UT offers 17 clinics in different regions. Clinic categories include community representation, criminal justice, immigration/international, individual rights, and legal proceedings (including the renowned Supreme Court Clinic). Texas Law is consistently ranked as the best law school in the state and one of the best schools in the country. [16] The USNWR, the most widely used and influential ranking of U.S. law schools, consistently ranks Texas Law as the 15th best law school in the country. [16] In addition, the legal news website Above the Law, which uses an outcome-based ranking system, ranked Texas 12th among the top law schools in the United States in 2019. [17] Importantly, USNWR also ranked Texas as the best public law school in the United States. for a student`s return on investment. [18] The school is also known for its high quality of life, with the Texas Law website ranking graduateprograms.com as the 3rd best law school for student quality of life. [19] In February 2013, the Rapoport Center received a three-year, $150,000 grant from the Creekmore and Adele Fath Charitable Foundation to highlight the life and career of Sissy Farenthold, an American Democratic politician, activist, lawyer, and educator, perhaps best known for her candidacy for governor of Texas and for her nomination for vice president at the 1972 Democratic National Convention. [26] The project documents Farenthold`s contributions to Texas and U.S.
politics, the women`s peace movement, and international human rights and justice. The Rapoport Center will work with the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History (where the Farenthold papers are kept) to process and preserve Farenthold`s papers, digitize archival documents and images, produce video interviews, and expand the content of the Rapoport Center`s website. [27] Monica Ingram, associate dean for admissions and financial aid at the University of Texas School of Law, graduated from nearly every degree during her 12 years in school. As a graduate, she says it`s always hard to see students leave — after all, she`s essentially the one letting them in — but she feels a sense of pride when she thinks about all the opportunities that lie ahead. Last year, Ingram`s admissions team received 4,188 applications, accepted 30.3 percent, or 1,287 applicants, and ultimately enrolled 319 students. The average LSAT score for enrolled students was 166, with 163 to 168, representing the 25th and 75th percentiles of the results. The cumulative grade point average for the last entry class was 3.68, with 3.43 and 3.82 reflecting the 25th and 75th percentiles, respectively. UT law students are known for their diversity. The Faculty of Law, with a total enrollment of 1,046, educates more women than any other major public law school, and minority applicants make up about a third of students. Young Women candidates gain extensive practical legal experience in more than 15 clinics. In higher education, late spring and early summer are always moments of reflection. With that in mind, I talked to her about what makes UT Austin unique and what students can do to stand out from their admissions committee.
WHY ATTEND UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS LAW SCHOOL? UT Law is one of four public schools in U.S. News` Top 15 Law Schools. The most obvious benefit of a public school is cost. UT Law`s relatively low cost, combined with its prestige, led U.S. News to rank second in a list of law schools where salaries trump debt the most. The annual cost of a full-time Young Women student in the state is $33,162, while out-of-state students pay $49,244. Ingram says she can`t make assumptions about what makes the other schools in the UT Law cohort special beyond their ranking and prestige. What she can say is that UT Law has been able to maintain high standards of admission in the face of an unprecedented national decline in law school applicants. In 2006, before the term “law school crisis” really meant anything to anyone, UT Law decided to reduce its class sizes to provide a better education. This smaller class size has the added benefit of allowing admissions officers to remain selective, even if fewer people opt for law school.
The admissions team wants what`s right for you: When Ingram took her job 12 years ago, she spoke to many potential students who wanted to get into politics, the diplomatic service, and other fields that aren`t strictly right-wing. At the time, she didn`t think much about encouraging these potential students to go to law school because she thought it would provide them with an excellent basic education no matter where they ended up working. Today, she still thinks that anyone could get legal training, but — and this is important — she knows that just because you can do something doesn`t mean you should do it. She says that because the cost to law school has risen dramatically, she is much more adamant when it comes to getting potential students to really consider her options. Could a diplomat use a JD? Yes, but does a diplomat need a JD? She acknowledges that this is not the case. Like most law school deans, Ingram is also reluctant to admit people to law school because they don`t know where to go. There`s a commitment to community: UT Law may not be the smallest school, but one specific selling point mentioned by Ingram is the social program. The program was launched in 2004 and aims to provide students with greater access to faculty members and foster a sense of community within UT Law. Participating students are placed in one of eight societies, each consisting of approximately 50 1L (and a total of approximately 150 students – students remain associated with their societies throughout law school).
Each society is led by an academic advisor, a coordinator, and two upper-class student mentors, and each is also associated with a community fellow, that is, someone who is successful in the legal profession. The activities of companies range from professional to social through service.
