Southwestern University

[stt]

Hi All,

I really like the programming at Southwestern University Law School.  The faculty seem very respectable as well; a select few have extraordinary real-world experience, which is far more attractive to me than pure academics.  The school has good numbers for graduate hires, too.  According to Martindale-Hubbard, quite a few Southwestern grads have landed jobs at some heavy firms (6-figures to start).

A lot of people in various pre-law forums and message boards, however, seem to knock the school for some reason...

No one seems to be concentrating on the school's passage rate for 1st-time bar exam test takers, which is the only visible item I see that they could pick on.  Personally, my view of the bar exam is that my school is not supposed to hold my hand or otherwise be held responsible for my personal committment to prepare for this test.  It's no secret what subjects may be presented on the bar exam.  I say give me access to the reading materials and the professors for three years, top it off with Bar-Bri, and I'll take care of the rest myself...

I can't find any publicized scandals about Southwestern that would support the general apathy I've witnessed regarding this school.  I find it interesting that they are a non-profit organization.  Do they give all their money to the American Nazi Party, and I'm the last one to know about it?  What?  I want to stay here in LA for school, but I didn't even apply to Loyola because:

1.  I'd prefer to attend a school that is not affiliated with a religious organization;
2.  Southwestern's hiring numbers are better;
3.  to be perfectly honest, Southwestern's class offering was more interesting to me than any other school in LA.  There, I said it. 

I have several family members who graduated from the law schools at UCLA and USC within the last 10 years; they are all presently employed at major firms or corporations in Los Angeles making big bucks, and they've assured me that Southwestern is a good school. They were honest in telling me that some firms obviously cater to certain 1st tier institutions.  For example, Firm "A" might examine the top 25% at UCLA, but they'll only consider the top 5% at Southwestern.  But this scenario doesn't really bother me, because I am extremely passionate about my study goals for law school; I really want to LEARN this stuff for the purpose of achieving very specific career goals, and I believe my grades will reflect this no matter where I go. 

I don't want to further query my family resources in the LA law scene regarding the negative chat I've observed regarding Southwestern, because these people are legal professionals working at top-paying LA gigs; further query would insinuate that I doubt that they know what they're talking about, which would be insulting on my part.

I would very much appreciate any insight from enrolled Southwestern students or grads  regarding this issue and their personal experiences.  If there are any pre-enrolled applicants who can offer substantive commentary, I would be interested in hearing from you as well.

Best wishes and good luck to you all!

[andywp8]

a lot of people are down on SW because they have a horrendous attrition rate, around 33%.

i don't know why you would not apply to Loyola, the religious factor is not that present at the law school.
Loyola has a much better reputation in the LA legal community than SW.  Obviuosly i am biased but you can ask any of the socal people around here and they will tell you that there is a definite pecking order in LA law schools, with SW being far below Loyola and maybe even a little below Pep

[stt]

Hi andywp8,

Thanks for getting back : )

I didn't mean to say that my impression is that Loyola students have to be cloaked or anything.  I'm not even an atheist.  It's a personal thing, no offense against Loyola whatsoever.  My reasons given for not applying where not in order of importance...

Regarding attrition...

Do you mean to say the 33% dropout rate?  I guess I'm not looking at that as a negative.  I guess it all depends on why the student is dropping out.  If the student is dropping out because the program is a tough one, then I figure that says good things about the program as long as the program is relevant to the study of the law. My attitute about workload is:  if it's relevant for the bar exam and/or it's going to be useful to me in the long-run, then pile it on, bury me under it, that's what I'm paying for : )

Can you think of any other reason why the school gets hated on?  Apart from the attrition rate and what the rankings have to say?  Have you heard any horror stories that you can relate?  Thanks in advance : )
 

[andywp8]

Here is what some students say about SW:

http://www.4law.net/rating/censura.php?tsid=1&csid=ff87ef4f6e7794b8b6776bf4d82aa000&cmd=details&itemid=30



my prelaw advisor told me if i ended up going to SW i would need to make law review to be considered for a 100k plus job

[stt]

Here is what some students say about SW:

http://www.4law.net/rating/censura.php?tsid=1&csid=ff87ef4f6e7794b8b6776bf4d82aa000&cmd=details&itemid=30



my prelaw advisor told me if i ended up going to SW i would need to make law review to be considered for a 100k plus job

Thanks for the link!

I've heard back from a few people; I'm satisfied that the a majority of negative feedback  I've been hearing is not derived from enrolled students or grads who were not satisfied by their SW experience, but rather pre-laws who place a lot of weight on the rankings and other elements that I'm not overly concerned about...

It's obvious the experience of applying to law school has taken a bit of a toll on me.  The length and depth of the process is enough to make anyone skittish when they're about to 'walk down the aisle' so to speak, lol...

Now to buckle down and get ready to hit the books!  Good luck to everybody!