It’s late. 1 AM on a Saturday, actually. I’m tired and stressed and alone. I’m thinking about money. I should be thinking about Torts, but yeah, I’m thinking about money.
I’m also looking at my Facebook chat list and I’m realizing that a lot of my friends are online too. They’re also tired. And yes, I’d bet that they’re thinking about money. And maybe feeling alone too.
This is true, I think, of law students across Ontario, but I don’t know for sure. No one has tried to tell the story of how money has affected law students and access to the legal profession in Ontario.
I don’t think money has affected the profession positively. I suspect our career choices have changed as a result of our debt, leaving many Canadians unable to find or afford legal representation. But again, I am not sure.
We need to talk about the cost of law school and how it’s changing our profession; too many of us feel alone when we think about money. In order to do that, we need to have a better grasp of the facts of our situation.
This week, five law schools (Osgoode, Toronto, Windsor, Western, and Ottawa) launched an online survey to anonymously gather information on how tuition has impacted Ontario law students. It is more comprehensive than most of the data our individual schools and groups compile and will provide a unique, standardized lens to compare schools and student experiences.
The information will give us the most complete picture of the impact of tuition, fees, and debt currently available. It should take approximately 20 minutes and is available here [http://www.yorku.ca/surveys/survey.php?sid=1396].
We want to have a complete and accurate view of the situation, so we are encouraging all law students at one of the participating schools that are residents of Canada to participate – regardless of their financial circumstances or financial aid eligibility.
It’s time to start thinking differently about tuition. Let’s see what the facts say.
Good night.
P.S. There’s also a chance to win a free iPad if you do the survey.
Evan Rankin is a JD student at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law. For more information about the 2014 Ontario Law Students’ Tuition and Financial Aid Survey, contact Douglas Judson at legalandlitvpi@osgoode.yorku.ca.