What's the deal with law schools splitting into two? Forum

proctor_right_in_the · Post by **proctor_right_in_the** » Mon Nov 23, 2015 6:14 pm

The idea of a law school splitting into two different entities seems to be a fairly new one, although if anyone can think of any historic examples, I'd love to check it out. Currently, to my knowledge, we've got Rutgers trying to reunite two schools, and Widener and Penn State having recently split. That last one is a fairly big deal, especially now that ABA info is about to come out and, as one poster put it, it looks like "Dickinson (Carlisle) came out a lot better in the divorce." Looking at the medians, there's no arguing that. So my questions are;

1. Why split? Couldn't a school just have two campuses, even if they're fairly remote, like Newark and Camden? (Honest question... maybe there's some rule against that.)

2. Doesn't this make it somewhat awkward for an applicant who, for example, wants to go to Penn State, and plans on applying to both the Dickinson and University Park schools? Like, do they apply to both, with exactly the same application? How does one negotiate, if they get a better offer at one than the other? Just seems strange. The two different Penn State schools have very different numbers, so this seems notable.

3. Why is this a mid-Atlantic thing?

WorthlessDegree · Post by **WorthlessDegree** » Mon Nov 23, 2015 6:17 pm

It's like cutting off the head of a hydra.

proctor_right_in_the · Post by **proctor_right_in_the** » Mon Nov 23, 2015 9:28 pm

While I certainly appreciate the Greek reference, I don't know if I love the connection. In terms of Penn State... is Dickinson "the head?" And if so, what benefit does Penn State, as an institution, gain to benefit by cutting the head off?

barkschool · Post by **barkschool** » Mon Nov 23, 2015 9:36 pm

It's more like amputation of a diabetic's foot. Of course you don't want to be the foot, but the main body is still suffering serious issues

jchiles · Post by **jchiles** » Mon Nov 23, 2015 9:37 pm

I don't think there is a trend here and the reasons for the splits/merge are pretty school-specific. There is nothing awkward about applying to different law schools that are under the same university system, they have separate admissions offices.

This shouldn't even be a minor factor in choosing a school.

proctor_right_in_the · Post by **proctor_right_in_the** » Tue Nov 24, 2015 12:29 am

jchiles wrote:I don't think there is a trend here and the reasons for the splits/merge are pretty school-specific.

I'd agree... if not for the difference in those Penn State numbers. Those are pretty major. It's only been one cycle, and Dickinson seems to be pulling away, with a much better GPA/LSAT, smaller class size, etc.

corporatesellouttt · Post by **corporatesellouttt** » Tue Nov 24, 2015 12:54 am

As a student at the carlisle campus, it's weird. General opinion is that Penn State used the Dickinson name to start a law school and always had a plan to separate down the road.
As to application, no difference whatsoever. Both places are throwing a lot of scholarship money around, so if you're ok with mediocre job projects and working in central pa, you've found your schools to apply to.

proctor_right_in_the · Post by **proctor_right_in_the** » Tue Nov 24, 2015 1:29 am

corporatesellouttt wrote:As a student

Do you like Harrisburg? Seems like a hidden gem.

corporatesellouttt · Post by **corporatesellouttt** » Tue Nov 24, 2015 2:02 pm

proctor_right_in_the wrote:
corporatesellouttt wrote:As a student
Do you like Harrisburg? Seems like a hidden gem.

Yeah, it's not bad. Not sure I'd go so far as say hidden gem, but it could be worse. It gets a bad rap because it has some crime, but everywhere has crime. It's not a huge city, but there are a few decent sized firms and a fair amount of state gov jobs.

I lived in hbg for a bit before school, so i have a better view on the city than most. If you go to dickinson, the only real time you go to harrisburg is occasionally on a weekend or during the summer because thats where the jobs are.

psu2016 · Post by **psu2016** » Tue Nov 24, 2015 2:04 pm

corporatesellouttt wrote:
proctor_right_in_the wrote:
corporatesellouttt wrote:As a student
Do you like Harrisburg? Seems like a hidden gem.
Yeah, it's not bad. Not sure I'd go so far as say hidden gem, but it could be worse. It gets a bad rap because it has some crime, but everywhere has crime. It's not a huge city, but there are a few decent sized firms and a fair amount of state gov jobs.

I lived in hbg for a bit before school, so i have a better view on the city than most. If you go to dickinson, the only real time you go to harrisburg is occasionally on a weekend or during the summer because thats where the jobs are.

Or for, like, every externship during the school year.

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