Law schools have been very generous lately. At least that's what they would like you to believe. In truth, the law school community is quickly spinning out of control due in large part due to a stagnant job market and questionable scholarship practices.
Alexandra Leumer is like many of her law school compatriots, attracted to the status and supposed money associated with getting those two glorious letters after her name: J.D. Unfortunately for Ms. Leumer, she was lured by the same promises of scholarships and job stability that have been haunting many law students this past decade.
The plan is pretty simple. Law schools like the one that Leumer attended (Golden Gate University) consistently offer far more scholarships than they will ever have to honor by telling students that all they have to do is maintain a certain G.P.A. -usually around a 3.0- and they will maintain their scholarships.
Of course, as most everyone knows, law schools mete out judgment based on a bell curve. In essence a situation occurs wherein 40% of law school students are competing to achieve a grade (and 100's of thousands of dollars) that less than 20% are even allowed to have. Law schools know perfectly well that it is an impossibility for all of their students on scholarship to maintain their financial aid, but apparently, this has little moral hold on people who are supposed to be teaching our future lawyers subjects such as, for instance, ethics.
This is an issue of recruitment. Law school is revered as one of the most prestigious advanced degrees around, and people are not quick to shy from the status that comes with it, despite the increasingly gloomy outlook. Law schools have become all too eager to lure as many students as possible with these scholarships, and the students are all too eager to accept the offer in hopes of landing a job that is becoming increasingly difficult to find.
Many colleges have been noted as providing suspicious post-graduation employment ratings, many of which do not factor in whether or not the graduate is employed at a law firm, or is the guy taking your order at McDonald's. Needless to say, when 100s of thousands of dollars of student debt are on the line, the difference is a critical one. The only fact that truly matters, is that currently only about half of all law students are getting real legal jobs.
College students may often times be drunk, but they're not stupid, and in fitting fashion law school admissions have been absolutely plummeting as of late. There is expected to be a meager 53,000 applications for the fall of 2013, a low that has not been seen since 1983. Time will tell how this all plays out for the legal community, but it's safe to say that if you've been cross-examining that law degree, you might want to go ahead and ask for a sidebar.
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