Wednesday, July 25, 2012
28 of the Top 50 Law Schools Are Still Accepting Applications for Entering 1L Class
In a sign of just how desperate things are on the law school admissions front, Paul Campos (Colorado) reports that 28 of the Top 50 law schools are still accepting applications for the IL class beginning in August, including 10 of the Top 20 schools (even though their formal application deadlines passed several months ago):
- Chicago (#5 in U.S. News)
- Michigan (#10)
- Northwestern (#12)
- Georgetown (#13)
- Cornell (#14)
- UCLA (#15)
- Texas (#16)
- Vanderbilt (#16)
- Minnesota (#19)
- George Washington (#20)
Update:
- ABA Journal, Several Top Law Schools Are Still Accepting Applications for Fall 2012
- Volokh Conspiracy, 28 of 50 Top Law Schools Still Accepting Applications for Fall Semester
https://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog/2012/07/28-of-top-50.html
Comments
As commentators on the Campos site note, isn't the important question whether schools have accepted applications after the deadline in prior years? A lot of schools have rolling admissions and have admitted students off the wait-list for years. It wouldn't surprise me to know that they have always told applicants after the deadline that they would immediately go onto the waiting list, but that they are permitted to apply. Moreover, the difference in methodology may account for much of the difference in result. If you call, you get a front office staffer (sometimes an undergrad student worker) who gives you the official deadline. If you e-mail and provide specifics, it may get forwarded to a decision-maker (if it wasn't sent to a decision-maker directly) and get a different response. Indeed, an e-mail may be the only way to get in touch with the actual Dean of Admissions.
Posted by: anon | Jul 25, 2012 12:17:42 PM
Cornell is the really shocking one here. Its class is tiny, and its employment statistics (realatively speaking) are less awful than most. It's got the "Ivy League" badge of honor.
If Cornell is having trouble filling its class (with the "quality" entering stats it execpts), things must be absolutely terrible for the other schools on the list (or great for those that want to see basic econmic princles apply to law schools).
The canary is dead, get out of the mine, now!
Posted by: Anon | Jul 25, 2012 10:35:07 AM
It's interesting that the list of "still open" schools in the top 20 has substantial overlap with the so-called "scavenger" schools in the recent analysis by Matt Leicher. Those schools may have been in the habit of keeping admissions somewhat open and may have expanded that practice now that competition for high LSAT students is fierce and desperate.
USC
American
George Washington
Georgetown
Boston College
Cornell
Duke
Vanderbilt
George Mason
William & Mary
(Chicago was "barely" off the scavenger list)
Chicago (#5 in U.S. News)
Georgetown (#13)
Cornell (#14)
Vanderbilt (#16)
George Washington (#20)
Posted by: anon | Jul 26, 2012 7:28:58 AM