Top Law Schools

My best guess is that the rating systems for full and part time admissions are different and there is probably less competition among the schools because few can accommodate part time. Wait. Wouldn't the latter make it harder? Hmmm.....

3|ink wrote:My best guess is that the rating systems for full and part time admissions are different and there is probably less competition among the schools because few can accommodate part time. Wait. Wouldn't the latter make it harder? Hmmm.....

IIRC, it used to be easier because the law schools didn't have to report the numbers of their part-time students to USNWR. That changed recently, so PT programs are going to be a lot more competitive.

^^yea - It was easier because PT student stats weren't included when calculating the ranking. Schools were more accommodating to people with jobs. Their stats have since been included in the rankings and schools have (over)reacted by slashing (gw) their PT programs. So now it's supposedly not much easier, but the class profile will still slightly lower because the best students will go FT.

plenipotentiary wrote:

3|ink wrote:My best guess is that the rating systems for full and part time admissions are different and there is probably less competition among the schools because few can accommodate part time. Wait. Wouldn't the latter make it harder? Hmmm.....

IIRC, it used to be easier because the law schools didn't have to report the numbers of their part-time students to USNWR. That changed recently, so PT programs are going to be a lot more competitive.

+1

buckilaw wrote:

plenipotentiary wrote:

3|ink wrote:My best guess is that the rating systems for full and part time admissions are different and there is probably less competition among the schools because few can accommodate part time. Wait. Wouldn't the latter make it harder? Hmmm.....

IIRC, it used to be easier because the law schools didn't have to report the numbers of their part-time students to USNWR. That changed recently, so PT programs are going to be a lot more competitive.

+1

Bah. They need to update that predictor then.

It really depends from school to school. Part time numbers are lower for several reasons.

1. Students are older. Most students are full time workers, and go to law school from 6-10 PM on weekdays. This also means that most part time students are from the vicinity of the law school.

2. Older students average lower GPA's and LSAT's.

In the DC area, all the schools except Howard have a part time law school. It wouldn't surprise me the least if the same part time applicants apply to at least some of the same schools in this pecking order:

1. Georgetown
2. GW
3. George Mason
4. American
5. Catholic
6. UDC

(University of Maryland Law School is in Baltimore, not College Park so it's unrealistic that DC area students will go to UMD as part time students, not to mention that MD residents get preference in admissions since it's a public university)

Part time acceptance rates aren't necessarily higher than Full time rates. At George Mason, the full time acceptance rate was 25%, and the part time acceptance rate was under 10%. This may be because a bunch of the part time applicants clearly had lower LSAT's and GPA's than what Mason wanted to take; because Mason is only one of two public universities with law schools (W&M is the other) so the tuition is cheaper for VA residents while DC and MD residents have a much tougher route to admission; and because Mason is in Arlington, VA, and many of the students will be able to commute there easily from their jobs.