Vol. 17, No. 28	April 23, 1998

Law school acceptances higher than the average

According to figures released by the Law School Admission Council for the class enrolled for September 1997, the national acceptance rate was slightly more than 69 percent, or 50,403 acceptances out of 72,340 applications.

The acceptance rate for UD students was 80 percent, or 136 acceptances out of 167 applications, with students accepted to Harvard, Columbia, New York and Georgetown universities and the universities of Pennsylvania, Virginia and California at Berkeley, as well as at regional schools, Goldstein said.

The preceding year, the UD percentage was 81 percent. Although the percentage of UD students accepted into law schools has for a long time been higher than the national average, the percentage has increased since 1995 when the national average was 62.5 percent and the UD rate of acceptances was approximately 67 percent, or 161 acceptances out of 243 applications, Goldstein said.

One of the reasons for the higher acceptance rates is an overall decrease in applications both nationally and from the University, but Goldstein noted that the high caliber of UD students also is a major factor.

In addition to advising students interested in law careers, the advisement committee maintains a bulletin board on the third floor of Smith Hall, and information about law school admissions is available at the Career Services Center. There also is a Pre-Law Student Association, which sponsors field trips and schedules guest speakers.

The UD Pre-Law Advisement Committee is a member of the Northeast Association of Pre-Law Advisers and the American Association of Law Schools. Goldstein has chaired the committee since its inception 20 years ago.

The committee represents different disciplines and offices across campus, so students have a choice of advisers.

The departments and offices represented and those serving on the committee are

• Accounting-Neal Phillips and Sheldon Pollack;

• Arts and Science Advisement Center-Irene Zych;

• Career Services Center-Marianne Green;

• Criminal Justice Program-Carl Klockars, Kenneth Haas and Eric Rise;

• English-Donald Mell;

• History-Ray Wolters, T. Muncy Keith Professor of History;

• Philosophy-David Haslett;

• Political Science and International Relations-Sue Davis, James R. Soles, Alumni Distinguished Professor of Political Science and International Relations, and Goldstein;

• Psychology-Samuel Gaertner.

-Sue Swyer Moncure