HispanicBusiness

Selecting a law or MBA program has become a complex task that requires balancing multiple criteria.

1999 Directory of Best Schools

Top 10 Business Schools Top 10 Law Schools Graduate School Links

"Choosing a college is an intangible, expensive purchase perceived to be fraught with risks," states a 1998 study by four researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). The report by Leonor Xochitl Perez and three colleagues found that "the more uncertain the decision, the greater the likelihood that consumers consult ratings information in an attempt to lower their risks."
That rule seems to explain why "parents and students may be using national rankings as impartial sources of reliable information" when confronted by the complex task of selecting a law or MBA program.
In researching this year's directories of the Top 10 Business Schools and Top 10 Law Schools, Hispanic Business took this complexity into account by looking at multiple criteria. Interviews with law and business school administrators from across the country, along with a review of the research on the subject, suggests that minority students do well in an environment that comprises their peers and where support organizations - minority student associations and mentoring programs, for example - are available. The Hispanic Business rankings take academic merit into account, but since the college experience involves more than curriculum, the methodology of the directories also examines Hispanic support organizations, faculty, recruitment, and retention (see accompanying article, "Testing the Schools". The final directories indicate which accredited schools are best for Hispanic graduate students.
The place of Hispanics in graduate education has undergone redefinition since 1996, when the court decision of Hopwood vs. State of Texas eliminated ethnicity from the college admissions process. Schools such as the University of Houston Law Center have taken corrective measures, but many have not. At the University of Texas, scene of the Hopwood drama, the number of Hispanic students in the law school has dropped by 15 percent since last year's Top 10 directory was published.
A similar trend holds for faculty. The Association of American Law Schools reports that new faculty members at law schools for the 1997-1998 academic year were 83 percent Anglo, 8 percent African American, and 4.5 percent Asian/Pacific Islander, but only 1 percent Hispanic.
However, individual law or business students shouldn't choose a school by numbers alone. Michael Olivas, professor at the University of Houston and chair of the Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA) Committee on Law Professors, names four criteria for would-be law students to consider when picking a school. First comes quality in the academic program, followed by a school's level of support for students. Counseling services, tutoring, and mentorship programs contribute to student support. Third, Mr. Olivas suggests students look for a school with "good financial resources, an important consideration given the rising cost of legal education."