made some good points there. It also wouldn't make much sense to bitch and rant about not getting comments then delete a comment-inducing post.
It is good to know there are some of you out there checking in every now and then, so now I feel motivated to write more useless nonsense. Yeehaw!
Racial Inequity in Legal Education
I saw this interesting article today addressing the performance of African American students in law school.
Valentine's Day Presentation
On February 14, 2008 the librarians at the Fred Parks Law Library gave a presentation on the wide array of brand new electronic resources available through the library as well as changes to the Library channels in Stanley. If you missed any of it, now you can view it here on our blog. The video is below:
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