<p>Capt. Nick's post reminded me of a way to get into law school for those of you with undergraduate records that do not reflect your true abilities. It's called Admission by Performance. Law schools with these programs permit you to take real law school classes during the summer and if your performance is outstanding they will admit you to their incoming class. It's also a good way for you to determine whether you really want to spend three years of your life and many thousands of dollars seeking a law degree. Here is a partial list of law schools with admission by performance programs.</p>
<p>University of Baltimore
California Western University School of Law
Campbell Law School
University of Detroit Mercy
Gonzaga University
Hamline University
University of Hawaii
Howard University
Indiana UniversityIndianapolis
John Marshall Law School
Louisiana State University
North Carolina Central University School of Law
University of Louisville Brandeis School of Law
University of New Mexico
Nova Southeastern University
University of Oklahoma
Oklahoma City University
Quinnipiac College
University of Richmond
St. John's University
St. Louis University
St. Marys University
Seattle University
Seton Hall University
University of South Dakota
Syracuse University
Texas Southern University
Texas Tech University
Western State University
Whittier Law School
Widener University</p>
<p>Glad to hear that I am helping others find information. Beyond these listed, are there other schools with such programs and how can one go about finding the ones that offer Admission by Performance?</p>
<p>On a related note, there is the more common method of demonstrating that you can be a successful law student - which is to get into a lower-ranked school, do well, and transfer.</p>
<p>
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get into a lower-ranked school, do well, and transfer.
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Your post raises an interesting question. If you are in the top ten percent of a regional law school (say, below top 50), but can transfer into a top 15 law school, should you do so? Law firms love to recruit winners such as students in the top ten percent and on law review so staying at the regional law school may be in your best interest. On the other hand, transferring to a higher ranking school may expose you to a greater number of recruiters from more places in the country. The down side of going to the top 15 law school is that you will be average instead of being at the top of your class. Any thoughts?</p>
<p>Thoughts? Sure, will do.</p>
<p>It depends. (ha!) A strong regional school might have the advantage over a top 14 that is far away. In some ways, if you can make Law Review at your lower-ranked school, you're also going to do well at a better school - many people have said that you can't assume that you'll do better at a lesser-known school. With few exceptions, you're going to get people at every school who "get" the law, and people who, while excellent at their undergraduate work, struggle with the analysis. </p>
<p>Transfer takes place after 1L year. If you get on law review at your old school, you can certainly note that on your resume - and it will look good for employers. </p>
<p>Finally, the main point: the further up in ranking you go, the less employers care about things like law review. If you go to a decent school, you have to be a standout there for some employers to look at you. Those same employers will "dig deeper" into a higher-ranked school. Just an anecdote: I went to a job fair in Chicago this summer. The names & schools of the students who were interviewing were listed on the doors to the interview rooms. Of the 24 students interviewing with a NYC firm, 17 went to top 25 schools; the other 7 went to strong regional schools. Just one firm, and, being NYC, it's very snobby about education, but it's a thought for you.</p>
<p>razorsharp, I am sure there are more list of schools that offer the Admission by Performance program. You actually mentioned "partial" list of the schools.</p>
<p>very helpful. I had never even heard of that as an option.</p>