Thomas M Cooley Law School

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by Randell1234, Mar 8, 2012.

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  1. Randell1234

    Randell1234 Moderator

    Not exactly DL but Thomas M Cooley Law School is coming to Tampa. I think someone here is attending Thomas M Cooley Law School. Any comments on the school and rep?
     
  2. Koolcypher

    Koolcypher Member

    This is not a cheap shot at Cooley, I'm sure they are a fine school. However, this is exactly what Florida needs, more lawyers! :headache:
     
  3. The majority of students that attend Cooley are from out of state. Supposedly, Florida residents are the second (New York being first) highest of out-of-state students currently enrolled at Cooley.

    Koolcypher, true...Florida does have A LOT of lawyers and law schools for that matter.
     
  4. Jacob Perry

    Jacob Perry New Member

    Good friend of mine went to Cooley (in Michigan) and now specializes in Constitutional Law. He raves about the school.
     
  5. Spinner

    Spinner New Member

    I've heard this is where you go to law school if you can't get into others. This law school is far from the top of the list in reputation and quality to those in the legal profession. Important if you want to get hired by a law firm.

    Also, it is pretty expensive.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 9, 2012
  6. major56

    major56 Active Member

    I have a cousin who received his J.D. from Cooley a few years back. I believe Cooley’s pretty much /almost open enrollment (e.g., doesn’t necessarily require the higher LSAT score for admission: Median LSAT score 146 /Ranked number 189 of 192). Nonetheless, I believe Cooley has a 80% (first-time takers) or better Michigan Bar passing rate. Also, in that the State Bar of Michigan does not require a bachelors degree … neither does Cooley for admission (e.g., “… an applicant may also attend if the student has completed at least 60 semester hours or 90 quarter hours either toward an undergraduate degree from an accredited school or from an accredited junior or community college.").

    Prospective Students | Students | Incoming Students
    Judging the Law Schools 12th Edition ABA Criteria Database | Compare by School, State, Factor | Thomas M. Cooley Law School

    If memory serves me correctly, we have an occasional poster who is graduating from Cooley Dec. 2012.
     
  7. Spinner, that really doesn't hold true. I had a bunch of classmates that were accepted into several other schools. The highest ranking I can think of was UofM. In the legal profession the reputation is not as "bad" as the public may think. Sure, on the USNEWS rankings Cooley gets ate alive. I have several classmates that have received jobs from well paying firms. Honestly, at the state of competition within the legal profession right now I would say that it's not really what school you went to, it's who you know in the right places (guess that's pretty much standard).

    When I took the bar last month there was two major things I noticed. First, Cooley did a darn good job of preparing me for the Bar and actually practicing law in comparison to my counterparts from other schools (no pun intended). Second, a substantial amount of first-time takers didn't have jobs from law firms. That included students from Emory University, Georgia State University, Indiana University, University of Georgia, and John Marshall-Atlanta.

    When compared to a lot of other private law schools it's not expensive (darn rising cost of higher education :) ). The stated tuition is off-charts, but they give a a large of amount of scholarships. I think my total tuition projected to be about 100k when I first started. Cooley's Honors scholarship knocked 75% off, and my GI Bill covered the rest. Granted, everyone doesn't receive a Honors scholarship but a large portion of the student body does.
     
  8. True, Cooley is pretty open with their enrollment but they don't hesitate to fail a person out. If you don't make the grades...your gone. Almost every term I looked up thought, "Hey, where did Jane/John X go..." Guess it's all a part of the process. I know of only one person to use the "no bachelors degree" admission rule. He had a pretty amazing story.
     
  9. FJD

    FJD Member

    Well, you have classmates who told you they got into other schools, which is like the old saying about there being a lot more students walking around campus with 4.0 GPAs than are walking around campus w/ 4.0 GPAs. In other words, and especially in law school, people sometimes inflate their credentials to appear higher in the pecking order. While it may be true that someone got into UM law (an "elite" law school) but chose to go to Cooley (an accredited but unspectacular school), I would have to take that statement with a grain of salt. They can tell you anything they want, but a lot of it's BS (we're lawyers after all).
     
  10. major56

    major56 Active Member

    I had heard that Cooley’s turnover in students was pretty large. Sorry I was mistaken regarding your graduation date of Dec. 2011 and not Dec. 2012. Are you presently practicing law?

    P.S. I’m not adverse to non-holders of the baccalaureate degree being admitted to Cooley or wherever else for that matter (e.g., Cooley’s merely in compliance with the State Bar of Michigan regulation as regards admissions). Moreover, I am in support of State Bar qualifying non-ABA options, e.g., law schools authorized or accredited by individual states as with Alabama, Arizona, California, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Tennessee, and in Puerto Rico.
     
  11. Touche. I have to admit, the "superman complex" seems to be rampant in law school. I am inclined to believe a few of my classmates though. A few back up there statements from time to time.
     
  12. Oh yes the turnover is crazy. That's the running joke of how they can afford all the nice trinkets around the campuses. No, I am not presently practicing law. I just took the Bar in February. It takes them a few months to give the results back.

    I hope my response didn't appear as if I thought you were adverse to those that hadn't received a baccalaureate degree for admissions. i thought it was pretty cool that you recognized that rule. The reason I mentioned about the guy was because he give a mini-speech at an event the night before graduation. When he stated he was admitted without having completed his degree and how that saved him 1 1/2 years you could hear a pen drop. For most people it was their first time knowing that it was even possible. Kind of like "Ahhhhh...could have saved a year of my life". :)
     
  13. FJD

    FJD Member

    I felt like law school was like being in high school again, just one where everyone was really smart, and almost everyone was an a-hole. Every jerk lawyer was once a jerk law student, remember. Me, I'm a nice guy, of course.
     
  14. Wow, you stole the words from my mouth, just like high school. "Every jerk lawyer was once a jerk law student"...this quote should be framed and displayed at the entrance of every law school. I think I am the nice guy as well.
     

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