National Jurist - January 2008 - (Page 9) NEWS Law school applications decline, competition still strong Though law school applications are declining, admissions have become more competitive than ever. A Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions survey of law school admissions officers at 190 law schools across the country reveals that half of the schools surveyed report a decline News reports by in applications in the Michelle Weyenberg past two years. Steven Marietti, director of preLaw programs for Kaplan, said that signals better admissions odds for future applicants. But he cautioned that 79 percent of admissions officers reported that the decline has not made their admissions process any less competitive. “We think that the answer to that is that the overall pool of applicants is actually just getting better — in terms of LSAT score and GPA,” Marietti said. “It’s just going up across the board.” Despite that increasing competition, it’s still a great time to go to law school, he said. “Be aware though of this dynamic that (students are) going to have to give more than 100 percent,” he said. This year, applications declined 7.4 percent, compared to last year’s decline of 4.8 percent. But enrollment numbers haven’t declined. A total of 88,000 people applied for 46,000 available spaces at law schools across the country last year. Other areas covered in the Kaplan survey include a recent change in the American Bar Association policy regarding how schools evaluate LSAT scores for students who take the test multiple times. What they found was that many students are taking the exam more than once, though the trend continues with 83 percent of schools looking at the highest score. Sixty-six percent of schools say the LSAT score is the single biggest component. Beyond that, admissions officers say the biggest application killer is unimpressive writing skills. Marietti said students should focus on the LSAT, but also remember the other areas that do matter, like the writing sample. “The notion of preparation for all of these features and how important that is,” he said. “We do surveys like this on an ongoing basis to keep students informed. Being an informed applicant is the most important.” As for the application numbers, Marietti predicted the numbers will go back up again. “It’s a cyclical thing,” he said. “It will then become that much harder and also will have more people applying.” Meanwhile, the National Law Journal reported that fewer women are seeking a law degree. According to the American Bar Association, the percentage of women in law schools has declined each year since 2002. Five years ago, women made up 49 percent of law school enrollment. This year, 46.9 percent of law school students are female. And while the number of applicants overall has dropped in the past two years, the percentage decline in the number of women has exceeded the overall drop in applications. Tom Monaghan. According to the lawsuit, professors Stephen Safranek, Edward Lyons and Phil Pucillo say they were wrongfully discharged for reporting the school’s administration to a variety of law enforcement and legal agencies. Last month, Dobranski received a letter from the American Bar Association stating that they had “reason to believe that the continued on next page… 9 THE NATIONAL JURIST January 2008 Stepping down Three law school deans have announced their resignations. •Rex R. Perschbacher, dean of the University of California Davis School of Law, is stepping down from his post at the end of the school year. He has been dean since 1998 — serving longer than anyone in the history of the law school. Following a one-year sabbatical, Perschbacher plans to return to fulltime teaching and research at the university. A national search is underway for his replacement. •Joseph D. Harbaugh, dean of Nova Southeastern University Law School, will leave his post, effective at the end of the school year. Harbaugh’s accomplishments during his 12-year tenure include implementation of the evening law program, NSU Law’s health, employment and education law master’s programs, among others. He will continue to share his knowledge as a faculty member at the Law Center. Former law professors sue Ave Maria Since plans were set in motion to move Ave Maria School of Law from Ann Arbor, Mich., to a rural southwest Florida town by 2009, many faculty and community members raised concerns. Most recently, three suspended professors have filed a lawsuit against the school, Dean Bernard Dobranski and Board Chairman •Dean Robert J. Reinstein of Temple University Beasley School of Law will step down after 19 years at the end of the school year. He is also leaving his position as vice president for international programs in order to return full-time to teaching. Reinstein said his first love has always been centered on teaching and scholarship. He is the longest-serving dean in American law schools. During his tenure, Temple’s Law School increased its endowment from $4 million to $57 million, expanded the full-time faculty by 20 percent and created 13 endowed faculty chairs and more than 70 endowed student scholarship funds.
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.