When you watch a boulder roll downhill, sometimes you don’t try to stop it, you just get out of its way. That’s how it feels to be an observer of legal academia watching the methodical destruction of the LSAT by the GRE. See, it really and truly wasn’t that long ago that the notion that you could avoid taking the LSAT and go to law school — and a top flight law school at that — seemed laughable. But now law schools seem to be falling all over themselves to accept the entrance exam once thought of as inferior, with 25 percent of schools saying they have plans to accept the test in the works.
Today, a T14 announced they’d accept the GRE in a pilot program for the Fall 2018 call, joining Harvard Law and Northwestern as elite schools on the cutting edge of legal education. (For those keeping track, Arizona Law School, Georgetown (currently shut out of the prestigious T14), Hawaii, and Washington University in St. Louis School of Law all accept the GRE.) So, which school is it?
Columbia Law School announced they are accepting the GRE, as part of a commitment to fostering an interdisciplinary approach to legal education:
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“The world has become increasingly interconnected and it is part of our mission to prepare students to address the challenges brought on by change,” said Gillian Lester, Dean and the Lucy G. Moses Professor of Law. “To that end, we are devoted more than ever to assembling classes that comprise the broadest possible array of talents, skills, interests, experiences, and backgrounds.”
While the American Bar Association hasn’t weighed in on whether the GRE as a law school admissions exam meets accreditation standards, Columbia has completed its own validation study of the test. They’ve also concluded the GRE reduces the financial burdens of the application process.
The GRE’s takeover is a fait accompli. The question isn’t if, but when the other law schools get on board.
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Kathryn Rubino is an editor at Above the Law. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).