Sunday, August 24, 2008

Keeping Track of Student Information?

In taking classes at SJSU, I see a lot of inefficiencies in how they manage their information. Is it surprising that the schedule of classes comes out after the end of the spring semester, when they begin compiling it in the previous November? When you see the structure of their database, it is not a surprise.

Well. Is it even possible to maintain student information in a way that is helpful to students. Apparently, it is. I found this bit in a brochure for the LSAT exams. It makes me wonder why, if all the community colleges and CS and UC schools are supposed to encourage transfers between them, they do not have the same kind of service.


Law School Data Assembly Service

(LSDAS) For US Law Schools Only

The LSDAS centralizes and standardizes the undergraduate academic records of law school applicants to simplify the law school admission process (for US law schools only). Nearly all American Bar Association-approved law schools (and some non-ABA-approved schools) require that applicants use the Law School Data Assembly Service. Canadian law schools do not participate in the LSDAS and do not requirte its use.

The LSDAS prepares a report for each law school to which you apply. The law school report contains information that the schools use, along with your application, personal essay, letters of recommendation, and other criteria, to make their admission decisions. Information contained in the report includes an undergraduate academic summary; copies of all undergraduate, graduate, and law/professional school transcripts; LSAT scores and writing sample copies; and copies of letters of recommendation processed by LSAC. Canadian law schools receive an LSAT Law School Report containing scores and writing sample copies.

The registration fee for the LSDAS includes law school report preparation, letter of recommendation and transcript processing, and access to electonic applications for all ABA-approved law schools.

(For the most up-to-date LSAT and LSDAS registration information, go to www.LSAC.org.)