American University Class of 2016 Forum

[JayJones78]

Those stats are helpful but statistics mean nothing to the individual. The fact remains that there are those that have recently graduated from AU Law and have great job prospects. Get to the top of the class, make connections and you will get a good job coming out of American. No law school is a guarantee. Just because they have 70% employment doesn't mean u will be part of that majority. Also percentages can be misleading if you don't look at overall class size. If a school graduates 200 and employs 60% it isnt really the same as one that graduates 500 and employs 40%. But since people only look at those types of stats schools are shrinking classes to look prettier.

I agree. I was accepted and thinking about attending but I must say that the bad words I hear on TLS about AU is almost unparalleled to any other school.

[Wyse]

Those stats are helpful but statistics mean nothing to the individual. The fact remains that there are those that have recently graduated from AU Law and have great job prospects. Get to the top of the class, make connections and you will get a good job coming out of American. No law school is a guarantee. Just because they have 70% employment doesn't mean u will be part of that majority. Also percentages can. e misleading if you don't look at overall class size. If a school graduates 200 and employs 60% it isnt really the same as one that graduates 500 and employs 40%. But since people only look at those types of stats schools are shrinking classes to look prettier.

I agree. I was accepted and thinking about attending but I must say that the bad words I hear on TLS about AU is almost unparalleled to any other school.

I've seen the comments too. A lot of it is because you come out with GWU and GU debt without similar job prospects. The criticism is warranted but the outright disgust is not. If you did your research and were thinking about it you should. Undergrad isnt quite the strong investment it once was yet we all did it anyway for a shot at the dream. Why now would you tell someone not to take a shot at the dream? Nothing in this life is a sure thing. Go where you want, work your ass off, make the right connections, and you have just as good of a chance as anyone. You may have to outwork the Harvard grad but if you are getting into the legal profession to do as little work as possible you are an idiot and should get out now before it starts. Not calling you an idiot Jay just to clear up any confusion.

[Ludo!]

Those stats are helpful but statistics mean nothing to the individual. The fact remains that there are those that have recently graduated from AU Law and have great job prospects. Get to the top of the class, make connections and you will get a good job coming out of American. No law school is a guarantee. Just because they have 70% employment doesn't mean u will be part of that majority. Also percentages can be misleading if you don't look at overall class size. If a school graduates 200 and employs 60% it isnt really the same as one that graduates 500 and employs 40%. But since people only look at those types of stats schools are shrinking classes to look prettier.

This. +1. Finally.

When you say "finally" do you mean "finally, the stupidest post I've ever read on TLS"?

[zbenson]

Those stats are helpful but statistics mean nothing to the individual. The fact remains that there are those that have recently graduated from AU Law and have great job prospects. Get to the top of the class, make connections and you will get a good job coming out of American. No law school is a guarantee. Just because they have 70% employment doesn't mean u will be part of that majority. Also percentages can be misleading if you don't look at overall class size. If a school graduates 200 and employs 60% it isnt really the same as one that graduates 500 and employs 40%. But since people only look at those types of stats schools are shrinking classes to look prettier.

This. +1. Finally.

When you say "finally" do you mean "finally, the stupidest post I've ever read on TLS"?

Looking beyond your use of "stupidest" what about what the poster said is untrue? Is it not true that your efforts towards reaching the top of your class will me the main factor in the having ability to find a job?

[UAX09]

Cahwc12, my opinion about AU's quality isn't based on rankings but rather on the opinions of those who have attended AU. My post warned about job prospects at AU because of the sheer number of lawyers seeking employment in DC. AU can improve its job placement stats by reducing class sizes by a third, but as I mentioned in my post, it can't shrink because it is relatively poor. The three top DC law schools are all relatively poor and largely tuition driven. Hence, the large student populations. When you have limited supply for jobs and countless job seekers, it is understandably going to be difficult to find jobs. Given the state of the legal economy, the competition for jobs only increases.

As you mentioned Cahwc12, the quality of law schools from Harvard to Cooley is largely the same given that most law professors attended the same set of elite schools. I'm not sure how you inferred from that comment to your comment about AU being a trashy school. My teaching assistants in undergrad who were AU law students all spoke fondly about their law school experience at AU. Of course, since they were hired to serve as teaching assistants, I'm assuming that their law school grades were excellent. This might have impacted their opinion of the school. It's okay to warn prospective students about the job market in DC and the competition that AU students will encounter after graduation, but AU is far from a trashy school. The warning about job prospects applies to all DC schools, yes even to GT, but more so to AU and GW where below median students stand no chance of landing interviews. When DC employers have countless number of young lawyers flooding the job market, they can afford to be selective.

Let's be real, most law graduates will not become biglaw lawyers. This was true even before the recession and even more relevant now. Anyone who goes to AU with the expectation of a biglaw is incredibly naive. About 17 percent of GW grads are getting biglaw jobs. Even Georgetown, a T14, is able to land less than a third of students in biglaw. Biglaw is incredibly hard to obtain and unrealistic for most law students.

AU has never claimed to be biglaw oriented. Most AU law students go into public interest work after law school. The level of animus against AU is absolutely ridiculous. AU has excellent academics. As long as you are aware that biglaw is extremely difficult to obtain at AU and at most schools outside the T14 and can afford the costs at AU, you should still consider AU.

[Ludo!]

Those stats are helpful but statistics mean nothing to the individual. The fact remains that there are those that have recently graduated from AU Law and have great job prospects. Get to the top of the class, make connections and you will get a good job coming out of American. No law school is a guarantee. Just because they have 70% employment doesn't mean u will be part of that majority. Also percentages can be misleading if you don't look at overall class size. If a school graduates 200 and employs 60% it isnt really the same as one that graduates 500 and employs 40%. But since people only look at those types of stats schools are shrinking classes to look prettier.

This. +1. Finally.

When you say "finally" do you mean "finally, the stupidest post I've ever read on TLS"?

Looking beyond your use of "stupidest" what about what the poster said is untrue? Is it not true that your efforts towards reaching the top of your class will me the main factor in the having ability to find a job?

Yeah, if you're at the top of your class you'll have a good chance of getting a job, but most people won't be at the top of their class and "your efforts" to get to the top don't have as much to do with getting there as you'd like. That's why statistics are important.

FWIW I'm not bashing American, just bashing the "We'll all be fine, just do top of the class bro" mentality of that post

[zbenson]

Yeah, if you're at the top of your class you'll have a good chance of getting a job, but most people won't be at the top of their class and "your efforts" to get to the top don't have as much to do with getting there as you'd like. That's why statistics are important.

FWIW I'm not bashing American, just bashing the "We'll all be fine, just do top of the class bro" mentality of that post

Understood, that is a good point, Effort does only take you so far when among a pool of what 500+ equally or more qualified attendees. Appreciate the clarification.

[UAX09]

The "top of class" mentality is common for 0Ls. After first semester, the mentality quickly fades with sad faces and tears. Ninety percent of students will not be in the top ten percent - that's reality.

[doglover0702]

Seriously guys, save your lectures for a forum where we actually ask for your opinion. Right now, all I want to know is if anyone has gotten updates on their status today.

If we wanted your 2 cents on why we shouldn't go to this school, we'd go to one of the million other discussions where we can read post after post on why we shouldn't go here.

[Wyse]

This. +1. Finally.

When you say "finally" do you mean "finally, the stupidest post I've ever read on TLS"?

Looking beyond your use of "stupidest" what about what the poster said is untrue? Is it not true that your efforts towards reaching the top of your class will me the main factor in the having ability to find a job?

Yeah, if you're at the top of your class you'll have a good chance of getting a job, but most people won't be at the top of their class and "your efforts" to get to the top don't have as much to do with getting there as you'd like. That's why statistics are important.

FWIW I'm not bashing American, just bashing the "We'll all be fine, just do top of the class bro" mentality of that post

So pointing out statistics sometimes lie is stupid? Look I know the realities of the market and the realities of how law school grading works. My aunt graduated Georgetown law when I was a teen and my cousin graduated GWU last year. I am neither an idiot nor naive. I didn't say we will all be fine, that is stupid. Some have to fail so others can prosper. My point is go in and be the one that succeeds. Going in defeated and thinking you won't get a job coming out is definitely the wrong attitude. The positivity in my posts are to counteract the vitriol in the rest of the posts on this forum that should be encouraging.

[Ludo!]

So pointing out statistics sometimes lie is stupid? Look I know the realities of the market and the realities of how law school grading works. My aunt graduated Georgetown law when I was a teen and a cousin that graduated GWU last year. I am neither an idiot nor naive. I didn't say we will all be fine, that is stupid. Some have to fail so others can prosper. My point is go in and be the one that succeeds. Going in defeated and thinking you won't get a job coming out is definitely the wrong attitude. The positivity in my posts are to counteract the vitriol in the rest of the post on this forum that should be encouraging.

The bolded is what I'm calling stupid. You can't just be at the top of your class because you really really want to. It's not about going in defeated, it's about going in realistic.

I'm not bashing the school or telling you not to go, that's not what this forum is for. I'm just saying don't go in setting yourself up for disappointment by believing you can just dream your way to the top

[Wyse]

So pointing out statistics sometimes lie is stupid? Look I know the realities of the market and the realities of how law school grading works. My aunt graduated Georgetown law when I was a teen and a cousin that graduated GWU last year. I am neither an idiot nor naive. I didn't say we will all be fine, that is stupid. Some have to fail so others can prosper. My point is go in and be the one that succeeds. Going in defeated and thinking you won't get a job coming out is definitely the wrong attitude. The positivity in my posts are to counteract the vitriol in the rest of the post on this forum that should be encouraging.

The bolded is what I'm calling stupid. You can't just be at the top of your class because you really really want to. It's not about going in defeated, it's about going in realistic.

I'm not bashing the school or telling you not to go, that's not what this forum is for. I'm just saying don't go in setting yourself up for disappointment by believing you can just dream your way to the top

Like I said I know the realities of law school grading. Maybe I shouldn't have said it in such a "aww shucks" kind of way but like I said the positivity was mainly to counteract the negative tone the forum had taken. I know I can go in, work very hard and end up in the middle. If that is what you are trying to get across I am very well aware but I thank you for trying to enlighten me and not letting me go in with my eyes closed.

[gjk07fsu]

Withdrew today. Good luck everyone.

[grapefruits]

It's not too late guys. You can back out today, have the same chances of getting a law-related job, and with way less debt! How could you refuse such an offer?

[dailygrind]

It's not too late guys. You can back out today, have the same chances of getting a law-related job, and with way less debt! How could you refuse such an offer?

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 7&t=146613

Knock it off.

[JayJones78]

It's not too late guys. You can back out today, have the same chances of getting a law-related job, and with way less debt! How could you refuse such an offer?

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 7&t=146613

Knock it off.

+1
I really don't get these posts. I

[z0rk]

Part-time 1L at WCL in the top 10-20% of my class. If you have any questions about WCL or the part-time program please feel free to PM me.

[ultrasajid]

Updated for the second time today. Decision time?

[1984]

Updated for the second time today. Decision time?

+1

[simplycatalina]

Updated for the second time today. Decision time?

+1

+2. Also I looked back in this thread and people whose statuses changed to complete the second time generally received the decision within the day. Here's to hoping!

[nirvanah]

good luck. I cant answer about the second updates because i was accepted within a week. I didnt even have time to check the status...it was the week right after new years. I had an email, and I expected it to be some kind of newsletter or something, but it was a "congratulations" email...good luck to you guys

[cnk]

Updated for the second time today. Decision time?

+1

+2. Also I looked back in this thread and people whose statuses changed to complete the second time generally received the decision within the day. Here's to hoping!

I've had a second complete since 12/14/12...and still there

[simplycatalina]

In via email!!!

[rshw89]

In via email as well.

[simplycatalina]

In via email as well.

Congrats--Do you know if financial aid info is gonna come in the mail? There was nothing about it in the email...