Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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University Of Wisconsin Madison • Madison, WI
Studying Law (completion in 2006)
• 12/11/2011
"It was an OK place, but nothing special. I don't think I would have chosen it if I hadn't gotten a substantial scholarship."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | It's in a good location. You'll have a lot of chances for networking. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | It has a great reputation. They're regarded as one of the best law schools in Wisconsin. |
| Program Quality | 7 | It was adequate for my purposes. The work was hard though. |
| Instruction | 6 | Sometimes the material was arcane. I had a lot of good teachers who knew what they were doing. |
| How Difficult | 7 | I would spend hours every day reading material. We received new quizzes every day. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | It was almost all in the classroom. I wish we had gone to more courthouses. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 6 | Scheduling was okay as long as you signed up ahead of time. The classes would fill up within a few days of the deadline. |
| Academic Facilities | 7 | The facilities were good. The infrastructure and grounds were well taken care of. |
| Social Life | 9 | There were tons of parties. Since there were so many people there it was easy to find friends. |
| Placement Services | 6 | It is hectic. Since there are so many people it is hard to get personalized attention. |
| Alumni Network | 8 | There are a lot of law graduates. The network is very extensive in Wisconsin. |
Marquette University Law School • Milwaukee, WI
Studying Law (completion in 2003)
• 1/1/2012
"Going to law school was the best decision I ever made. I enjoyed the academic challenges at the time, and I absolutely love my career. I wish I had gone earlier in my life."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | no | I know I have given glowing remarks about Marquette, but it is too expensive when compared with the other law school in Wisconsin, at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Marquette is now over $100,000 for a law degree, and Madison is probably one-half of that. A great education, but far too expensive. |
| Program Reputation | 7 | UW-Madison has a better reputation than does Marquette, and Marquette is historically ranked low in the US News & World Report college rankings. Marquette, I believe, is a Tier 3 school. However, with the new law school building and the changes made by Dean Kearney, I believe that Marquette's profile and reputation are increasing in value. |
| Program Quality | 9 | I was fortunate to have two very good mentors at Marquette, Dean Eisenberg and then Dean Kearney. They were very dedicated. I also highly appreciate Dean Eisenberg's personal motto of "Do Well and Do Good" -- it is very much in line with a Jesuit education. |
| Instruction | 8 | The career planning department worked very hard with me to secure employment. As far as the school curriculum, everyone wanted more of the hands-on clinicals. |
| How Difficult | 8 | I worked full-time while going to law school, so it felt as if there was never enough time to study as long as we needed to. However, I was involved in study groups and found that if I ran into an academic roadblock because the topic was difficult, my study group would help me. The topics are difficult, but also invigorating. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Some students wanted more hands-on training. I took advantage of trial skills, legal writing and research, and a mediation clinic. I wish there were more clinics available to the part-time students at the time. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | I attended the part-time program, which allows graduation in 4 years. I attended an evening course, Monday through Thursday, from 5:30 p.m. to approximately 9:00 p.m., as well as Saturday clinicals and intensive summer school courses. Marquette offered a 6-week summer travel course to Australia, which unfortunately, I could not take advantage of. I felt very supported by the part-time education dean and student services office. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | When I attended Marquette, the law school was in a 100-year-old building, Sensenbrenner Hall. The dean always had his door open. The librarians were very helpful. The law school built a $300m structure last year, and that is absolutely gorgeous. With all that being said, the law school facility/building itself didn't matter that much to me -- rather it was the fact that the faculty and staff were accessible that was more important. |
| Social Life | 9 | Being a nontraditional student, I was not interested in school spirit or sports. Rather, I made lifelong friends and met many wonderful colleagues in the study groups and trial skills courses we attended. |
| Placement Services | 8 | I was pleased with the help I received from career planning and from Dean Katzman. The job market was difficult in 2003, and I am sure it is much, much worse at this time. It is a challenge to secure employment. However, I was and am confident that the law school is in good communication with firms that are hiring. |
| Alumni Network | 7 | I am not in a position to take advantage of the opportunities the alums have, but I do read the updates in the quarterly magazine. I follow the law school programs that are available to alums and the public on the website. I have gone to use the research materials at the new law school. I have never gone to one of the alum basketball games, but I am aware that they are available if I choose to engage in them. |
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