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| Admissions Essays Blog |  |
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| Through our very own editors and guest writers, this blog will discuss the INSIDE scoop on the admissions process of various schools and programs. If you wish to ask a specific question, please write to us, and we will make every attempt to address your questions in our future blog discussions. | |||
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Tuesday, September 2, 2014
Law School Admissions: Accomplishment, not just Promise
I've spent the bulk of my time over the past couple years, blogging about the woes of the American law school landscape and the bleak legal job market that's been dotting it. Things haven't really turned around yet, but people are still going to law school, and still working as attorneys.
Which means that, even if the number of LSAT takers is down, and even if some law schools are rolling back scholarship money and faculty-the beat still goes on. The Ivies and other top tier schools have been largely unaffected by the downturn. The cream on the top of all the student bodies continues to take elite jobs with elite firms and high courts. So how then, should applicants be approaching the application process? Well, pretty much the same as before. Your LSAT score is your ticket. For better or worse, scores above 170 are going to land you some pretty elusive invites. Scores under 140 funnel you into a different tier. Either way, you're still going to need to flesh out your application with other information about who you are. Including a rich personal statement. Unlike undergraduate admissions, your application reader doesn't want to hear a lot about your potential. At least not unless it is built on the back of some real experience. All too often, I see law school personal statements laden with platitudes about how the applicant wants to "help others" or "make change in the world". That's all well and good, but by the time you're applying to law school, you should already have done that. This isn't to say you should keep directing your reader to your goals in law. Just make sure they have a solid foundation. Law school is hard. And if it's a tough job market you're facing, you need to be committed to the challenges. Wanting to be accomplished isn't the same as showing up at the table with a real-life CV. So take it seriously. Know what you want and why you deserve it. It's still your job to make the tough sell. Labels: Law School Admissions: Accomplishment, not just Promise
Tuesday, August 26, 2014
Financial Resources for Undocumented Students
Tracking the number of undocumented children in the U.S. is no easy feat. It is complicated by issues surrounding U.S. immigration policies, as well as the simple logistics of tracking human statistics-many of whom may be trying to live off the grid. But when the Obama administration recently instituted the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, the Migration Policy Institute estimated that more than 1.9 million young people could qualify for relief under the program's terms.
Among the criteria that must be met by those seeking relief under the DACA program is the requirement that they be a full-time student-elementary, high school or college. Qualifying residents are granted legal residency status and the opportunity to work. For graduated high school students, this opportunity can also present problems. How to afford college tuition. If you must "stay in school" in order to maintain your legal status, getting into-and paying for-college becomes a rather pressing endeavor, at least where money is an issue. Since most undocumented children also have undocumented parents, they are overwhelmingly poor. Given their legal status, undocumented students cannot qualify for federal financial aid-an enormous resource for the vast majority of financial aid recipients. Fortunately, eighteen states in the U.S. allow undocumented students to pay in-state tuition at local universities. Considering the price-hikes for out-of-state tuition, this price difference could be a deal-breaker for many students. In just five states-California, Texas, New Mexico, Minnesota and Washington, undocumented students can actually qualify for state-based financial aid packages. The problem, of course, is access to information. In an effort to make the process more transparent, the College Board has published a fairly comprehensive resource list for students seeking guidance. https://professionals.collegeboard.com/profdownload/Repository-Resources-Undocumented-Students_2012.pdf Changes to immigration policy are constant and quick, but guides such as these are a good start. The College Board also offers links to resources assisting students in keeping up with current legislation: https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/get-started/for-undocumented-students/6-things-undocumented-students-need-to-know-about-college
Monday, August 18, 2014
B-School Admissions: Not Just a Writing Contest
Standardized tests are not my favorite thing. Nothing sets of a reflexive eye-roll and shudder like the words "multiple choice". I'm not alone, of course. I suppose that's why I cherish the gradual turning-tide in college admissions regarding optional testing. (See my blog from earlier this week).
As a writer, however, I've always been partial to the personal statement. Sure, it gives young writers wide berth to showcase mediocrity. It also invites hyperbole, platitudes, and melodrama. At its best, the personal statement is in fact a window into the writer's soul. The reader gets a glimpse of vulnerability or startling insight that helps the student's name jump off the piece of paper. Business schools, however, seem to be growing less optimistic about the power of the written word. On its own, at least. (Note that the vast majority of business schools require multiple personal statements of varying lengths). Instead, graduate MBA programs are asking their candidates to use technology and creativity to create a performance to remember. Unprepared video responses and team exercises are amongst the improvisations invited by several prominent business schools. As in any interview or public setting, students are forced to think quickly on their feet, speak articulately and, in some cases, work efficiently in a team setting-right before the eyes of interested b-school admission officers. In the business school context, this evaluation of non-written skills makes a great deal of sense. This isn't to say that the quantitative and analytic skills assessed by the GMAT have no value. It isn't to say that the ability to cobble together coherent prose isn't an important skill. It's just that even those two pieced together don't flesh out the entire picture.
Monday, August 11, 2014
College Admissions Help for International Students
Try for a minute to imagine what the college application process must be like for students without home-court advantage. I mean, sure, we now have the internet. Anyone with a computer and a command of basic English can Google the University of Texas and click on the "admissions" tab. Then follow the instructions.
But how, as a foreign student, do you really know anything about UT or Texas or Harvard or anywhere else without the benefit of actual cultural insight? When I was in high school, there was an unspoken sense of who could get into the Ivies, who was going to community college, and who wasn't. The anecdotes from teachers, parents, or friends-of-friends who'd already had those experiences-that was what we built our understanding of college upon. At the very least, an American student can ask their guidance counselor for some direction. So what does a Chinese or Croatian student do? In countries like China, which has seen a dramatic increase in emigrating students over the past decade, there has been a boon in the college consulting industry. The problem there, and in other countries with even less access to information, is the overall knowledge of foreign consultants. After all, who knows the American system better than, well, insiders? Enter start-ups like College Node, an internet-based company designed to work as a medium between international students and crucial contacts here in the U.S. College Node helps to connect foreign students with American students, college consultants and even teachers. Like any consulting agency, it's a for-profit venture, and it is still in its infancy. Still, it is a viable option for foreign students looking to lift the veil on the process. While there is no substitute for strong academic performance, navigating the system and process of U.S. college admissions is no easy task. Let's hope technology continues to help foreign students bridge the knowledge gap.
Sunday, August 3, 2014
Picking the Right College
Think Princeton Review is more than just a test preparation service? Think again. While they are a one-stop-shop for everything from practice PSAT tutorials to on-line LSAT courses, they go an extra step once a year with their Best 379 Colleges guidebook. If 379 wasn't a random enough number for you, just consider the 62 categories across which those colleges are ranked.
Want a sampling of the 2014 winners? Syracuse is the top party school. Mormon Brigham Young University is the top "stone-cold sober" school. Sarah Lawrence has the "most liberal students". Vanderbilt's are the happiest. Scientific? Well, they have surveyed roughly 130,000 college students overall-an average of about 340 students per school. I'm not sure whether a student who has only ever attended one school really has the capacity to put their school's strengths and weaknesses into perspective. But I'm pretty certain few students take a very scientific approach to selecting colleges in the first place. I've written a great deal about the importance of selecting the college that is the right fit. Not all students have the capacity to get accepted at their top choice. Not all of them are actually suited for their top choice. The Princeton Review has tapped into this ambivalence with its rankings, which quantify a wide range of collegiate qualities. By their own account, all of the colleges on the list are "good schools". They just have different attributes. So if "Best Campus Food" is a deal-breaker for you, then you need look no further than Virginia Tech. Or maybe, just maybe, you can see the Best 379 Colleges for what it really is-a catalogue allowing students to arm themselves with a bit more information. In a way, the book plays into the truth of the selection process for many students-that it can be arbitrary, emotional, and not at all scientific. And I think that's okay. You can be amongst the first to order your copy here: Amazon Labels: Picking the Right College
Monday, July 28, 2014
Colleges and the Holistic Review Process
I feel the need to issue a disclaimer right out of the gate. The reference article I'm using for this post is the musings of a single application reader, employed for a single application cycle at one university. I'm not pretending to offer insight into the global admissions process. I'm not promising the answer to the million-dollar question: "what are colleges looking for in a candidate?"
I'm merely drawing attention to the murkiness of the whole process. Ruth Starkman's year-old article recounts her struggle with the subjectively objective process of ranking candidates using the University of California, Berkeley's "holistic" review process of college applicants. While one would hope that all colleges take a holistic approach to evaluations, the term has become ever more important since California's 1996 passage of Proposition 209-the law making it illegal to consider race, ethnicity and gender in college admissions. Starkman struggles with the university's acrobatic attempts to completely avoid the conversation of race, ethnicity and gender in college admissions. It's one thing for the law to say none of those things can even be considered. It's another for application evaluators to pretend race/ethnicity and gender don't exist. Particularly when charged with making a "holistic" review of an application. College applicants may find some consolation in the rigors of the process. People like Starkman, who is a writing professor, are classed as "external readers". They spend an average of eight minutes per application, give the student a rank, and then pass the application on, where it is vetted by a more experienced reader before being passed off to an "inner committee" of admissions officers. Still, how is this scientific? Who is the best candidate? What makes them the best? Should the student who had to work harder to succeed get extra points for perseverance? Should the student without the funds to compete with their more privileged peers be penalized for being poor? These kinds of considerations make it impossible to call the process objective. I wish I had an answer, and so do people like Starkman, who are far more qualified than me to provide one.
Monday, July 21, 2014
Texas, Race, and College Admissions
In June of 2013, in a 7-1 ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court punted the hot-button issue of affirmative action back to the appellate courts. Fisher v University of Texas was a 2008 case brought by Abigail Fisher, a white student who claims she was unfairly denied admission to the university on the basis of her race. The Supreme Court refused to issue a ruling banning the use of race in college admissions, instead requiring universities to use stricter standards in the consideration of race.
The case was remanded back down the chain to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans where, last week, Fisher's case was dismissed. That's the shorthand version of the ruling. Essentially, the Supreme Court said that race can be considered in college admissions, but only if there are no reasonable "race-neutral" mechanisms that would produce the benefits of diversity. Got that? The Fifth Circuit found that UT's use of race in its admissions policies was acceptable, and not a constitutional violation for a student like Abigail Fisher. Texas' "Top Ten Percent Plan" automatically grants college admission to the top ten percent of all high school graduates. Because Texas' schools are largely segregated, this has the net effect of adding a great deal of diversity to college university bodies. UT also uses a "holistic" review process, wherein race is one factor for consideration. However, far more minority students are admitted through the Top Ten Percent Plan. Splitting legal hairs is what helps cases like Fisher to languish in various stages of the appellate process for years or more. Fisher's attorneys have already announced their intent to appeal once again. She has long since graduated from another university, and experts have noted that her GPA and test scores meant that admission for her in 2004 was unlikely, regardless of her race. For now, a victory for proponents of affirmative action. Watch this space, as the long battle rages slowly on.
Monday, July 14, 2014
Is College Getting Cheaper
Let me start off with a disclaimer. I'm not an economist. I also can't possibly tackle this question in less than 300 words. But I will open a discussion that raises some interesting issues.
The National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO, and probably an organization you'll never think about again), recently released a report stating, in essence, that universities are doling out more financial aid today than ever before. They refer to it as an increase in "tuition discount rate". The reason why? College is getting more expensive, and students are getting priced out of it. If universities want to make any money from tuition, they have to find a way to make it accessible. A recent NPR article attempts to dissect the new trend, likening discounted private colleges to "cheap sushi". From a marketing perspective, no one likes the idea of getting something cheap. What they do like, is not having to pay full price for it. There is a difference, and colleges know it, which is why they characterize grants and scholarships as "merit-based stipends" and talk in terms of "need-blind admissions". The problem is that there are still many students who will be scared away by sticker price. They may be the ones who are most likely to benefit from the discount. For most applicants, it's impossible to tell just how much college is going to cost until every last financial aid and scholarship form has been signed and submitted. Without a guaranteed price tag, it may be mostly middle and upper class students applying to the $40,000 a year colleges. That is true even if those same students ultimately qualify for a 40% discount. Low-income students may simply miss out by figuring they can't even play the game. The lack of transparency is unfortunate. But this study and other analyses like it are a reminder not to take private, non-profit colleges off your list based on price alone. Labels: Is College Getting Cheaper
Monday, July 7, 2014
A Second Shot at a Good GMAT Score
If you're applying to Business School, chances are, you've got to tackle the GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test). For the past several decades, it has been the standard fare for entrance exams to most MBA programs. In recent years, its close cousin, the GRE (Graduate Record Examination), has become a second option, though the GRE is more widely used for admittance to non-MBA graduate programs.
A new feature of the GMAT testing option will now allow test-takers to cancel their score shortly after receiving it. Let me rewind. The GMAT is "computer-adaptive", meaning that it can be taken on a computer, and results will be delivered electronically. Historically, a candidate checks their score on line, and if they take no action, that score is delivered automatically to whichever business schools they have applied to. This new feature gives students the opportunity to discard a bad score before the university ever sees it. The problem with the system is two-fold. First of all, students have just two minutes to decide whether or not to cancel or forward their scores to their schools of choice. There is no opportunity for measured consideration. Second, the business schools may not see the discarded score, but they will be able to see that a candidate has cancelled a score. This is true for every cancelled score. This may cause schools to begin to read between the lines if a student has a slew of cancelled scores. It's like alerting the university to your tendency to favor "do-overs". In the past, schools could monitor a student's previous scores, often looking for an upward trajectory pattern. With the cancelled, anonymous scores, those schools won't be able to detect an aptitude baseline for a given student. On the other hand, it allows students to better filter the information that is being passed on to their desired business school. Schools will never know how low a cancelled score was, so the weight they may give to such scores is still debatable. The new test feature is "live" as of June 2014.
Monday, June 30, 2014
The Over-Processed Admission Essay
I've been editing admissions essays for well over a decade now. I also come from a big extended family. Lots of them have applied for and been accepted to various colleges over the years. Nearly every one of them has asked me to take a look at their essays.
Well, not them, exactly. Their parents have. Their parents have also been good about coercing the kids into taking my advice. Or at least writing me a thank you note. I don't mind. I figure if even one small slice of my advice leaks through, I've been helpful. This last year, I was asked again by earnest relatives to look over their daughter's essay. I did, and it was pretty good. Nevertheless, it looked like a lot of the high school student essays I read that are written by bright, accomplished kids who are totally bored with the essay-writing process. It seemed bored, scattered, lacking in structure. So I sent my feedback and scarcely gave it another thought. Months later, I spoke with her mom. With apologetic embarrassment she told me her daughter had refused to accept any of my changes. In fact, the daughter hadn't even shared her final product with her parents. She ended up getting into one of the colleges of her choice, and she's happy with the result. She didn't want my advice because she hadn't solicited it. She also didn't want it, because she wanted to take ownership of her work. She didn't want polish, and she didn't want it in someone else's voice. Her mom thought it was reckless. I found it brave. I still think every written work-whether in the college application genre or the real world-benefits from a second set of eyes. The computer can't fix your structure. Still, an essay crafted from your experience will have your fingerprints all over it-warts and all. And while we'll never know what admissions officers are truly looking for, you can't go wrong with being a little brave.
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
Improving your Writing by Being Active and Involved
They say advice is what you ask for when you already know the answer but wish you didn't. I think this must feel especially true when you're a teenager. Particularly during the run-up to college.
The market is saturated with college counselors, editors, and how-to books on writing good personal statements. Like the diet industry, most students would rather take a pill than actually exercise and eat nutritious meals. It's human nature. Unfortunately, when it comes to writing a good personal statement, no amount of editing, structuring, brainstorming, or proofreading is going to help you turn out a top-notch composition if you don't have the substance to back it up. Simply put-you need to have some experiences in order to write about them. So the best advice I have for the high school freshman with their eyes on a good university is to be active and involved. I don't mean signing up for every club on the menu just to pad your resume. If you're ambivalent about yearbook committee, it isn't going to enrich your high school experience, and isn't going to become fertile narrative ground for an admission essay. I'm suggesting you find something meaningful that you like to do. You cannot cobble together a good "experience" essay using handfuls of disconnected pieces. Those five times you spent an hour at the local nursing home are going to ring pretty hollow if you were just punching a clock, so to speak. If you've truly experienced something that has changed you, it will be easy to write about it. You will have the ability to reflect, introspect and share in a way that is also meaningful to your reader. Just remember, experience can't be built overnight. So start today by opening your eyes and ears, and taking a real look around you.
Monday, June 16, 2014
Testing Accommodations for Law School Candidates
Last month, the Law School Admission Council (LSAC), the organization responsible for administering the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), settled a disability claim lawsuit to the tune of $7.73 million.
A class action suit was filed in 2012 on behalf of LSAT test takers, alleging that the LSAC routinely denied student requests for testing accommodations. Many students with chronicled medical histories of physical and other learning disabilities were among the plaintiffs. The suit argued that even candidates who had applied for and received testing accommodations in the past were turned down by the LSAC. The LSAC's failure to offer things like extra time to students in the administration of the LSAT was deemed a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which prevents discrimination against persons with disabilities. Another key provision of the settlement is the agreement by the LSAC that they will no longer "flag" scores of test-takers who do receive accommodations. Doing so was deemed a sort of asterisk on a student's LSAT score, alerting the law school that the applicant had a disability. With more than 6,000 plaintiffs in the lawsuit, the multimillion dollar settlement will ultimately be spread thin. For their part, the LSAC is not offering any admission of guilt-just stating that settlement is the best way to put this all behind them. The settlement is also good news for future test takers with a variety of disabilities. Though some argue that the LSAT is not an accurate indicator of law school success, it is still given a tremendous amount of weight in the admissions process. A few points can make a huge difference. Which means that extra minutes for a student that needs it, could make all the difference in the world.
Monday, June 9, 2014
How to Choose a College Major
I'll be honest. My memories of filling out my college application have grown rather patchy over the years. We did it on paper, and had to do separate applications for most colleges. At least some of them required us to list a major. At seventeen, I knew everything about the world and basically nothing about it. So when I had to select a major from the university's list, I picked something practical.
Business Economics. I knew business was about making money. I'd taken one Economics class in high school and never really warmed to Econ's tireless allegiance to the theoretical. Still, it seemed sensible. Right? Yeah, I really had no idea. I dropped Macroeconomics just a few weeks into the first quarter of my freshman year. It was a proverbial "weeder" course, and I'd been successfully weeded. I switched my major a few more times for spurious reasons. I had a real predisposition for being practical, but that meant very little to me since I truly had no idea what I wanted to do for a living. Worse still, I was bouncing ideas off other kids my age. Apart from the engineers, no one else had a clue either. As it turns out, my college degree never really served as a professional pivot-point. I believe this is true for many students, excepting the select few who already have their eyes on doctoral work in a specific field, or a career in medicine. I wish I could tell today's students that it's okay not to have your future mapped out at seventeen. That it's okay to flounder through the general education courses and settle on a college degree in a field that invigorates. That there is no "right" major. That experience is the greatest teacher of all. Or you could just check the practical box, and let the chips fall where they may. Labels: How to Choose a College Major
Monday, June 2, 2014
Stepping Back from your Personal Statement
Have you ever looked back at something you wrote last month, or last year, and struggled to recognize it? Wondered who came up with those thoughts? Or why you kept using the same ridiculous phrase? Ever felt embarrassed to re-read something you once soulfully poured onto paper? (Like the time I found my teenage journal and dug into some of my old boyfriend angst. Cringe-worthy stuff.)
If the answer is no, don't worry too much. Writing consumes much of my professional life, so forgetting what I wrote last week can be an occupational hazard. There is, however, something to be said for taking a step back from any composition. Especially one that is deeply personal. Your college admission essay is just that. Only it isn't stream-of-consciousness drivel, destined only to die a lonely death on the pages of your diary or at the foot of your Facebook feed. Instead, it's something that someone else is going to read. Something someone else is supposed to read. It's also supposed to make you look good. As an editor, I can safely say that it's obvious to me when a college admission essay has been written last minute. It isn't just the grammatical mistakes and lazy structure. It's the obvious lack of intimacy that the writer has with their subject matter. They seem rushed and disconnected. I have a feeling they too could see those deficiencies, if only they took a moment to step back. When you slow down a bit, you pick up on a lot of missed details. So while I know school just got out this week, and you've pretty much packed away your pencils 'til September, consider this advice. Start writing now. It doesn't matter if it's bad, or disorganized or off topic. It's a starting point. And when you read it again in a month, or three, you'll be surprised at how easy it is to fix it. I promise you, when you're struggling with writer's block-something old, awkward or poorly written is always a better place to start than a blank piece of paper.
Monday, May 26, 2014
Not Too Late for 2014-2015 College Admission
Though the acceptance deadline for many U.S. universities has now come and gone, not all students may have found a university to call home. Not getting into your first or even second choice can be disheartening. But what about the student with no (viable) acceptance letters in their mailbox? What's next?
As it turns out, there are still options. The National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) maintains a rolling list of universities that have openings for freshman or transfer students. The current list has over 400 U.S. universities and a handful of international colleges. Most of those are in English-speaking countries. The colleges on the list voluntarily update their status with NACAC, presumably in an attempt to fill as many vacant seats as possible. NACAC's site offers links to the individual institutions, which have different application requirements and deadlines. This approach to college application had never really occurred to me. It isn't easy to find blogs, or articles or other accessible anecdotes about students who don't or can't attend the schools to which they applied. No doubt many take a year out to contemplate. Others may hop on the professional track. This idea, though, of simply widening the playing field makes a lot of sense. Rejection takes some of the pain of decision-making out of the process. NACAC's list offers colleges in many of the 50 states, meaning that if your metrics match up with one of the campuses with spaces, your second-chance story may just write itself.
Monday, May 19, 2014
College: Just a Reward for the Best Self-Branders?
In an incisive article for The Atlantic, author Rob Goodman boldly proposes a rather preposterous hypothetical. Make college admissions a true lottery. Throw out meritocratic system and base admissions purely on chance. Like pulling names out of a hat.
Clearly Goodman isn't being literal but rather building a discussion on the back of an outrageous proposition. Following his logic takes the reader to a rather eye-opening place of clarity. The most "prestigious" institutions in the country are now accepting fewer than ten percent of applicants. This year Stanford took in just five percent. This doesn't mean that only five percent of the US population is qualified enough to get into Stanford. It merely means that Stanford received so many applications, the university could only give seats to five percent of applicants. As Goodman points out, the internet and the ease of actually applying to universities has caused exponential growth in the number of college applications. So while this pool may contain many students who really aren't qualified to get into Stanford, it also means that many students who are have no chance of getting in. Goodman suggests throwing all qualified candidates' names into the hat, then drawing out the number that Stanford is able to admit. The article highlights one of the great conflicts inherent in the selection process-the idea that colleges are looking for diversity and intellectual curiosity, when in fact, they end up simply admitting the students with the best self-marketing skills. As Goodman puts it: "Can you build a robust intellectual community only made up of self-salespeople?" On the other hand, "self-salespeople" are the ones leading the pack in real life, even if they aren't the most interesting or the most deserving. Why should college-the first step up that ladder-be any different? For the full article: The Atlantic
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
Looking Forward in Your Obstacle Essay
Introspection is hard. So is selling yourself. At least for most of us. That's why job interviews and first dates are so stressful. How can you sound confident without being boastful? How can you really evaluate your strengths and weaknesses in a way that will make a person like you?
This is why writing an admission essay is so tough. It may also be why so many high school students like to write about the experience of navigating challenges. The problem is that many of them don't do it well. Remember that your reader has read thousands of these essays. They tend to share a familiar formula. The cycle of life means that many teenagers may have lost a grandparent. They may have seen a parent survive cancer. They may have overcome a learning disability. For better or worse, though, these stories don't necessarily make a student unique. The key to the obstacle essay is not getting mired in the challenge or tragedy. At their worst, obstacle essays read like excuses for your mistakes. Get too maudlin, they come across as insincere. At best, it might sound like you couldn't come up with a better story. A successful obstacle essay effectively ties the challenge to your personal growth. It isn't enough to simply be sad at the passing of a grandparent. The experience needs to have somehow reshaped you. It's not enough to say that your mom's cancer made you want to work harder in school. That experience needs to have somehow helped you reevaluate mortality. Most importantly, your narrative must successfully progress through the challenge. College is a new beginning. You want to share a sense of formidable optimism-the ability to clear a hurdle and keep moving forward. That's the person your college wants on their team.
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
The Calm After the Acceptance Letter
So your four years (or more) of hard work have finally paid off. You no longer have to agonize over waning acceptance rates, deadlines, personal statements, or really any other decision-making. You've received the admission offer you wanted and you've accepted. You're thrilled!
Now what? How long does it take for the afterglow of success to wear off? More importantly, what do you do now? The last couple months of senior year seem positively endless in their arbitrariness. Some of you may do what I did. Coast through the end of the school year and spend the summer abroad. This wasn't a terrible plan, but I did miss a few opportunities to get acquainted with my new school. So here's my small list of suggestions: 1) Don't let your grades tank. I know you're positively counting the days until graduation, but hang in there. Colleges actually can rescind offers if they see a significant drop-off in your last semester performance. 2) Go to your college orientation. Most schools will offer something this summer. I missed mine. It would have been nice to roam the campus a bit more and say, check out my dorm. 3) Get linked in on social media. You're "in" now. Like your university's Facebook page, follow them on Twitter. If you know your desired major or department, do a little digging for their designated pages, and lock in. You never know what kind of important info they might disseminate before the start of the year. 4) Connect with other students that are going to your school. Like any school experience, you may find that your friends at the start of the year aren't your friends at graduation. But by sharing the journey with friends or classmates, you may be able to take the sting out of the early days of transition. 5) Take a breath. Without getting too sentimental-this is the start of a new chapter. You've probably never lived on your own, with no parents, with no one else to buy your groceries. This sounds liberating to a seventeen-year-old, but it will take some getting used to. Enjoy your last summer at home with familiar friends. This is kind of a big deal. Above all, congratulations. For most of us, the college years are some of the best of our lives.
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
Making Law School More Accessible
Last month, I wrote about the diversity problem in law schools. In a statistical nutshell, here's one example of the problem. While Hispanics and African-Americans make up just under 20% of the U.S. population respectively, law school enrollment for each group is around 7%. Not all of those students graduate and go into the profession, where there is an even greater void of minority practitioners.
The Law School Admission council developed the discoverlaw.org program designed to provide mentors and information to aspiring students of color. But in California, six prominent law schools and 24 community colleges are taking diversity a step further. Beginning this week, the law schools at UC Davis, UC Irvine, University of San Francisco, Santa Clara, Loyola and the University of Southern California will begin a partnership with two dozen community colleges statewide in order to provide tutoring, mentoring, counseling and networking opportunities for aspiring law students. The plan, sponsored by the State Bar of California's Council on Access & Fairness opens up opportunities to students at the community college level who often fall outside the privileged class of mainstream law school students. Easier admission requirements and affordable tuition attracts students who are not traditionally on the law school track. Significantly, community colleges tend to have far greater numbers of working class students and students of colors. Law schools are notoriously thin on these two groups-something which changes the shape of the country's practitioners. Since community colleges traditionally offer just two-year degrees, the program will necessarily capture students in their early years of college. Planning ahead academically is essential to getting into a good law school. Arguably, the move is a positive symbolic gesture by the law schools involved. They are recognizing that elite four-year institutions aren't the only viable sources for top law student talent. And that's a good thing for the profession.
Monday, April 28, 2014
Law School Tuition on Sale
According to the American Bar Association, law school tuition is cheaper now than it has been in a very long time. In 2012, for instance, public law schools dropped their median tuition by a whopping 8%. Private law school tuition was up-but only by 4%-the lowest increase in three decades.
This move is just one of many made by law schools in recent years following dramatic drops in applications as a result of a woeful job market for attorneys. Some schools downsized their classes. Others trimmed salaries, faculty and amenities. All of the belt-tightening prompted national discussion. Even President Obama entered the fray, suggesting that the traditionally three-year law programs be pruned down to two. A recent Time article notes that several public law schools have recently cut tuition by nearly 20%-and the reductions are paying off. At the University of Iowa Law School, a 16% in 2014 tuition triggered a 70% increase in applications. In some regards, the dismal job market makes it astonishing that people are still applying to law school at all. This is especially true given law schools' notoriously hefty price tags. Yet most of us find it hard to pass up a good deal. Time argued that law schools could teach colleges a few things about cutting costs to boost business. The flaw with that logic is that colleges-unlike law schools-aren't suffering a shortage of applicants. If you're still considering law school, now might ironically be the best time of all to take the leap. After all, law degrees are still a form of currency. Their present value may be low, but there's no telling what the future of the market may hold. For the Hechinger Report article from Time: Time Labels: Law School Tuition on Salelaw
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