Hofstra's direction

[NextL]

Why are they creeping down in rankings? It's confusing because students and alumni love the school and Lawyers from the NY area think that Hofstra is a great school.  What is Hofstra doing to change thier rankings and weak national reputation.  Can anybody shed some light on why Hofstra might be ranking low, despite their #'s.  Does anybody else share these concerns?

[RobWreck]

Although i haven't a clue why Hofstra's rankings are dropping, I do know that their median LSAT and GPA are a bit lower than St. John's. I am a bit concerned because Hofstra is my safety and I'd hate to wind up at a school going in the wrong direction.
Rob

[ksully]

Because there bar passage % is low compared to the other NY schools. The were tied for the third lowest score in the state for 2005 and 5 points below the state average. They had the lowest bar passage rate of all schools in the state for July 2006.

http://www.nylawyer.com/adgifs/decisions/121506examchart.pdf

[dresblues]

Hofstra did move down in the rankins from tier two to tier three, however as we all know, these rankings are subjective. Their low bar passage rate probably does play a significant role towards thier drop, but, they did just start a new "Bar Exam" course, that could be part of the curriculum if one chooses; they predict that thier passage rate will rise significantly.

It is in my perception that they are not heading in the wrong direction, they will bring thier ranking back up before I gradute, I'm confident. Think of it like anything else, natural fluctuations do and will esist, especially in a subjective ranking system.

[Publius]

Hofstra is a step behind every other law school in New York. They tout their faculty and clinical programs, yet their July 2006 bar passage was the lowest of any school in the state. Although they now offer a bar prep course, it’s unorganized and unpopular with the student body. Anyone considering a legal education in New York should look elsewhere. All law schools have solid teaching staffs and clinical programs. Go to a school that is competitive and adequately prepares the student for the practical challenges of becoming a lawyer, like passing the bar.

[lipper]

look at Albany Law. they had a higher bar passage rate than Brooklyn Law.

[schnorer]

It is plainly not true that the new Bar Prep program is not popular with the student body. This year almost 3/4 of the whole third year has registered for the prep course. It is in fact highly popular.

[fooseball22]

yea, the bar passage rate has nothing to do with Hofstra's recent drop.  Although it is tremendously awful, it really does not play a significant factor in their drop.  Rather, what seems to have happened was that the reputation among lawyers/judges dropped from 80-something to like 130-something.  Keep in mind that reputation ranking had been climbing and within the top hundred for at least 5 years. 

so what does that mean?  it could mean a number of things, but more likely than not, it is probably a statistical oddity.  Particularly given the reputation hofstra does have in the new york area. 

Anyway, hope that helps to clarify some of the confusion.  (PS-the bar passage rate for the top 50% of the hofstra class is 99%...so unless you're planning to be a slack ass, don't sweat it).