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Tulane University Law School

Introduction

Tulane University Law School has been around for a long time – it was founded in 1847 and is the 12^th oldest law school in the nation. This storied history and the school’s fabulous New Orleans location makes it a fascinating place to spend three years as a law student. The school’s clinical offerings and internship opportunities are extensive, and Tulane’s strong programs in sports law, environmental law, and maritime law (as well as several other fields) are some of the best in the country. In their scarce free time, law students can also participate in the famous party scene on Bourbon Street and contribute to efforts aimed at rebuilding the city after Hurricane Katrina. Overall, with the academic and social offerings at Tulane, students should never be bored!

Admissions

Tuition and Fees

It seems unfortunate to start on a bad note, but Tulane’s high tuition is one of its biggest problems. Dean Susan L. Krinsky reports in an exclusive interview with TLS that tuition tends to be the students’ chief complaint about the school:

I would have to say that the chief complaint or criticism that students have about Tulane is the cost of tuition. We do award a significant amount of scholarship aid, however, there is not a lot we can do about the level of tuition, which is set by the University.

In-state and out-of-state tuition for the 2009-2010 academic year was $37,200. Mandatory fees drag this number up to $40,654, and housing, books, and other miscellaneous expenses make the grand total cost of attendance about $60,000.

Of course, as Dean Krinsky stated previously, there is scholarship aid available for students. Over 60% of Tulane students receive a financial aid grant from the school. While the large majority of these students (68.3%) receive grants totaling less than half the cost of tuition, roughly 31.7% receive grants above such a cost. Full tuition scholarships are very hard to come by, with only 2 students receiving a full ride last year. Overall, the median grant was $12,500 last year, as reported by LSAC.

Thus, even though Tulane’s tuition is by no means cheap, financial aid is available for the majority of students.

The Numbers

Obtaining an acceptance letter from Tulane Law is not an easy task by any means; in the last data reported to the ABA, only 35.6% of applicants were accepted. The school received 2,612 applications and made only 931 offers. Of those 931 offers, 241 students decided to matriculate.

As of last year, Tulane’s LSAT median rests at an impressive 162, with its 75^th percentile and 25^th percentile being 164 and 160 respectively. The school’s UGPA standards are similarly rigorous, with a median of 3.61, a 75^th percentile of 3.75, and a 25^th percentile of 3.35.

The application fee is $60, unless one obtains a fee waiver by contacting Tulane or receiving a need-based waiver from LSAC. Tulane says the following about fee waivers:

The fee can be waived if you arrange for the financial aid officer at your school to send us a letter recommending a waiver. If you are not currently in school, send us your most recent tax return and/or an income statement if you are requesting a fee waiver.

Beyond the Numbers

Of course, the numbers aren’t the only part of your application for Tulane. Dean Krinsky emphasizes that other factors can make the difference between an acceptance and a rejection:

Year after year, we encounter applications where the GPA and LSAT are not particularly noteworthy within our pool, but where some other aspect of the application is persuasive enough to result in an offer of admission. That aspect could be work experience, or volunteer/service activities, some kind of personal experience, or even an academic experience of some kind, and the common thread is almost always the way the candidate discusses that factor in his or her personal statement. It is critical that the candidate convey the relevance and significance of whatever the factor may be.

So, even if you feel like your numbers aren’t terribly competitive, apply anyway! Factors like a strong personal statement, strong extracurriculars, and strong letters of recommendation can go a long way.

Personal Statement

Dean Krinsky had a lot to say about personal statements in her exclusive interview with Top-Law-Schools.com. Above all, she recommends that applicants tailor their personal statements to individual schools:

Make it clear to the reader that you know to which school you’re applying; and make it clear that you know what makes you a good match for that school. All admission officers want to admit students who want to attend their school, so put yourself in that category. Avoid gimmicks, and be yourself. It’s called a “personal” statement for a reason—I want to hear about you, not about world peace, not about my own school. By the time I finish reading the statement, I should have some sense of who you are and why I would want you to enroll at Tulane.

In other words, your essay should emphasize how you will contribute to the community at Tulane, but in a subtle way. It is important to note that Tulane requires two different statements – one more general “personal statement” (with a suggested length of 500 words) and one statement explaining why you want to attend Tulane. If you are interested in a specific area of law, the latter essay is a great place to tell the admissions committee why you would be a good fit for a particular program at Tulane.

Dean Krinsky also talks about what she dislikes when it comes to personal statements:

I’m not wild about personal statements that start out with a quotation. I’m frustrated by personal statements that start out telling a story (“As I stood in the emergency room with my best friend…..”), then shift to the relevance of the story to the candidate’s motivation, and never close the loop or tell the end of the story. Certainly, personal statements that are poorly written or that are just sloppy or that have grammatical or spelling errors do not help the candidate. Nor do personal statements that convey arrogance or other unpleasant personal traits.

Dean Krinsky admits that, at most, 1% of the personal statements that she reads are truly “exceptional.” However, even a solid personal statement can go a long way in letting the admissions committee know that you’re serious about Tulane. Make sure that you take plenty of time to brainstorm, write, and revise your statement!

Finally, Ken DeLeon, the creator of Top-Law-Schools.com, wrote a fantastic guide to personal statements which can be found here for free: http://www.top-law-schools.com/guide-to-personal-statements.html.

When to Apply

Unfortunately, Tulane doesn’t offer an Early Decision or Early Action program, but applying early is quite beneficial. Dean Krinsky explains:

Applying early can be beneficial in at least two ways. First, the arithmetic and psychology of the process are such that we can be somewhat more generous at the beginning of the season when we have, say, 800 offers to make, than we can later in the season when we may have only 400 or 200 or 100 offers left to make. Second, if there are “holes” in an application that lead to questions when we read the application, we have the luxury of asking for more information and the time to receive and consider additional information. Third, early applications give the impression, perhaps counter-intuitively, that the candidate has been thinking about applying for some time, has given it some thought, has thought about applying early, doesn’t procrastinate, has prepared, all those good things.

Applications open up on October 1^st, and the school suggests you get your application in by March 15^th, although “later applications will be considered.” Tulane’s website clarifies:

So long as space remains in the incoming class, Tulane continues to receive and process applications and to make offers of admission. Although Tulane does not have a firm application deadline, very late applications may be disadvantaged in the admission process.

The data-collecting site lawschoolnumbers.com confirms Dean Krinsky’s analysis. In past cycles, many students have already been accepted in December and January. There are more spots open earlier on in the admissions cycle, so if you want to give yourself the best possible chance, apply early!

Letters of Recommendation

Tulane does not require letters of recommendation. That being said, it is a great idea for most applicants to include at least two letters of recommendation (they accept up to four), including at least one academic recommendation Dean Krinsky’s advice about choosing recommenders echoes what other law school deans generally say: make sure that your letter writers know you and your work.

The strongest letters are the ones that make clear that the recommender knows the candidate well, can speak to the candidate’s strengths and weaknesses, and thinks very highly of the candidate, backed up by specific examples. Examples and even comparative statements can be very important to a persuasive letter.

Dean Krinsky remarks that many letters of recommendation are not “affirmatively detrimental,” but are practically useless due to the writer not knowing the applicant “very well (or at all).” She brings up a few examples:

Falling into this category are letters from political figures who simply state that they are writing on behalf of a constituent, or from individuals who know the candidate’s parents, but not the candidate, or from others who might be within six degrees of separation but who otherwise can’t tell us anything about the candidate that is relevant to success in law school.

Finally, Dean Krinsky writes that letters that make a significant difference in the admissions process are far and few between. She estimates that about 5% of applicants have a letter that “makes [her] stop and take another look at the applicant.” She describes these letters:

These letters make clear that the writer knows the applicant well and knows her strengths. They almost always offer examples of those strengths and of other personal traits. Sometimes these letters compare the applicant to others who have gone on to be successful in law school. Often, they tell me something about the applicant that makes me stop and take a closer look, or they put things in perspective in a way that’s very persuasive.

Thus, having recommenders that know and care about your work can be an important leg up in the admissions process.

Addenda

Much like for other law schools, writing an addendum is important if you have a mark on your record. For instance, this can include an “aberrational semester or year” or a low LSAT score. Dean Krinsky remarks that an LSAT addendum is much more effective with a higher LSAT on record – the school looks at multiple LSATs in the following way:

Naturally, we see all of the scores, but we rely on the candidate to explain which score is more representative and why. Not surprisingly, candidates want us to look at the higher or highest score, but without an explanation, we are more likely to look at the average score than the higher score in making the admission decision.

In addition, the school requires an explanation of any and all disciplinary proceedings against an applicant. This includes both academic and criminal charges and convictions. If you’re unsure about whether something in your past counts as a violation, then you should probably disclose. The repercussions for not disclosing an academic or criminal violation can get your offer of admission revoked, and you might even get denied permission to practice law by the bar. It’s better to be safe than sorry!

Waitlisted?

Being relegated to the waitlist at Tulane Law does not mean that you are condemned to rejection. Dean Krinsky reports that in previous years, as much as 15% of the entering class has come from the waitlist. However, this number varies wildly – for instance, in 2009, no one was accepted from the waitlist. If you are waitlisted, the best course of action is to let Tulane know that you are interested in attending (but “only if it is true”). Dean Krinsky remarks that an e-mail or a brief telephone call can be helpful, as it allows the school to know who is truly interested in Tulane. That being said, make sure you don’t become a “pest” – leaving dozens of e-mails and sending the admissions committee flowers won’t work in your favor!

Transfer Students

For those students hoping to transfer to Tulane, the statistics are quite promising. Dean Krinsky reports that the school typically receives between 50 and 70 transfer applications, and in recent years, has accepted about half of them. The most important factor in your application is your first year grades, followed closely by the need to emphasize why Tulane is the right choice for you.

Final Words about Admissions

Students who are truly dedicated to Tulane should craft their applications to reflect that sentiment to the admissions committee. Tailor your personal statement, get great letters of recommendation, and make sure to explain any academic or criminal problems in an addendum. Having a strong LSAT and UGPA is just one part of your application, so make sure that the committee knows why you would be a good fit for Tulane.

Law School Culture

As expected, the social life at Tulane is electrifying. Considered by many to be the party capital of the U.S., New Orleans provides Tulane Law students endless nightlife options, including its famous restaurant scene and a wide variety of bars and nightclubs on storied Bourbon Street. Students also have an annual chance to participate in Mardi Gras festivities, as well as a monthly chance to browse the bars of the city by way of school sponsored bar reviews. The city is also extremely famous for its music scene, and some of the best jazz shows in the world can be seen there. In terms of museums, the New Orleans Museum of Art is fantastic. Finally, the city is home to the New Orleans Saints, winners of Super Bowl XLIV.

Some students might be afraid of the “party reputation” that Tulane (and New Orleans) has. However, one student reassures prospective applicants that students are serious about law school:

It's not like students at Tulane are just a bunch of party animals that don't take the study of law or their careers seriously. That said, people drawn to New Orleans in general tend to enjoy partying or learn to enjoy it because of the culture of great food, live music and festivals throughout the year. Lots of Tulane Law students enjoy these things, but in no way would you be ostracized if you don't.

Although some parts of New Orleans are in disrepair after Hurricane Katrina, the Tulane campus is in one of the safer sections of the city. This area contains many affordable housing options for law students, most of who choose to live off-campus, although graduate dorms are available. The Tulane Law website suggests:

The Tulane campus is situated in a delightful residential neighborhood full of large old homes and numerous shops and restaurants. There are many apartments available in the immediate area, as well as in other neighborhoods such as the Garden District. The best strategy for first-year students is to visit New Orleans in the summer to become familiar with the city and put down a deposit on an apartment.

All of these factors, combined with the lack of cutthroat competition among the student body, make for a promising quality of life for Tulane Law students.

Student Body

Tulane, like other law schools, is interested in creating a diverse group of individuals in each entering class. For the class of 2011, there were more males than females (62% and 38%, respectively). Students of color made up 20% of the class while 16% of the class was comprised of Louisiana residents. In addition, 40% of the class came directly from undergraduate school. The average age of incoming students was 24+ years, and 48 different states are represented in the law school (plus Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia).

Tulane Law’s main undergraduate feeder schools include Tulane, LSU in Baton Rouge, University of Texas in Austin, and Vanderbilt University. Tulane is proud of its diversity and is dedicated to creating an environment where differences are encouraged and nurtured. One student writes:

The student body is not cliquey at all. It's diverse in a lot of ways: racially, politically, through geographic representation, and most people seem to enjoy the diversity.

Making Friends

Most students are slightly nervous when they go off to law school about meeting people and making new friends. Luckily, Tulane seems to be a school where this is no problem at all. One student even claims that this is the best part of the Tulane student body:

But the best thing about the Tulane student body that I've noticed is how collegial everyone is. As an [sic] 0L, you hear stories about how competitive law school can be and how some schools have a cutthroat culture where no one is willing to help each other out. My experience has been the exact opposite here. Though law school is stressful and people certainly care about grades and performance here, students openly talk about study methods, share notes and generally go out of their way to help each other.

The city of New Orleans is also a “great place to meet people,” with plenty of different venues (museums, bars, restaurants) depending on your taste. Dean Krinsky confirms that the atmosphere is “relaxed,” and highlights this as one of the biggest draws of the school. Overall, students seem satisfied with their classmates, and the rumored “cutthroat” atmosphere of law school is virtually nonexistent at Tulane.

Facilities

The facilities at Tulane are top-notch. The law building has an “outstanding library and excellent computer facilities,” and students have access to a computer lab with 40 different workstations. Tulane’s website continues:

The building was designed to enhance natural light and to encompass the features most enjoyed by previous faculty and students: faculty suites spread throughout the building, rather than segregated on one floor, facilitating collegiality among faculty and students; and outdoor courtyards for informal studying and conversation.

Those looking to exercise can utilize Tulane’s excellent gym, which has five basketball/volleyball courts, a 7,000 sq. foot weight room, and many other amenities.

Extracurriculars

Tulane has plenty of different extracurricular activities for students to get involved with. For instance, one can join the Lambda Law Alliance, Moot Court, Sports Law Society, Christian Legal Society, etc. If you’re interested in finding out more, click here!

Journals

Students who are interested in participating in a journal while in law school are in luck if they attend Tulane. There are eight different law journals, six of which are solely student-run. These include the Tulane Law Review, the Tulane Maritime Law Journal, and four other esteemed publications. The Maritime Law Journal is the most cited maritime journal in the country, and the other journals are often cited as well. If you’re interested in finding out more, click here.

Academics

During their 1L year, students at Tulane Law School enroll in the usual required set of core courses, including Torts, Contracts, Property, and Legal Writing. After this first and most rigorous year, students are mostly free to choose from among the school’s 143 elective courses to round out their JD degrees, the majority of which contain less than 25 seats. Tulane Law School students can also choose to pursue certification through concentration programs in European Legal Studies, Maritime Law, Sports Law, Civil Law, or Environmental Law.

Clinical and joint-degree opportunities are also abundant, as are study abroad programs that allow students to take their legal education beyond American borders to such countries as Italy, France, and Greece. Also, because Louisiana is a civil-law state (whereas other states operate by common-law), Tulane Law offers numerous civil-law courses for students hoping to work in Louisiana after graduation. That said, Tulane Law students are not required at any point to enroll in any civil-law courses, and their legal education will not necessarily differ in that sense from students at other law schools.

Dean Krinsky is proud of Tulane’s diverse course offerings and remarks that, “Tulane’s strengths include depth and breadth of curriculum, a superb faculty who genuinely enjoy teaching and who also pursue their scholarship with seriousness….” The school is particularly renowned for its maritime program; the school’s website states that, “Tulane Law School is widely acknowledged to have the strongest maritime law program in the world.” Tulane also hosts many “distinguished scholars of maritime law” through its Maritime Law Center, the heart of its maritime program. To find out more about the maritime law program at Tulane, click here.

The school also offers seven standard joint degrees, as well as the option to petition for a custom joint degree program. Some standard choices include the JD / MBA, JD / MAACT (Master of Accounting), and JD / MHA (Master of Health Administration). To find out more about the joint degree program at Tulane, click here.

Public Interest

Tulane has a long history of promoting its public interest program. For instance, it was the first law school in the country to require pro bono work in order to graduate. The school’s website continues:

Every one of the 3600 students who has received a JD since 1990 successfully performed at least 20 hours of community service work. In fact, most students have exceeded the minimum requirement and thus were able to address even more legal needs. In 2006, the pro bono requirement was increased to 30 hours.

The school was also the 15^th law school in the country to implement a LRAP (Loan Repayment Assistance Program) in order to encourage graduates to pursue (often lower-paying) public interest legal work. There are many different student organizations based around public interest, and the school is proud to offer six different clinics that focus on public interest law. Examples include traditional civic litigation, domestic violence law, environmental law, and criminal defense.

The externship program at Tulane provides an outlet for public interest students to get experience in the real world. Its third-year externships allow students to work closely with federal district judges, the U.S. Attorney’s office, and several other prestigious opportunities. In addition, there are two one-semester externships that students can participate in:

These include the Domestic Violence (DV) Externship and the Public Interest Externship. Students in the DV Externship participate in a field placement at Southeast Louisiana Legal Services representing victims of domestic violence. Students in the one- semester Public Interest Externship work in a real-life lawyering context at selected public interest law firms.

Finally, the school offers several different options for summer internships. For instance, the Public Interest Law Foundation Grant Program (or PILF) gives “financial support for summer internships which would otherwise be unpaid.” On average, PILF “distributes approximately thirty grants with an average grant amount of $2,000, which covers basic food and housing expenses.”

To find out more about internships and fellowships as well as the public interest program in general, click here.

Employment

Generally, when students come to Tulane, they stay for the entire three years. In Tulane’s last ABA report, it states that the 1L attrition rate was 7%. That number quickly drops for 2Ls (2.6%) and 3Ls (1.7%). In addition, more students transfer into Tulane than transfer out. In the same report, it states that 23 students transferred into Tulane, while only 9 transferred out.

The majority of Tulane students pass the bar the first time that they take it. Graduates take the bar exam in various states, including Louisiana, New York, and Texas. With the majority of first time takers reporting (71.26%), the average school passing rate was 78.98%, versus the average state passing rate of 75.01%. This is a difference of 3.97%.

In these troubled economic times, obtaining a job via OCI is never a sure thing. With 98.1% of its most recent graduates reporting, Tulane reports that 92.1% were employed after nine months, with 141 (or 60.3%) working for law firms. Other areas of employment include academia (1 or 0.4%), clerkships (20 or 8.5%), and public interest (10 or 4.3%). A minority of graduates (71 or 30.3%) were employed in-state. Students often go to the northeast (25%) and the southeast (20%) to find jobs, while a significant portion also goes west & southwest (16%).

When asked about a typical Tulane student’s employment situation after graduating, Dean Krinsky responds:

The total cost of attendance at Tulane is about $60,000 per year. Average law school debt at graduation is about $90,000. With respect to employment, there are so many factors that determine when a student will become employed, and where, that it’s almost impossible to generalize about a hypothetical student. Most of the largest firms in the US want to hire students in the top quarter to top third of the class, although there are certainly exceptions. Smaller firms and firms in smaller markets tend to be more flexible about class rank and look more closely at factors such as involvement in moot court, previous experience, connection to the geographical area, and other personal characteristics.

The school reports that the average reported starting salary for the class of 2007 was $97,000 overall, with $118,800 on average for law firms and $46,100 on average for government jobs. That being said, only 37% of graduates reported salary information from the class of 2007, so the data seems skewed at best. Dean Krinsky defends the data:

So long as a school explains what it is reporting, and so long as readers understand what they are seeing, it’s better to disclose than not to. What we prefer to do, however, is to provide information that gives a fuller picture. When a prospective student asks us questions about employment and salaries, we greatly prefer having a discussion that addresses all of the nuances of geography and type of employment. Generally speaking, statistics don’t provide a very full picture.

In other words, if you have a question about Tulane’s placement in a certain area of the country, then e-mailing or meeting with a representative is a safer bet than trusting the school’s employment statistics. Tulane does seem to have a more “national reputation” than most similarly-ranked schools, but with the market changing, it’s not entirely clear how out-of-state placement will be affected in coming years.

Tulane’s Career Development Office (or CDO) is a helpful tool for students who don’t land jobs via OCI. The office hosts mock interviews and students can make appointments with career counselors to discuss their options. Every month, the CDO also provides “programs, panels, receptions, and workshops on topics ranging from practice areas to job search skills.” To find out more about Tulane’s CDO, click here.

Conclusion

When Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana a few years ago, many people were unsure about Tulane’s future. The school has weathered this catastrophic disaster admirably, remaining a great program with national reach. Students interested in living in New Orleans for three years should give the school serious consideration, as should students interested in entering fields like maritime law, environmental law, and sports law. The school’s dedication to public interest is shown through its pro bono requirement and clinics, and its rich history as the 12^th oldest law school in the country gives it a well-deserved national reputation.

Contact Information:

Weinmann Hall
6329 Freret Street
New Orleans, LA 70118
504.865.5930
admissions@law.tulane.edu
http://www.law.tulane.edu/

Quick Reference:

U.S. News ranking: 45th
Application deadline: preferred by 3/15
Application fee: $60
Entering class size: 242 (Class of 2011)
Median LSAT and GPA: 162, 3.59
Yearly tuition and fees: $40,654 (2009-2010)
Average private firm first-year salary: $118,800 (Class of 2007, 37% reporting)

Interview: Susan L. Krinsky, Associate Dean of Admissions at Tulane University Law School