2006 Student Satisfaction Survey

In spring 2006 we conducted our first confidential survey of all current J.D. students hoping to get a better understanding of their impressions of the Law School and, of course, areas where we might be able to improve. Over a third of the student body responded. Their comments overwhelmingly confirmed what we had been hearing anecdotally: the Penn Law educational environment and community are especially meaningful to our students.

Here are many of their comments:

A great place to develop a true and deep interest in learning about the law, on a theoretical as well as practical level.
It's like the most interesting, most difficult, most amazing experience of my life all rolled in to one.
It's a small community of very impressive people. The school works hard at being at the cutting edge of legal education, both in terms of academics and support.
Everything a top law school should be - rigorous yet friendly, challenging yet noncompetitive.
Like many schools, Penn speaks an awful lot about the collegiality of the school, but with Penn they are actually right.
The accessibility of the faculty. The policy of going to lunch with your professors in the first year that continues through the next two, is a great way to get to know them on a more personal basis. I also enjoyed the class-wide picnic in our first year and the dinners I've had at my professors' houses. Most profs have true open door policies where they are actually in their offices and welcome questions, both in person and by email.
Great law school - cares for its students, amazing reputation, tries to make law school as pleasant an experience as is possible (considering that it's still law school), not nearly as competitive as most law schools.
You can learn the law anywhere; you can even find high quality scholars and opportunities at a number of other top-tier schools. But nowhere else can you operate in an environment in which people share freely and really operate on the premise that life and relationships are as important as legal education.
It's great that first-years can take elective (but substantial) classes like Admin and IP.
Most of the faculty and staff are not only brilliant, but generous, kind and flexible.
It's a great law school! I love the people who make it up- everything from the security, the faculty, the administration, and, finally, my classmates. A great environment and a great group of people.
What convinced me to apply to Penn and what I appreciate now that I am here is the fact that most Penn Law professors have advanced degrees in fields other than law. 3/4 of my first semester professors had Ph.D.s and I believe this added a unique dimension to class discussions and the study of law.
I would describe the school as a place where administrators and professors are like colleagues--where classes are stimulating but not too much work that you can't enjoy the other things that law school has to offer.
Legitimate feeling of community within the law school; we are not just random individuals waking up and going to class in the same building every day, but rather there is a feeling that we are all part of something TOGETHER.
I'm incredibly happy here. It's academically intense, but it's a team effort to learn and to do well - and we have a good time.
All top 10 law schools are good schools and offer a lot of same things. But Penn stands apart I think for being a friendly, close-knit place; positioned well within greater Penn community; Great facilities.
Penn Law is a small law school with a great faculty and really dynamic student body. We all seem to really get along well - or at the very least respect each other and everyone's opinions. People are engaged in things at the law school, so it really feels like a small community that happens to be a part of an enormous university.
The great atmosphere - I've been really happy with how friendly, helpful and down-to-earth my classmates are.
This actually has happened several times in the recent past when I have run into friends from college on the tour and headed to the information session here - I tell them I love it, that I am very happy here and that what I like the best is that people work hard and take school seriously, but do not take themselves too seriously. I think Penn is a really great place to be in school and that the school takes good care of the students - people are very happy but also work very hard.
That everything they say about it not being as competitive as other schools is actually true! I am actually enjoying my experiences here, and compared to people at other schools, that is a big deal.
Penn has a great environment-- students are happy and the classes are challenging.
I have - and always describe Penn the same way. It's fun! It's a family. It's, of course, challenging, but tremendously rewarding. I love (most) of my professors. I've made phenomenal friends. I was able to balance everything and even go out several times a week...as a 1L...and get a job at a top 10 NYC firm. Life couldn't be better.
I usually tell the story about 1L professors inviting students to have lunch or meet for coffee and that this is representative of the Penn Law environment.
Faculty--there are many professors here who are brilliant and can actually teach. In general, it's a lamentably rare combination, so I was glad to find it so often here.
It is a fantastic law school, and Philly is a great city. The students and faculty are amazing, and I am constantly impressed.
Biggest Surprise: Just how supportive and non-competitive the law school is. I transferred from a law school that was directly opposite of Penn, and it's made me appreciate how good it is here.
Collegiality - I think Penn is best known for this and it really does play out in our day to day lives here.
It's a great place to study the law. Philly has a great legal environment, and DC and New York are close as well. As a part of the university, Penn Law constantly gets reminders of the myriad issues outside our focused studies that impact our world.
Professors who are truly interested in teaching students. I have had wonderful experiences going to lunch with my first semester professors and they have all been accessible outside of class for discussions ranging from course materials to job opportunities and clerking after graduation
The biggest surprise for me was the absolute spirit of unity amongst the entire class, most evident in the way students from each section treat each other. During finals, everyone was banding together, giving each other outlines and lending whatever other materials they had on hand. It was awesome.
Penn is a great place to study law - it is a great community and the program is so inter-disciplinary - you can take advantage of Penn's resources in all of its other graduate programs while working on your law degree!
Before coming to Penn Law, I heard the horror stories about law school. Currently, my friends at other schools complain about how much they dislike law school. I'm surprised that I've liked law school as much as I have.
An all-around education. We are not only taught the law, but are inundated with material of interest from interest groups, talks, films, speakers etc... there is something for everyone- and if anyone thinks otherwise, they aren't looking hard enough! It is an environment where we can constantly learn about the world that surrounds us.
An effective and carefully managed balance between mutually supportive collegiality and the rigorous pursuit of academic excellence personified by our Dean of Students, Gary Clinton, but represented and implemented by the collective efforts of the institution's accessible, supportive and yet demanding faculty.
A challenging environment, although friendly with a variety of people from different backgrounds and with different work and life experiences.
Penn Law is a great place for all the obvious reasons -- great ranking, high employment placement, etc. -- but the atmosphere is what sets it apart from the other schools in the Top 10. The staff will never make you feel like a "number" at Penn Law. The student body will appreciate you for both your intellect and your personality.
Biggest Surprise: How much fun I've had during law school.