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| | | Final Thoughts (The End)
As I bring this ‘blog to a close, I’ve done some thinking about my time as a seasonal recruiter. This was an amazing way to complete my Capital Experience. And this was just one more of the many wonderful opportunities I enjoyed while at Capital.
Remember!
During your application process, you want to make sure the law schools you look at offer good opportunities.... |
| Final Thoughts (The End)
As I bring this ‘blog to a close, I’ve done some thinking about my time as a seasonal recruiter. This was an amazing way to complete my Capital Experience. And this was just one more of the many wonderful opportunities I enjoyed while at Capital.
Remember!
During your application process, you want to make sure the law schools you look at offer good opportunities. Whether it is growing as a student leader, working closely with a faculty member, excelling on the law review, gaining practical experience through an externship, competing in moot court competitions, or just providing students with the tools to have successful legal careers- make sure the law school you choose has some great opportunities for both students and graduates.
A Nice Transition!
My experience at Capital provided me with many exciting opportunities that will make me a more successful lawyer. One of which, was discussing my experience on the road with prospective students from all over the country. I’ve found this to be a good way to transition from a Capital student to a Capital graduate. And it is nice to know that I’m passing on just some of the things I learned to the next generation of Capital law students.
Keep In Touch!
While this has been a great transition, I will always see myself as an ambassador for my law school. So even though I am no longer an Admission Representative at Capital, I’m still always willing to talk with a prospective or current Capital student about the process, the experience or what happens after Capital. Feel free to drop me a line at jasonrobertowen@gmail.com or check out our Capital prospective student Facebook site at http://capital.facebook.com/group.php?gid=6303063122
You're Further Ahead Than Most!
Even if you just take a little of the advice from these ‘blogs, you’ll find a great opportunity at a school that’s best for you. After all, I didn’t know HARDLY ANY of this when I started applying and I had a great experience!
Best wishes with the application process, with law school and with your legal career!
Jason
| | | | Question #5: How many and what kinds of externships do you offer?
Depending on where you go to school, internships and externships can sometimes be very similar learning opportunities. Often times they are either paid or for-credit learning experiences where students engage in the practical application of their profession. At Capital, internships are generally viewed as paid or volunteer positions... |
| Question #5: How many and what kinds of externships do you offer?
Depending on where you go to school, internships and externships can sometimes be very similar learning opportunities. Often times they are either paid or for-credit learning experiences where students engage in the practical application of their profession. At Capital, internships are generally viewed as paid or volunteer positions that students arrange on their own. Externships, while similar, however, are somewhat different opportunities.
Externships @ Capital!
At Capital, the externship opportunity is a for-credit practical experience with an academic component. Overseen by the Externship Coordinator, Prof. Susan Simms, Capital’s program boasts over 200 opportunities across the broad spectrum of the central Ohio legal systems. Many of the opportunities include working with Federal Judges, government agencies, and the local legal community. The fields of law are as varied as our broad curriculum- and each of our concentrations offer several opportunities for externships!
Why Does Capital Have So Many?
The quality and quantity of these externships really speaks to both Capital’s reputation in and around Columbus as well as our strong alumni network. Because so many in the local legal community know that Capital students and graduates have excellent writing skills, they are sought after for the practical legal opportunities.
Keep This In Mind!
Make sure you ask about the opportunities and the reputation of the law school in the local community. While law school is often about theory and learning how to research and write like a lawyer, getting the practical experience will make you a more desirable candidate on the flipside when you’re looking for gainful employment!
| | | | Question #4: Do you offer a Loan Repayment Assistance Program for graduates?
The cost of a legal education is expensive these days. Law school costs have risen beyond that of inflation and government spending. As such, jobs in those fields do not cover the monthly installments for student loan payments for recent graduates like they used to in the past.
Unwrapping the LRAP
As a... |
| Question #4: Do you offer a Loan Repayment Assistance Program for graduates?
The cost of a legal education is expensive these days. Law school costs have risen beyond that of inflation and government spending. As such, jobs in those fields do not cover the monthly installments for student loan payments for recent graduates like they used to in the past.
Unwrapping the LRAP
As a proactive measure to help their students interested in serving the public, some law schools have implemented a Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP). While the programs vary from school to school, they typically offer those students who choose a career in public interest or government law some sort of financial assistance while they repay their loans.
LRAPs Illustrate Commitment
Not only does an LRAP show a commitment to the school’s graduates, it also shows a commitment to public service. Many Capital grads find successful employment with the public interest and government agencies in and around the capital city of Columbus. Capital’s recent implementation of their LRAP illustrates both of these commitments well.
@ Capital
I had the privilege of serving on the committees that researched and implemented the LRAP. The Capital LRAP started accepting applications in the Fall of 2007 and will begin disbursing assistance to public service graduates periodically throughout 2008.
| | | | Question #3: What is your placement rate for graduates?
Law schools send out employment surveys to their graduates every year. One of the statistics measures how many graduates found employment within 9 months of their graduation.
Why 9 Months?
At first, you might think 9 months is a long time to find a job. However, consider that the first three months are filled with bar preparation... |
| Question #3: What is your placement rate for graduates?
Law schools send out employment surveys to their graduates every year. One of the statistics measures how many graduates found employment within 9 months of their graduation.
Why 9 Months?
At first, you might think 9 months is a long time to find a job. However, consider that the first three months are filled with bar preparation and the exam itself and the next three months are usually the stressful period of waiting for the bar results. While many graduates find employment before the 9 months begin, there are many legal jobs that require licensure (i.e. bar passage) before they will hire you. Thus, 9 months after graduation is the industry standard for law school placement statistics.
Keep In Mind!
On the road, I’ve found that many schools are in the 90% range for placement rate. If a school does not have that strong of a placement rate, you should definitely start asking some follow-up questions. Remember, this will be you in three years. You want to make sure the school is utilizing its local connections and alumni network to be helping all of their graduates find the best possible opportunities available!
@ Capital
Our 2006 Graduate Placement Rate is 95%!
| | | | Question #2: How does your Career Services Office help students with their current and future plans?
As a law student, the staff who work in Career Services will be extremely valuable to you. They are professionals, often with years of experience, who are solely dedicated to helping you market yourself in the best way possible for the best opportunities available.
Most Career Services... |
| Question #2: How does your Career Services Office help students with their current and future plans?
As a law student, the staff who work in Career Services will be extremely valuable to you. They are professionals, often with years of experience, who are solely dedicated to helping you market yourself in the best way possible for the best opportunities available.
Most Career Services Offices perform many tasks, at Capital these tasks include:
Hosting on-campus recruiters. These recruiters are from major law firms, government entities, and other medium to large size organizations. They typically recruit the top 10% of the class.
Offering assistance with résumé and cover letter writing. Whether in the form of group workshops or individualized attention, the Career Services staff provides samples and suggestions for improvement!
Providing various career and professional development resources. These can range from flyers and pamphlets about various fields of law, to multimedia presentations on career paths for minority or GLBT students. Although well organized, the office is so full of information and resource guides that it overflows out into the hallway’s shelves and bulletin boards!
Meeting with students individually. I’ve benefited from many meetings with our staff. Personally, they’ve provided me financial assistance to attend career fairs, individual help with my resume, dozens of hours of career counseling which included strategy sessions on utilizing my social network and securing employment.
Providing the little things that make you a more attractive candidate, literally! Some of the sessions they offer for students are an etiquette lunch to help you polish your social graces for that lunch meeting with the partners at the firm, as well as, a fashion show that suggests the appropriate attire from Courtroom appearances to casual day at the office. They even have a lint brush and hand-mirror in the office for students right before the big interview!
You can find out more information about Capital’s Career Services Office by checking out their website below, or asking anyone in the Admission Office- who will be more than happy to help you!
http://www.law.capital.edu/CareerServices/
| | | | Question #1: What are your bar passage rates for first time takers in-state?
A common measurement kept by law schools is the percentage of their students passing the in-state bar exam the first time they attempted it. Each graduating class essentially has ‘their’ bar passage rate for the July bar exam. The majority of students take the July exam, so this number will give you a good idea of... |
| Question #1: What are your bar passage rates for first time takers in-state?
A common measurement kept by law schools is the percentage of their students passing the in-state bar exam the first time they attempted it. Each graduating class essentially has ‘their’ bar passage rate for the July bar exam. The majority of students take the July exam, so this number will give you a good idea of the success of a broad range of current graduates.
-Not the deciding factor, but...
With all statistics, it is important to keep in mind that this number is not the best indicator of success at law school. However, schools with lower bar passage rates should be taking proactive steps to address these shortcomings. If their average is below the state’s first-time-takers average, a good follow up question would be:
How is the school addressing this discrepancy to improve future scores?
-Disclaimer about Bar Passsage Rates...
Another factor to keep in mind with bar passage rates, not every graduating student takes the July bar exam in that state. Some students take out of state bar exams, and those numbers can sometimes be so small and hard to track that they are not kept by the law school. Also, other students do graduate early and take the bar exam in February, instead. Or, as sometimes is the case, students will wait until next February to take the bar exam as they are not ready to take the July bar exam.
-Still Another “What's-Best-For-Me” Factor!
While first-time in-state bar passage results are not the only number you should look at, these results do give you a broad view of the graduating students preparedness. Use this number, and the school’s overall response to this question as one more factor in your “What's-Best-For-Me” calculation!
@ Capital
Our 2007 Bar Passage Rate was 89% - the third highest rate in Ohio!
| | | | "Um, so yeah, I was just wondering if you could tell me more about..."
Let’s recap: So far on this blog I’ve established that I am Jason Owen and the law school application process is all about you. While this is all true, I’d like to discuss the practicality of this to prospective students- well, at least the latter part!
As I’ve been traveling around the region and the... |
| "Um, so yeah, I was just wondering if you could tell me more about..."
Let’s recap: So far on this blog I’ve established that I am Jason Owen and the law school application process is all about you. While this is all true, I’d like to discuss the practicality of this to prospective students- well, at least the latter part!
As I’ve been traveling around the region and the country, I’ve developed a list of questions that students should think about and ask when talking with a law school admission representative. These questions should be a SUPPLEMENT to the questions that you are asking from your own curiosity and research!
I offer these questions to you for three reasons:
First: I would have liked to have asked these when I was applying to law school.
Second: These show you’ve taken some time to think about your legal education and how it will help you.
Finally: For some law schools, their answer will you show what the law school is all about. Either because it is a difficult question for them and their response is candid, or it is an easy question for them and they can hit a home run with the answer.
Keep in mind, the Admissions Staff is often the first impression of the law school. If staff and administrators are aloof and unwilling to answer your questions now, how difficult do you think navigating the law school will be as a student?
SOME QUESTIONS YOU SHOULD ASK:
Question #1: What are your bar passage rates for first time takers in-state?
Question #2: How does your Career Services Office help students with their future plans?
Question #3: What is your placement rate for graduates?
Question #4: Do you offer a Loan Repayment Assistance Program for graduates?
Question #5: How many and what kinds of externships do you offer?
I will elaborate on these questions in future blogs, so that you have a better idea of the importance of these questions and the reasons for specific phraseology. For now, just start to think about them, and maybe even check out the school's website to do some preliminary research. That research may help you with even better follow-up questions!
| | | | ‘What’s-Best-For-Me’ @ Chicago LSAC
(This 'blog was written two weeks prior to posting)
I’m sitting in Midway Airport, a wee weary from yesterday’s Chicago LSAC Forum- don’t worry, there are more coming-up! We met about 60 students and talked with them about Capital. It was quite an experience. One thing I noticed, being on the other side of the table this time, is that some of the... |
| ‘What’s-Best-For-Me’ @ Chicago LSAC
(This 'blog was written two weeks prior to posting)
I’m sitting in Midway Airport, a wee weary from yesterday’s Chicago LSAC Forum- don’t worry, there are more coming-up! We met about 60 students and talked with them about Capital. It was quite an experience. One thing I noticed, being on the other side of the table this time, is that some of the students don’t realize that this is really all about them.
- Rankings Alone?
While we were peppered with questions and asked about our cost, location, opportunities, externships, LRAPs, concentrations, joint degree programs, etc, there were some students who seemed more focused on national reputation and rankings alone. National rankings are fine if you’re looking to sell magazines, or split hairs between #s 1, 2, & 3. But when you’re talking about us more normal law students, rankings don’t mean a heckuva lot. (See what Law School Dean’s have to say about this: http://www.lsac.org/LSAC.asp?url=lsac/deans-speak-out-rankings.asp )
National rankings focus on hard objective data, while some of those numbers are important and can indicate success for some law schools, they fail to measure many other categories and factors, including the most important one, what’s best for me. The what’s-best-for-me factor is really subjective, and is not easily quantifiable.
What's-Best-For-Me Factor
This factor includes your comfort level with the campus environment, the faculty accomplishments and accessibility, the sense of community, the skill set your looking to obtain and develop, the welcoming atmosphere, the support structures in place, the diversity of opinion and views, the areas of specialization, the commitment to public interest, and the list goes on. These questions can be answered in the volumes of LSAC information, and by Admission folks at your prospective school. Feel free to call and start asking the questions you really want to know but may be afraid to ask. Chances are, if a school is not willing to give you the answers you’re looking for now, they’ll likely be as unhelpful when you’re enrolled there. And after all, this process of picking the law school that is best for you, is all about you!
| | | | Howdy! Welcome to my ‘blog!
I’m Jason Owen, the new Admission Representative for Capital University Law School. Every year Capital hires a recent graduate as a seasonal recruiter for the law school. While awaiting the bar results, we travel all over the Buckeye State as well as to regional and national law school fairs to meet with prospective law students. I’ll be discussing my experiences... |
| Howdy! Welcome to my ‘blog!
I’m Jason Owen, the new Admission Representative for Capital University Law School. Every year Capital hires a recent graduate as a seasonal recruiter for the law school. While awaiting the bar results, we travel all over the Buckeye State as well as to regional and national law school fairs to meet with prospective law students. I’ll be discussing my experiences at Capital as a student and a recruiter, also, I’m happy to field any questions you might have about the law school.
As this is an introduction, let me tell you a little bit more about me. I’m originally from Pennsylvania. I went to Cathedral Prep in Erie, and graduated with a B.A in Political Science from Allegheny College in Meadville, PA. After that I went to work for Gov. Tom Ridge at the PA Department of Education and eventually was promoted to his Advance Team. I transitioned with the new Governor, Mark Schweiker, and personally assisted him during the Quecreek Mine Rescue in Somerset, PA during July 2002.
Following the Governor’s Office, I worked with PA State Senator Jane Earll on her bid for Lieutenant Governor, and the District Attorney in Erie, PA, Brad Foulk, on his re-election campaign. In 2003, because I wasn’t happy with my choices for law school, I changed course and attended the Culinary & Wine Institute at Mercyhurst College, Northeast. Despite my love of food and cooking, I realized kitchen work was not my destiny. I met with my former pre-law advisor from Allegheny, and he suggested I look at a school in Columbus, Ohio, named Capital.
After spending plenty of time on Capital’s website, www.law.capital.edu I realized that this was a great place for me. The possibilities at the law school were exciting and different. The day I received my acceptance letter in February 2004 was one of the most exciting days of my life. I pretty much knew then that I would spend the next three years in Columbus. And let me tell you, as I will in the next few chapters, they were a great three years.
For me, this is a great job. I’ve always been a cheerleader and I love my alma mater. While at Capital, I was involved in more than a few activities and took advantage of a lot of the opportunities the school has to offer. However, not even I could sink my teeth into every opportunity at the law school – there are so many!
Allegedly ‘blogs are supposed to be short, so I will bring this one to a close. You can look forward to more chapters about my stories and experiences in the future. Sometimes they will even be relavent to your search for more information about Capital. In the meantime, I’m off for one of my first trips!
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