Law school’s Class of 2011 breaks admissions records

The IU School of Law welcomed one of the smartest classes in its 166-year legacy to campus last week.

Deeming IU’s class the most qualified class in history involves looking at it from a quantitative perspective, said Dani Weatherford, director of recruitment for the IU School of Law. It takes into account two factors: LSAT scores and GPA. The LSAT is scored between 120 and 180, meaning the 2011 class’ median score of 164 puts it in the top 9 percent of the country.

The 2011 class earned a median GPA of 3.7 as well, Weatherford said.

“It’s something we worked hard at,” Weatherford said. “Our students, alumni and faculty did a tremendous job in talking to students and getting them interested in IU law. It was a group effort, and it worked out for the best.”

For first-year law student Ashley Michael, the benefits are both in the present and the future.

“I think it’s more exciting that we have such a great group of classmates that will be peers in the profession,” she said. “It’s a high-performing group.”

Weatherford said, although the application review process was the same as always, the school was more selective with the 2011 class than in previous years. The law school received 2,381 applicants and admitted 509 students, with 205 enrolling in the 2011 class.

Frank Motley, assistant dean of admissions for the IU School of Law, said the school wanted to focus more on grades in an effort to balance the emphasis on students’ LSAT.

“Both are important and tell us different things,” Motley said. “It’s an effort to even out the quality of the class in terms of good test takers and people who have strong academic records.”

In the School of Law, much of the learning takes place within discussions in the classroom, Motley said. Having people from different backgrounds who look at legal issues from various angles enhances the learning experience, he said. It’s why the law school places such a heavy emphasis on diversity, he said. The class can even bask in its pride as having the highest percentage of females in recent history, he said.

“When we’re talking about legal problems, we want people with different perspectives in the classroom,” Motley said. “The more diverse people, the better the quality of the classroom discussion.”

Out of the 205 students in the class, they come from 97 different undergraduate institutions and represent 33 states, the District of Columbia and China, Weatherford said.

Though they all come from different backgrounds and places, almost all share a common burden: tuition.

“Of course there’s always pressure considering the cost of investment,” said first-year law student Cameron Wu. “It’s high-risk, high-reward. There’s not as much pressure at IU because it is a very relaxed environment. It’s competitive but collegiate. There’s always a guaranteed return.”