Thoughts From A 1L
Feeling The Pressure
Robert Pettrey
Issue date: 9/16/08 Section: Opinion
We are the most selective class to ever enter the hallowed halls of George Mason University School of Law. What kind of pressure does that create for us? We are one hundred sixty of five thousand ninety two. The average LSAT score for the full-time entering class is a 164 and the average undergraduate cumulative grade point average is a 3.72. Twenty of us have MA/MS degrees, three of us have MBA degrees, and two of us have PhD degrees. These statistics come from the admissions office of George Mason University School of Law. I have heard, though have been unable to confirm, that GMUSL has been ranked as the ninth most selective law school in the country with the entry of the 1L class in August.
Why so selective this year? Well it's no secret that GMUSL slipped in the infamous "U.S. News and World Report" ranking and it's also no secret that all schools, despite what they may represent, are very sensitive to that magic number in front of their name in that annual publication. It is time for GMUSL to become one of those national schools that is seen as prestigious uniformly, similar to Georgetown or UVA Law. And great head way is being made to that end.
Mason grads work at nearly every major law firm in the United States, though they are admittedly concentrated in the D.C. area offices of those major law firms. Employers know what Mason grads are capable of, but students from across the country are not clamoring to get into GMUSL. Five thousand ninety two applicants did apply, and certainly it can be argued that many applicants self-sorted themselves out of the application process at GMUSL.
Nonetheless, the average LSAT score and grade point average is slightly lower than the same averages at higher ranked schools. This, unfortunately, cannot be denied. While many of us were accepted to other institutions, we all chose GMUSL for some particular reason. We just need to do our part to ensure that Mason continues to grow in prestige.
So if we are the best, what is truly expected of us? Are we all expected to ace our exams? Probably not since GMUSL has a mandatory 2.9 curve which will drag many of us to a lower grade point average than we have ever earned in our lives. Are we expected to return to where we are originally from and practice law after graduation? How many of us are really going to return to Utah, Kansas, or Minnesota? Not that these are bad places to live, or even to practice law. Indeed, forty seven percent of our class comes to GMUSL from outside of the Commonwealth of Virginia. In reality, though, most of us will be drawn into government work or private practice in the District or the surrounding metropolitan areas.
Why so selective this year? Well it's no secret that GMUSL slipped in the infamous "U.S. News and World Report" ranking and it's also no secret that all schools, despite what they may represent, are very sensitive to that magic number in front of their name in that annual publication. It is time for GMUSL to become one of those national schools that is seen as prestigious uniformly, similar to Georgetown or UVA Law. And great head way is being made to that end.
Mason grads work at nearly every major law firm in the United States, though they are admittedly concentrated in the D.C. area offices of those major law firms. Employers know what Mason grads are capable of, but students from across the country are not clamoring to get into GMUSL. Five thousand ninety two applicants did apply, and certainly it can be argued that many applicants self-sorted themselves out of the application process at GMUSL.
Nonetheless, the average LSAT score and grade point average is slightly lower than the same averages at higher ranked schools. This, unfortunately, cannot be denied. While many of us were accepted to other institutions, we all chose GMUSL for some particular reason. We just need to do our part to ensure that Mason continues to grow in prestige.
So if we are the best, what is truly expected of us? Are we all expected to ace our exams? Probably not since GMUSL has a mandatory 2.9 curve which will drag many of us to a lower grade point average than we have ever earned in our lives. Are we expected to return to where we are originally from and practice law after graduation? How many of us are really going to return to Utah, Kansas, or Minnesota? Not that these are bad places to live, or even to practice law. Indeed, forty seven percent of our class comes to GMUSL from outside of the Commonwealth of Virginia. In reality, though, most of us will be drawn into government work or private practice in the District or the surrounding metropolitan areas.
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