Penn State - Dickinson c/o 2021 Forum

[mmart207]

In! No email or anything but I randomly checked the status checker and it says it there!! Any info on when scholarship info will come?

[cjm720]

In! No email or anything but I randomly checked the status checker and it says it there!! Any info on when scholarship info will come?

Congrats! I got my scholarship info in my acceptance email, which came the same day as the acceptance being shown on status checker. Acceptance packet arrived in the mail about a week later.

[mmart207]

In! No email or anything but I randomly checked the status checker and it says it there!! Any info on when scholarship info will come?

Congrats! I got my scholarship info in my acceptance email, which came the same day as the acceptance being shown on status checker. Acceptance packet arrived in the mail about a week later.

Thank you! It's weird because I still haven't received an acceptance email. Maybe tomorrow? Do they even contact you on weekends? lol

[mmart207]

Finally got the email today! Full tuition scholarship!

[KPUSN07]

Congrats I’m also in - trying figure more out about the school and expected outcomes

[mmart207]

94% employment for 2016 graduates. Not too shabby.

[bmathers]

Think long and very hard before going to this school. I went there on a full ship + living stipend... ended up taking a leave and going back to my 7-year career as an educator. A month after securing full time employment, Dickinson called the school/my employer and tried to get me fired. Luckily, I'm busting my butt, doing a great job (secured a grant today for curricular materials at an urban district, and am creating an entire curriculum for a course!), and the school enjoys having me.

I know that this is very anecdotal, BUT do you REALLY want to be part of a school that is that controlling and overstepping boundaries - especially if you have other options? Think about it

[DKM]

It seems like the school has given out a bunch of full rides. What are some of your guy's numbers?

[Anonymous Questioner]

Think long and very hard before going to this school. I went there on a full ship + living stipend... ended up taking a leave and going back to my 7-year career as an educator. A month after securing full time employment, Dickinson called the school/my employer and tried to get me fired. Luckily, I'm busting my butt, doing a great job (secured a grant today for curricular materials at an urban district, and am creating an entire curriculum for a course!), and the school enjoys having me.

I know that this is very anecdotal, BUT do you REALLY want to be part of a school that is that controlling and overstepping boundaries - especially if you have other options? Think about it

This can't seriously be the full story...right?

[BigTex1980]

This can't seriously be the full story...right?

My reaction is the same.

It's difficult to dismiss a free ride at an up and coming school with outcomes like those of Dickinson.

Has anyone else received their bag of coffee beans?

[bmathers]

Correction - After speaking with a dean, she confirmed the school did not contact my employer. However, a fellow student did, attempting to make me lose my job.

THAT is even worse -- do you really want to be a part of a culture that goes out of their way to attempt to hinder someone else's life?

[bmathers]

It's difficult to dismiss a free ride at an up and coming school with outcomes like those of Dickinson.

??? You do know that it is the 5th oldest law school in the nation, right?? Please don't tell me that you are taking rankings in the 60s that seriously.... fwiw, they used to be around #51 not too long ago

[BigTex1980]

??? You do know that it is the 5th oldest law school in the nation, right?? Please don't tell me that you are taking rankings in the 60s that seriously.... fwiw, they used to be around #51 not too long ago

Who cares how old they are? ATL has them ranked 28th, up from unranked the year prior. Broaden yourself beyond US News to rankings focused on what really matters - outcomes.

[Anonymous Questioner]

Correction - After speaking with a dean, she confirmed the school did not contact my employer. However, a fellow student did, attempting to make me lose my job.

THAT is even worse -- do you really want to be a part of a culture that goes out of their way to attempt to hinder someone else's life?

Okay, but that's a *huge* difference. A beef between two students is nowhere near tantamount to the law school sabotaging its students employment outcomes. Such an event would be a national scandal.

[farran34]

??? You do know that it is the 5th oldest law school in the nation, right?? Please don't tell me that you are taking rankings in the 60s that seriously.... fwiw, they used to be around #51 not too long ago

Who cares how old they are? ATL has them ranked 28th, up from unranked the year prior. Broaden yourself beyond US News to rankings focused on what really matters - outcomes.

While this is true, I do not think Dickinson really should be ranked 28th on ATL. Part of the reason their job statistics are so good is that the class that they used for job statistics, 2016, consists of 34 students. Of course a high percentage of students are going to be employed when there are only 34 other students competing for jobs from their school. 28 students got jobs from Dickinson that year: https://dickinsonlaw.psu.edu/sites/defa ... duates.pdf

If you look at the 2015 year 34 students out of 57 were hired:
https://dickinsonlaw.psu.edu/sites/defa ... duates.pdf

These results are much more grim.

It is my prediction that Dickinson is not really doing THAT much better, but the supply merely dropped which means the amount of students hired percentage wise is going to be higher that it will in future years when the class size is closer to 70.

This is not to bash the school, it is just in my research I realized that the higher employment rate for 2016 does not necessarily mean the school is doing better than it was previously due to the really small class size, which is something to keep in mind.

[BigTex1980]

While this is true, I do not think Dickinson really should be ranked 28th on ATL. Part of the reason their job statistics are so good is that the class that they used for job statistics, 2016, consists of 34 students. Of course a high percentage of students are going to be employed when there are only 34 other students competing for jobs from their school. 28 students got jobs from Dickinson that year: https://dickinsonlaw.psu.edu/sites/defa ... duates.pdf

If you look at the 2015 year 34 students out of 57 were hired:
https://dickinsonlaw.psu.edu/sites/defa ... duates.pdf

These results are much more grim.

It is my prediction that Dickinson is not really doing THAT much better, but the supply merely dropped which means the amount of students hired percentage wise is going to be higher that it will in future years when the class size is closer to 70.

This is not to bash the school, it is just in my research I realized that the higher employment rate for 2016 does not necessarily mean the school is doing better than it was previously due to the really small class size, which is something to keep in mind.

Fewer grads need not translate to higher employment rates. The flip side is that fewer grads means each carries more weight; a handful that couldn't get jobs, serving as noise in prior years, now potentially kills your employment percentage.

Dickinson grads, whatever their number, aren't only competing against one another for jobs. An argument could be made that job prospects in the area may have improved, not the school. But you'd likely need to show a corresponding employment gain at other competing area schools. Was there one?

FWIW, I have no ties to Dickinson nor will they be my chosen school.

[farran34]

While this is true, I do not think Dickinson really should be ranked 28th on ATL. Part of the reason their job statistics are so good is that the class that they used for job statistics, 2016, consists of 34 students. Of course a high percentage of students are going to be employed when there are only 34 other students competing for jobs from their school. 28 students got jobs from Dickinson that year: https://dickinsonlaw.psu.edu/sites/defa ... duates.pdf

If you look at the 2015 year 34 students out of 57 were hired:
https://dickinsonlaw.psu.edu/sites/defa ... duates.pdf

These results are much more grim.

It is my prediction that Dickinson is not really doing THAT much better, but the supply merely dropped which means the amount of students hired percentage wise is going to be higher that it will in future years when the class size is closer to 70.

This is not to bash the school, it is just in my research I realized that the higher employment rate for 2016 does not necessarily mean the school is doing better than it was previously due to the really small class size, which is something to keep in mind.

Fewer grads need not translate to higher employment rates. The flip side is that fewer grads means each carries more weight; a handful that couldn't get jobs, serving as noise in prior years, now potentially kills your employment percentage.

Dickinson grads, whatever their number, aren't only competing against one another for jobs. An argument could be made that job prospects in the area may have improved, not the school. But you'd likely need to show a corresponding employment gain at other competing area schools. Was there one?

FWIW, I have no ties to Dickinson nor will they be my chosen school.

You are right that fewer grads does not need to translate to higher employment rates, that was what I was trying to claim. Rather, I was trying to claim that, unless the market has gotten substantially better in one year, this would be a highly conceivable alternative explanation for the high increase in those employed, that makes me skeptical that Dickinson Law school is really THAT much better than they were the year before.

It does appear the market is doing somewhat better, as both Widener and Penn State (University Park Campus) had increases in their job statistics, but it was no where near as impressive of a boost as Dickinson achieved.

My purpose was not to claim that Dickinson is not getting better, nor to bash the school or claim one should not attend the school (I think for central PA small law or public service Dickinson is not a bad choice), but to merely point out that the job statistics could be somewhat distorted due to the very small class size that the most recent employment data is drawing from.

[BigTex1980]

I think we agree

[Fuct]

Those of you who were accepted, congratulations.

Now I have to tell you something: bmathers is coming from a place of spite. He would be able to tell the story better, but he didn't just leave, he was told to leave.

I'm a current student and I love it here. My classmates like it here as well.

[bmathers]

Now I have to tell you something: bmathers is coming from a place of spite. He would be able to tell the story better, but he didn't just leave, he was told to leave.

Not exactly. Did I have people attempt to build a case against me on an issue? Yes, I will not deny that. However, to have these previous people go out of there way 3 months after the fact, to call my employer and attempt to have me fired? That is beyond any sense of proper boundaries, and worries me that a future legal professional so willingly crossed them.

[ceilingistheroof]

Hey everyone - congrats to those who have been accepted to Dickinson! If you are still waiting to hear, I hope for good news!

I am a current 1L and would be more than willing to talk with any student regarding the school, the culture, etc. I love it here and would love to talk with prospective students. I know talking with students was a big portion of my decision to attend Dickinson.

[Anonymous Questioner]

Hey everyone - congrats to those who have been accepted to Dickinson! If you are still waiting to hear, I hope for good news!

I am a current 1L and would be more than willing to talk with any student regarding the school, the culture, etc. I love it here and would love to talk with prospective students. I know talking with students was a big portion of my decision to attend Dickinson.

Hi there! I was admitted with a full-tuition scholarship. I'm wondering how (and how often) students are offered housing stipends/scholarships. Is it something you have to ask for in a negotiation letter, or do they just select from a list of elite applicants? Also, when do notifications of these awards usually come out? Thanks!

[KPUSN07]

Hey everyone - congrats to those who have been accepted to Dickinson! If you are still waiting to hear, I hope for good news!

I am a current 1L and would be more than willing to talk with any student regarding the school, the culture, etc. I love it here and would love to talk with prospective students. I know talking with students was a big portion of my decision to attend Dickinson.

Are Federal Clerkships available - if so, how difficult is it to gain a clerkship from Dickinson? What about working in the Federal government?

[bmathers]

Hey everyone - congrats to those who have been accepted to Dickinson! If you are still waiting to hear, I hope for good news!

I am a current 1L and would be more than willing to talk with any student regarding the school, the culture, etc. I love it here and would love to talk with prospective students. I know talking with students was a big portion of my decision to attend Dickinson.

Are Federal Clerkships available - if so, how difficult is it to gain a clerkship from Dickinson? What about working in the Federal government?

For fed clerkship or big law, you want to be in the top 10% at Dickinson. If you pull the numbers, you can get where you want to go. If you don't pull the numbers, you should still be able to find employment - it just may be at a small firm in central PA starting between $40-60k. If that would be a desirable outcome for you, then check it out. Everyone is different.

[bmathers]

Hey everyone - congrats to those who have been accepted to Dickinson! If you are still waiting to hear, I hope for good news!

I am a current 1L and would be more than willing to talk with any student regarding the school, the culture, etc. I love it here and would love to talk with prospective students. I know talking with students was a big portion of my decision to attend Dickinson.

Hi there! I was admitted with a full-tuition scholarship. I'm wondering how (and how often) students are offered housing stipends/scholarships. Is it something you have to ask for in a negotiation letter, or do they just select from a list of elite applicants? Also, when do notifications of these awards usually come out? Thanks!

Stipends - last year there were quite a few. I've been told that this year they will be much rarer. Scholarships are plentiful though, just check out the 509 report. My stipend was offered out-of-the-blue after a visit.