Admissions programs draw increasingly talented students to USC
Fall 2003 applications up 22 percent
The Class of 2005 is the most academically talented ever to be admitted at USC Law. A great achievement, to be sure -- but even more impressive when you know that USC made that same statement last year and the year before.
Indeed, each year seems to bring a smarter, more diverse group of students to USC. Thanks to creative new admissions programs targeting the nation's top students, USC is increasingly USC Law of first choice for students whose lists of options include schools such as Columbia, Northwestern, Duke and Michigan.
In addition, more prospective students than ever are applying to USC. Applications for fall 2003 are up 22 percent over last year, with 7,000 applications received to date. That increase comes on top of a large increase in applications last year: Applications for a seat in the Law School's 2002 entering class increased by 23 percent, to more than 5,700. In 1997, USC Law received just over 3,200 applications.
The 208 students who enrolled at USC last fall had a record-high median LSAT score of 165 (the 93rd percentile) and a median undergraduate G.P.A. of 3.55. Even more significant, says Dean of Admissions William J. Hoye, is that a record number of enrolled students had both top LSAT scores and graduated at the top of their undergraduate class. He expects that trend to continue.
Hoye also notes that more students are coming to USC with graduate degrees or significant work histories in a range of fields, bringing experiences and ideas that further enrich USC's intellectual life. And the ethnic, socioeconomic and racial diversity of USC's student body remains unparalleled among other top law schools - 45 percent of this year's incoming students characterized themselves as ethnic minorities.
The benefits of this improving student body are numerous, notes Associate Dean Scott Altman. "The increasing quality of the school's student body helps USC Law pursue all its goals," he says. "Every student benefits by interacting with diverse and capable classmates. Excellent students help the school to attract and retain top faculty. When these students graduate and excel in practice, they enhance our reputation."
Hoye says numerous factors have contributed to the school's ability to attract increasingly stellar students. Dean Matthew L. Spitzer is spearheading an aggressive fund-raising campaign to create new scholarships, which are critical to the school's ability to recruit top applicants and bring the cost of a USC legal education in line with that of other schools. The dean's new Summer Fellows program -- which guarantees selected students summer positions with top national law firms and businesses during the summer after their first year of law school -- has been particularly attractive to high-caliber applicants. And personal tours, interviews and social events on campus have helped show off the vitality of USC's campus and the city's cultural and entertainment opportunities.
Applicants also are consistently impressed with the professionalism of the Law School's admissions process, which is aggressive in letting applicants know that USC wants them. Many receive personal letters from faculty, campus tours often include an intimate lunch with a professor, and current students and alumni participate in recruiting efforts to give applicants an "insider's" view of the USC experience. Even as applications to the school skyrocket, the admissions office ensures that each prospective student receives star treatment.
"This is a small school that offers students an extraordinary intellectual environment," Hoye says. "Students interact closely with faculty and participate in the governance of the school. It's one of our biggest strengths, that connection between professors and students. We work hard to make the admissions process reflect the positive experience students will have when they attend USC."
For more information on applying to USC Law, please contact the admissions office at admissions@law.usc.edu.
