Out of work, they are back to schools

It took longer than some experts expected, but the recession and the resulting shortage of good jobs have spurred a jump in applications to law schools and a growing interest in graduate programs.

It took longer than some experts expected, but the recession and the resulting shortage of good jobs have spurred a jump in applications to law schools and a growing interest in graduate programs.

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The number of people taking the Law School Admissions Test, for example, rose 20 per cent in October, compared with October 2008, reaching an all-time high of 60,746.

And the number of Americans who took the Graduate Record Examination in 2009 rose 13 per cent, to a record 670,000, compared with the year before, according to the Educational Testing Service, which administers the test.

The increase is a sharp reversal from 2008, when the number fell 2 per cent even though the recession was under way.

“There’s a bit of lag time between when people start to worry about economy and when they get their applications going,” said Wendy Margolis, director of communications for Law School Admission Council, which administers the LSAT.

Officials at many law schools reported substantial increases in applications over last year.