Knowing where you want to attend law school is a key aspect of the application process. Before making a final decision, consult with various people – friends, family members, alumni and faculty members alike.
Discuss bar passage rates, professor accessibility and career prospects when making your choice of school.
Location
Location should always be an important consideration when selecting a law school. Your location can have a significant effect on classroom dynamics, professor accessibility and opportunities available to students; additionally it may have an effect on how you perceive your experience there as the culture of a law school can dictate how you learn and work.
Some schools boast more competitive cultures, which may suit some students who thrive under pressure; other people might prefer a more collaborative setting instead. Making this decision for yourself will ultimately affect both happiness and productivity in law school.
Fordham University in New York City stands out as a top law school with an excellent bar passage rate, boasting a diverse community, plenty of hands-on learning opportunities and an engaged faculty. Students may participate in legal clinics such as asylum clinic, cyberharassment clinic and housing rights clinic among many others; its average GPA and LSAT scores for admission stand at 3.75 and 157 respectively.
Specializations
As part of your law school experience, you’ll also have the chance to specialize in a particular field – giving you more control of how it meets your career interests. Common specializations may include family law, e-commerce law or admiralty law.
Family law explores the legal ramifications associated with family relationships such as adoption, divorce and domestic partnerships. This law degree specialization may be perfect for professionals interested in helping families through difficult transitions.
Litigation and trial practice, which encompasses pretrial, discovery and trial preparation work, could be another path. This law degree specialization could suit professionals who enjoy courtroom environments as a source of challenge – often this overlaps with criminal law cases as well.
Size
Size matters when considering which school to attend; smaller schools tend to offer a closer community feel with tight-knit networks of both students and professors that provide extra support when law school becomes stressful. Furthermore, smaller schools often have more extracurricular opportunities such as student journals, clinics and internships available.
Smaller schools typically boast more stable enrollment. This can assist graduates when seeking employment after graduation as employers will have a clearer idea of the number of new graduates they need to hire.
Finally, smaller law schools tend to be less expensive than higher-ranked ones. Students may opt for the latter if financial burden becomes an issue; nonetheless, it’s important to pursue your passion rather than go into law school simply for financial gain; those who follow their passion will likely become more successful over time.
Community
As soon as you step foot in a law school, you’ll become part of its community. Students from diverse backgrounds – some just out of undergraduate school while others returning after careers and families have come and gone – will all share in your experience.
Your extracurricular options at CSULB span from sports leagues and games, volunteering opportunities, cultural celebrations, academic discussion groups, professional development workshops, social events, internships/externships/policy labs/moot court competitions.
Law school can often be more demanding than undergrad, and you must be ready for its rigorous schedule of studying, reading, writing, and researching intensively. You will be expected to act responsibly inside and outside of class; being challenged with thinking critically about complex issues impacting individual lives, judicial institutions, and our global society will set you up for future success in law practice. Developing these abilities will put you on a solid path towards a fulfilling legal career.
