CSO - Just How Full of BS Are They? Forum

[timbs4339]

Adding bodies to the CSO is a way for schools to pretend to be doing something about the lack of jobs. It's also a correlation-causation problem. Harvard has a large CSO. Harvard students get good jobs. Therefore, if you want your students to get good jobs, charge Harvard prices and give them a Harvard-size CSO.

Also there is really no way the schools can "market" their students because the firms don't care about how students are marketed. They care about a general prestige ranking that correlates with LSAT/GPA, which is evident from USNWR, and location.

This assumes the conclusion. It's true that a CSO advertising its students next to hot models or clever slogans won't work, but that's not the only way to market students. And while it's true that they care about prestige, schools could still work on the margins. Getting five more students jobs by persuading your alumni in hiring to be more vocal than peer schools' alumni would be a plausible goal. Use the CSO budget to host alumni events, and instead of asking for money, ask for this. While it might not change the school's numbers immediately, it would help five students. It might happen already, but this board has heard nothing of such practices.

That's not "marketing." That's just asking alumni for help and could be done through the alumni office or the Dean's office. Marketing would say "X Law School students take courses with Y professors, have Z clinics and externships! We provide a world class, rigorous legal education. Hire us!" Employers don't care about that crap.

[A. Nony Mouse]

Adding bodies to the CSO is a way for schools to pretend to be doing something about the lack of jobs. It's also a correlation-causation problem. Harvard has a large CSO. Harvard students get good jobs. Therefore, if you want your students to get good jobs, charge Harvard prices and give them a Harvard-size CSO.

Also there is really no way the schools can "market" their students because the firms don't care about how students are marketed. They care about a general prestige ranking that correlates with LSAT/GPA, which is evident from USNWR, and location.

This assumes the conclusion. It's true that a CSO advertising its students next to hot models or clever slogans won't work, but that's not the only way to market students. And while it's true that they care about prestige, schools could still work on the margins. Getting five more students jobs by persuading your alumni in hiring to be more vocal than peer schools' alumni would be a plausible goal. Use the CSO budget to host alumni events, and instead of asking for money, ask for this. While it might not change the school's numbers immediately, it would help five students. It might happen already, but this board has heard nothing of such practices.

How would you know about these practices? I mean, my school holds alumni events frequently, and I have no idea what the CSOs are doing during those events, or how/when they're talking to alumni.

[delusional]

Adding bodies to the CSO is a way for schools to pretend to be doing something about the lack of jobs. It's also a correlation-causation problem. Harvard has a large CSO. Harvard students get good jobs. Therefore, if you want your students to get good jobs, charge Harvard prices and give them a Harvard-size CSO.

Also there is really no way the schools can "market" their students because the firms don't care about how students are marketed. They care about a general prestige ranking that correlates with LSAT/GPA, which is evident from USNWR, and location.

This assumes the conclusion. It's true that a CSO advertising its students next to hot models or clever slogans won't work, but that's not the only way to market students. And while it's true that they care about prestige, schools could still work on the margins. Getting five more students jobs by persuading your alumni in hiring to be more vocal than peer schools' alumni would be a plausible goal. Use the CSO budget to host alumni events, and instead of asking for money, ask for this. While it might not change the school's numbers immediately, it would help five students. It might happen already, but this board has heard nothing of such practices.

That's not "marketing." That's just asking alumni for help and could be done through the alumni office or the Dean's office. Marketing would say "X Law School students take courses with Y professors, have Z clinics and externships! We provide a world class, rigorous legal education. Hire us!" Employers don't care about that crap.

Potato, potahto.