According to this article in something called The Independent Florida Alligator, law school applications nationally are down 9.5% this year, but UM is down only 4%.
Given that our percentage increases in applications during the past decade have tended to be way above recent increases in the national pool, it’s nice to see the pattern of UM beating the trend continue even when there is shrinkage in the over-all number of applicants.
Note: I have never served on the admissions committee.
Update: This decade-long increase in our applicant pool may explain why recent classes seem to have a substantially better median student then when I first got here. What’s especially notable is how much better the weakest students are today than they were over a decade ago (the best students were and are wonderful). It has been a long time since I flunked anyone who didn’t turn in a blank, or nearly blank, blue book (which usually means panic attack, but sometimes means pass/fail gambler). Indeed, I give almost no D’s and very very few C-‘s these days. This is a big change from 12-15 years ago, and while it’s possible I’m a victim of unknowing grade inflation, it would certainly be unknowing.
the alligator is UF’s campus newspaper. its one of (or the, depending on whos counting) oldest independent student-run newspaper in the country.
The OCD (“Oldest College Daily”) is the YDN (“Yale Daily News).
– former YDN News Editor