Tuesday, November 28, 2006 6:20 AM
Thinking back to my own law school experience, I still recall one particular letter that invited me to call a Professor. You know, just to ask him about the school, the city, the first year experience; all of the things typically racing through the head of someone contemplating law school. This was before email, so the phone and, gasp, written correspondence were the chief means of communication.
It was a great conversation. Nothing deep, just generalities, with me asking some questions and the Professor giving some answers. The call worked. It worked because it opened up, ever so slightly, the door to just what went on day-to-day at the law school. Instead of just reading brochures and looking at pictures, I talked to someone who spent a lot of time at the school and had seen first year law students come and go. He probably already surmised most of what I was going to ask based on past experience alone.
I always appreciated this little effort by the law school to "open up" its doors and give me a sense of just what to expect if I decided to attend there.
With this in mind, I was greatly encouraged to see these two blawgs from the University of Chicago Law School. They go right to the heart of "opening up."
A Day in the Life, aims to be just that, a day in the life of a law student at the University of Chicago Law School. But, not in quick quotes you see affixed to every brochure, e.g., "I love it here at the Acme School of Law." Instead, you get a running commentary from life at and around the law school, including interviews with 1Ls, financial aid tips and recent interviewing experiences.
The University of Chicago Law School Faculty Blog is again just that. The law school faculty posting thoughts on a variety of topics and then allowing for comments and discussion to ensue. It does not appear to have a particular focus, and I think that is why I liked reading it so much. It just aims to give readers a "sense" of the faculty at Chicago; law professors, after all, are people, too. In the end, after reading through a number of posts and seeing the list of planned contributors, I was simply struck with the thought that if you wanted to get to know the University of Chicago Law School, the Faculty Blog would not be a bad place to start.
It is not a great leap to believe that the University of Chicago's efforts are the tip of the iceberg. My own experience of connecting via written correspondence, phone calls and perhaps a single onsite visit is ancient history.
"Ninety percent of our applications last year were filed electronically," said Ann K. Perry, assistant dean for admissions. "These applicants are just online all the time." So the new blog is a recruiting tool, "another way for us to communicate with the prospective students in a way that they like and enjoy." [Quote Taken From Possible Students are Online; So U of C is Too, Chicago Daily Law Bulletin].
Good stuff.