Avoid Overemphasizing Law School Rankings
Ever-growing documentation is proving just how important the U.S. News Best Law Schools rankings are to prospective law school students in choosing where to apply. The latest such evidence comes from a Kaplan Test Prep survey of October 2010 LSAT test takers released last month.
One key survey question: “What is most important to you when picking a law school to apply to?” According to Kaplan’s results, 30 percent of test takers say that a law school’s ranking is the most critical factor, followed by geographic location at 24 percent; academic programming at 19 percent; and affordability at 12 percent. Only 8 percent of respondents consider a law school’s job placement statistics to be the most important factor.
In a related question that asked, “How important a factor is a law school’s ranking in determining where you will apply?,” 86 percent say ranking is “very important” or “somewhat important” in their application decision making.
One thing is clear from these results: Prospective law school students are relying heavily on the rankings in their application process and as the basis for choosing which law schools to apply to.
[View law school Q&As with admissions officials.]
What is U.S. News‘s take on this heavy reliance on the law schools rankings? Going to law school and choosing which school to attend are very big one-time and high-cost decisions. Going to the right law school is very important given today’s tough market for new J.D. graduates.
The U.S. News Best Law Schools rankings spotlight the country’s academically excellent law school programs in many areas. However, they should be used by prospective students as just one tool in the process for picking the best school for them. Many other factors that cannot be measured need to go into such an important decision, including the overall cost, location, course offerings, school culture, job prospects, advising or mentoring opportunities, and campus life.
[Read the Get In: Law School blog.]
If prospective students or their advisers are using the U.S. News law school rankings as the only basis to choose one law school over another, that would be the absolutely incorrect usage of the rankings. As prospective law school students research and weigh different schools’ intangible attributes, U.S. News‘s rankings can help them compare each school’s academic excellence. However, rankings should only supplement—and not replace—careful thought and emphasis on all the factors that really matter. The rankings can inform a person’s thinking, but they shouldn’t be used as the easy answer. We urge everyone to use them wisely.
MRI Scans Show Brain Changes in People at Risk for Alzheimer’s Disease
The results of a study by neuroscientists at Rush University Medical Center suggest that people at risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease exhibit a specific structural change in the brain that can be seen on MRI scans.
“One of the main challenges in the field of Alzheimer’s disease is identifying individuals at risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease so that therapeutic interventions developed in the future can be given at the earliest stage before symptoms begin to appear,” said Leyla deToledo-Morrell, PhD, director of the graduate program in neuroscience at Rush University Medical Center and professor of neurological sciences at the Graduate College of Rush University.
This study has found that structural imaging techniques can be used to identify those at risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease and those who would most benefit from early intervention.
For the study, experts from Rush followed individuals with mild cognitive impairment, which is thought to be a precursor of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. Those with mild cognitive impairment can exhibit memory decline known as amnestic mild cognitive impairment.
Researchers followed 52 individuals with amnestic mild cognitive impairment over a period of six years. Twenty-three participants progressed to Alzheimer’s disease.
Study participants underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) screenings. The researchers used MRI to look for structural changes in the substantia innominata (SI), a region deep within the brain that sends chemical signals to the cerebral cortex, the brain’s outer layer that is largely responsible for reasoning, memory and other higher functions. Although no structural changes were found in the SI between the two groups, the MRI showed a thinning of the cortical areas that receive strong input from the SI in those who went on to develop Alzheimer’s disease.
Since we were able to distinguish those who progressed to Alzheimer’s disease compared to those who remained stable, we believe that MRI techniques that examine patterns of structural alterations provide a sensitive biomarker for detecting risk of Alzheimer’s disease,” said deToldeo-Morrell.
Girls Private Schools
Canadian boys prep schools provide high school students a perfect experience. Approximately six percent of all students in canada attend prep school. In boys prep school, your son get exposure to a huge variety of programs which are basically designed to make him or her a well social animal. In boys prep schools, staff person have their strong focus on students athletic focus and academic qualification, along with offering opportunities for leadership and cultural activities. If you seeking prep school for your boy, then there are certain checks which you should do.
Academics- Because of their rigorous programs, many people prefer boys prep school for their son to get stated in their new beginning of social life. There are traditional British style prep school, Montessori schools and Christian school.
Athletics- In most of the prep schools; whether it is girls prep school or boys prep school, they always give emphasis on an athletic team in order to become physically fit and for their regular school attendance. Prep schools always give a huge support to their team members of athletics and often they have wide variety of sports than public schools, like golf or diving.
On the other hand, at one time single sex based schools were very much in demand, whether you for boys private schools for Girls Private Schools, both of these were in great demand. But now the scenario is completely changed. Most private schools are no co-educational having girls and boys attending the classes. Some single sex schools are still in great demand and many parents show their interest in this type of program. According to some some educational experts through single gender schools students get that opportunities which is not available in co-ed classrooms as long as teachers are trained to capitalize on the difference by employing strategies geared for boys and girls in their respective schools.
A New Look For the State Board?
As expected, the Ohio Senate today rejected some of Governor Strickland’s appointees to various policy-making boards. Five of the appointees receiving the thumbs down today were slated for the State Board of Education.
The following individuals were affected by today’s action:
Cathy LeavenworthRoger McCauleyMary McGriffJuanita SanchezDavid Wint
Leavenworth, McCauley and Sanchez are currently members of the board. (At least until December 31.)
So what does this mean for the state school board?
Two words: Big Changes.
Instead of Democrats maintaining an oh-so-comfortable 14-5 margin, five new Kasich appointees could shift the margin to 10-9 in favor of the GOP.
We shouldn’t be surprised at this turn of events. Last year the majority of this board practically tripped over themselves trying to be first in line to gush about Governor Strickland’s EBM even though the so called evidence was thin or nonexistent. Even more astounding was how little some board members actually understood HB1. In their eagerness to support Governor Strickland they barely had time to notice that multiple provisions of the bill undercut the responsibility and authority of the board at nearly every turn.
And what does this mean for State Superintendent Deb Delisle? It’s hard to tell what will happen, but it surely can’t help her case to be on film supporting Ted Strickland’s reelection.
UPDATE: Governor Strickland, most likely anticipating the rejection of his state board appointments, made new batch of appointments this evening:
Thomas LuvisonLynda MobleyJoseph WalterPatricia BrunsRich Javorek
We’re not sure yet if these appointments will suffer the same fate as the first group.
Stay tuned.
Books for the Business Writer’s Bookshelf
The other day my friend Joanne wrote to ask me how to render the word “by laws.” She said Google had suggested “by laws,” and a legal website had offered “by-laws.”
“Which is correct?” she asked.
Neither. That is why it is important to check respected expert sources. I let Joanne know that four of my highly reputable, up-to-date guides to usage recommend “bylaws.”
Do current reference books fill your bookshelves or exist on your desktop? They should. Google is not an expert on correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Neither are websites whose authors don’t consult the experts.
In the current issue of Better Writing at Work, I offer my list of recommended books for the business writer’s bookshelf. For details about the books, subscribe to my free monthly e-newsletter here.
These are my recommendations:
- Garner’s Modern American Usage, Third Edition
- The Gregg Reference Manual, Tribute 11th Edition
- The Chicago Manual of Style, 14th Edition
- The Associated Press 2010 Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law
- The American Heritage College Dictionary, Fourth Edition, Copyright 2010
- Canadian Oxford Dictionary, Second Edition
- Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Edition, Copyright 2009
- Real Leaders Don’t Do PowerPoint: How to Sell Yourself and Your Ideas, by Christopher Witt
- Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die, by Dan and Chip Heath
- Why Business People Speak Like Idiots, by Brian Fugere, Chelsea Hardaway, and Jon Warshawsky
- Clarity, Conciseness, Zing, and More: 262 Ways to Take Business Writing Beyond the Basics, written by me
As a writer, do you consult other treasured resources? If so, please share them.
U.S. News Pledges to Publish More Law School Employment Data
U.S. News wants to set the record straight about our decision to publish more of the employment data we collect from law schools as part of our annual Best Law Schools rankings.
U.S. News is in the midst of doing a major redesign of the Education section of usnews.com. The current plan is that the redesign will be rolled out in phases in winter 2011. As part of the redesign process, we took a close look at all the graduate school surveys we conduct to see which data was not being published on usnews.com. U.S. News currently reports the overall percentage of graduates employed at graduation and nine months after graduation.
We also collect, but don’t publish, far more information for those two time periods, including the number of grads enrolled in full-time degree programs, the number of graduates whose employment status is unknown, the number that aren’t looking for work, the number of grads who are unemployed and looking for work, and the number who have jobs. That data is the basis for the two employment rate calculations that are part of the current Best Law Schools rankings.
U.S. News is committed to adding these new data fields and others from the law school statistical survey to our website. The new data we will be publishing will not impact how the rankings are calculated. The current plan is that the new law data fields for 2008 graduates will be added retroactively as part of the redesign, but not as part of its first phase. If we are unable to add them as part of the redesign rollout, they will be added for 2009 graduates when the upcoming new Best Law Schools rankings are launched in late winter 2011.
U.S. News has also been in discussions with Law School Transparency (LST), a nonprofit formed by Vanderbilt University law students trying to get law schools, the American Bar Association, and the media to disclose and publish far more robust job statistics on recent law school graduates. LST strongly urged U.S. News to publish more of the J.D. job information that we were collecting. Those discussions with LST played a part in our decisions, but were not the catalyst behind our move to publish more employment data.
Why is U.S. News planning to publish more data? Job prospects for new J.D. graduates are far less robust than just a few years ago. Law school students need as much information as possible to help them realistically understand the employment prospects from their school and the economic value of their degree in terms of their ability to pay back loans and earning power. U.S. News believes the information we will be publishing will help current students in those efforts. However, disclosure of employment data by law schools is still woefully lacking given the cost of attendance and poor job market. U.S. News strongly backs all ongoing efforts to require law schools to report even more detailed data on the how recent grads have fared in the job market. We would collect and publish those statistics if they were available.