CATEGORY - SCHOOL: CORNELL

March 2, 2010

Cornell Law Begins Post-Grad Fellowships for Study of Disadvantaged

By virtue of a multimillion dollar gift, Cornell University announced last week that it is creating three postgraduate fellowships, of which one or two, on a rotating basis, will be awarded to a Cornell Law School graduate interested in public interest law.

Operating on a two-year timetable, the Frank H.T. Rhodes Public Interest Law Fellowships will be administered by the school’s dean and will be awarded to graduates working for nonprofit and human rights organizations.  The $5 million funding for the fellowships comes from The Atlantic Philanthropies, a group focused on aiding “disadvantaged and vulnerable people.”  Rhodes was an Atlantic board member after serving as the university’s president for nearly two decades.

“This gift comes at a crucial time,” said Karen Comstack, the law school’s assistant dean for public service, “as the current recession has forced organizations to cut funding for legal services to those who can least afford to lose them.”  Comstack said fellowship recipients will gain experience while delivering legal services to “the poor, the elderly, the homeless and those deprived of their civil rights.”

The announcement follows our blog post Monday, in which Cornell Law was among four programs singled out by National Jurist for its multifaceted support of public interest law.

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# posted by admin @ 12:00 pm in Law School News, Public Interest Career Resources, School: Cornell

March 1, 2010

Article Lauds 4 Law Schools for Public Interest Programs

An article in the February issue of National Jurist magazine has singled out four law school programs — Boston University School of Law, Brooklyn Law School, Cornell University Law School, and the University of Maryland School of Law — for their “A+ public interest support.”

The programs are all briefly profiled in the article, and also are said to have certain unifying aspects: financial and emotional support from administration, faculty and staff; an office or administrator “solely devoted” to public interest law; a “large and vast array” of projects; some sort of social network for students exploring public interest law; and “orientation programs, welcome receptions and recognition awards.”

“If you present opportunities, students are very interested in public service.  It’s a case of, ‘If you build it, they will come,’” said Maura Kelly, BU School of Law’s assistant dean for career development and public service, to the Jurist.

In selecting the four law schools, the magazine used data from the non-profit organization, Equal Justice Works, while also indicating the extent to which broad-based support for public interest law is on the rise among law schools.  For example, the number of loan repayment assistance programs has nearly doubled since 2002, and the percent of employed law graduates who take public interest positions has risen from 3 percent in 2000 to 5.4 percent in 2008.

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# posted by admin @ 8:00 am in Law School News, Public Interest Career Resources, School: Boston University, School: Brooklyn, School: Cornell, School: Maryland

January 28, 2010

Cornell Law’s Applications Spike Greater Than Previously Reported

A Jan. 10 New York Times article put data figures to expected increases in law school applications this admissions cycle.  Despite a relatively stable ranking, Cornell University Law School was one of the programs highlighted, with a significant 44 percent increase in year-over-year applications.

Now, according to the school’s Cornell Daily Sun, the application increase is even more impressive than previously reported, as candidates to the law school have increased by 52 percent ahead of the Feb. 1 application deadline.

Richard Geiger, the school’s dean of admissions who indicated to the Times that he was “thrown off” by the upsurge, reiterated his sentiment to the university’s paper on Tuesday.  “The increase is probably the result of a number of things working together,” he said.  “What I can’t explain is why it’s 50 percent and not 20 percent.”

With the record number of candidates to choose from, Geiger indicated that his office will review decisions with more scrutiny and will be able to admit a more selective, diverse class.  The school also plans to maintain its enrollment cap, despite the additional applicants.  Cornell Law enrolls just about 200 students per class, making it one of the smaller schools among its peer group.

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# posted by admin @ 12:00 pm in Law School News, School: Cornell

June 24, 2009

Study Abroad a Growing Opportunity at Leading Law Schools

As law becomes increasingly international in its scope, law schools are making efforts to ensure that their students graduate with international experiences and understandings. One popular way for students to gain global insights is to participate in a study abroad program. Many schools now have programs and resources which enable law students to spend a semester or summer at another school in a foreign country.

Cornell Law School, known for placing emphasis on international law and global perspectives, encourages its students to spend one or summer abroad – longer, in the case of those individuals pursuing dual degrees. In this way, Cornell students have the chance to approach legal systems and legal subjects from a non-U.S. perspective. Students also gain insights to new cultures and are able to learn from faculty members perhaps holding different opinions than professors at Cornell.

Students at Cornell can apply to study abroad during their fourth, fifth or sixth semesters. There are 15 programs in which students can enroll, although there is also an option for students to design a “term away” at a school not currently partnered with Cornell. Students who apply can choose between programs located in such places as Germany, Hungary, South Africa, China, Australia and Israel.

Students unable to dedicate a semester to traveling abroad are offered the opportunity to study at an international location during summer vacation. The Paris Summer Institute, for example, is a five-week program which focuses on international and comparative law. Students come from all over the world each year to study at the Université Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne.

The University of Mississippi Law School offers its students similar study abroad opportunities. Students in good standing at the school are allowed to count 12 credits from a semester abroad, or six credits from a summer abroad, towards their JD degree. The university has a partnership with nine schools, eight in Europe and one in Uruguay, to which students may travel during their second or third year. Like Cornell, however, Mississippi allows its student to craft their own self-initiated study abroad experience if the school they hope to attend is not one of the schools with whom the university is currently partnered.

Although Cornell and University of Mississippi both provide their students with a range of impressive and valuable study abroad opportunities, many law schools now encourage students to gain international insights through a trip to a foreign country, whether for a semester abroad, a summer program or an internship. These opportunities, Cornell and Mississippi claim, offer students the chance to familiarize themselves with international laws and procedures and become more aware of the discrepancies between the U.S. government and the law enacted in other nations.

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# posted by admin @ 5:00 am in General, School: Cornell, School: Minnesota

May 8, 2009

Application Periods at Leading Law Schools

Below is a list of the early decision deadlines (when applicable) and application review periods for the leading law schools:

Berkeley / Boalt
Application Period: October 1 - February 2

Boston College
Application Period: Mid-September - March 1

Boston University
Application Period: September through March 1

Chicago
Application Period: September 1 - February 1

Columbia
Early Decision Deadline: November 15
Application Period September 1er 15 - February 15

Cornell
Early Decision Deadline: November 1
Application Period: September 1 – February 15.

Duke
Early Decision Deadline: November 1
Application Period: September 1 - February 15

Emory
Application Period: September - March 1.

Fordham
Early Decision Deadline: October 15
Application Period: September 1 – March 1

Harvard
Application Period: September 15 - February 1

Illinois
Early Decision Deadline: November 15
Application Period: September 1 – March 15.

Iowa
Application Period: September 1 – March 1

George Washington
Early Decision Deadline: December 15
Application Period: October 1 – March 31

Georgetown
Application Period: September 25 – February 2

Michigan
Early Decision Deadline: November 15
Application Period: September 1 - February 15.

Minnesota
Early Decision Deadline: December 31
Application Period: September - April 1

New York University
Early Decision Deadline: November 15
Application Period: September - February 1

Northwestern
Early Decision Deadline: December 1
Application Period: October 1 - February 15

Notre Dame
Early Decision Deadline: November 10
Application Period: September 1 – March 15

Stanford
Application Period: September 1 - February 1

UCLA
Early Decision Deadline: November 15
Application Period: September - February 1

University of Pennsylvania
Early Decision Deadline: November 1
Application Period: October 1 - February 15

USC / Gould
Application Period: September 1 - February 1

U Texas-Austin
Early Decision Deadline: November 1
Application Period: September - February 1

U Virginia
Early Decision Deadline: December 1
Application Period: August - March 1

University of Washington
Application Period: October – January 15

Vanderbilt
Application Period: October 1 - March 15.

Washington and Lee
Application Period: September 1 – March 1

Washington University in St. Louis
Application Period: September 1 - April 15 (recommended deadline is March 1)

William and Mary
Application Period: September 1 – March 1

Yale
Application Period: September 1 - February 15

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# posted by admin @ 4:11 pm in Deadlines, School: Berkeley / Boalt, School: Boston College, School: Boston University, School: Chicago, School: Columbia, School: Cornell, School: Duke, School: Emory, School: Fordham, School: George Washington University, School: Georgetown, School: Harvard, School: Illinois, School: Iowa, School: Michigan, School: Minnesota, School: New York University, School: Northwestern, School: Notre Dame, School: Stanford, School: UCLA, School: USC / Gould, School: University of Pennsylvania, School: University of Texas-Austin, School: University of Virginia, School: University of Washington, School: Vanderbilt, School: Washington University in St. Louis, School: Washington and Lee, School: William and Mary, School: Yale

Cornell University Law School Personal Statement and Optional Essay 2009-2010

The Cornell Personal Statement and Optional Essay are as follows:

Please submit a separate personal statement discussing any matter you feel is relevant to our admission decision. You may use the enclosed personal statement form, or attach a separate sheet. See the instructions for more details.

Optional: In making admissions decisions, we give consideration, among other things, to diversity factors (including but not limited to racial or ethnic group identification, cultural, linguistic or economic group; sexual orientation; or other factors), obstacles that applicants have overcome, and/or discrimination that you have experienced. If you choose, please submit a separate statement (in addition to the required personal statement) discussing any or all of these issues to the extent they apply to you.

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# posted by admin @ 11:52 am in Personal Statements, School: Cornell