FIU deserves better than fourth tierIV Editorial |
R emember when we used to attend a third-tier law school? We recognize that the rankings are not an accurate accounting of a law school's real strengths and weaknesses, and in many ways, the ranking criteria is flawed. However, the U.S. News rankings are incredibly influential, and law students' success in the marketplace is inexorably tied to their school's rank. It appears that the main reason for the drop is a higher value given to the employment rate after graduation – an area in which FIU scores miserably. Only 21.4 percent of the class of 2006 was employed at graduation. Our Career Services office is inept, and now everyone outside the school knows it. Handed a qualified student body to present to employers, Career Services resigns itself to forwarding emails for summer jobs paying $15 an hour. This reality is not helped by the draconian grading system imposed on FIU students, who, for no reason at all, are graded on a lower curve than students of most law schools. An average student at FIU has a 2.5 GPA, while an average student of any other law school is likely to have a 3.0 GPA. This math is hard for employers to ignore. FIU CoL needs serious reform. The problems at Career Services must be addressed first, and those in charge especially need to account for the lackluster performance. |