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Emory University Law SchoolLocated in the metropolis of Atlanta, Emory University Law School combines the urban amenities of city life with a secluded, small town feel. Emory has a beautiful campus composed of stately buildings surrounded by greenery, coupled with the conveniences of one of the nation’s largest cities. Along with location, Emory Law has many facets that make it a viable choice for those applicants looking for top law schools in big cities. Emory University Law School - Admissions and Tuition Universally considered to be a top 25 law school, Emory is focusing all efforts on cementing its recent elevation into the top 20 law schools. Emory’s high admissions standards are becoming increasingly more competitive over time. Receiving roughly 4,000 applications each year, Emory Law School accepts only 900, or approximately 22% of the applicants, from which they hope to assemble a class of approximately 200. The number of applicants has risen through the years and seems to be on a steady upward trend. The average undergraduate GPA for admitted students is a 3.5, and the average LSAT score is approximately a 162. Because of Emory’s increasing desire to remain a top 20 school, undergraduate GPA and LSAT scores are important factors in the admissions process. Unlike most law schools, Emory Law School does tend to weigh the undergraduate GPA higher than the LSAT score in the overall process. Emory admissions takes into account the caliber of the undergraduate university the applicant attended when weighing the GPA. The annual tuition at Emory Law School is over $35,000. Even though Atlanta is one of the more inexpensive areas to live in the country, room and board for the year can still cost over $13,000. Therefore, the total annual cost of tuition, room and board is approximately $50,000, a price most students at Emory Law School find to be well worth it. Nonetheless, because of the high costs of attending the law school, many of Emory’s students do in fact receive some financial aid. While 30% of students receive scholarships, roughly 80% of students receive some aid, such as student loans. Emory University Law School – Academics and Curriculum Most students find the professors to be excellent. Many professors have open-door policies, which makes them available to students. Almost all of the professors are dedicated to their teaching instruction and highly motivated to maintain friendly relationships with their students. Required courses make up the first full year of instruction at Emory Law School, with a few required courses during the second year as well. One of the required courses for first-year students is the Legal Methods course, which serves as the basic Introduction to Jurisprudence class. It is this class that sets the tone for the type of legal education students receive at Emory since it teaches students the skills they will need to know for the rest of law school. A unique aspect of the curriculum at Emory is its two-week hands-on course called “Trial Techniques.” This demanding and exhaustive session is mandatory for second-year students and focuses on litigation. Students who were interested in learning about litigation or planned to practice found this to be a worthwhile experience. In addition, many students found that the hardest semester was the second-year fall semester since moot court, interviewing for jobs and law reviews were all concurrently taking place. The workload at Emory Law School is manageable. For those students who maintain an edge over their work by keeping up with the readings throughout the year, the workload is very tolerable. Students believe that the workload at Emory Law is contingent on the students and not the professors or assignments.. Emory Law School is not as competitive as many other law schools. Individual students, rather than professors, tend to drive the moderate amount of competition that exists. Emory University Law School - Legal Specialties Emory Law School has a wide range of legal specialties. Students will find that there is a strong emphasis placed on litigation and litigation training. This can be helpful for students who intend to become trial attorneys. Emory Law also has many international law and intellectual property law classes. The law school invites professors from overseas to give their perspectives on these fields. In addition to these strengths, Emory Law School has concentrations in law & religion, taxation, business law, international and comparative law, human rights law, health law, trial practice, environmental law, constitutional law, labor law, criminal law and legal theory. Emory University Law School - Quality of Life The quality of life at Emory Law School is above average. The law school is located in one of the more desirable neighborhoods in Atlanta. Not only is the school beautiful, with its plush greenery and gorgeous buildings, but the weather is moderate except for the humid summers when most students are away. The excellent university athletic center attracts law students, as does the student ticket booth, which offers discounts on almost all of the musical and cultural events in Atlanta. On-campus housing for law students at Emory Law is almost non-existent. The university is in the process of building additional graduate student housing because it is currently inadequate and unavailable to law students. On a positive note, the off-campus apartments that most of the law students live in are large and inexpensive. There are many apartment complexes around the school, so housing is not a problem for law students. The area in which Emory Law School is located and in which most students live is very safe, with many restaurants, bars and shopping venues. In fact, the area is relatively close to downtown and other great neighborhoods, such as Buckhead and Midtown, which also pose good venues for eating, dancing and drinking. Since activities can be spread out across town, it is nice to have a car; however, public transportation does suffice for most circumstances. Most law students spend their free time off campus in Atlanta, sometimes referred to “Hotlanta” because of its tendency to heat up with festivals, concerts, sports events, and summer weather. Emory Law students have an active lifestyle that makes their quality of life high while attaining their law degree. Emory University Law School - Social Life Emory Law School has only 200 students per class. Since those people see each other in class every day, share lockers next to one another, and eat together in one cafeteria, it is very easy for everyone to know everyone else. Students also participate in events organized by the Student Bar Association, such as beer bashes on the lawn when weather permits and the popular annual spring “prom.” Law students are also apt to socialize outside of the law school with the business and medical school students, since both graduate schools are on the same block. The campus does not provide many restaurant or shopping options, but the immediately surrounding neighborhood provides abundant choices. There is always something to do in Atlanta including visiting museums and parks, attending concerts and festivals, going clubbing, and shopping, among other activities. Because Atlanta is a hub in the Southeast for young professionals it offers an active nightlife for those seeking a study break. In addition, the city of Atlanta has many of its own sports teams including professional baseball, basketball and football teams. Many students find attending these sports events to be a fun release from law school pressures, though some attend them simply for their love of the game. Atlanta has an excellent young professional community, which creates dating and networking opportunities for those law students who are willing to seek them out. The general consensus is that Atlanta is a premier city in which to attend law school, and Emory is a fun and social place to attend school, with students having the ability to hang out on campus as well as go out on the town. Emory University Law School - Employment Prospects Employment prospects for Emory Law School graduates are plentiful since there is a 98% job placement rate within a month of graduation. In addition, it has a high bar passage rate: 90% of students who take the Georgia bar after graduating from Emory Law pass it the first time around. Upon graduation, 68% of students take jobs in private practice, and 14% take judicial clerkships. The others are distributed throughout other areas of law, such as public interest and government jobs. Because Emory is one of the higher ranked law schools in the nation, graduates are becoming increasingly more competitive in the job market, including in the race for high-profile jobs. On one hand, if prospective lawyers wish to practice law in the city of Atlanta, attaining a degree from Emory is the best choice they can make because Emory has an excellent reputation in the region, all but dominating the Atlanta and Nashville legal markets. On the other hand, because its graduates primarily practice law in the Southeastern legal market, many students have expressed concerns that Emory Law School lacks a national reputation. Because the school is more prestigious and prominent now than in the past, there is a lack of alumni in the nation’s top jobs. Therefore, many students find that it is at times a struggle to break out of the Southeastern legal market. Because it is an up-and-coming law school, top grades can help students attain a job just about anywhere in the country. However, those at or below average have difficulty finding top jobs outside of the region. The school hosts numerous presentations by government attorneys and judicial interns in order to prepare students for their own professional interviews. The school does a great job of getting students prepared for these interviews. There are plenty of on-campus interviews with employers from both private and public divisions, providing students with a wide range of prospective firms and jobs. Emory Law is the leading law school in the state of Georgia. Its stellar academics, easy-going admissions process, superb quality of life and vibrant social exposure make it a great choice for those applicants looking for a school and a career in the South. Contact Information Emory University Law School Application Deadline: March 1 |
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