Loyola (Los Angeles) c/o 2016 Applicants (2012-2013) Forum

[Epyon!]

68 aaaaahhhhhhhhhhh. HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?!!!

This is depressing... Loyola and University of San Diego are both 68! Now maybe I should go to the one that gave me money jfkdjfldjf

I don't have time to write a long response about the drop in rankings because I have an LRW assignment I should be doing but I just want to point out that this reasoning is flawed. Obviously you should consider SD if they gave you money (especially since their money comes without stipulations IIRC) but you shouldn't just be like, "oh well they are ranked the same so it's a toss up!" If you want to work in LA then going to school in SD is not your best bet. Regardless of their current ranking LLS is still the third best school in Los Angeles and if you are coming to school here it should be with the hopes of landing a job in LA and it's surrounding areas, not elsewhere.

Word, TCR.

[onionskin]

So what if I want to work in San Francisco? LLS at 68 (assuming I get in) or USF at 144....

[calicali]

@onionskin Santa Clara.. They're not ranked super high but they still carry a lot of respect among employers in the bay area

[Pleasye]

This is the email we got from Dean Gold regarding the rankings:

Dear students:

U.S. News & World Report has released its newest law school rankings. The 2014 list places us at No. 68 overall out of more than 190 law schools. The Law School’s Evening Division Program was ranked No. 6 out of 82 part-time programs, making it the top part-time law program west of the Mississippi. Loyola was ranked in the top 10 in two specialty categories: No. 6 for Trial Advocacy and No. 7 for Tax Law. And we were ranked 20th on the Diversity Index.

Our drop from No. 51 is a big disappointment – especially on the heels of three straight years of rising in the rankings. In the latest rankings, U.S. News modified the methodology by which it calculates employment placement success. As reported in the National Law Journal yesterday, the methodology changes resulted in a "high number of jumps up or down."

All of this underscores the fact that the law school must work harder for its students and grads. We will devote additional resources to career services for current students and to programs aimed at assisting recent graduates get jobs. As announced earlier this month, Loyola will reduce the size of the student body by 10 percent over the next three years. Quite simply, we will be a better law school if we get smaller. Loyola already has enhanced its academic programs over the last two years to emphasize practical skills. With more than 25 centers, clinics and practica, Loyola now provides students with the opportunity to put knowledge into practice in a huge variety of real-world contexts.

We will do a careful study of the new ranking methodology and work to improve. For a perspective on Loyola’s U.S. News ranking over the last decade or so, please see the following chart:

Year
Rank
2014
68
2013
51
2012
54
2011
56
2010
71
2009
63
2008
66
2007
65
2006
58
2005
72
2004
69

As a final bit of context, I want you to know about recent rankings by two other publications. Last week the National Law Journal’s 2013 Go-To Law Schools Report ranked Loyola 39th in the nation for the number of 2011 graduates who filled associate positions at NLJ 250 firms. The National Law Journal also ranked Loyola 27th for the number of its alumni promoted from associate to partner in 2012. Finally, Loyola ranked first in the 2013 Southern California Super Lawyers “Top 100” list with more than twice the number of alumni from any other law school. I am proud of these achievements, but we need to work harder. And we will.



Victor Gold
Dean and Professor, Loyola Law School

[CO2016YEAH]

Pleasye, thanks so much for sharing that info. I was wondering the drop would be addressed at all to perspective students. Nothing has come to my email yet, but it is nice to see that it has been addressed by the dean for existing students.

While I initially thought today's conference call was scheduled randomly, I'm now convinced it must have been done with the release of the rankings in mind. To that end, I'm sure LLS anticipated this drop, as the new methodology was not a secret.

We'll see how today goes.

[Pleasye]

I'm sure even if they didn't schedule it in anticipation of the rankings release they are well prepared to answer questions about it. As Dean Gold stated in that email they announced a few weeks ago that part of the plan for LLS going forward is to release the size of incoming 1L classes which I know makes prospective students want to die because it might lessen their chances but it really is a good thing once you are a 1L. Smaller classes means less people to compete with for jobs.

Also, I think I've said this in here before but one of the things that has most impressed me about LLS is how hard our career services office works. As 1Ls we are required to meet with a career counselor in November and mine turned out to be super helpful. I filled out a form that told her of my interests beforehand and she made sure to address all of them and explain to me their different hiring practices and what they looked for. She also reviewed my resume (several times) and cover letter and met with me in February when I was getting anxious about getting a job for this summer. Professor's are also (from what I have seen) willing to meet with students and give advice and even contact information for colleagues/acquaintances of theirs.

[CO2016YEAH]

I'm sure even if they didn't schedule it in anticipation of the rankings release they are well prepared to answer questions about it. As Dean Gold stated in that email they announced a few weeks ago that part of the plan for LLS going forward is to release the size of incoming 1L classes which I know makes prospective students want to die because it might lessen their chances but it really is a good thing once you are a 1L. Smaller classes means less people to compete with for jobs.

Also, I think I've said this in here before but one of the things that has most impressed me about LLS is how hard our career services office works. As 1Ls we are required to meet with a career counselor in November and mine turned out to be super helpful. I filled out a form that told her of my interests beforehand and she made sure to address all of them and explain to me their different hiring practices and what they looked for. She also reviewed my resume (several times) and cover letter and met with me in February when I was getting anxious about getting a job for this summer. Professor's are also (from what I have seen) willing to meet with students and give advice and even contact information for colleagues/acquaintances of theirs.

All of this is good to hear. I've been told much of this before, but it is good to have it reinforced. I can't remember; which year are you in? In the interest of full disclosure (and I don't mean this to be rude), are you employed as any type of an ambassador or representative of the school?

As for cutting class size, I think this is excellent as well. I know of a few other schools that are doing the same. I'm also hoping a good chunk of schools (basically, the TTTT paper mills) will completely go out of business in the next couple of years. This might be wishful thinking, but the law school industry can't keep cranking out way more grads than projected openings.

Anyhow, thanks again.

[Aristophanes]

I'm sure even if they didn't schedule it in anticipation of the rankings release they are well prepared to answer questions about it. As Dean Gold stated in that email they announced a few weeks ago that part of the plan for LLS going forward is to release the size of incoming 1L classes which I know makes prospective students want to die because it might lessen their chances but it really is a good thing once you are a 1L. Smaller classes means less people to compete with for jobs.

Also, I think I've said this in here before but one of the things that has most impressed me about LLS is how hard our career services office works. As 1Ls we are required to meet with a career counselor in November and mine turned out to be super helpful. I filled out a form that told her of my interests beforehand and she made sure to address all of them and explain to me their different hiring practices and what they looked for. She also reviewed my resume (several times) and cover letter and met with me in February when I was getting anxious about getting a job for this summer. Professor's are also (from what I have seen) willing to meet with students and give advice and even contact information for colleagues/acquaintances of theirs.

Pleasye, thanks for all of the info you've given us. Much appreciated.

[Pleasye]

CO2016YEAH - I'm a 1L and I'm not employed by Loyola at all.

[CO2016YEAH]

CO2016YEAH - I'm a 1L and I'm not employed by Loyola at all.

Cool. Are you glad you went to Loyola? Do you have something cool lined up for summer?

[anticule]

So what if I want to work in San Francisco? LLS at 68 (assuming I get in) or USF at 144....

You won't get a job from either of these schools.

[ManoftheHour]

So what if I want to work in San Francisco? LLS at 68 (assuming I get in) or USF at 144....

You won't get a job from either of these schools.

LLS places in SoCal. If you want NorCal, I suggest Davis/Hastings/Santa Clara. Keep in mind that San Fran is a TOUGH market to crack.

[Pleasye]

CO2016YEAH - I'm a 1L and I'm not employed by Loyola at all.

Cool. Are you glad you went to Loyola? Do you have something cool lined up for summer?

Yep! I'm definitely glad I came here. I'm working at Legal Aid this summer and I'm pretty excited about it.

[redmessengerbag]

Oh man, I'm glad I'm not the only one concerned about the rankings drop. I'm still waiting to hear back LLS, but this slide is making me very uncomfortable. I got good scholly money from USD without stipulation, I might just have to go to USD instead...Otherwise I am still waiting to hear from USC as well.

[CO2016YEAH]

Oh man, I'm glad I'm not the only one concerned about the rankings drop. I'm still waiting to hear back LLS, but this slide is making me very uncomfortable. I got good scholly money from USD without stipulation, I might just have to go to USD instead...Otherwise I am still waiting to hear from USC as well.

Well, LLS and USD are now tied, and USD has better employment stats! If you don't mind living in SD afterwards I'd say it sounds like as good of a bet!

[Allie]

This drop in ratings is depressing. They did offer quite a bit of money but I think my self esteem just took a hit :p

Am I the only one who feels like they're torn between 2-3 schools and that this choice is going to be heartbreaking?

[dproduct]

This drop in ratings is depressing. They did offer quite a bit of money but I think my self esteem just took a hit :p

Am I the only one who feels like they're torn between 2-3 schools and that this choice is going to be heartbreaking?

I don't have a heart left to break now that it's March.

[dproduct]

On a happier note, anyone attending one of the host days?

Admissions Office, FH154 Mon. Apr. 1st, 9:30am - 1:45pm 2 left Lunch with Professors + Students.

Admissions Office, FH154 Tue. Apr. 9th, 10:30am - 2:25pm 7 left Lunch with Professors and Students.

Admissions Office, FH154 Thu. Apr. 11th, 3:30pm - 7:15pm 15 left Dinner with Professors and Students.

Admissions Office, FH154 Mon. Apr. 15th, 10:30am - 2:40pm 15 left

Is the available schedule. I'm thinking about the 9th...

[onionskin]

So what if I want to work in San Francisco? LLS at 68 (assuming I get in) or USF at 144....

You won't get a job from either of these schools.

LLS places in SoCal. If you want NorCal, I suggest Davis/Hastings/Santa Clara. Keep in mind that San Fran is a TOUGH market to crack.

Tougher than LA? I'm waiting on SCU, Hastings and Davis but seeing Davis's new tuition for out of state (according to USNWR) has reallly put me off that.

SCU placement rate isn't exactly stellar either..

[dproduct]

So what if I want to work in San Francisco? LLS at 68 (assuming I get in) or USF at 144....

You won't get a job from either of these schools.

LLS places in SoCal. If you want NorCal, I suggest Davis/Hastings/Santa Clara. Keep in mind that San Fran is a TOUGH market to crack.

Tougher than LA? I'm waiting on SCU, Hastings and Davis but seeing Davis's new tuition for out of state (according to USNWR) has reallly put me off that.

SCU placement rate isn't exactly stellar either..

While this thread isn't the place for this, I'd highly advise against SCU.

[pada2000]

Anyone still waiting to hear back? Also, does anyone know when they'll make their decisions by? It would make sense if it's before deposits are due...right?

[apinarba]

Anyone still waiting to hear back? Also, does anyone know when they'll make their decisions by? It would make sense if it's before deposits are due...right?

i'm still waiting... and i think judging from last year's thread there were some that heard back as late as may

[pada2000]

Anyone still waiting to hear back? Also, does anyone know when they'll make their decisions by? It would make sense if it's before deposits are due...right?

i'm still waiting... and i think judging from last year's thread there were some that heard back as late as may

For regular decisions? That's unfortunate considering we would have to put up deposits for schools soon.

[shawn1234]

While this thread isn't the place for this, I'd highly advise against SCU.[/quote]


an EMPHATIC +1

[MASSattack1]

I called asking when we should expect to hear by, and I was told I would hear by April 1st. I don't know if that's good (they're going to let me in to get my money in April) or bad as in they're waiting to send out a massive wave of dings...

I guess we'll see!