8A - Monday, October 12, 2009 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Study: Law-related experience not required to get into law school Work experience just one of many criteria, according to Kaplan Test Prep report By ANNIE THOMAS Daily StaffReporter Jeff Carroll, a first-year law student at the University, took his LSAT practice test at a Marriott Hotel in New Orleans on New Year's Eve, the night before the 2007 Sugar Bowl. Carroll was cov- ering Notre Dame football for the South Bend Tribune, a job he had held for about a decade. Carroll had no previous law- related work experience, but after 10 years on the road covering Notre Dame football, and talks of starting a family with his wife, Carroll decid- ed to take a crack at law school. Contrary to what many under- graduates may believe, the fact that Carroll had never interned at a law firm and had spent the last decade in a completely unrelated field didn't put him at a disadvantage in the admissions process. According to a Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions survey of 152 law school admissions officers released last week, more than half of those surveyed reported thathaving legal work experience doesn't give an advantage in admissions. "What's clear from our survey is that admissions officers continue to consider an applicant's LSAT score to be the most important admis- sions factor," Howard Bell, execu- tive director of pre-law programs at Kaplan wrote in a press release regarding the study, "followed by undergraduate GPA, the personal statement, letters of recommenda- tion and professional experience." "While this news should not dis- courage applicants from interning or working in the legal profession prior to law school," Bell wrote, "they should understand its rela- tive insignificance in comparison to LETTER From Page1A "I belong to dozens of organiza- tions where the membership isn't always in full alignment on all issues, and this is no exception," Coleman wrote in the statement. "The issues surrounding this year's budget are very serious, and they will continue to be so next year and beyond," she continued. "It is in the best interests of the state to look to the long term and focus on the highest priorities - including higher education - as we lay the groundwork forthe future." In an e-mail to the Daily, Uni- versity spokesman Rick Fitzger- ald wrote that Coleman "did not know about the letter before it was sent." The letter expresses disappoint- ment over the legislature's failure to pass a budget for the fiscal year 2009-2010 by the Oct. 1 deadline, and recommends the adoption of a budgetagreementreachedbetween Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop (R-Rochester) and House Speaker Andy Dillon (D-Redford Twp.), according to a copy obtained by The Associated Press. Under the terms of that agree- ment, the Michigan Promise Schol- arship would be eliminated. The Promise Scholarship pro- gram provides money to more than 96,000 Michigan college students that can total anywhere from $500 to $4,000 over four years. A merit examination given in high schools determines students' eligibilityforthe grants. Fitzgerald told the Daily last month that an estimated 6,096 stu- dents at the University of Michigan would benefit from the program this academic year. As lawmakers race to pass a bud- get already more than a week over- due, quarrels over how to close the deficitgap leave the Promise Schol- arship hanging inthe balance, with the Republican-controlled Senate moving to cut programs and the Democrat-controlled House look- ing for ways to increase revenues, like raising certain taxes. In the letter, Rothwell is more sympathetic to the Republican phi- losophy. He writes, "we discour- age the adoption of any revenue enhancements or tax increases, including the closure of 'tax loop- holes,' to solve the budget deficit. Any tax increase would be another temporarysolutiontothelong-term structural budgetproblems we face and would continue to prevent Michigan's economic revival." The letter first surfaced in a Detroit Free Press report Thurs- day afternoon. Noren told the paper that the letter did not reflect Wayne State's position and was not approved by him. The report also said Simon "sent aletterindicatingshe also was opposed to (the letter's) contents." - Daily News Editor Kyle Swanson contributed to this report. 6 0 SAID ALSALAH/Daily Officials from the University's Law School Admissions Office say work experience not make-or-break for an applicant. other admission factors." Though the Kaplan press release states that many people may have previously thought that having law-related work experience would give them an edge in getting into law school, some students at the University of Michigan Law School were already aware that working in the legal field before applying wasn't a make-or-break factor. Before applying to law school, University law student Zach Dembo worked for Teach for America, an organization that places college graduates as instructors in impov- erished rural and urban centers. Dembo said that while he had heard that it was important totake some time off between undergrad- uate work and law school, he said he didn't think having law-related experience was a necessity, and that it had turned off some people that he knevw from applying to law school. Sarah Zearfoss, assistant dean and director of admissions at the Law School, wrote in an e-mail interview that while the University didn't participate in the survey, she agrees with the results. Zearfoss wrote in the e-mail that the Law School tends to admit can- didates with a wide range of expe- riences and that working in the law field before applying may be ben- eficial because it can help a student to decide if law school is the right path for them. "We certainly like to see that people have had meaningful work experience ... but it need not be law-related in particular," Zearfoss wrote. "That said, I think it can be advantageous to the candidate ... to gather some experience with the world of law before making the decision to embark on it asa career, in order to get a clear idea of the experience and expectations." Though havinglaw-related expe- rience might not be a factor in get- ting in to law school, students said it certainly brings a level of famil- iarity and background to the field. John Calvin worked as a courier for 15 years at Detroit-based law firms Butzel Long and Dickinson Wright before becoming a student at the Law School. His motivation for working at these firms wasn't to gain experience for law school, but just to earn a living so he could play music at night in loctl clubs. "I think a lot of people get a job at a law firm because they want to go to law school, so they do it in that order," Calvin said. "Mine was a job at a law firm and that made me want to go to law school." He said that being around legal documents and attorneys gave him the background in legal language and procedure, and enabled him to have reference points during class. Although Carroll hasn't worked in the journalism field for years, he believes that what he learned covering Notre Dame football has directly helped him in law. "Maybe the background knowl- edge isn't the same as someone who spent time in a law office,".he said, "but I guess the main point is there are other skills you can learn doing otherjobs that are outside that field that can give you some skills that can pay off in law school." COMMENCEMENT From Page 1A "She's just a kick and just as sharp asever,thoughshe'sgettingupthere inage," Colemansaidofthe 89-year- old Thomas. "She has some unbe- lievably wonderful stories.' Wilson, a research professor at Harvard University, specializes in myrmecology - the study of ants. He won the Crafoord prize, which is similar to a Nobel Prize, in 1990 and two Pulitzers for his work, one in 1979 and the other1991. "He's just a terrific person,"Cole- man said. Boggs, who has lived in Detroit since 1953, is an activist known for her work with civil liberties and labor issues. She has earned lifetime commitment awards from both the Michigan Coalition for Human Rights and the Michigan Women's Federation. Coleman said she was happy Boggs would be attending winter commencement and called her "a really wonderful person." Honorary degree recipients are chosen from a pool of nominees collected from University students, staff and faculty. The Honorary Degree Committee - chaired by Rackham Dean Janet Weiss - reviews nominations, sends for input from reviewers across cam- pus and then makes recommen- dations to the regents. Regents consider the recommendations and make the final decision at one of their monthly meetings. Though the commencement speaker typicallyreceives anhonor- arydegree,theUniversitypresident canchoose someonenotnominated for an honorary degree to be the commencementspeaker. "We always have an active slate and each year we pick from that active slate," Coleman said. "It's a pretty long process that people go through." 0 6 BECOME A FAN OF THE DAILY ON FACEBOOK And get instant updates on our top stories. IP Do you h run agh GLOBAL OPERATIONS CONFERENCE NOVE 2009 ae what it takes to obal corporation? Speakers Hau L. Lee - Director, Stanford Global Supply Chain Managnemont nForut Reuben Slone - Execnutive Vice President nof Supply Chain, Office Max - John Kelly - President of Xerox Global Services, North America Panels Energy Issues and Ramifications Automotive Industry Reform Global Supply Chain Register at www.tauber.umich.edu/goc 0 0 [ 0rtsrtteliAraNe ril.r,j ,Mistsigat sI1li11li CiscO, 1()f 15n1 TAUBER INSTITUTE [° U DN . ENGIrNsr.IG L I nityonns nn tt'snusylvt,.sa,c, duane Snhoot tfdEnunstion G l~atascoo lf [ut I '1-r ( t www.gse.upenn.edu ADERSHWP Ehe ichiaan ai u PRESENTS MichiganEngineering 0 The Promise of Green Technologies Bill Joy Partner Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers Co-founder Sun Microsystems Thursday October 15, 2009 4 p.m. Penny and Roe Stamps Auditorium Adjacent to Charles R. Walgreen, Jr. Drama Center n SICK OF THE DORMS? CAN'T FIND A PLACE TO LIVE? Visit enichigandaily.com/classifieds to see all of the great houses and apartments Ann Arbor has to offer on a convenient map! Also be sure to check out the Classified Pages for other great properties. 0 !