What do you think about these statements?

[emarejay]

This is from my grandfather who is very weary about me going to Toledo. So weary that he called this professor and spoke to him this morning. This is his version of what was said:



This morning I spoke for approximately 40 minutes with John A. Barret ( Law Prof. at subject school ). He did his under-grad work at Amherst and his Law degree from Harvard. He was entirely candid about U. of Toledo and comparison to the other schools you are accepted at. Florida Coastal was founded by some People from U of Toledo and he sais they were not our best. In comparing Univ. of Toledo to other schools he said the following . We are about on a par with Wayne State. In Ohio he ranked Ohio State, Univ. of Cinn and Case Western ahead of U. of Toledo. He stated that a couple of years ago U of Toledo decided to downsize their enrollment and raise their entrance requirements , in order to raise the standing of their school. He strongly supports that concept. As a Prof. John told me he has the reputation of giving the two hardest exams and admitted that the reputation was correct. He made the following specific recomendations :
 

    Understand that Law School is nothing like undergrad work. Your Law Studies will be all consuming of your time. There will be no time for anything but study and school.
 

 

You must Graduate in the top 10% of your class. If you do so, the world is open to you and quite frankly if you don't you would probably have been better off to have not spent the money on Law School.
 

In the Spring of your First Year there is an oppoirtunity to try out for the "Law Review" By all means do so and be sure you make the cut. Employers are looking for two things when hiring.... Top 10% of Class and Writing for " Law Review "
     He also told me that in addition to a strong local reputation in both Ohio and Michigan, that a lot of their Grads go to Atlanta and Phoenix. These two later locations are due to some strong alums that come back every year to hire from the top 10%. He added that they don't even talk with the other 90%.

 He told me that school is now out until orientation but that he will be there all summer. He would be happy to meet you and even invited you for lunch if you would like. He is there all the time except he will be gone from this friday thru next wednesday. If you want to visit it would give you an opportunity to see the campus and get a feel for things.

I hope this info. is helpful.   

[wildcataz2004]

What a nice grandfather to call a professor...

[BIG H2001]

The first thing I think is that you mean "wary" not "weary."

Secondly, top 10% seems extreme.  You can go for it, but I wouldn't be crushed if it doesn't happen.  That's a lot of people to finish ahead of, at any school.  If you go to a school like Toledo that has several instate superiors, you're going to need to do other things to find a job anyway.  You have to network and explore every possible job opportunity on your own.  Get everything you can out of career services. 

I think it's a stretch to say that unless you are in the top 10%, it is worthless to go to law school there.

How much does Toledo cost?  Have you seen their 25/75 salary numbers.  What kind of law do you want to practice? Do you already have lots of debt?  Are you getting a scholarship?  All of these questions should factor into your overall cost benefit analysis of attending Toledo.  I think it was a bit simple minded of the professor to give such a blanket statement.

[anxious]

"Understand that Law School is nothing like undergrad work. Your Law Studies will be all consuming of your time. There will be no time for anything but study and school."

I partially disagree.  I am going to be a 2L at a Tier 1 law school (though not top 10).  It's very true that law school and undergrad are completely different.  In undergrad you could get away with just sitting in class very passively and still receive the best grade.  And in law school, you will be studying MUCH more than you ever did in undergrad.  Your typical night of studying in law school might even be more than your typical night of studying during Finals in undergrad. 

Regardless, you WILL have time for other things besides study and school...unless you're one of those really paranoid students who spends every waking moment buried in a casebook not getting to know classmates and making friends.  There are ample opportunities to have fun in law school.  One night a week I made sure I didn't study past 9 PM.  And on weekends, I'd wake up early to get all my studying done before the sun went down.  That way, I had afternoons and evenings to spend with my girlfriend.  I even had enough time to work out on a regular basis.  I've never been as fit as I am now and that's because in law school, you have to create your own schedule.  You fit things in that you want to fit in.  If you don't want to do anything but study, then that's how you'll prepare your schedule.  But if you want a life, you can have that, too.  In the beginning it'll be difficult to gauge how much time you can spend on different things because everything is so new.  But as you get used to your studying patterns and your abilities, you can start to shift your schedule around to better suit your needs.  It all depends on your priorities and how you schedule things. 

Then again, this is what worked for me.  Different things work for different people. 

[dunson]

anxious...mind posting the average hours of studying per week and your grades or rank range?

[tacojohn]

I think all the recommendations that were made there are based on the assumption that you are going to Toledo but have aspirations of BigLaw in New York.  If you want to work for a small- to mid-size firm in Northern Ohio, forget what this professor said.

It says something for the atmosphere of a school when a professor is promoting that unless you get in the top 10%, you shouldn't have gone to law school.  I would be just as, if not more wary of that then my options coming out of law school.