NYU's Journal Ranking System
Posted: Sat Apr 10, 2010 11:10 am
It's about that time in the 1L year... applying for journals/moot court.
Any 2L/3Ls out there who can explain this system? It doesn't quite make sense.
First they tell you there is no way to game the system, and to rank according to your true preference. But then each journal besides Law Review tells you they virtually only accept applications if you rank them 1-2.
Well that puts a student in a pickle... especially if his/her true preference is like mine.
1. Law Review
2. Moot Court
3. Topic Journal 1... etc
That's betting everything on the two most competitive orgs at NYU. I'm probably not grading onto Law Review (~top 20%, I'm guessing only top 1-2% grade on), but I'd still like to give it a shot to write on/combo on! But if I rank it 1-2, that eliminates any other journal as a possibility. So if my writing sample is great but I play it safe, I miss out on my only opportunity to be on Law Review! But if my writing sample isn't great (enough) and I take the chance, I could miss out on any journal whatsoever?!
Now if that doesn't make sense here's another strange aspect...
50-80% of NYU students are accepted to a journal. And there are some people who don't apply at all, so statistically it seems the vast majority of 1Ls who apply get something. But how is this so? Do most people rank topic journals as 1-2? Or are these 1-2 only rules a big-giant-lie?
[/nervous twitching]
Any 2L/3Ls out there who can explain this system? It doesn't quite make sense.
First they tell you there is no way to game the system, and to rank according to your true preference. But then each journal besides Law Review tells you they virtually only accept applications if you rank them 1-2.
Well that puts a student in a pickle... especially if his/her true preference is like mine.
1. Law Review
2. Moot Court
3. Topic Journal 1... etc
That's betting everything on the two most competitive orgs at NYU. I'm probably not grading onto Law Review (~top 20%, I'm guessing only top 1-2% grade on), but I'd still like to give it a shot to write on/combo on! But if I rank it 1-2, that eliminates any other journal as a possibility. So if my writing sample is great but I play it safe, I miss out on my only opportunity to be on Law Review! But if my writing sample isn't great (enough) and I take the chance, I could miss out on any journal whatsoever?!
Now if that doesn't make sense here's another strange aspect...
50-80% of NYU students are accepted to a journal. And there are some people who don't apply at all, so statistically it seems the vast majority of 1Ls who apply get something. But how is this so? Do most people rank topic journals as 1-2? Or are these 1-2 only rules a big-giant-lie?
[/nervous twitching]