ADMISSIONS: A Law School Admission Primer; For Students and Faculty

• Published in: The Hispanic outlook in higher education Vol. 9; no. 2; p. 8
• Main Author: Andelman, Barbara F
• Format: Magazine Article
• Language: English
• Published: Paramus The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education 25.09.1998
• Subjects: Colleges & universities; Education; Higher education; Law; Perez, Victor; Cleveland, OH
• ISSN: 1054-2337; 2471-6448

Atmosphere rates big in the minds of fearful law school aspirants. Thoughts of "Paper Chase" loom large! The reality is that although Kingsfield is a dying breed, law schools do differ. A visit to the schools that are being seriously considered would be a good idea so that you can get a feel for whether you could call a particular school "home" for three years. Find out how current students really feel about the school: Are staff helpful? Are students friendly? Do they seem happy? Are colleagues willing to share notes? Do students have an active extracurricular life? Do they make lasting friendships with other law students? Are the lounges a place where students like to "hang out," or does everyone hit the road as soon as class lets out? What should students look for in their faculty? The quality of the faculty is most often evaluated in terms of their accomplishments: whether they graduated from outstanding law schools, were in practice or a judicial clerkship, and have been published in major legal periodicals. These factors are critically important in establishing the reputation of a law school. However, there can be more. Some students might want to look for a school where faculty are accessible to the students. Every law school's bulletin says that this is the case; current students can provide the most accurate testimonial. Faculty can be a source of guidance and support, as well as of career-planning tips and assistance in understanding how to write a better exam. Some law schools have more of a tradition of faculty accessibility than others; as you know, it takes a fine balancing act for faculty to be available to students while fulfilling their scholarship responsibilities. Students are often wowed by schools that promote the really "big name" legal scholars; if these faculty are not accessible to students, however, their enhancement of a law student's personal academic experience can be minimal (although clearly valuable to the schools reputation). Students might not appreciate how important a law school facility is to the quality of life while in law school, as well as to the quality of the education. At the most basic level, the facility creates a mood and atmosphere, whether austere or comfortable. The building can affect whether students feel free to "lounge around" and get to know each other, to share ideas, whether about legal issues or the world series. The building can affect whether faculty feel comfortable and remain, in the short run, in the building long enough to be available to students or, in the long run, to become tenured faculty. More substantively, does this facility have the basics? Students with disabilities will want to look at accessibility of all of the facilities. The moot court room should boast state-of-the-art equipment to allow student presentations to be videotaped and reviewed. Student organizations should have room to "do their thing." There is a lot more to a law library these days than counting the number of hard volumes. Adequate computer facilities, with access to training, printers, and state-of-the-art software and databases are a must. Are there professional staff on duty during all hours of operation, or do students staff the desk? Is there always a reference librarian on duty? Is the library keeping up with computer technology in the field of legal research and student services? Comfortable study areas are a must.