Southwestern 2011 Forum

[JRoFL]

I got an email today about SCALE... still in review

[biglonestar]

I have a SCALE interview on thursday (4/28). I have not been accepted into SW yet...I am still in review however its only been 5 weeks so I know I have a while longer till I find out anything.

[Oblivion_08]

Numbers?

[biglonestar]

I already PMed you them but they were 153 and 3.4 gpa

[lretter]

i got the email about SCALE, one day after being admitted.

What do you guys think about the program? From my understanding it is an accelerated 2 year JD track which emphasizes practical experience (externships) as part of the mandatory curriculum. It sounds/looks very interesting, but what's the catch? Does it end up being cheaper since you're only attending for two years??

EDIT: info from wiki
Established in 1974, Southwestern founded the first two-year J.D. course of study offered at an American Bar Association-approved law school. SCALE (Southwestern's Conceptual Approach to Legal Education) is a unique, accelerated J.D. program with emphasis on interdisciplinary study, critical thinking and simulation training. SCALE's frequent deadlines, challenging curriculum, extensive writing assignments, intense schedule, and demanding workload prepare students for the rigors of practicing law. Low student-faculty ratio in the classroom promotes cooperative teaching and intellectual discussion among classmates. The program has a limited enrollment of select highly motivated and exceptional students, which requires applicants to interview with the Program Director as part of the application process.

[Oblivion_08]

I already PMed you them but they were 153 and 3.4 gpa

Then try for scale, your chances at full time are slim

[ljeucla]

I already PMed you them but they were 153 and 3.4 gpa

Then try for scale, your chances at full time are slim

You had a 3.2/151 LSAT didn't you? Why would you say that his chances are slim if you got in? I don't think it's fair to pass judgment on his acceptance into Southwestern just yet.

[Oblivion_08]

I got into part time, not full. And I had a 150. I was told directly by the admissions committee that there are people on the full time wait-list with 156s-160s.

[Oblivion_08]

He has a chance, but he has a BETTER chance at SCALE and PT.

[stargazer3620]

I'm not sure I follow how his chance of getting into the SCALE program, an accelerated program that you have to interview for to see if you have enough intelligence and drive, would be higher than his chance of getting into the full time program. Doesn't it kind of follow that if one can't get into the full time program, one would not be able to get into the highly intensive SCALE program? Perhaps you mean PLEAS?

[Oblivion_08]

The full time program has more applicants than the SCALE program. A lot of people do not want to do the SCALE program, they want the full time program. A lot of people here are getting e-mails to apply for SCALE or try to get into SCALE because they have a better chance of admittance. This is what I heard during my interview to just get into the school, they told me SCALE was harder to get into based on grades, but SCALE has not been popular this year and FT has been VERY popular.

[Oblivion_08]

They also told me based on my age and stats I should do PLEAS because SCALE might not be a program for me and it is optimized for others. The school obviously has you on their radar if you got the SCALE e-mail.

[ljeucla]

They also told me based on my age and stats I should do PLEAS because SCALE might not be a program for me and it is optimized for others. The school obviously has you on their radar if you got the SCALE e-mail.

What did you do to get into Full Time? Congrats btw.

[Oblivion_08]

I didn't get into full time, i'm in PLEAS, that's why I am suggesting him and everyone who asks me to try a different program other than FT. I know a guy who got admitted to SCALE last year, switched to PT and asked them to put him on a list for the FT. And the last day of summer he was admitted to FT, it is not a crazy event to be admitted to SCALE and not FT.

[ljeucla]

I didn't get into full time, i'm in PLEAS, that's why I am suggesting him and everyone who asks me to try a different program other than FT. I know a guy who got admitted to SCALE last year, switched to PT and asked them to put him on a list for the FT. And the last day of summer he was admitted to FT, it is not a crazy event to be admitted to SCALE and not FT.

Got it, thanks. I'm definitely going to go in for the interview. I'm still waiting to hear back from them in regards to when I can schedule one for. Anybody know what the interview is like or what to prepare for?

[HCG]

i got the email about SCALE, one day after being admitted.

What do you guys think about the program? From my understanding it is an accelerated 2 year JD track which emphasizes practical experience (externships) as part of the mandatory curriculum. It sounds/looks very interesting, but what's the catch? Does it end up being cheaper since you're only attending for two years??

EDIT: info from wiki
Established in 1974, Southwestern founded the first two-year J.D. course of study offered at an American Bar Association-approved law school. SCALE (Southwestern's Conceptual Approach to Legal Education) is a unique, accelerated J.D. program with emphasis on interdisciplinary study, critical thinking and simulation training. SCALE's frequent deadlines, challenging curriculum, extensive writing assignments, intense schedule, and demanding workload prepare students for the rigors of practicing law. Low student-faculty ratio in the classroom promotes cooperative teaching and intellectual discussion among classmates. The program has a limited enrollment of select highly motivated and exceptional students, which requires applicants to interview with the Program Director as part of the application process.

You don't save much in terms of tuition. SCALE is a little over 58k per year. You do however, save on living expenses. I went through the interview and orientation so feel free to PM me with any questions. The catch to SCALE is that you don't have much flexibility in terms of electives and you won't really have a specialization from what I understand. Also, there is the fact that SCALE students study on average 5 hours a day. So, from some of the students I spoke with, their schedules look like this, get to school at 7 to study until their morning classes, study some more at lunch and then go to their afternoon classes and study a some more after that. It's a pretty rigorous schedule.

[Oblivion_08]

I didn't get into full time, i'm in PLEAS, that's why I am suggesting him and everyone who asks me to try a different program other than FT. I know a guy who got admitted to SCALE last year, switched to PT and asked them to put him on a list for the FT. And the last day of summer he was admitted to FT, it is not a crazy event to be admitted to SCALE and not FT.

Got it, thanks. I'm definitely going to go in for the interview. I'm still waiting to hear back from them in regards to when I can schedule one for. Anybody know what the interview is like or what to prepare for?

From what I heard the interview is not really an interview, it is just someone giving you a brief overview of the program and they ask you if you want to do it, but this might be different.

[Oblivion_08]

i got the email about SCALE, one day after being admitted.

What do you guys think about the program? From my understanding it is an accelerated 2 year JD track which emphasizes practical experience (externships) as part of the mandatory curriculum. It sounds/looks very interesting, but what's the catch? Does it end up being cheaper since you're only attending for two years??

EDIT: info from wiki
Established in 1974, Southwestern founded the first two-year J.D. course of study offered at an American Bar Association-approved law school. SCALE (Southwestern's Conceptual Approach to Legal Education) is a unique, accelerated J.D. program with emphasis on interdisciplinary study, critical thinking and simulation training. SCALE's frequent deadlines, challenging curriculum, extensive writing assignments, intense schedule, and demanding workload prepare students for the rigors of practicing law. Low student-faculty ratio in the classroom promotes cooperative teaching and intellectual discussion among classmates. The program has a limited enrollment of select highly motivated and exceptional students, which requires applicants to interview with the Program Director as part of the application process.

You don't save much in terms of tuition. SCALE is a little over 58k per year. You do however, save on living expenses. I went through the interview and orientation so feel free to PM me with any questions. The catch to SCALE is that you don't have much flexibility in terms of electives and you won't really have a specialization from what I understand. Also, there is the fact that SCALE students study on average 5 hours a day. So, from some of the students I spoke with, their schedules look like this, get to school at 7 to study until their morning classes, study some more at lunch and then go to their afternoon classes and study a some more after that. It's a pretty rigorous schedule.

+1

[ljeucla]

Thank you for the info.!

[lalalawya]

I applied to the school back in October, was told in February I would receive my decision in a week...I was told the same thing in March. I finally received my letter of acceptance in April--a few days before the seat deposit was due. I was not impressed with their admissions process, and for this reason (amongst a few others) have decided not to attend. I hope my spot goes to one of you! Good luck!!!!

[EstboundNDwn]

Anyone here apply to both FT and PT?

I'm thinking about applying next year for PT to save some money, but I wouldn't want to preclude an opportunity to go FT if I ended up getting a scholarship.

[debili123]

I emailed them for the interview, but I didn't get any reply, has any of you got a reply?

[ljeucla]

I emailed them for the interview, but I didn't get any reply, has any of you got a reply?

No not yet.

[biglonestar]

I already PMed you them but they were 153 and 3.4 gpa

Then try for scale, your chances at full time are slim

My only interest in SW is in the SCALE program. Even if I am accepted full time I will not be attending. I was accepted into a different law school and I had been told not to apply by some because I wouldnt get accepted yet I was accepted. I have learned to not listen to people who do not know what they are talking about.

[Oblivion_08]

Then don't ask questions if you don't want to listen to them, I actually do know what I am talking about. I'm very interested to know what this other school is.