Friday, February 23, 2024

Law School Application Deadlines: When Being on Time is Already Too Late

Students seeking admission to law school need to pay careful attention to deadlines. Registering for the LSAT (Law School Admission Test) and the CAS (Credential Assembly Service) are critical to the process—law schools will not consider an incomplete application. The LSAT exam represents a "hard deadline"—a date that are not optional and must be adhered to in any given admission cycle for your application to be considered complete. But one deadline that guides the timing of the entire application process is a little fuzzier: the final date by which all materials must be submitted to a given law school for admission consideration.


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Understanding Law School Application Deadlines

All law schools have a final application deadline—the latest possible date that an application can be submitted to receive consideration. But many schools have pushed that date further back, making it closer to the start of the semester. At the same time, early admission application deadlines can be very early indeed. The benefit of early admission is an earlier answer from one’s preferred law school. The tradeoff is that, to be considered for early acceptance, one generally has to agree to not apply to other law schools. Admissions practices thus leave a lot of time in between these early admission and final application deadlines, meaning that in between these dates, admissions decisions are being made on a "rolling basis." As the admission cycle progresses, the pool of applicants typically expands, and the number of available seats shrinks. In other words, when you apply matters. And, if you wait closer to the end of the cycle, your chances of admission, as well as favorable financial assistance, decrease.

New Data on Application Timing

A new study, “If You’re On Time, You’re Late,” details the evidence on applying later in the admissions cycle, though still before the official deadline. For applicants of similar profiles (LSAT scores and grade point averages), those who applied earlier in the process were more likely to be admitted—there was a 40% versus a 24% acceptance rate for those who waited until late in the process. The report also found a disproportionate impact for racially or economically underrepresented applicants for the very reason that applicants in these groups tend to apply later.

What Can you Do?

Part of the problem may be that students are waiting too long to take the LSAT. The LSAT is offered more frequently now with new post-pandemic remote testing options. There is also a much quicker turnaround in the release of LSAT test results. Thus, rather than taking the LSAT the summer or fall of the year before, they are deferring the LSAT until January (or later) of their target admission year. This, in turn, pushes consideration of their application back until later spring or even the summer—sometimes only mere months ahead of the start of the fall semester. In combination with law schools’ increasingly late final application deadlines, this gives students a false sense that there is still plenty of time to apply for fall admission. In other words, because applicants can wait until later, many are waiting until later unaware that application timing affects the chance of success.

According to the study, “LSAT timing is a key contributor to application timing. The predicted likelihood of applying late is 63% for applicants who sat for the LSAT late (after January 1) compared to only 26% for early or on-time (before January 1) applicants.”

Perhaps this should not be surprising—early application reflects more pre-planning and attention to detail. Last-minute applications may suggest disorganization, or a lack of intentionality.

The way to maximize your chances of successful admission is to apply as early in the process as you possibly can. It is not necessary to apply under a more restrictive early acceptance process, but the long-standing rule-of-thumb that one should apply at least a full semester before the start of the law school’s new academic year is still good advice.

To increase the likelihood of acceptance:
  • Register for and take the LSAT early (no later than summer or fall of the year before your targeted admission date) to ensure a complete application in January or by early spring. This leaves time to retake the exam if necessary.
  • Register for the CAS and solicit letters of recommendation on this same timeline.
  • Aim for the completion of your application by January 1 of your target application year.
  • Consider early acceptance program options, but only if they are right for you.
  • Research their admissions processes. Understanding the school’s application process can inform your application strategy.

Does this Mean I Should Never Apply Later in the Process?

There may be situations in which a later application is still a reasonable, or even the right, choice for you. Applying later in the process may be more advisable than deferring your application for an entire year. Conversely, there also may be advantages to waiting until the next cycle. Later applicants may be waitlisted with a final admission decision coming very close to the start of the semester.

But absolutely do recognize that the school’s final application deadline is not the optimal deadline for most applicants. The "real" deadline is much earlier than the final application date given by the law school. 

 

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Sunday, April 16, 2023

History & Political Science Students Participate in Model EU Conference

Written by: Kyle Weinsheimer, History and Political Science Adolescent Education Major 

From Thursday March 30th to Saturday April 1st, I attended the SUNY Model European Union Conference on behalf of Daemen University. The conference was held at the SUNY Global Center in New York City, and involved students from around the world, representing delegations of European Union member states. Most days of the conference consisted of debating policies, agreeing on agenda recommendations, and constant communication and compromise from all member states. All students were given roles prior to the conference, from their representative delegation, and were told to stay in character throughout the conference. Me and my colleague, Crystal Buchanan, along with Lisa Pastor from the University of Montreal, represented the delegation of the Kingdom of Denmark. I represented the foreign affairs minister of the delegation, Lars Løkke Rasmussen. Crystal, a political science major at Daemen University, represented finance minister Marie Bjerre, and Lisa represented prime minister Mette Frederiksen. Together as a delegation, we had to commit time and effort to quality research on the policies and ideals of the Danish government, and to make sure our research fit with each other’s. Each representative from each delegation was placed in a functional meeting to debate and come to an agreement on a certain agenda topic. The foreign affairs functional committee, which I was on, was tasked with discussing the EU’s policy towards the People's Republic of China [PRC], which resulted in very contentious and passionate debates. The outcomes of these meetings were very positive, and as time progressed all representatives worked together to reach multiple agreements and amendments to agenda recommendations of the EU. The Foreign Affairs Committee's resolutions included increasing domestic manufacturing in the EU while incentivizing lower industrial developed states of the EU to increase their manufacturing capabilities, creating a task force to increase intelligence on the PRC, and to increase diplomatic relations to ensure trade efficiency with the PRC. As a whole, the conference was very informative and a great opportunity to meet other students who were both very friendly and knowledgeable.
Kyle Weinsheimer (center) and Crystal Buchanan (right) represented the Daemen History & Political Science Department at the Model EU conference in NYC 
Downtown NYC picture taken by Kyle Weinsheimer

In addition to the rewards of participating in such an amazing conference, was the benefit of visiting one of the most beautiful cities in the country, New York City. This was maybe my second or third time seeing the city in person, and I immediately felt the culture shock of being in the economic and social epicenter of the country. The bright lights, the diverse masses of people walking the streets, and the birds that’ll walk right up to you to hang for a little while made me excited to be in such a place. Being in the city that never sleeps was an amazing experience and I am thankful for the opportunity to have made this trip to represent Daemen University. I am also thankful that I got to take this trip with a Harlem native, my co-delegate Crystal, who could show me around the city and crack jokes with me while we walked through the maze of streets to find the SUNY Global Center. In addition, I’d like to thank Dr. Tandon, our faculty advisor for the conference, for meeting with us to make sure we were on track, and to help arrange travel plans for the conference. While it was a lot of work to prepare for this conference, it paid off in the end with the knowledge and experiences I gained from this trip.

Thursday, March 23, 2023

 

We look forward to seeing you at this exciting upcoming lecture by Dr. Nayma Qayum. For more information please contact Dr. Aakriti Tandon at atandon@daemen.edu.

Thursday, March 16, 2023

Catching Up With Our Alumni – Tori Newman Campbell

Colleges and Universities across the country, Daemen included, are in the midst of recruitment season.  Students are exploring what schools have to offer and considering what they want to study when they enroll.  One of the most frequent questions asked of faculty during recruitment events is, “what can I do with this degree?”  While there is no clear, singular career path our graduates follow, the versatility of this degree is one of its strengths.  A degree in History and/or Political Science prepares students for a variety of careers upon graduation.  We have graduates that have gone on to have successful careers in law, business, education, public service, community development, nonprofit organization, and government, just to name a few.  These graduates have taken their course content knowledge along with the transferable skills they developed in the major and had incredibly successful careers. 

That’s the great thing about these disciplines: they provide a wealth of knowledge of history and/or political science content, but they also equip students with critical thinking skills, the ability to develop and carry out a research project, clear verbal and written communication skills, and the ability to synthesize and meaningfully analyze information.  Our alumni regularly put these skills to use in their chosen career paths.  So, to help answer the questions of “what can I do with a degree in History?” or “what can I do with a degree in Political Science?” we want to highlight some of the interesting and important work our alumni have been up to since graduating. 

Tori Newman Campbell '19, Legislative Coordinator for New York 1199SEIU, a healthcare union

Our inaugural alumna is Tori Newman Campbell, class of 2019.  Tori was a Political Science major who minored in Political Communication and Literature and Composition.  She currently works as the Legislative Coordinator for New York 1199SEIU, a healthcare union.  Below is a discussion I recently had with Tori, highlighting what she has been up to since graduating. 

How have you put your degree to use since graduating?

Every job I have held since graduation was related to my degree. My first job was in an Assembly office in Brooklyn. Although I was there a short time, my background in political science was integral in understanding how the Assembly worked, how laws were written and passed and how the Assemblymember participated in the political process. My next job was at a lobby firm, Bolton St. John’s, and although I was no longer working in an elected office, lobbyists have an enormous effect on the political process as well. Minoring in political communication really helped me at the firm. We often pushed out stories and interacted with the media on behalf of clients and their political goals. Currently, I am at 1199SEIU and as the legislative coordinator, I help the union push for our legislative goals such as increasing the Medicaid reimbursement rate. Much like my first two jobs, my degree has aided me in understanding how we can push for these goals and participate in the political process. Also, my coursework that covered the differences between the local, state, and federal levels of governments has been very helpful since starting at 1199SEIU, because unlike my past two positions, we work with legislators at every level of government. That understanding of how each level works and what each level can do has been very useful when we are setting priorities by office.

What do you like most about your job?

My job allows me the ability to do what I love, while making a difference. Working as 1199SEIU’s legislative coordinator, I get to work with elected officials who believe in our goals of pushing for more resources for our hospitals, nursing homes, and other facilities and getting better pay for our members who are healthcare heroes. I love politics and getting to go to Albany to be a part of the political process. Getting to do this while also changing the lives of the healthcare workers we represent is amazing and I don’t know if I would ever be able to get that balance somewhere else.

Do you have a favorite memory from your time at Daemen that you'd like to share?

I have so many great memories from Daemen, from making lifelong friends to having professors who helped push me to be the best I could be both academically and professionally. I think some of my favorite memories were being on student government. I was always a part of student government before I got to Daemen, but being in college was a bit different and I never thought I would join again. My senior year I took a leap and ran for Secretary, and I won! That year, as a student government body, we brought the stories and concerns of students of color on campus to administration. We made sure our voices were heard and that will always be one of my core memories at Daemen.

Is there anything else you would like to share with our current students and fellow alumni?

I’ll close by just saying that Daemen is a great school and I don’t know if I would be where I am without the experiences and push from my professors I got during my time there.

Our department is incredibly thankful to Tori for taking the time to share her experiences with us and we hope you enjoyed learning a bit about what she has been up to, since graduating just four years ago!  If you would like to share your post-graduation experiences with the department, please reach out to the Department Chair, Dr. Jay Wendland at jwendlan@daemen.edu or drop your contact information in the comment section below.  

Thursday, March 9, 2023

Women's History Month at Daemen!


March is Women’s History Month! Please join the Women's Studies Program at Daemen to celebrate and explore issues in women's history.

 

 

Suffragetto 

Tuesday, March 21

11:30 am to 1:00 pm, Alumni Lounge


This recently rediscovered historic board game (from 1909) is based upon British suffragettes’ battle for women’s right to vote. Suffragetto is a strategy game played by two players; suffragettes try to break into Parliament’s House of Commons and confront police who are trying to disrupt a suffrage meeting in Albert Hall while protecting the House of Commons from the invading women. Learn about movements to secure the right to vote while playing this historic game. Co-sponsored by Daemen’s Women’s Studies Program and the Center for Diversity & Inclusion. Refreshments are included. 

  

 

“Hidden Figures”  

Thursday, March 23 

4:00 to 7:00 pm, RIC120


The 2016 film, headlined by Octavia Spencer, Taraji P. Henson, and Janelle Monae, traces the stories of three Black female mathematicians, human “computers” whose work for NASA was integral to the success of the US space program. After the film, Dr. Intisar Hibschweiller (Professor of Mathematics) and Dr. Diane Ramos (Chair of Natural Science Department) will discuss women’s role in STEM fields, including challenges and opportunities for women today. Co-sponsored by Daemen’s Women’s Studies Program and the Center for Diversity & Inclusion. Refreshments are included. 



 

“Gendered Norms and Women's Access to the Law in Rural Bangladesh” 

Wednesday, March 29

1:25-2:20pm, DS336 

Lecture by Dr. Nayma Qayum, the author of Village Ties: Women, NGOs, and Informal Institutions in Rural Bangladesh. Qayum will explain how rural Bangladeshi women seek to end practices such as child marriage, dowry abuse, and intimate partner violence, which persist although they have been outlawed. Qayum is an Associate Professor of Political Science and Global and International Studies at Manhattanville College. This event, part of the History & Politics Event Series, is also co-sponsored by Daemen’s Global Studies program, Women’s Studies program, and the Center for Diversity & Inclusion. 

 

 

“Gaslight” 

Friday, March 31

5:00-7:30 pm, RIC120

Are you curious about “gaslighting,” Merriam-Webster’s 2022 Word of the Year? In this classic 1944 thriller, Ingrid Bergman plays a newlywed whose husband manipulates her into distrusting her own experiences, perceptions, and memories (“gaslighting” her). Come for the film and stay for the discussion, with commentary and discussion led by Dr. Shirley Peterson, emeritus Professor of English. Co-sponsored by Daemen’s Women’s Studies Program and the Center for Diversity & Inclusion. Refreshments are included. 

 

 

 

**All events are free and open to the public. Please contact Dr. Penny Messinger, director of the Women's Studies Program, for more information** 

 

Saturday, November 19, 2022

Update:

The American Bar Association (ABA) house of delegates rejected the elimination of the LSAT (or GRE option) as a requirement for law school admissions at its February 2023 meeting. The rationale for maintaining the entrance exam was the need to ensure that students admitted to law school are ready to succeed. While the ABA heard concerns about the LSAT as a barrier to admission, it also heard counter-concerns that its elimination would exacerbate the problems by replacing the LAST with more biased, alternative admission criteria (like reliance on grade point average). The issue is likely to be revisited in the future. But for now, aspiring law students must take either the LSAT or GRE (if authorized by the law school) as an entrance exam requirement of admission. 

Law School Trends to Watch – the End of the LSAT Requirement?

The Law School Admission Test (LSAT)—an exam long-required for admission into law school—may soon be phased out. The American Bar Association’s accrediting council, comprised of lawyers, law school faculty and admissions professionals, voted 15-1 on November 18, 2022, to drop the requirement that law school applicants take the standardized admission exam effective for the Fall 2025 admission cycle. The decision still needs to be finally ratified by the full ABA delegation at its February 2024 meeting, and individual law schools would be allowed to still require the LSAT (or some form of admission test like the GRE) as a requirement for admission. It is not clear yet just how many law schools are likely to make the LSAT optional only as part of their admissions requirements.




Why the Change?

The LSAT does not test content or legal knowledge but rather is a skills-based exam that test logical reasoning, reading comprehension, and writing abilities. Performance on the LSAT exam has been correlated with law school success—and thus, has been viewed as a strong measure of aptitude for the legal profession and a predictor for law school and bar-passage success. Attending law school is expensive and graduates are not allowed to practice law without passing state bar (or licensure) examinations upon graduation. The LSAT, in other words, was a gatekeeping mechanism to ensure that students entering law school had the requisite ability and skills to succeed in the legal profession.

The gatekeeping function of the LSAT, however, also served as a barrier for many aspiring law students. Studying for the exam is time consuming and commercial preparation courses are costly. For some prospective law students, the cost of the entrance exam and credential assembly services provided by the Law School Admission Council (LSAC)—the nonprofit corporation which administers the LSAT—were prohibitive. The LSAC provided fee waivers, but the application criteria were stringent and the process less than easy.

Moreover, there was mounting evidence that the LSAT unfairly discriminated against poor and minority students who tend to perform more poorly on the exam. While law schools consider a range of admissions factors, including grade point averages, letters of recommendation, and extra or co-curricular experiences—the LSAT score plays a disproportionate role in admissions decisions, particularly at the higher ranked law schools.

Disabled students also saw the LSAT as posing barriers. While students with disabilities can qualify for accommodations when taking the LSAT, the use of accommodations is noted in their application, discouraging some students from utilizing legitimate accommodations. Moreover, the logic games—a section on the exam with which many students most struggle—typically require the use of schematics and visualizations to solve more readily—a factor that substantially impacted those with vision impairment. Because of this, the LSAC already had plans to revise or phase out the logic games as part of a legal settlement following a challenge under the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Michigan Person with Disabilities Civil Right Act.


 
And then along came the COVID pandemic which disrupted the traditional in-person, limited administration of the LSAT. The pandemic required the LSAC to move to a more-frequently offered LSAT-flex option wherein the exam could be taken online under monitored conditions. The transition to online-testing was often problematic, resulting in frequent complaints from students over proctoring, privacy, and technology issues. The transition back to in-person testing and loss of administrative flexibility has been equally challenging.

Another blow to the LSAT was dealt when an increasing number of law schools announced that they would accept the Graduate Records Examination (GRE) in place of the LSAT. The switch to the GRE option allowed law schools to diversify their applicant pool and tap into the well of students who were undecided between law and graduate school as a potential career pathway. The ABA’s formal approval of the GRE option as consistent with ABA standards opened the floodgates, so that 100+ of the 185 or so accredited law schools now accept the GRE in place of the LSAT.





Is LSAT-optional Ultimately a Good Thing?

Not everyone is convinced that elimination of the LSAT as an admission requirement is ultimately a good thing. Indeed, many pre-law advisor associations were split on their recommendations when asked by the ABA for comment on the proposed change. Why are some law school professionals concerned? First, we can anticipate that the elimination of the LSAT as a requirement is likely to increase the number of applications submitted in the admission cycle. That means that that law schools may have a more difficult task in admissions decisions, and are losing a data-point that did have predictive value of law school success. The concern is that law schools may admit more students who are not fully prepared for the rigors of law school or the profession.

There are also concerns about the overall saturation of the legal market in terms of the number of law schools and the number of graduates that law schools collectively produce. The concern is that the higher-ranked law schools will continue to require the LSAT while struggling institutions may go the optional route, thereby unintentionally exacerbating race, gender, and economic inequalities that the elimination of the LSAT requirement was intended to alleviate. While admissions might be more readily gained under LSAT-optional criteria, the advantage may be offset by the increased number of applicants and the diminished value or reputation of the institution if graduation completion, bar passage, or employment rates fall. Some critics of the LSAT-optional decision fear that waiving the exam as a gatekeeping mechanism may lead more students to amass on law school debt for a degree that they cannot successfully complete.



What Does this Change Mean For You?

Many students will undoubtedly rejoice at the prospect of the LSAT being eliminated as a required admission criterion for law school. But there is an argument that taking the LSAT exam provides an applicant with a significant advantage relative to those relying on GRE scores or no entrance exam at all. Admissions committees, in other words, may still favor students who take and perform well on the LSAT. This means that, as a prospective law student, you will want to carefully consider whether the time and expense of taking the LSAT, the GRE, or no admissions test at all, makes the most sense for your situation. That is, will the time and effort of taking the LSAT increase the probability of your admission to a law school of choice?

It also means that you should be even more thoughtful about where you apply and should not let the test requirement be the sole determinant of your choices. That is, applying to an LSAT optional as opposed to an LSAT-is-still-required-by-this-institution law school may have ramifications for your chances at acceptance and the overall value of your law degree. In some cases, having a strong grade point average, resume, and great letters, may be strengthened (or mitigated) by your decision to take the LSAT. One thing that is unlikely to change—if you do take the LSAT exam, the law schools to which you apply will be able to see your scores. So, it is still the case that you should not take the LSAT without adequate preparation. And you should plan on taking it only once—that is, never take the LSAT cold or treat the actual exam like a practice exam.

It is important to remember that getting into law school is only the first step to a successful legal career. Once admitted you also need to graduate and graduate with a record that is likely to ensure your success in the profession. That means, you need the skill sets to do well in courses, earn decent grades in law school, and be adequately prepared to pass the state bar exam. For this reason, your undergraduate preparation and major are likely to be more important than ever in insuring that you have the requisite writing, reading, and logic skills beyond foundational content knowledge or general familiarity with legal system that are necessary.

Finally, it should be cautioned that just because the application process might seem less daunting without the dreaded LSAT, the decision to attend law school should not be made lightly or as a “let’s just see,” or default because you do not know what else to do upon graduation option. While law degrees are often advertised as versatile degrees with which one can do “most anything,” attending law school is a major commitment of time and money that is primarily intended to prepare one for the practice of law. As you think about career pathways, take time to explore what the preferred terminal degree is for the profession of your interest.







Sunday, April 10, 2022

Annual Departmental Banquet Returns!

The History and Political Science departmental banquet, held annually to celebrate our graduating seniors, is returning this year after a two-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic!  We invite you to join us on Friday May 6 at 5:00pm  in Alumni Lounge.  There is no cost - just come celebrate our graduates, hear from fellow alumni, and connect with our current faculty.  We hope to see you there!