Law Schools

Law Schools Think Politics Is Driving Applications, But They Aren't Sure That's A Great Idea

Why do you want to go to law school?

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We’ve written a lot about the law school Trump Bump here at Above the Law. It’s the phenomenon in legal academia that more — and smarter —  people want to be lawyers because of the tumultuous political landscape, and it’s led to the biggest law school enrollment in years. Now comes more data that the trend is only getting stronger.

Last year, when Kaplan Test Prep conducted a survey of pre-law students, 32 percent of applicants said politics were a motivating factor in their desire to go to law school. In their latest survey, that number has jumped to a whopping 45 percent. Kaplan also surveyed law school admissions officers at 121 law schools and the vast majority — 87 percent — say politics was a significant factor in the increase in applications.

Law school admissions officers agree that politics is driving applications, but that doesn’t mean it’s a good thing. Kaplan also collected comments from these law school officials, and it’s clear they want applicants to really think about what it means to be a lawyer, not just someone inspired to be politically active:

– “Be careful about that, because the current political climate will change. Instead of worrying about that, focus more on the problems that you want to solve. Be specific about the problems in society or the corporate world or whatever you want to solve, and think about how best to do that.”

– “I would caution them that there are lots of ways to be involved politically, and being a lawyer is a really serious commitment to a career. While lawyers certainly contribute and make change, it’s also a big decision financially and in terms of time, so they should put some thought into it and possible other ways to make change before jumping in.”

– “I would tell them to make sure they find a program that specifically outlines and addresses that type of law their interested in. Do an internship focusing on that to make sure that’s the avenue they want to go down.”

Executive director of Kaplan Test Prep admissions programs Jeff Thomas echoes the advice to prospective law students inspired by politics:

As law school admissions officers point out, caring about politics alone is generally not a strong enough reason to attend law school, as politics changes quickly.  We continue to advise pre-law students to be introspective about their reasons for applying and future-looking about what they plan to do with a JD in the long term.

Remember kids, at worst, the Trump presidency will last eight years, but law school debt is forever.

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headshotKathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, and host of The Jabot podcast. 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).

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