Ten questions you should ask any law school
Posted: Fri Apr 01, 2011 11:01 am
Completely subjective advice, but perhaps some of it rings true as you narrow down your law school choices. Perhaps these are idiosyncratic views. But perhaps they can be of use.
(Note: most of this will be soundly criticized by a number of law school faculty members if asked pointedly. Hence, the comfort of pseudonymity.)
For those of you with Asperger's, these are not literal questions you have to ask to the schools. Some you can find on your own through research without an awkward point-blank question directed at an admission's officer.
1. What bars do your graduates take?
Almost all law schools are regional (making USNWR something of a joke outside of a geographic region). But within a region, some law schools place far more into a number of markets than a local market. The official ABA guide lists where students take the bar. If most (more than 70%) of them stay in-state, you should expect to have difficulty trekking out on your own. If most stay in-state or go to the one major regional geographic center (e.g., Northeast state and New York, Midwest state and Illinois), then you can expect those two options. And if they're pretty well spread around the country, you can expect many more opportunities. Any state where at least 5% of graduate have taken the bar (e.g., 10 out of 200) may be a post-graduation target. Otherwise, you'll go it alone.
2. Do you have a list of graduates who've clerked?
It's a red flag if they can't give you this. Many have a PDF or XLS available on their website. And when you look at it, you can get a very good idea of the reputation of the school based on how many clerk, for what kind of judges, and where. Schools track this very closely to keep alumni in the loop and ensure opportunities down the line. Look at the last couple of years' worth of data in particular.
3. What's the stipulation for keeping my scholarship?
Something in the area of top-half ought to be a concern, as half of you won't be in the top half. That's stunning math, but something lost on many, as about 95% or so of students expect to be in the top half. Calculate that into your cost.
4. What rank of faculty teach the 1L sections?
If there are a lot of very junior faculty, or emeritus faculty, or visiting faculty teaching the 1L sections, it means that the school cares very little about teaching and your experience. That's not to say that having very junior, visiting, or emeritus faculty is a bad experience; it just shows the low priority if there's a critical mass (I'd say about one-third of the classes) in that direction. "Older" junior faculty and "younger" tenured faculty tend to be ideal, as they will be the heart of the school with the experience and ability. (Then again, perhaps the first time a professor teaches a class it's the best, and the 20th time it's stale; it may be a matter of preference for style, but it's still an indication of a school's teaching load priority.)
5. Who are your recent faculty hires?
If a school has been focused on hiring candidates with PhDs or little experience in the real world, it can lead to a less meaningful experience for students (again, in my humble opinion--they're usually excellent scholars). They're interested in scholarship output at the (potential) expense of student experience. If they have been hiring a number of faculty, it's a good sign of the financial situation of the school. If the school has not been hiring, it may be a bad financial situation; or it may be that faculty are not coming to the school because of a perceived problem.
6. Who are your recent faculty losses?
Losing a big name is not a big deal. But losing a number of faculty in a seemingly steady stream over a few years may suggest that there's trouble brewing in the administration and people are jumping ship.
7. What have tuition increases historically been?
Past performance is no guarantee, but the historical rate of tuition increases can affect your level of funding. If the school is hiking it at a rate of $2,000 a year, then you're looking at another $2,000 as a 2L and another $4,000 as a 3L--not a small sum, and something to consider.
8. How's your funding?
This is a question more for public institutions, as government funding has been trimmed dramatically from some schools. That can mean great instability in the years ahead, financial cuts, inability to maintain elite faculty, tuition hikes, and (most perilous!) a drop in expenditures per student and a resulting drop in USWR rank. For private schools, it's more about endowment, and that turns more on the S&P 500 or real estate market.
9. How long have your career services office employees been here?
High turnover in career services can be a problem. If employees are re-networking all over again and can't establish continuity, it can be problematic for those seeking competent staff.
10. Is the projected incoming class going to be the same size, larger, or smaller?
Larger class sizes might give you a better shot at getting in the door, but it also means more competition. If a school of 200 typically has the journals and the moot courts and the on-campus interview slots for 200, and suddenly admits 225, you can see that there will be a number of individuals squeezed out. Ironically, the increased class size is likely to make you want to go (because more are getting in than were before), so be careful.
Critique away. I'll probably back off some of my claims with enough criticism, but I might not.
(Note: most of this will be soundly criticized by a number of law school faculty members if asked pointedly. Hence, the comfort of pseudonymity.)
For those of you with Asperger's, these are not literal questions you have to ask to the schools. Some you can find on your own through research without an awkward point-blank question directed at an admission's officer.
1. What bars do your graduates take?
Almost all law schools are regional (making USNWR something of a joke outside of a geographic region). But within a region, some law schools place far more into a number of markets than a local market. The official ABA guide lists where students take the bar. If most (more than 70%) of them stay in-state, you should expect to have difficulty trekking out on your own. If most stay in-state or go to the one major regional geographic center (e.g., Northeast state and New York, Midwest state and Illinois), then you can expect those two options. And if they're pretty well spread around the country, you can expect many more opportunities. Any state where at least 5% of graduate have taken the bar (e.g., 10 out of 200) may be a post-graduation target. Otherwise, you'll go it alone.
2. Do you have a list of graduates who've clerked?
It's a red flag if they can't give you this. Many have a PDF or XLS available on their website. And when you look at it, you can get a very good idea of the reputation of the school based on how many clerk, for what kind of judges, and where. Schools track this very closely to keep alumni in the loop and ensure opportunities down the line. Look at the last couple of years' worth of data in particular.
3. What's the stipulation for keeping my scholarship?
Something in the area of top-half ought to be a concern, as half of you won't be in the top half. That's stunning math, but something lost on many, as about 95% or so of students expect to be in the top half. Calculate that into your cost.
4. What rank of faculty teach the 1L sections?
If there are a lot of very junior faculty, or emeritus faculty, or visiting faculty teaching the 1L sections, it means that the school cares very little about teaching and your experience. That's not to say that having very junior, visiting, or emeritus faculty is a bad experience; it just shows the low priority if there's a critical mass (I'd say about one-third of the classes) in that direction. "Older" junior faculty and "younger" tenured faculty tend to be ideal, as they will be the heart of the school with the experience and ability. (Then again, perhaps the first time a professor teaches a class it's the best, and the 20th time it's stale; it may be a matter of preference for style, but it's still an indication of a school's teaching load priority.)
5. Who are your recent faculty hires?
If a school has been focused on hiring candidates with PhDs or little experience in the real world, it can lead to a less meaningful experience for students (again, in my humble opinion--they're usually excellent scholars). They're interested in scholarship output at the (potential) expense of student experience. If they have been hiring a number of faculty, it's a good sign of the financial situation of the school. If the school has not been hiring, it may be a bad financial situation; or it may be that faculty are not coming to the school because of a perceived problem.
6. Who are your recent faculty losses?
Losing a big name is not a big deal. But losing a number of faculty in a seemingly steady stream over a few years may suggest that there's trouble brewing in the administration and people are jumping ship.
7. What have tuition increases historically been?
Past performance is no guarantee, but the historical rate of tuition increases can affect your level of funding. If the school is hiking it at a rate of $2,000 a year, then you're looking at another $2,000 as a 2L and another $4,000 as a 3L--not a small sum, and something to consider.
8. How's your funding?
This is a question more for public institutions, as government funding has been trimmed dramatically from some schools. That can mean great instability in the years ahead, financial cuts, inability to maintain elite faculty, tuition hikes, and (most perilous!) a drop in expenditures per student and a resulting drop in USWR rank. For private schools, it's more about endowment, and that turns more on the S&P 500 or real estate market.
9. How long have your career services office employees been here?
High turnover in career services can be a problem. If employees are re-networking all over again and can't establish continuity, it can be problematic for those seeking competent staff.
10. Is the projected incoming class going to be the same size, larger, or smaller?
Larger class sizes might give you a better shot at getting in the door, but it also means more competition. If a school of 200 typically has the journals and the moot courts and the on-campus interview slots for 200, and suddenly admits 225, you can see that there will be a number of individuals squeezed out. Ironically, the increased class size is likely to make you want to go (because more are getting in than were before), so be careful.
Critique away. I'll probably back off some of my claims with enough criticism, but I might not.