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William & Mary School of LawWritten by Hadi Sedigh William & Mary School of Law, founded in 1779, enjoys the distinction of being the oldest law school in America and is also one of the most reputable public law schools in the nation. William & Mary is a great place to pursue a legal education, particularly for Virginia residents, who can take advantage of the school’s in-state tuition rates. Applicants looking for a quiet and serene place to study law should also consider applying to the school, as William & Mary’s location in Williamsburg allows its student body to study law in a historic and relaxing environment. Admissions and Tuition: With over 4,000 applicants vying for about 200 seats in a typical William & Mary entering class, the school must be highly selective in its admissions process. In forming its 2007 entering class, the school accepted 27% of the 4,250 applications it received. This entering class, which consisted of 217 students, boasted a median LSAT score of 164 and a median GPA of 3.68. Applicants with numbers near or above these medians should generally be competitive in the school’s application process, although of course, numbers are not everything in law school admissions. Like most schools, William & Mary aims to compose entering classes diverse in ethnicity and experience, and thus, students able to demonstrate such diversity in their applications could boost their chances at admission. As previously mentioned, William & Mary is a public university. Because of this, the school is able to offer residents of the state of Virginia a rate of tuition lower than non-residents and admissions is a bit easier for Virginia residents. In the 2007-2008 academic year, this resident rate was $18,336, while the non-resident tuition rate was $28,536. Gaining in-state residency is not as easy as it is in some other states such as California. To gain residency one must have lived in Virginia at least one year prior to attending law school and have the intent to remain in Virginia indefinitely. Academic Reputation and Curriculum: Due in part to its Legal Skills Program, William & Mary Law School enjoys a strong and unique academic reputation. In this two year program, which is a required part of the school’s curriculum and is graded on a pass/fail basis, students are placed into simulated law offices in which faculty members act as senior partners, and are given the opportunity to hone various skills necessary for success in the legal field. Aside from the Legal Skills program, students at William & Mary Law School must pass standard first year requirements before choosing from more than 100 course titles in their second and third years at the school. Impressively, more than two-thirds of these upper level courses contain less than 25 seats, and just 2 contain more than 100. Applicants interested in taking their legal education beyond American borders may be interested in William & Mary’s study-abroad program in Madrid, Spain. This summer program lasts five weeks and allows students to earn up to six credits while studying in English-language courses taught by prominent Spanish professors. Students fluent in Spanish can also take advantage of a weeklong externship at a Spanish law firm. Aside from the Madrid program, William & Mary Law School also offers students the opportunity to partake in study abroad programs in New Zealand, Austria and Japan. Quality of Life: William & Mary’s small student body coupled with the tranquility of Williamsburg combine to bring about an intimate and collegial atmosphere in which the school’s students can study law. Despite the relative lack of bars and clubs in Williamsburg, William & Mary students enjoy satisfying social lives by frequently hosting parties and participating in the school’s weekly bar reviews. Also, the proximity of Williamsburg to the nation’s capital (2.5 hours) and larger cities in Virginia allows students access to any nightlife establishments that Williamsburg may be missing. Nevertheless, Williamsburg is in every way a small city, and may well prove an underwhelming place to live for those accustomed to life in large metropolitan areas. Applicants who prefer a quieter life, however, would likely spend a rewarding three years in Williamsburg, and would certainly enjoy the tremendous safety and affordability of life in Williamsburg. Employment Prospects and Bar Passage: Employment prospects for William & Mary students are strongest in Virginia and the DC metropolitan area, as many law firms from these markets visit Williamsburg each year to interview William & Mary students. Although job offers from law firms in other East coast markets such as New York and Boston are not rare at William & Mary, the school’s reputation is certainly more regional than national, and job prospects continue to decrease as one strays further from Williamsburg. Prospects on the West coast, for example, are slim, and are largely dependent on the student’s ability to tap into the school’s alumni network. Fortunately, partly as a result of the small class size at William & Mary, the school has a dedicated and reliable alumni network that has proven to be a valuable resource for students, especially those searching for jobs outside of Virginia and DC. In all, the majority of William & Mary graduates typically take positions in the South Atlantic region, with approximately a third of graduates accepting employment in the state of Virginia. Virginia is also the state in which the greatest number of William & Mary graduates typically sit for the bar exam, and 88% of those who recently sat for the exam passed, compared to a 74% passage rate for all test takers in Virginia. Salary wise, graduates of the class of 2006 received first year salaries ranging from $30,000 to $180,000, and the median salary of graduates employed in the private sector, 54% of this class, was $115,000. Synopsis: Especially for Virginia residents, who can attend the school at a lower rate, William & Mary School of Law is a great option. In general, those hoping to secure employment in Virginia or in the DC metro area should give the school serious consideration, as should applicants looking to pursue their legal education in a relatively quiet environment. Contact Information: William and Mary School of Law Quick Reference: U.S. News 2008 Ranking: 31st |
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