Choosing a Program ZZ

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发信人：[luckystella], 信区：LSAT考试
标题：Choosing a Program  

转载自新东方论坛 2002.9.9

For each school to which you choose to apply, you may have to select from several different law programs - different specializations and joint degrees. As a result, you may be faced with hundreds of options. When you sit back and imagine your ideal graduate program, what issues come into play? You need to decide what is important to you. Do you need a program with a flexible schedule? How big a workload do you think you can handle? In what sort of learning environment do you thrive best? You will need to take a number of factors into account when assessing which law programs fit your wants and needs.  

Although specific factors in choosing the right school will vary from person to person, there are some common ones that will ease the process considerably. Consider each of the following in terms of its importance to you.

Part-Time vs. Full-Time
It's generally agreed that you should attend law school full-time if possible. It immerses you completely in your legal training. However, the sense of balance that can accompany a part-time schedule has its own advantages.

Geography
Where do you want to practice law?  

Statistically speaking, most lawyers practice in fairly close proximity to their school. As you mull over the various issues connected with geographic location, don't forget to consider your personal preferences.

School Reputation
Beyond referencing the various annual rankings of law schools, perhaps the best way to research the reputation of a school is to ask lawyers or law students. Another method is to look through law school catalogs to see which schools the professors attended. You should also decide whether a local, national, or international reputation is most important to you.

Placement
Spend some time familiarizing yourself with each school's placement rates, the location of job placements, the on-campus recruitment program, and the law school personnel devoted to helping you find the right job.

Financial Aid
Financing law school is a very different process than financing a college education, largely because of your access to loans and potential earning power after graduation.

School Size
The potentially smaller classes and more intimate environment of a smaller school is balanced by the advantage that a larger school usually has in the greater size and diversity of both its faculty and students.

Joint-Degree Programs
Joint-degree programs are often offered within larger universities with a good selection of graduate and professional programs and usually allow you to earn two degrees in a shorter time than it would take to earn each degree separately.

Student Body
In a fundamental way, your classmates will determine the level of intellectual challenge you'll face.

Class Size
One faculty member to 30 full-time students is considered the outside limit of acceptability. Beyond this basic ratio, you might want to assess the following characteristics of a school's faculty: Educational background, professional experience beyond the classroom, accessibility, reputation, continued professional activity, and ethnic, academic, gender, and racial diversity.

Library and Facilities
Spend some time assessing the research facilities and resources available at each of the schools you're considering.

Clinical Programs
Clinics allow law students to try out their legal skills representing clients in a variety of settings. However, not all clinical programs are of the same quality. Find out whether the clinical experience is a simulated or a real-world experience and decide which you would prefer. Also, make sure the kinds of topics the clinics deal with are interesting to you.

Student Services
Administrative offices, such as registration and financial aid, can have a dramatic impact on your school experience. Talk to current students, read the literature, and call the offices yourself to judge how responsive you think the staff will be to your situation.

Student Organizations
Much of your law school experience will be enhanced by your involvement in a number of extracurricular activities. Schools will usually provide you with a list of student organizations on request or even in their catalogs. You can tell a lot about a school by the nature of its student organizations.

Academic Rigor
Most law school applicants will aspire to the most academically competitive schools within their range of possibility based on LSAT* scores and GPA. While this makes a lot of sense in a number of ways, it is not the best strategy for all people. Think carefully about what your reaction might be to ranking at the bottom of your class.



有一个传说，说的是有那么一只鸟儿，它一生只唱一次，那声音比世界上所有一切生灵的
歌声都更加优美动听。从离开巢穴的那一刻起，它就在寻找着荆棘树，直到如愿以偿，才歇
息下来。然后，它把自己的身体扎进最长、最尖的荆棘刺上，在那荒蛮的枝条之间放开了歌
喉。在奄奄一吸的时刻，它超脱了自身的痛苦，而那歌声竟然使云雀和夜莺都黯然失色。这
是一曲无比美好的歌，曲终而命竭。然而，整个世界都在静静地谛听着，上帝也在苍穹中微
笑。因为最美好的东西只能用深痛巨创来换取……反正那个传说是这么讲的。