A recent survey of prospective law students by Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions revealed many students are applying to law school to avoid finding a job.

Kaplan gave the survey to 1,040 pre-law students who took the February Law School Admission Test (LSAT), and 40 percent of the respondents said the economic downturn is motivating their decision to apply to law school.

At the same time, Kaplan and Penn State's Dickinson School of Law both measured an increased interest in attending law school.

Jeff Thomas, director of Kaplan pre-law programs, said the company administered 151,000 LSAT examinations in the current admissions cycle, a 6.4 percent increase over the previous year.

The Kaplan survey also found 67 percent of those surveyed listed the potential earning power of being a lawyer as affecting their decision to apply to law schools, and 54 percent plan on someday running for political office.

Barbara Guillaume, director of admissions for the Dickinson School of Law, said Penn State's law school has seen a 50.7 percent increase in applicants over last year.

While she admitted the recession could have played a part in the jump, the major component of the increase may be the law school's significant facilities upgrade. Law students at University Park moved into the gleaming new Lewis Katz Building in January. Additionally, the law school's Carlisle campus is expected to move into its new building, Lewis Katz Hall, before the end of the calendar year.

"I do think the new buildings have certainly contributed to it," Guillaume said of the applications increase. "We've been recruiting; when we're on the road talking and speaking with prospective applicants, certainly one of the things we're talking about is the investment in the law school and the buildings, state of the art buildings at both locations, so I do think that contributed to it."

Guillaume said Penn State's applications increase far outpaces the national average released by the Law School Admission Council, which was 5.8 percent, she said.

While the law school has received 4,054 applications for the upcoming school year, Guillaume said the size of the entering class has not been decided. Most deposits are paid between April and June, she added.

Last year, the law school enrolled 204 of the 2,689 applicants who attempted to gain admission.

"Because of the applicant pool, it's become more competitive," Guillaume said.

The Dickinson School of Law will hold a dedication ceremony at the Lewis Katz Building at 3:30 p.m. today. Penn State President Graham Spanier, Philip J. McConnaughay, dean of the law school, and James Broadhurst, chairman of Penn State's Board of Trustees, are expected to attend the ceremony.