4條建議：選擇收益最高的法學(xué)院
出國(guó)留學(xué)網(wǎng)訊 很多大學(xué)法學(xué)院的招生率在持續(xù)下降，但學(xué)雜費(fèi)卻持高不下。怎樣讓自己在對(duì)教育高投資的同時(shí)也獲得較高的收益便成了一個(gè)值得深思的問(wèn)題。本文就此提出了4條建議，一起來(lái)看看吧!
Law school enrollment continues to decline, according to a December report from the American Bar Association, but tuition and fees remain high at many institutions.
美國(guó)律師協(xié)會(huì)在一項(xiàng)報(bào)告中指出，很多大學(xué)法學(xué)院的招生率在持續(xù)下降，但學(xué)雜費(fèi)卻持高不下。
While some schools have decreased or capped tuition to attract students, getting a J.D. is still expensive. The average tuition and fees in 2012 for private institutions was $40,634, according to the ABA. At public schools the average was $23,214 for in-state students and $36,202 for out-of-state students.
雖然一些學(xué)校通過(guò)降低學(xué)費(fèi)來(lái)吸引學(xué)生，要想得到法學(xué)博士學(xué)位依然很貴。美國(guó)律師協(xié)會(huì)的調(diào)查研究表明，2012年私立大學(xué)法學(xué)院的平均學(xué)費(fèi)是40,634美元，公立大學(xué)法學(xué)院對(duì)美國(guó)學(xué)生的收費(fèi)標(biāo)準(zhǔn)是23,214美元，對(duì)國(guó)際學(xué)生的收費(fèi)標(biāo)準(zhǔn)是36,202美元。
[Draft a law school budget early.]
"It makes sense for aspiring law students to carefully examine the total costs of earning a law degree and the broad consequences of financing a legal education with borrowed money," wrote Heather Jarvis, a law school financial aid expert who graduated from the law school at Duke University, in an email.
Below are four important things prospective students can consider as they determine which school will give them the best return on investment.
據(jù)美國(guó)杜克大學(xué)獎(jiǎng)學(xué)金研究者Heather Jarvis所言，大學(xué)生必須仔細(xì)研究獲得法學(xué)學(xué)位的總費(fèi)用和用借來(lái)的錢(qián)學(xué)習(xí)法律會(huì)帶來(lái)的潛在后果。以下4條建議能幫助大家判斷哪個(gè)學(xué)校能給您的投資帶來(lái)最好的回報(bào)。
1. Weigh career and life goals: Long before students become 1Ls, the common term for a first-year J.D. candidates, they should map out what life may look like as a professional, says Matthew Shinners, a senior consultant at jdMission, which helps prospective law students get into school.
Where students want to practice, he says, can make a difference in their paycheck.
"If you’re going to be practicing in Kentucky, obviously the salary you’re going to be earning is less but at the same time the amount of money you’re going to have to spend to live is a lot less,” says Shinners, a 2009 graduate of Harvard Law School.
He encourages applicants to think about what kind of job they want, the salary it could lead to and where they want to work. Prospective students should also review employment data at the websites forNALP, an association for legal professionals, and Law School Transparency, he says.
[Make an informed decision when considering law school.]
1.考慮好職業(yè)和人生目標(biāo)：法學(xué)院高級(jí)咨詢家Matthew Shinners表示，去不同的大學(xué)讀法律，所得收益也會(huì)很不相同。“如果去肯塔基大學(xué)，那么你賺的錢(qián)也會(huì)較少，當(dāng)然學(xué)費(fèi)也會(huì)更少。”申請(qǐng)者應(yīng)該考慮好自己想做什么工作、想要怎樣的工資水平、想去哪個(gè)地方工作，也要在網(wǎng)上調(diào)查相關(guān)就業(yè)率。
2. Beware of scholarships: If a school offers prospective students a scholarship, they should carefully review the terms of it, says Hanna Stotland, who advises law school applicants and legal professionals as a private consultant.
Recipients should ask, "Is that scholarship guaranteed for all three years?" she says.
Some schools may offer several students a scholarship that requires them to maintain a high GPA. Because students are graded on a curve and a school may predetermine the number or percentage of students who will get a certain GPA or grades, it may be impossible for all of the 1L scholarship recipients to meet the requirements that would enable them to keep the scholarship as 2Ls.
“It’s very important to read the fine print and then probably ask more questions beyond the fine print," says Stotland, who also graduated from Harvard Law. Prospective students should ask what the GPA requirement is for keeping a scholarship and how many people can realistically achieve that GPA, she says.
2.全面了解獎(jiǎng)學(xué)金的相關(guān)信息
如果一個(gè)學(xué)校提供獎(jiǎng)學(xué)金，那么大家要有一個(gè)這樣的概念：“這個(gè)獎(jiǎng)學(xué)金保證三年的學(xué)習(xí)中都會(huì)有嗎?”一些學(xué)校是會(huì)為成績(jī)很好的學(xué)生提供獎(jiǎng)學(xué)金，但學(xué)校也可以提前規(guī)定好獲得該獎(jiǎng)學(xué)金的學(xué)生人數(shù)，所以第一年獲得該項(xiàng)獎(jiǎng)學(xué)金的學(xué)生在第二年可能就得不到了。應(yīng)該仔細(xì)閱讀好獎(jiǎng)學(xué)金條款，如果任何疑問(wèn)也可向?qū)W校咨詢條款上沒(méi)寫(xiě)明的內(nèi)容。學(xué)生們不但要了解獎(jiǎng)學(xué)金的具體要求，還要知道該項(xiàng)獎(jiǎng)學(xué)金的獲得人數(shù)到底規(guī)定為多少個(gè)。
3. Think twice about part-time attendance: Part-time students may be able to work full time, which lets them get a paycheck all while going to class, but this route might not always be the cheapest.
Shinners has seen a number of students start off part time and then later switch into a full-time program. Because of the demands of law school, it can be hard to keep up while also maintaining a job, he says.
"Most people burn out on that really quickly," he says.
And working part time might limit a student's options for summer internships because an employer may not give the student time off to work elsewhere, he says.
3.盡量選擇全日制讀研
在職讀研是可以全職工作，在讀書(shū)的同時(shí)又能領(lǐng)工資，但這也許不是最實(shí)惠的。事實(shí)上法學(xué)院有很多在職研究生轉(zhuǎn)向全日制讀研。因?yàn)榉▽W(xué)院的學(xué)習(xí)日程可能讓他們不能兩者兼顧。并且在職讀研的學(xué)生實(shí)習(xí)機(jī)會(huì)更少，因?yàn)楹苌儆腥藭?huì)雇傭一個(gè)已經(jīng)在其他地方有工作的人。
4. Consider lower-ranked schools: If student can get into a competitive school, that same applicant may also be accepted at a lower-ranked school and receive a scholarship.
"Let’s say you get into a law school in the second tier. You may also get into a law school in the fourth tier at a huge discount," says Stotland.
But if a student accepts the offer from the lower-ranked school, he or she may sacrifice graduating from a school with a stronger brand, she says. Students who do this may only save money for the first year if they are eventually unable to meet the scholarship's requirements and must pay full tuition and fees.
For that price, students could have gone to a better school, says Stotland.
She also encourages students to speak with professionals in the field they want to get into and to make sure they'll actually need law school to reach their career goals.
Prospective students should also ask a school specific questions to find out as much as they can about employment options. They can even ask to be put in touch with a recent graduate who lives in a certain location and works in a certain field, she says.
The school may not be able to meet their request, Stotland says, but students won't know until they speak up.
4.謹(jǐn)慎考慮排名較低的學(xué)校
如果一個(gè)學(xué)生同時(shí)被兩所學(xué)校的法學(xué)院錄取，那么他在排名較低的那個(gè)學(xué)校讀書(shū)就會(huì)獲得一筆不小的獎(jiǎng)學(xué)金，但這樣也同時(shí)放棄了名校畢業(yè)生的光環(huán)。并且，如果這個(gè)學(xué)生在第二年不能達(dá)到排名較低的那個(gè)學(xué)校的成績(jī)要求，那么他就只能獲得第一年的獎(jiǎng)學(xué)金，之后要付全額學(xué)費(fèi)了，因此，學(xué)生們都會(huì)選擇更好的那個(gè)學(xué)校。
申請(qǐng)者也應(yīng)該向?qū)W校咨詢一些就業(yè)選擇方面的問(wèn)題，甚至要求學(xué)校給自己介紹一些最近畢業(yè)了的學(xué)生。學(xué)?？赡懿粫?huì)滿足他們的要求，但是大家要勇敢提出要求，因?yàn)橹挥姓f(shuō)了才會(huì)知道。
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