Western New England University is one of the nation's most outstanding law schools, according to The Princeton Review. The education services company includes the School of Law in its recently reported list, "Best Law Schools for 2020." The Princeton Review posted the list on November 5, 2019 at https://www.princetonreview.com/best-law-schools.
"We recommend Western New England University and every one of the 167 law schools we selected for our 2020 list as an excellent choice for a student aspiring to earn a JD," said Rob Franek, The Princeton Review's editor-in-chief. He noted that the company selected the schools based on an analysis of institutional data it collected from surveys of administrators at law schools during the 2018-19 academic year. The institutional survey, which numbered more than 200 questions, covered topics from academic offerings and admission requirements to data about currently enrolled students as well as graduates' employment.
Franek added, "What makes our 'Best Law Schools' designations unique is that we also take into account the opinions of students attending the schools about their campus and classroom experiences. For our 2020 list, we surveyed a total of 19,000 students at the 167 schools." The Princeton Review's 80-question student survey asked law school students about their schools' academics, student body, and campus life; it also included questions for the respondents about themselves and their career plans. The student surveys for this edition were conducted during the 2018-19, 2017-18, and 2016-17 academic years.
The Princeton Review's law school profiles have sections reporting on academics, student life, admissions information, and graduates' employment data. Editors describe Western New England University as "an ABA-accredited law school located in the up-and-coming city of Springfield, Massachusetts. It is the only law school in Massachusetts located west of the Boston area, giving students a monopoly on many legal externship opportunities."
The profiles also have five categories of ratings that The Princeton Review tallies based on institutional data and/or its student surveys. The ratings are scores on a scale of 60 to 99. Rating categories are: Academic Experience, Admissions Selectivity, Career, Professors Interesting, and Professors Accessible. Among the ratings in the Western New England University profile are scores of 85 for Admissions Selectivity which measures the competitiveness of admissions. Factors taken into consideration include the median LSAT score and undergraduate GPA of entering 1L students, the percentage of applicants who are accepted, and the percentage of applicants who are accepted and ultimately enroll.
Western New England University's professors earned high rating marks in the categories of Professor Interesting (90), measuring how students rate the quality of teaching, and Professor Accessible (93), how law students rate the accessibility of law faculty members.
Western New England University earned a score of 86 for Academic Experience which measures the quality of the school's learning environment. Other factors include how students rate the research resources at their school, the range of available courses, the balance of curricular emphasis on legal theory and practical lawyering, the tolerance for diverse opinions in the classroom, and the degree of intellectual challenge that the coursework presents.
Taking into account both student survey responses and school-reported statistical data, the Western New England University School of Law scored 73 in the Career rating category which measure the confidence students have in their school's ability to lead them to fruitful employment opportunities, as well as the school's own record of having done so.
Michael Johnson, associate dean for Student Affairs and Enrollment Planning, was pleased to hear about the School of Law's recent recognition as a "Best Law School" by the Princeton review. "Western New England University School of Law's faculty, affordability, experiential learning opportunities, and generous scholarships make it an attractive choice for those prospective students looking for a quality legal education without the high cost and student loan debt," Johnson said.
