Law School

[als463]

If most places say they usually take up to 3 recs., would it be in bad taste to have one from 5 different sources?

The reason I ask this is because I considered having one from my Undergraduate Professor (History), One from my Graduate Professor (School Law), One from my 1SG (military), One from my present employer (Juvenile Delinquent Boot Camp) and possibly one from my Alumnae Chapter President (sorority-personal). I wanted to give the school my top recommendations and let them know that I really want to go there-so, I figured by giving them 5 from 5 people who know me-that would be good. Any thoughts?

Also, What if you are moving to a different state and your fiancee is going to a big Ivy League University so, you consider the law schools around there and you find one you fall in love with because it offers the kind of law you want and the joint degree in Social Work (MSW) but, it's a 3rd tier...would you not bother applying because it's not a top tier?

People always ask me why I don't consider going to law school at my Undergraduate institution and I tell them it's because they don't offer all the programs I want-which is true. Penn State does not offer an MSW in Social Work. So, is it bad to choose a 3rd tier because of where you will be living and because you LOVE their programs or should you say to hell with it and just apply to mainly top tier schools?

Oh-I want to either work with the FBI as an Attorney working against sex crimes (possibly even with Homeland Security) or as a Guardian Ad Litem for Agencies such as Children & Youth. Any suggestions?

[skylark]

Originally Posted by als463

If most places say they usually take up to 3 recs., would it be in bad taste to have one from 5 different sources?

The reason I ask this is because I considered having one from my Undergraduate Professor (History), One from my Graduate Professor (School Law), One from my 1SG (military), One from my present employer (Juvenile Delinquent Boot Camp) and possibly one from my Alumnae Chapter President (sorority-personal). I wanted to give the school my top recommendations and let them know that I really want to go there-so, I figured by giving them 5 from 5 people who know me-that would be good. Any thoughts?

Part of applying to law school is following directions. If they say "up to 3 recs" then do just that. If you have any doubts, call the admissions offices to double check that it is "up to" and not "at least." Of the ones you described, I'd eliminate the sorority one (unless the school specifically stated that they wanted a personal reference letter) and would pick either your undergraduate or graduate professor. One professor rec, military, then present employer, is sufficiently diverse for law school admissions.

Originally Posted by als463

Also, What if you are moving to a different state and your fiancee is going to a big Ivy League University so, you consider the law schools around there and you find one you fall in love with because it offers the kind of law you want and the joint degree in Social Work (MSW) but, it's a 3rd tier...would you not bother applying because it's not a top tier?

People always ask me why I don't consider going to law school at my Undergraduate institution and I tell them it's because they don't offer all the programs I want-which is true. Penn State does not offer an MSW in Social Work. So, is it bad to choose a 3rd tier because of where you will be living and because you LOVE their programs or should you say to hell with it and just apply to mainly top tier schools?

Oh-I want to either work with the FBI as an Attorney working against sex crimes (possibly even with Homeland Security) or as a Guardian Ad Litem for Agencies such as Children & Youth. Any suggestions?

Okay, if there is any chance that you will not be practicing for your first 5 years in the same region as the TTT school, then I would in almost all cases choose the higher tiered school. If you are 100% sure on your career goals, great. Most people change their mind at least slightly when they are at law school and if you don't have strong ties to your region, you may find yourself regretting a choice to attend a TTT school. The major draws are that unless you are graduating in the top 20% of a tier three school, it is extremely hard to find a good job, and you pretty much have to count on your own connections and resources formed through externships or other experiences. Before considering a TTT school, I'd call up their career services and ask for percentages of how many of their graduates end up in positions similar to those that you want to be in.

In very limited circumstances, TTT schools can be an advantage over other higher-ranked schools. IF the TTT school has a really stellar alum base in the area you definitely know you want to practice in and IF you are able to get your education significantly cheaper and IF that school has a good track record in getting their students into jobs like the one you want... then I'd say go for it.

Under any other circumstances, though... you're going to get better opportunities going to a first tier school over a second tier, second tier over third, etc. I wouldn't give too much more credit if School A is ranked #43 and School B is ranked #58... but if you are talking #30 versus #142, I think you need a better reason than a "joint degree program" to make that choice. Joint degree programs are one way to get the diverse education you want and you should definitely ask the schools without those programs what other opportunities they might have that would be comparable to such a degree (clinical programs, pro bono program opportunities, externship programs, etc.)

[unspokenone25]

No, I don't think it's in bad taste to have 3 recs from different sources but if they say they want only 3, give them just that. It's about following directions. The recommendations from all different sources shows to them that you are a diverse candidate. I would pick one from the military, one from school (pick from undergrad or grad but not both), and the alumnae chapter president recommendation.

Apply to schools in which you know that you are going to be happy (or semi-content) spending three years there. You will have no life once you start law school until after you take the Bar in your respective state. Also, leave open the possibility that once you get into law school that you might change your mind regarding the type of law you want to practice. It happened to me and a lot of my friend during law school. You can apply to all top tiers but I think you should apply to a couple that are lower tier as a just in case.

Originally Posted by als463

If most places say they usually take up to 3 recs., would it be in bad taste to have one from 5 different sources?

The reason I ask this is because I considered having one from my Undergraduate Professor (History), One from my Graduate Professor (School Law), One from my 1SG (military), One from my present employer (Juvenile Delinquent Boot Camp) and possibly one from my Alumnae Chapter President (sorority-personal). I wanted to give the school my top recommendations and let them know that I really want to go there-so, I figured by giving them 5 from 5 people who know me-that would be good. Any thoughts?

Also, What if you are moving to a different state and your fiancee is going to a big Ivy League University so, you consider the law schools around there and you find one you fall in love with because it offers the kind of law you want and the joint degree in Social Work (MSW) but, it's a 3rd tier...would you not bother applying because it's not a top tier?

People always ask me why I don't consider going to law school at my Undergraduate institution and I tell them it's because they don't offer all the programs I want-which is true. Penn State does not offer an MSW in Social Work. So, is it bad to choose a 3rd tier because of where you will be living and because you LOVE their programs or should you say to hell with it and just apply to mainly top tier schools?

Oh-I want to either work with the FBI as an Attorney working against sex crimes (possibly even with Homeland Security) or as a Guardian Ad Litem for Agencies such as Children & Youth. Any suggestions?

[deadbear80]

Originally Posted by als463

If most places say they usually take up to 3 recs., would it be in bad taste to have one from 5 different sources?

YES! The easiest way to get rejected...not following directions! Law schools have umpteen number of applications to read. If you attempt to make their job harder, they'll just do the easy thing and reject without really reading it.

I'm assuming you're applying for Fall 2009 admission since it's a little late for Fall 2008.

As far as the joint degree thing...I did a joint MSW/JD program at a Tier 1 school (Top 20) with a Social Work School ranked in the Top 5. I passed up a lucrative scholarship at a Tier 3 so I could attend this other school. There is NO way I would've gotten my job had I gone to the Tier 3. I also passed up a Tier 2 that had a joint program (the money offered between the Tier 1 and Tier 2 was about the same) because I didn't enjoy the Tier 2 program offerings as much. I happen to now work in the city with the Tier 2 program and I can guarantee that having gone to the Tier 1 school actually set me apart from a lot of other candidates. It's not just about the JD ranking, you should be looking carefully at the Social Work ranking too! They both matter. Top schools with top JD AND MSW programs are well known no matter where you go. Tier 3 schools...not so much (unless like someone else said, you're staying within the area for the next 5 years and people know the school well). Even if you want to do public interest work--jobs are incredibly competitive and the school names on your resume will have an effect on your future hiring.

If you're looking at schools near any of the Ivys, there are definitely Tier 1 or Tier 2 JD/MSW programs at least 2-3 hours or less driving distance from each of them (that aren't the Ivys themselves...although Penn and Columbia both have set JD/MSW programs). Some of them are even in the same general town/area as Ivys (e.g. both Boston U and Boston College have JD/MSW programs; so does NYU).

While where you go to school may not matter for your 2nd or 3rd job; it has a big effect on Job #1 (which will then help with later jobs).