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Hey everyone!

I am on the verge starting the TAP (Trial Admissions Program) at Widener School of Law. I haven't seen posts on this program, so hopefully some of us can come together here!

Classes start on May 24th (at the Harrisburg, PA campus).

Any information, any tips, past students, future students, please chime in!!

(I originally posted this in the Law School Acceptances, Denials, and Waitlists section, but I suppose it fits in here as well).

I just googled this. Holy Cow. They make you take summer classes to prove you're worthy of admission to Widener?

Do you have to pay for this?

Yes, and yes. It's worth it for a variety for people. Any insights?

OP, I would like to know the thought process that led you to conclude that attending Widener School of Law (with a ~150K COA) is a good option when law grads from top schools (like Northwestern, UVA, etc) are having a really hard time finding employment, let alone high-paying jobs.

EDIT: I am not trying to pester here, I just want to know.

This is a chance to pursue a career goal of mine.

ValByst wrote:This is a chance to pursue a career goal of mine. I am hoping on transferring to another school after the first year.

GL with that.

Is that a snarky GL? Or a legitimate GL?

ValByst wrote:Is that a snarky GL? Or a legitimate GL?

Snarky. Going to a law school with hopes of transferring up is a terrible idea and very unlikely to happen.

Unlikely? Based on what factors?

--LinkRemoved--

Based on the fact that transferring up in schools usually means you have to be in the top regions of your class - think top 5% or (maybe) top 10%. Transferring up is hard enough in the T100 schools, trying to transfer up from Widener you're looking at trying to go TTT/TTTT to T100. While not impossible, it's probably close to.

Also, if you have to do TAP to get into Widener, I'm guessing your numbers are quite low. While it's cliche, anyone on here will tell you it's better to study some more, try to raise your LSAT, then try for Penn State or Temple or something. For the love of god, don't pay sticker price at Widener.

ValByst wrote:This is a chance to pursue a career goal of mine. I am hoping on transferring to another school after the first year.

Have you seen their employment stats? What is this career goal? Look here. (LinkRemoved)

I respect that you want to be a lawyer and are looking in to ways to do that. But there is no way that this is your best option. Do you even know what percentage of TAP makes it in to the full time program?

Which one their "standardized measures" do you excel in for admissions to TAP?

YaSvoboden wrote: Which one their "standardized measures" do you excel in for admissions to TAP?

A pulse and some govt. tuition dollars.

Look. You're gonna get some snark here, and I hope you're trolling, but in case you're not, don't do this. It's a terrible decision. Widener at anything less than a full tuition scholly without a GPA/rank stip isn't worth it.

Hi!

I attended TAP last summer at the DE campus. If you have any specific questions please feel free to contact me. For now here's some general information.

First, I will tell you it's not going to be easy. At all. Don't let anyone convince you that it will be. Most people will not get in through TAP despite working their behinds off. For example, out of the 14 people living on my floor in the dorm only 3 got in (and overall I only know of a handful that made it in). I know of some people that didn't get through TAP but got into other law schools while at TAP.

You have to work hard, study hard, and show up ready for class. There will be lots of work to do and it will always seem like there isn't enough time to get it done. Whether you get in or not this is a great experience. It shows you what law school is like and prepares you for it. Overall, it was a great experience.

Squash, thank you so much for your input.

If you could answer some of my questions I would greatly appreciate it.

I understand there is no curve in this program, so all the students proportionally earn their grades. However, the gold standard is a 2.3 to be accepted into the Fall program. A 2.3 seems like it's doable, but statistically Widener states around 25%-33% of the students are successful. Is this mainly due to the quality of the students? Or is this mainly due to the difficulty of the material?
What are the professors like? Are they accessible?
Are old exams available for practice?
What are the final exams like?
Would you mind sharing your study methods for the three classes?

Thanks again!

I will be attending Harrisburg TAP this summer, very excited. Questions for Squash. On average how many hours did you study/read each week? Did you work while in TAP? Did the classes in TAP help you in the Fall?

Mylawz - For average studying/reading hours per week... That's a hard one to answer. I didn't keep any record of how long I studied or reviewed each week. Obviously it varies based on the amount of reading assigned and if you review after each class. I will give you a rough estimate though. I'd say somewhere around 50 to 60 hrs+ per week.

I did not work while in TAP. Thank goodness! That would have been way too much. I know a bunch of people that did though and they really struggled to keep up. In fact, to my knowledge I don't think the people I knew that worked during TAP ended up getting in for the fall.

Yes, TAP does give you an advantage in the fall. Atleast in the beginning, because you already know how to read/brief cases, how to study and take exams, and how to write memos/papers - while everyone else is just learning these things.

Val - Actually, I believe there is a curve. For example, my class was told that if every person in the class got a 2.3 or 2.5 that the grades would be "adjusted".

A 2.3 may seem doable right now but the Widener TAP grading system is much harder than the average grading system. So it is actually much harder to get the coveted 2.3 than it may originally seem.

That statistic is not correct.Its more like somewhere around 10% - give or take.

The majority of the TAP students are good quality students. The work and exams are very difficult. They cram a huge amount of material into the weeks you are there.

Opps, I just ran out of time. I will have to finish answering your questions later. I will get back to you.

Thanks Squash. Hope you find the time to fill us in some more!

When I saw that my son was invited into two Tap progams (also known as AAMPLE programs), I initially thought, "What a scam. Here are bottom tiered law schools charging a bundle for courses that don't count for credit and only have to accept 30% of the students." After researching the results of these programs on law school performance, I have completely reconsidered. Most kids who succeed in TAP end up among the top of their first year class and usually do much better than those not in TAP. Even those who didn't pass tap seem to do well in law school. So, congrats to you. I think you will have a very successful law school performance. In fact, the TAP results were so impressive for those that participated in them that I suggested to my son to accept a TAP program even though he was fully accepted at another law school. Enjoy the experience.

By the way, be prepared to work like you probably have never worked before. My son is averaging over 60 hours or homework per week in addition to the 20 hours of work of class time

Thanks... I think I will enjoy this program. So far, I really like Widener. The professors seem great, and the school recognized TAP students' potentials which is something I truly appreciate and will take full advantage of.

Even though I would like to stay in school in my home city (thus why I'd like to transfer eventually if at all possible), I think Widener has more to offer than many people may think.

Anyway, good luck guys. We all travel our separate paths.

taxguy wrote:Most kids who succeed in TAP end up among the top of their first year class and usually do much better than those not in TAP.

This seems more likely to be correlation than causation to me.

johnnyutah wrote:

taxguy wrote:Most kids who succeed in TAP end up among the top of their first year class and usually do much better than those not in TAP.

This seems more likely to be correlation than causation to me.

Seems more like bullshit to me.

taxguy wrote:When I saw that my son was invited into two Tap progams (also known as AAMPLE programs), I initially thought, "What a scam. Here are bottom tiered law schools charging a bundle for courses that don't count for credit and only have to accept 30% of the students." After researching the results of these programs on law school performance, I have completely reconsidered. Most kids who succeed in TAP end up among the top of their first year class and usually do much better than those not in TAP. Even those who didn't pass tap seem to do well in law school. So, congrats to you. I think you will have a very successful law school performance. In fact, the TAP results were so impressive for those that participated in them that I suggested to my son to accept a TAP program even though he was fully accepted at another law school. Enjoy the experience.

dont those programs cost a ton of money? Do the credits count? I would personally be wary of any school that makes you pay to try out to see if you are worth the admissions offer, but to each their own i guess.