Law school applications down nationwide

OVIEDO, Fla. – Applications for law school are on a downward trend, according to Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions. But despite the decline, admissions officers warn that applying to law school is still no joke. \nAccording to the Law School Admission Council, the organization that administers the Law School Admission Test, there has been a drop in law school applicants since 2004. \nIn 2004, a total of 100,600 students applied to law school. In 2005, that number dropped to 95,800. According to the most recent statistics in 2006, that number decreased to 88,700. \n“The strength of the economy, including the availability of jobs, has a significant effect in what students choose to pursue in their post-undergrad years,” said Steve Marietti, director of pre-law programs for Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions. “Others may be discouraged to apply to law schools because of the competitive nature of the application process.” \nThe University of Central Florida, alongside the University of California Los Angeles and the University of Texas, is among the schools with the largest number of students applying to law school in America. The university is what law schools call a “feeder school,” or a school with a large undergraduate population full of ambitious students. \n“UCF has more students applying to law school than almost any other college nationwide,” said Russell Schaffer, senior communications manager for Kaplan. “In the most recent figures available for an academic year, 457 students from UCF applied to law school.” \nA Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions survey of law school admissions officers at 190 law schools across the country revealed that about half of the law schools surveyed have reported a drop in applications, making it seem that hopeful future prosecutors and defenders would have an easier time getting into the schools of their choice. \n“The advice Kaplan would give is that, with fewer applications coming in, it’s a good time to act on a desire to go to law school,” said Glen Stohr, assistant director of pre-law programs at Kaplan, “but don’t be complacent about putting together a strong application.” \nWhile the decrease has been steady, Marietti doesn’t see it as being permanent, believing these things tend to exhibit a cyclical nature of increases and decreases. \n“This reduction is actually a temporary phenomenon,” Marietti said. \nEven though there has been a slump in the number of applications coming in, the admissions officers for 79 percent of the schools reported that this has not caused their admissions process to be any less competitive, according to Kaplan’s survey. \n“Applications have gone down over the last couple of years, but it’s still a situation where only 63 percent of students that apply get in,” Stohr said. “We could fall much, much further and still be able to fill seats. The implication is that the quality of applicants is getting stronger. Students have been taking prep more seriously.”