FAQs Answered for Worried CLAT Aspirants Who’ve Just Got Their Results [First published in 2015]
By Tanuj Kalia
Note: This post was published on May 15, 2015. We thought it will be useful for the current CLAT aspirants and hence the republication.
1. Deleted (had gotten old).
2. How are the placements at some of the low ranked NLUs?
Pathetic!
In 2014, only 17 out of 63 CNLU students got jobs. 5 of these were in an LPO called Quislex. See here.
RGNUL Patiala could place only 6 out of 70 students. See here.
AIL Mohali on the other hand placed 35 out of 80 students. See here. (Just because a college has a ‘national’ tag doesn’t mean that you should be for it eyes closed).
RMLNLU Lucknow placed 45 out of 150 students. If you think this is OK, please note that 12 of these jobs were at LPOs. See here.
Three very important things:
1. These stats are via Legally India which is an authentic source of information. However still, do not BLINDLY go for these stats. For example, in all probability RGNUL would have placed more than 6 students (maybe at a later stage).
What these stats (when read as a whole) indicate is that things are not good with some of the lower ranked NLUs. You might be better-off in going for the more established non national law schools.
2. These are ‘new’ NLUs and their condition will improve slowly. At the same time I’ve been hearing this for the last 5 years and the ‘condition’ hasn’t improved by much.
3. Before going for a particular college, do your research well.
a. Check Lawctopus.com (this website), LegallyIndia.com and BarandBench.com for law college news and placement stats.
b. Check India Today and Outlook magazine’s rankings carefully but do not ‘blindly’ go with them. These magazines know very little about the legal domain!
Just because IndiaToday says that college X is rank 10 and college Y is rank 14 doesn’t mean anything. But if BOTH India Today and Outlook place a college say in top 15-20 it probably means that the college is a safe bet.
Through these rankings, you can get an idea of colleges which might be worth going for.
c. Check the college’s website.
d. Talk to students studying in the colleges you want to go to. But beware! They might want to ‘sell’ their college to you! 🙂
See more campus recruitment stats HERE.
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3. I’ve got a rank of XXX. Which college will I make it to?
You’ll make it to a college that your rank deserves.
The best you can do is fill in your preferences carefully (without worrying too much about whether a college is Rank 10 or 11).
Here’s a suggested preference list (with NLUD and Symbiosis Pune included).
1. NLSIU
2. NALSAR
3. NUJS
4. NLIU Bhopal/NLU Delhi/NLU Jodhpur
5. GNLU/Symbiosis Pune
6. HNLU/RMLNLU
4. GNLU vs. HNLU or NUJS v. NLUD or NLUa v. NLUb?
Most of such questions are about making a comparison between closely ranked colleges.
And well, it really doesn’t matter if you make it to NLUa or NLUb (closely ranked colleges).
What will matter more is what you do with your 5 years.
Most recruiters will prefer a GNLU Rank 5 (class rank, at the end of 5 years) over an NLSIU Rank 80 (other things beings similar).
5. How’s the exposure like at X? What are the placement prospects like Y?
Again, there’s no college where you are embalmed with a secret mixture and told “Here’s the magic you’ve been waiting for. Now go, rule the world/get a job at a big law firm“.
You decide what you’ll explore in these 5 years. You decide what your exposure will be like.
Things become easier with a good college but not all is lost if you make it to a low ranked college.
6. What to do if I have to get a job at X?
Maintain top grades.
Develop excellent spoken and written English skills.
Work hard at a useful co-curricular activity (moots or publications).
Intern, whenever you can.
Generally, be sincere and have fun.
7. I have got HNLU. I want NLSIU. Should I take a drop?
Do NOT take a drop just to prepare for CLAT.
You can easily prepare for CLAT while in college.
So take the admission and carve out 10-15 hours of study for CLAT every week. CLAT unlike IITJEE doesn’t require intensive 10-15 hours a day preparation for 2 long years.
A bird in hand is worth two in the bush. And here, you are actually wanting to kill a fatter duck when you already have made a decent killing!
Also, think: On May 10 next year (lets assume that’s the day for CLAT) you fall severely ill (germs forbid!). What then?
8. I’ve got rank 2222. Will I make it to any NLU?
Why are you so keen on joining an NLU?
An NLU is not an ISI mark.
If you don’t make it to NLS, NALSAR, NUJS, NLIU, NLUJ, NLUD, GNLU, HNLU or RMLNLU, Symbiosis Pune, ILS Pune and GLC Mumbai will be better bets.
9. BONUS: Here are some links that will help you navigate through the first few months of the law college life.
10. BONUS II: What to do if you don’t make it to any good law college?
If you haven’t made it into any good law school, click here to know what all you can still do.
11. Should I choose a college based on its course structure?
NO!
Course structures in colleges are changed like undergarments. Teachers get changed more frequently.
Also, if a college is offering 6 subjects/semester and some other college is offering 4 subjects, it doesn’t make the 2nd college inferior.
Actually, as you’ll realise soon hopefully, less is more.
Feel free to ask questions in comments below.
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TH
The Admin
Contributing author
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