In
a
year
that’s
been
full
of
surprises,
what
may
be
the
biggest
surprise
of
all
is
the
sudden
interest
people
now
have
in
going
to
law
school.
Law
school
applicants
aren’t
just
up,
they’re
way
up.
According
to
LSAC,
thus
far,
there’s
been
a
23.7
percent
increase
in
law
school
applicants
nationally
(i.e.,
~9,000
more
applicants),
and
all
those
applicants
have
been
busy,
accounting
for
a
28%
increase
in
filed
applications
nationwide
(i.e.,
~70,000
more
applications).
In
fact,
in
some
states,
law
schools
are
being
“flooded”
with
applicants
—
with
some
schools
seeing
a
50%
increase
in
applicants.
Take,
for
example,
Pennsylvania,
the
state
where
the
U.S.
Constitution
was
signed
by
the
Framers.
As
noted
by
the
Legal
Intelligencer,
the
eight
law
schools
in
the
Keystone
State
have
seen
a
25%
increase
in
applications
compared
to
last
year.
Whaddaya
know,
it’s
like
people
suddenly
have
an
interest
in
law
and
justice
during
a
time
when
the
rule
of
law
seems
like
it
may
be
in
grave
jeopardy.
So,
which
Pennsylvania
law
schools
are
seeing
a
noted
increase
in
applicants?
The
Legal
Intelligencer
has
the
details:
Three
law
schools
in
the
state
are
reporting
increases
in
applications
of
at
least
50%:
Drexel
University’s
Kline
School
of
Law,
the
University
of
Pittsburgh
School
of
Law,
and
Temple
University’s
Beasley
School
of
Law.
Two
schools
reported
application
growth
between
40%
to
49%,
including
Duquesne
University’s
Kline
School
of
Law;
one
school
reported
growth
between
20%
and
29%
year
over
year,
and
an
additional
two
reported
increases
between
10%
and
19%.
Only
one
school
reported
a
net
decrease
in
applications
of
50%
or
more,
a
dip
that
can
potentially
be
attributed
to
the
consolidation
at
Penn
State
Dickinson
Law.
A
Penn
State
representative
declined
to
comment
on
the
school’s
enrollment
numbers.
Dean
Daniel
Filler
of
Drexel
University
Kline
School
of
Law
is
seeing
a
lot
of
similarities
in
this
application
cycle
to
Trump’s
first
go-round
in
the
White
House.
“It’s
similar
to
eight
or
nine
years
ago,
the
law
really
feels
important
right
now
within
society,”
he
said.
“In
moments
when
the
law
feels
really
steady,
it’s
unclear
how
much
influence
the
rule
of
law
has
in
the
life
of
a
20-year-old.
With
these
dramatic
shifts
[right
now],
for
students
and
young
adults,
the
law
really
frames
the
nature
of
their
freedoms
and
their
choices.
A
world
like
that
sends
more
people
to
law
school
because
they
want
to
have
a
voice.”
It’s
nice
to
“have
a
voice”
when
it
seems
like
democracy
may
be
at
stake,
but
what
could
be
at
stake
for
these
would-be
lawyers’
careers?
Matthew
Saleh,
senior
associate
dean
for
enrollment
management
and
financial
aid
at
Rutgers
Law
School
has
some
thoughts
on
that.
“My
concern
is
going
to
be
if
what
happened
in
2021
rears
its
ugly
face
again,”
Saleh
said.
“2021
had
a
huge
uptick
in
application
volume.
If
schools
are
still
admitting
in
a
similar
fashion
as
they
did
last
year
and
admitting
more
students
…
If
schools
are
not
being
as
responsive
as
what’s
happening
in
the
market
right
now,
they
might
over-enroll
classes,
like
in
2021,
where
you
saw
huge
upticks
in
enrollment.
My
big
fear
is
the
schools
enroll
larger
classes,
but
the
legal
market
isn’t
going
to
increase
the
number
of
jobs.”
“If
the
job
market
isn’t
going
to
grow
to
compensate
for
the
larger
number
of
graduates
in
2028,
what
are
schools
going
to
do
to
respond
to
that
need?”
Saleh
asked.
“Will
schools
start
steering
those
students
into
different
jobs?”
Over-enrollment
should
be
a
huge
concern,
especially
during
a
time
when
there’s
a
government
hiring
freeze
with
an
end
date
yet
to
be
determined.
How
will
the
market
respond
to
a
glut
of
lawyers?
Does
anyone
remember
the
“lost
generation”
of
lawyers
who
graduated
in
2010,
and
went
on
to
have
some
of
the
worst
employment
outcomes
on
record?
We
definitely
don’t
want
another
repeat
of
that,
but
it
sure
is
nice
to
see
how
many
people
have
an
eye
on
the
law
when
it
desperately
needs
a
helping
hand.
Best
of
luck
this
law
school
application
cycle,
because
this
could
get
pretty
competitive!
Pennsylvania
Law
Schools
Are
Seeing
Double-Digit
Boosts
in
2025
Applications
[Legal
Intelligencer]
Staci
Zaretsky is
a
senior
editor
at
Above
the
Law,
where
she’s
worked
since
2011.
She’d
love
to
hear
from
you,
so
please
feel
free
to
email
her
with
any
tips,
questions,
comments,
or
critiques.
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