preLaw Magazine - Winter 2008 - (Page 8) news LAW SCHOOL Law school applications decline, Stepping down competition still strong Three law school deans announced their resignations. have 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 in applications News reports by in the past two years. Michelle Weyenberg 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 stu- dents 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. “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 ABA, 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 overall number of applicants has dropped, the percentage decline in the number of women has exceeded the overall drop in applications. •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 full-time 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. •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, where the law school increased its endowment from $4 million to $57 million during his tenure. He is the longest-serving dean in American law schools. SOUTHWESTERN LAW SCHOOL is mourning the loss of an internationally recognized faculty member on antitrust law. Lawrence Sullivan, a professor since 1991, embodied all the values that law schools seek in a professor, Dean Bryant Garth said. He was honored as the Irwin R. Buchalter Professor of Law in 1997 and received an honorary doctor of laws degree in 2002, taking emeritus status in 2005. He was also appointed by former President Jimmy Carter to the National Commission for the Review of Antitrust Laws and Procedures. Sullivan was 84. 8 preLaw
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