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Trying to become an adcom. Break it down for me

Posted: Sun Jan 11, 2015 3:10 am
by ratfukr
This is clearly very on-topic but I didn't want to post separately in every consultant's thread. What's the best way to do this? Do I have to go to law school? I'm great at Excel. LA preferred, NYC acceptable if it gets me to LA eventually. TYIA

Re: Trying to become an adcom. Break it down for me

Posted: Mon Jan 12, 2015 2:59 pm
by bl1nds1ght
I am very interested in this, as well.

Re: Trying to become an adcom. Break it down for me

Posted: Mon Jan 12, 2015 3:03 pm
by fats provolone
you should ask spivey

Re: Trying to become an adcom. Break it down for me

Posted: Mon Jan 12, 2015 3:12 pm
by Br3v
In the future, if anyone stumbles across this and is serious I think Dany knows something about this.

Re: Trying to become an adcom. Break it down for me

Posted: Mon Jan 12, 2015 3:19 pm
by fats provolone
Br3v wrote:In the future, if anyone stumbles across this and is serious I think Dany knows something about this.
what do you mean and is serious

Re: Trying to become an adcom. Break it down for me

Posted: Mon Jan 12, 2015 4:30 pm
by jbagelboy
as a starting place, it seems to me there are three main paths towards a career as a director or dean of admissions for a law school. Of course I wouldn't take any of these as gospel or as sufficient conditions to become a senior law school administrator.

(1) Get a JD, work at a premier law firm or consulting firm in the metropolitan area where the law school you hope to work with is located, and get involved with recruiting. Then network as an attorney/recruiter with law school administrators via the bar, OCIs, ect and eventually apply for a mid tier position in the admissions or financial aid office. Prominent examples include Ann Perry and Nkonye Iweberon.

(2) Get a Ph.D. and teach at a university with an adjoining law school. Take on and volunteer for a lot of administrative roles, i.e., chairing committees and running university programs. Many professors hate doing this shit (and aren't very good at it) so if you demonstrate interest and aptitude and aren't gunning for chair of a department or something you should have opportunities. Transition to admissions related administration at the graduate level, preferably in a field ontologically or at least procedurally close to law, and then once you're prominent enough ask to make the jump.

(3) Get an advanced degree in education and apply to leadership positions or think tanks in that field. Sometimes education personnel can apply directly to university and law school admissions positions. Then move up in the hierarchy. Examples include Renee Post and Ed Tom.

In any of these scenarios, it seems like a de facto requirement (at least for prominent law schools) to have attended the institution you want to work for at some level, whether it be a bachelors, JD or something else.

Re: Trying to become an adcom. Break it down for me

Posted: Mon Jan 12, 2015 4:33 pm
by phillywc
Honestly this would be a really cool career path

Re: Trying to become an adcom. Break it down for me

Posted: Mon Jan 12, 2015 4:35 pm
by Hand
Say you want to be an adcomm at UCLA. What did the fine people in their office do on their way to this position? https://www.law.ucla.edu/admissions/off ... d-program/

Rob Schwartz: J.D. from Cardozo
Talin Broosan: J.D. from Gonzaga
Danae McElroy: J.D. from UCLA

So, seems to be a J.D. preferred position, where prestige is noticeably less important than in many other places.

ETA: google these people a little more and you'll find Schwartz was previously dean at Cardozo, and Broosan and McElroy worked as lawyers prior to joining UCLA. You can also check out McElroy's wedding registry, which, it turns out, is more expansive than Desert Fox's (but I'll get you that trash can one day).