Thursday, November 26, 2009

Education

Morse Code: Inside the College Rankings

What Happened With Brooklyn Law School

May 18, 2009 02:53 PM ET | Robert Morse | Permanent Link | Print

Reader Comments

BTQ Abuse

"Begs the question" does NOT mean "raises the question."

BLS alum unsurprised

As a 2004 BLS alum -- and now poverty lawyer -- who was always disgusted by the BLS dean's love affair with status, rankings, and corporate firms, I am not at all surprised by this. This dean would surely not hesitate to manipulate numbers to further the school’s (i.e., her) interests. (NB: the BLS alum financial solicitations ask you for your salary range, including an option of “$500k to $1 million”. Puh-leeze.)

BLS Part time student

COmment re: "BLS officials won't disclose its part-timers' LSAT/GPA profiles -- now or ever -- because they're ashamed of these students". Maybe in general they are ashamed, but i am a full-time investment banker, a mom and a top ranking part-time student - which evidences that there are a lot of smart part-time students in the program. In addition, most of the students admitted part-time end up transferring into the full-time program and those that are core part-time students are briliant individuals that are able to juggle school, work and other responsibilities. I am very happy with my experience at BLS and wouldn't trade my part-time experience for anything. As a matter of fact, i may even have more full time job offers from prominent large law firms now (given i'm working with them on a daily basis) than top performers at ivy league law schools.

Sleight of Hand by BLS

BLS officials won't disclose its part-timers' LSAT/GPA profiles -- now or ever -- because they're ashamed of these students. And most important, BLS doesn't want to 'queer' its USNWR rank, long on the ascendant.

The school’s officials say "…we reported the LSAT/GPA information about our full-time students...[c]onsistent with prior practice.... [W]e left blank the questions about LSAT/GPA of part-time students." The officials continue: "There was no intention to hide the existence of our part-time program, as evidenced by substantial other information we provided about our part-time program elsewhere in the questionnaire."

This response begs the question: if USNWR is now requiring the part-timer data, why is BLS stonewalling?

Answer: BLS knows mom and dad won’t bankroll a $200K education at a school that doesn’t rank damn well, for bragging purposes. In the main, scores of Brooklyn Law School's part-time students do not remotely approach those of the school’s better-qualified full-time students. Many BLS part-timers have demanding full-time jobs, and many are years out of college or other graduate training. BLS part-timers, while not as promising as white-shoe law firm material, generate huge profits for BLS, whose main campus, built on free urban renewal land, is long ago fully paid off.

In sum, school officials see its full-time class as ‘legit’ and its part-time class as rain maker. Still, it needs those bragging rights to keep this rain coming.

absolutely serious?

less than super lotto? you don't say? in fact, you did say. you, you, are an idiot.

Rankings are just a guide- and a useful one if used cautiously

Please- these rankings are just a guide- The way they also rank law students for admissions is also lacking. Like they'll import students from all over the country with certain LSAT scores to Cardozo or Fordham because their LSAT/GPA's meet a certain range. Then these out of towner students arrive and they're not really so very happy living in this region- it's cutthroat- over saturated and extremely expensive and it's an urban lifestyle. If you're used to living a better lifestyle somewhere else, relocating to NYC can be a harsh initiation. Then you have NYC people who live a few subway rides away from Fordham or Cardozo or Brooklyn Law School being wait-listed because their LSAT/GPA's although good are not as supra-excellent as some other candidates from out of town. If they don't end up at Brooklyn, Cardozo or Fordham- they'll end up choosing New york Law School even though it's ranked lower than Seton Hall or St. Johns or Hofstra because New York Law School although 5th in the city is a fine school and the alternative of commuting to Jersey, LI or Queens seems unpleasant. Then you read blogs of disgruntled law students from Brooklyn and Cardozo who relocate here and go up to their eyeballs in debt and don't want to have to take a less than awesome law job after graduation and pay NYC rent and lifestyle costs. Maybe going to more highly rated regional schools like University of Florida if you're from Florida or Tulane if you're from that area would make more sense than re-locating to NYC because you Believe that's where the $$$$ is . It's true... there are some folks here making serious $$$$ in big law... many came from places like NYU or Columbia or Yale or Harvard... and come to NYC to make $$$$. If you don't make $$$$ and live in NYC you are in for quite an initiation. I suggest visiting this area- subletting for a month- make sure it's really worth it.

Amigos dela vien to tempos

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Law School SCAM!!

As a law school grad. I can tell you that with this economy your chance of getting a good law job if you didn't make 10% in a top 10 law school and law school is prob less than winning the SuperLotto.

It's a travesty for law students and new lawyers. They're opening new law schools while law graduates are homeless, unemployed, on food stamps and hundreds of 1000s of $ in debt.

If thats what you want for your future by all means go to Law School.

I am absolutely serious! From personal experience.

Most Law Schools' Stats are Falsified

Brooklyn law school is just one of many law schools that falsify their income and employment stats. Most law schools have falsified their stats. We lawyers and grads Know This because we talk to other grads. Over 50 percent of all law school grads from the past 10 years have left the profession, most of them because they could not even get a law job or make it as a solo lawyer.

The stats from the schools are basically lies. They can do this because the government lets them do this.

US NEWS

These rankings are the equivalent of a carfax report. It tells you nothing about the car (or in this case the school,) and in this case is solely consumer driven. The consumers being prospective students instead of car buyers. This report tells you what information they have, but not everything. You have to judge for yourself.

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About this Blog

Robert Morse is director of data research for U.S. News & World Report and has worked at the magazine since 1976. He develops the methodologies and surveys for the America's Best Colleges and America's Best Graduate Schools annual rankings, keeping an eye on higher-education trends to make sure the rankings offer prospective students the best analysis available. Morse Code provides deeper insights into the methodologies and is a forum for commentary and analysis of college, grad and other rankings.

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