Double Header: WashPo is Kaplan's Bitch and Pychology's Explanation for Top Law Schools

Aussies have been reading BIDER and the discussion of the scam blogs and the legal industry spurred this discussion.  Kudos to Donna Gordon for putting a name of the "affliction" suffered by many lemmings, as evidenced by discussion at Top Law Schools.

	elnoobocompo writes... Real problem is employers expecting some initiative (work experience or the likes for real world experience) and  graduates only offering a degree then searching for months for a job whilst the kid who had work experience  because the employer knew there's no way (unless they attended Uni earlier) the student could have any and  is thus showing initiative and willing to work hard. I'll use your statement to put across my 2c, again. Blaming individual students for not getting jobs is a bit silly. There are simply not enough jobs (as lawyers,  that people actually want when they start a law degree) to go around.
	O.P. this post was edited dzhay writes... Blaming individual students for not getting jobs is a bit silly. There are simply not enough jobs (as lawyers, that people actually want when they start a law degree) to go around. I agree. I think that some people here need to understand the meaning of "Fundamental attribution error". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fundamental_attribution_error In social psychology, the fundamental attribution error (also known as correspondence bias or  attribution effect) describes the tendency to over-value dispositional or personality-based  explanations for the observed behaviors of others while under-valuing situational explanations for those behaviors. The fundamental attribution error is most visible when people explain the behavior of others. It does not explain interpretations of one's own behavior—where situational factors are  often taken into consideration. This discrepancy is called the actor– observer bias. As a simple example, if Alice saw Bob trip over a rock and fall, Alice might consider Bob to be  clumsy or careless (dispositional). If Alice later tripped over the same rock herself, she would  be more likely to blame the placement of the rock (situational).

Tell me that doesn't describe lemmings to a tee.  It's not us, it's the legal industry.  Stop trying to blame the "victim" and see for a second that you can be in the same situation as all of the unemployed and underemployed attorneys out there.

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A reporter from Washington Post called me for an article that was published last Sunday.  What a loser article.  When the article was first published, it said that the founders of Law School Transparency were Villanova students--this mistake has since been fixed as they are in fact students at Vanderbilt.  The article is tepid at best, saying that the ABA passed a resolution requesting that the law schools be more truthful.  No mention of Villanova's recent scandal:

Villanova University School of Law “knowingly reported” inaccurate admissions information to the American Bar Association for years leading up to a new dean’s arrival in 2010, the school’s dean said Monday.

My biggest problem with the article is that she spoke to ME and didn't mention our interview or BIDER, but instead chose to cite Esq Never.  Although Esq Never was a great blog, it has been defunct since August 8, 2010--although recently updated with one post (literally explaining Esq Never's absence).  Way to go, Washington Post! I can only hypothesize, but the reporter's reluctance to tell the real story may be related to Kaplan's ownership of Washington  Post.  You don't want to trash the boss' business.  I expected a story at least as fair as Washington Post's story on Kaplan opening a law school in D.C.
Washington Post, try publishing a real story next time. Also, don't bother calling me unless you're going to quote me or one of my contemporaries.

The Depression hits the Education Industry HARD!

I love to report good news.   Career Education (yes, I've never heard of that company either) will be cutting 600 jobs.  Here's a list of their institutions of higher education:


 American InterContinental University Atlanta Campus
 American InterContinental University Houston
 American InterContinental University Online
 American InterContinental University South Florida Campus
 American InterContinental University Study Abroad Programs
 Briarcliffe College - Bethpage
 Briarcliffe College - Online
 Briarcliffe College - Patchogue
 Brooks Institute
 Brown College
 California Culinary Academy
 Collins College
 Colorado Technical University - Colorado Springs
 Colorado Technical University - Denver
 Colorado Technical University - North Kansas City
 Colorado Technical University - Pueblo
 Colorado Technical University - Sioux Falls
 Colorado Technical University Online
 Gibbs College - Boston
 Harrington College of Design
 International Academy of Design & Technology - Chicago
 International Academy of Design & Technology - Detroit
 International Academy of Design & Technology - Las Vegas
 International Academy of Design & Technology - Nashville
 International Academy of Design & Technology - Orlando
 International Academy of Design & Technology - Sacramento
 International Academy of Design & Technology - San Antonio
 International Academy of Design & Technology - Schaumburg
 International Academy of Design & Technology - Seattle
 International Academy of Design & Technology - Tampa
 Le Cordon Bleu in Atlanta
 Le Cordon Bleu in Austin
 Le Cordon Bleu in Boston
 Le Cordon Bleu in Chicago
 Le Cordon Bleu in Dallas
 Le Cordon Bleu in LA
 Le Cordon Bleu in Miami
 Le Cordon Bleu in MSP
 Le Cordon Bleu in Orlando
 Le Cordon Bleu In Pittsburgh
 Le Cordon Bleu in Portland
 Le Cordon Bleu in Sacramento
 Le Cordon Bleu in Scottsdale
 Le Cordon Bleu in Seattle
 Le Cordon Bleu In St Louis
 Le Cordon Bleu In Vegas
 Le Cordon Bleu of Online
 Missouri College
 Sanford Brown College - Dearborn
 Sanford Brown College - Grand Rapids
 Sanford Brown College - Hillside
 Sanford Brown College - Indianapolis
 Sanford Brown College - Phoenix
 Sanford Brown College - Portland
 Sanford Brown College - Skokie
 Sanford Brown Institute - Cranston
 Sanford Brown Institute - Orlando
 Sanford-Brown College - Atlanta
 Sanford-Brown College - Cleveland
 Sanford-Brown College - Collinsville
 Sanford-Brown College - Dallas
 Sanford-Brown College - Farmington
 Sanford-Brown College - Fenton
 Sanford-Brown College - Hazelwood
 Sanford-Brown College - Houston
 Sanford-Brown College - Milwaukee
 Sanford-Brown College - Northloop
 Sanford-Brown College - San Antonio
 Sanford-Brown College - St. Peters
 Sanford-Brown College - Tinley Park
 Sanford-Brown College - Vienna
 Sanford-Brown Institute - Ft. Lauderdale
 Sanford-Brown Institute - Garden City
 Sanford-Brown Institute - Iselin
 Sanford-Brown Institute - Jacksonville
 Sanford-Brown Institute - Landover
 Sanford-Brown Institute - Monroeville
 Sanford-Brown Institute - New York
 Sanford-Brown Institute - Pittsburgh
 Sanford-Brown Institute - Tampa
 Sanford-Brown Institute - Trevose
 Sanford-Brown Institute - White Plains
 SBI Campus an affiliate of Sanford-Brown

I know it's not on point, but it's a good start.  Ha.  Reminds me of that joke. What do you call an attorney at the bottom of an ocean?  A good start.

I feel for those 600 people, and I wish that they could keep their jobs if it weren't at the expense of hundreds of thousands of ill-equipped and downtrodden students.  Of course, the real story is that post-secondary education is not as profitable as these super corporations had hoped.  Career Education has good reason for laying off so many employees:

The move follows slowing student enrollments across the private-sector post-secondary education industry and is part of the company's efforts to streamline its organization structure to better align with its long-term business strategy.

Truth is that 600 employees is a drop in the bucket compared to the unemployed students generated by these many campuses.  And, I have more news:

Among others in the industry, Apollo Group, Inc. (APOL: News ), the parent company of the University of Phoenix online school, said in late November that it will cut about 700 full-time jobs in the U.S. amid a sharp drop in enrollments.

In early December, Kaplan Higher Education, a subsidiary of education and media company The Washington Post Co. (WPO: News ), said it will eliminate about 770 positions, or 5% of its workforce. The company said the job cuts were due to lower student enrollments. 

Remember Kaplan's School of Law in D.C.?  Could the plan to open the law school be dead in the water?  I pray this is the beginning of more good news to come.  Hardknocks wrote about University of Phoenix a while back. They enroll half a million students.  Not exactly the cozy college experience at University of Phoenix, is it?  Of course, my hopes are... could it be?  I hate to jinx it by typing it here, but are TTThird Tier Toilets next?

Ironic that people who consider themselves intellectuals (snobby law students tend to look down on those who pursue technical degrees) are still flooding law schools while their intellectual "inferiors" got the memo and see the education scam for what it is.  When will potential law students use their intellect and reasoning abilities to evaluate a higher education for what it is?  It's an investment as pitiful as a Jacksonville McMansion in 2007.  As we disseminate information regarding the law school scam far and wide, only true dolts will continue to enroll in law school.  Eventually, lawyers will be so dumbed down that the reputation of lawyers will sink to that of... hmmm... can't think of any other career where people are so god damn dumb.  Yah, I know I'm not winning any popularity contests with my broadly painted generalizations.  But there is a bit of truth in every generalization.

As my mother says, the more education you get, the more common sense falls out your ears.

I am a Phoenix.  

 

Kaplan: LSAT Prep is Not Enough...

Kaplan School of Law?  Really?  Kaplan is shopping for space in Southeast D.C. ... for a law school because Catholic, American, Georgetown, GW, GMU.... UDC... Howard are not equipped to pump more grads into the already saturated Nation's Capital.
Stop the madness!
Of course, there's nearly nothing in the article about whether there's actually room in the market for another law school.  It's mostly about real estate value and what a bunch of students spending loan money can do for the area.  There is this statement:

Kaplan's backers argue that it offers important opportunities for low-income students. Washington is already home to law schools run by American University, Catholic University, George Washington University, Georgetown University, Howard University and the University of the District of Columbia.

Unless they are charging a buck for law school--I find this to be a lie, a farce, a major misrepresentation.
There was a link in that blurb... "argue" which I hoped would direct me to the website where the costs for attending KSL would be spelled out.  NOPE.   Instead, it directs you to an article about how Obama is trying to tighten the supply of federal monies to schools opened by companies and their major lobbying efforts against this type of legislation.  Not helpful.  They need that money to line their pockets with the over inflated tuition, I'm sure.

Anybody who decides to attend this new school is an idiot.  There are plenty of options in that area and no reason in the world to sink so low--unless you want a one-stop shop.  I'm joking of course... there is no benefit to a one stop shop in the law.  I hope Kaplan goes under.

Kaplan: Law School Expert and Big Fat Lying Company

Wow!  This press release summarizes so many of the themes that have come up in our blog.  It's press release that is put out by Kaplan, and probably a paid-for advertisement, about how law students are flocking to law school because of the recession.  Ironically, they feel great about their prospects, but not the prospects of their classmates. Doesn't the term "press release" connote NEWS of some sort?  Correct me if I'm wrong...

So, we've got the following themes covered:

• Lawyers are narcissists.  The reason why they do not heed our advise is because they always say, "That may have been what happened to you, but I will work harder and that won't happen to me." or "Somehow, I'm different, better, smarter than you are--so I will find a job."  They are such narcissists that individual law students are willing to say that people who are similarly situated will end up in a vastly different position than themselves.  This is an irrational, pompous attitude--that has no relation to real life.  If you jump of a bridge and die, can I expect to fly if I do the same thing?
• The Educational Industrial Complex pays for newspaper articles and reputable press such as "Market Watch" publish these articles without so much as a disclaimer.  Kaplan is not a law school expert--but a profiteer of college graduates' misfortunes.  They perch like eagles outside of college graduation ceremonies and offer students who majored in enjoyable, but useless, topics like literature and sociology a "great way to become marketable."  Hogwash.  I wouldn't trust an article put out by Pro-Lifers about how happy mothers are to have had a baby. Nor would I believe the accuracy of an article put out by NOW about how women who choice to have an abortion were so much better off without a child.  The irony is, if a reputable publication decided to put out one of the above articles, it would lose its' credibility. It would be considered one-sided.  But somehow, the Educational Industrial Complex is given different treatment. It's okay to put out lies that fool the most vulnerable of our society, the young, into being shackled with a lifetime of debt.   Look at this prize quote: "If given the choice of submitting as part of their law school application a perfect 180 on the LSAT, a perfect 4.0 GPA or a letter of recommendation from a Supreme Court justice, 80% would opt for a perfect LSAT score."  This can also be read as follow:  "Take Kaplan so you can score a perfect LSAT score." Or, it can read as follows:  "You can still go to law school although you had nothing close to a perfect GPA."  OR, "You can be a no one and know nobody and go to great law school."  BULL!  You must have an excellent GPA, a great LSAT and know someone of importance in the legal industry to make it as a lawyer.  Anything short of that, will park you in your parents' basement until you're 35.
• Most pro-law school press has no real facts regarding the legal industry.  This article is filled with great little tidbits of hope for future law students that causes them to heard into TTThird TTTier TTToilets like cattle such as:  "Pre-law students' attitudes are in keeping with research showing that students aged 18-29 are more optimistic about their economic future -- despite a sluggish job market -- than past generations."  It also states: "52% report that they are 'very confident' that they will find a job in the legal field after graduating law school and passing the bar..." Of course, what the article fails to state, which seems to be standard modus operandi, is what the reality of the legal job market is. It even alludes to finding a non-legal job. Why aren't there any cold and hard numbers relating to the post-law school job search instead of what a bunch of lemmings think, feel and hope.  Am I the only person that finds it ironic that people would attend law school to not work in the law?  Would I go through the trouble of medical school to be in HR? 

I am angry now and never reading Market Watch again.