In its 2018 edition of "The Best 169 Law Schools,” the influential college guide also listed Elon Law among the top 10 schools in terms of the number of hours that students report studying outside of class and the level of ambition among students at the school.
One of the nation’s top publications for college admissions has again listed Elon University School of Law among the nation’s best institutions for a legal education.
For the third consecutive year, Elon Law made the “The Best 169 Law Schools,” a guide published by The Princeton Review based on an 80-question survey where students rate their schools on several topics.
“The schools we selected as The Best 169 Law Schools all offer academically outstanding degrees: we recommend them highly,” said Robert Franek, editor-in-chief of The Princeton Review. “Their program offerings vary considerably, and we salute and highlight those distinctions in our profiles. Our purpose is not to rank schools hierarchically or crown any school as ‘best’ overall. Our goal is to provide school profiles combined with multiple rating scores and ranking lists to help applicants choose the best law school for them.“
The Princeton Review’s list tallies factor in data from its surveys of law school students during the 2014-15, 2015-16, and 2016-17 school years. Students evaluate their school’s academics, student body and campus life, and their career plans. On average, 118 students at each law school were surveyed for the newest lists.
Elon Law in downtown Greensboro is the preeminent school for engaged and experiential learning in law. With a focus on “learning by doing,” it integrates traditional classroom instruction with course-connected, full-time residencies-in-practice in a logically sequenced program of transformational professional preparation.
Elon Law’s groundbreaking approach is accomplished in 2.5 years, which provides distinctive value by lowering tuition and permitting graduates early entry into their legal careers.
Students praised Elon Law in their survey responses, calling the school’s “truly one-of-a-kind” program a “godsend.” Stated one student: “With the drive to maximize that opportunity, you can greatly improve your network and skills in the residency.”
Among the student quotes showcased in Elon Law’s online profile:
- The school also provides “beneficial networking activities” by assigning students a currently practicing attorney as a mentor, and there is a volunteer program in place in which second year students provide mentorship to small groups of first year students.
- Elon has “a wide variety of personalities” that give good insight into different teaching methods, and the school is constantly involving students in activities such as “town baseball games, networking conferences, bar activities, CLEs, professor and dean monthly lunches or drinks, and coffee at the commons,” to name a few. It also offers “several optional bar preparation courses and monthly targeted bar topic workshops, along with a required bar preparation course the fall prior to graduation.” …
- The professors at Elon Law are “beyond qualified”: “[they] adjust the syllabus to accommodate for the workload of students, and are absolutely enthusiastic about teaching.” They “are here because they want to teach at a school that prepares students for actual practice” and “provide all of the materials required for success.” …
- “Some professors would have weekly times where they would be at a coffee shop and would invite students to come sit and discuss the class over coffee.” …
- Classes are designed for students to not just learn cases but “to openly discuss if we agree or disagree with the cases.” This can lead to heated conversations, but “it also leads to everyone having a better understanding of the other side,” and Elon “tries to create an environment where everyone can feel comfortable having these discussions.” …
Elon Law also cracked The Princeton Review’s top 10 list of “Most Competitive Students,” a category that reflects the level of student commitment to studying outside the classroom, and the degree of ambition and competitiveness students report among their peers.
“The learning environment here at Elon Law is very personal, with small class sizes and a 9 to 1 student faculty ratio, which creates a very collaborative environment among students and faculty and allows our highly motivated students to get the most out of their time here at Elon Law,” said Alan Woodlief, senior associate dean for admissions, administration and finance, and an associate professor at Elon Law. “This result is also consistent with the findings of this year’s Law School Survey of Student Engagement, which reflected that a higher percentage of Elon Law students spend significant time discussing assignments with their professors, studying outside of class and memorizing facts, ideas and methods from their courses than those at other schools.
“We are excited about this level of engagement and dedication among our students.”