Preliminary Matters

The first step for applying to law school is to obtain a copy of the LSAT/LSDAS Registration and Information Book. Those information books are available at most campus Career Centers, the Law School, and copies can be requested via the Internet. The LSAT registration fee, as of 2000 is $88.00.

LSAT/LSDAS Checklist

Law School Admission Test (LSAT)

The LSAT is a standardized test required for admission to law schools. It provides a measure of acquired reading and verbal reasoning skills that law schools can use as a one of several factors in accessing applicants. The test consists of five 35-minute sections of multiple-choice questions. Four of the five sections make up the score. These sections include one reading comprehension, one analytical reasoning, and two logical reasoning. A 30-minute writing sample is administered at the end of the test. The writing sample is not graded, but copies of the sample are sent to the schools that you apply to. If you want to do well on the LSAT, it's very easy: study, study, study, and practice, practice!!!

Reading Comprehension Questions:

These questions measure your ability to read with understanding and insight, which are materials of similar length and complexity that are commonly encountered in law school. The passages consists of approximately 450 words, each passage followed by five to eight questions testing comprehension skills.

Analytical Reading Questions:

These questions are designed to measure your ability to understand a structure of relationships and to draw logical conclusions about that structure. You are asked to make deductions from a set of statements, rules, or conditions that describe relationships among entities such as persons, places, things, or events. The questions simulate the kinds of detailed analyses of relationships that a law student must perform in solving legal problems.

Logical Reasoning Questions:

These questions are designed to evaluate your aptitude for understanding, analyzing, criticizing, and completing a variety of arguments. Each question requires you to read and comprehend a short passage, then answer one or two questions about it.

Studying for the LSAT:

We cannot stress enough the importance of studying hard and often in order to succeed in taking the LSAT. Even if you are an "A" student with a 4.0 grade point average, you need to study! We recommend talking to several lawyers and law students to get different perspectives for what study habits worked best. Taking a prep course may benefit some people, but it really isn't necessary to spend $1000.00 for a Kaplan or Princeton review course. The return on the investment may not offset the initial cost. If you purchase the Kaplan study guide (or equivalent) at a bookstore and take the time to study the guide carefully, and spend months and weeks preparing (yes – months!), then you will do well. The most important aspect in preparation is to sit down and concentrate on completing as many practice exams as possible. Also, do not skip the explanations to questions, even if you get the answer right. Although you answered the question correctly, you may not have used the correct reasoning to arrive at that answer. The test isn't about the right answer – it is about isolating a particular methodology in answering a multitude of questions. Law students surveyed by GLS strongly recommend the official LSDAS preparation guide that has actual LSAT exams used in previous years. The questions are the same format and very similar to each other from test to test from year to year. Remember: plan out your strategy and leave sufficient time to practice!

Law School Data Assembly Service (LSDAS)

LSDAS is a twelve-month subscription service that prepares and provides a report for each law school when you submit an application. The report contains information that schools use, along with you application, personal statement, and letters sent directly to the schools, to make a decision on your application. It includes an undergraduate academic summary, copies of transcripts, LSAT scores, and copies of the letters of recommendations from professors. The LSDAS standardized records and simplifies the admission process.

LSDAS subscription fee, as of 2000: $93.00

Law School Report: $9.00 to $11.00 (for each report purchased per school request)

The Law School Admission Council (LSAC) can be contacted: Phone: 1-215-968-1001 Fax: 1-215-968-1119 E-mail: Lsacinfo@LSAC.org

Internet: http://www.LSAC.org/

Criteria That Law Schools Consider for Admission:

  1. LSAT results (aggregate of all LSATs)
  2. Undergraduate grade point average
  3. Undergraduate major/field of study
  4. Graduate work
  5. College attended
  6. Improvement trends in grades
  7. College curricular activities
  8. College extracurricular activities
  9. Ethnic/racial background
  10. Letters of recommendation
  11. Individual character and personality
  12. Personal statement
  13. Work experience
  14. Personal statement
  15. Motivation to study and reasons for studying law
  16. State of residency
  17. Personal difficulties that have been overcome
  18. Pre-college preparation
  19. Past accomplishments and leadership
  20. Anything else that stands out in application

Letters of Recommendation

The most effective letters of recommendation are those from professors who have known you well enough to write with candor, detail and objectivity about your academic and personal achievements. Work supervisors can also write in support of you application. Letters that compare you to your peers are very useful and can be very persuasive. It is very important that you ask the individual (potentially writing the recommendation) very early in advance to write letters because you are putting part of your future in their hands. Most professors are busy people; you will have to be persistent to ensure your letter is completed. Ask more than the recommended amount of people to write a letter in support to be sure this important task is completed. Some schools also require a Dean's Certificate.

Work Experience

Law schools want diverse, interesting classes, representative of a variety of backgrounds. It is beneficial for some to take a break after undergraduate study and gain work experience in order to demonstrate an ability to succeed in a non-academic environment. It also looks very impressive if you have experience in law to support your commitment and comprehension of the field. Paid and unpaid internships are a great way to enhance your knowledge and impress admission committees. You may also want to submit a copy of your resume with you law school application materials.

Interviews

In general, interviews are not a part of the law school admission process. You should visit law schools to gather information, and make a point of talking to admissions personnel. Do not count on an interview to make a positive impression; however, never turn down an opportunity to positively contribute to your application. You should focus attention on the personal statement to make the greatest impact on your application.

Minority Applicants

Almost all law schools actively seek and recruit students who are members of minority groups to help ensure greater minority representation in the legal profession and to maintain a diversity of views in the classroom. Law schools strongly encourage minority applicants. If you have a significant experience related to your minority status, you should submit a supplemental statement with your application sharing that experience. It is better to write about this type of experience in a separate statement, rather than including it as an aspect of your personal statement.

Personal Statements

Each applicant to law school presents something of interest. Whatever sets you apart from other applicants is precisely what recruiters are seeking. Tell the committee about yourself. Your evaluation of actual experiences and accomplishments hold more value than speculation about the future. If you have overcome a serious obstacle in your life to get you where you are today, let the school know about it! Create a comprehensive structure, whether the subject is a job, your family, an accomplishment, or your upbringing. You must make sure your story is vivid and interesting to the reader, yet in a professional manner.

Essay Preparation

  1. Consult friends and relatives for ideas
  2. Take inventory of your unique experiences, major influences, and abilities
  3. Write experimental creative essays
  4. Assemble your applications and determine how many different essays you should compose
  5. Get feedback from others – including those writing recommendations – before completing the final draft

Essay Recommendations:

  1. Strive for depth rather than breadth, narrow the focus to one or two themes
  2. Tell the reader what no other applicant will be able to say
  3. Provide insight into what drives you to the study of law
  4. Be yourself, rather than the "ideal" applicant
  5. Get creative in your opening remarks
  6. Address the particular school's unique features that attract you
  7. Focus on the affirmative in your personal statement
  8. Evaluate your experiences rather than simply recounting them
  9. Enlist others to proofread your essay
  10. Use a highly readable font, with conventional spacing and margins
  11. Avoid repeating information already available in your resume and application
  12. Avoid preaching to the reader or complaining about a topic
  13. Money is not a positive reason for seeking a law school education
  14. Focus the essay on you, not the particular ranking of the school
  15. Get the name of the school correct!

Choosing a school

It is very important when deciding which schools to submit applications. Typically, there are two categories of schools: Reach schools and Safety schools. Reach schools are dream schools are typically highly rated, highly competitive, ivy league, private and quite expensive, that you might have a chance of getting into. If you do not apply to at least one reach school, you will probably regret not knowing "what could have been" and taking that chance. Safety schools are schools that you are 99% sure your application will be accepted. They may not be the most prestigious schools, but in order to start your legal training, you need to be in a law school. You can always try to transfer to another school in the future. Most safety schools are not bad schools, but they are not your ideal choice. Safety schools may also be good for students because they may offer good scholarships that you would never get in a reach school. Plus, in a safety school, you can establish yourself as a big fish in a small pond, instead of a faceless name in a huge pool. We generally recommend applying to seven schools to avoid any chance of having no school to attend in the fall. It can be cost prohibitive to apply to so many schools at an average of $55.00 per school, so choose wisely.

When finally deciding between specific schools you must be very particular and detail-conscious. Visit as may schools as possible and when you are on campuses, sit in on classes, talk to students, and pick up campus publications and newspaper to get a feel for what the school is like. It is also important to do this after you are accepted to decide which school you will actually attend.

Financial Aid

The first step in applying for financial aid for law school is to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). It is available from you college financial aid office or from the law school to which you are applying. FAFSA is a tool developed to objectively determine someone's financial need. The information you provide will be used to compute how much you should contribute toward your legal education. The financial aid officer at each school can determine what types of aid you are eligible for, such as scholarships, grants, loans, or work study, to pay your law school expenses. Obtain the brsbi-ochure Financial Aid for Law School: A Preliminary Guide, at any law school admissions office for more information.

Scholarships, Grants and Fellowships

These awards, which do not have to be repaid, are given according to financial need and academic merit. Availability is very limited, and the individual law school usually chooses the recipient of these awards. Contact the law school financial aid office for more information.

Federal Workstudy Program

Work Study provides funding for students to work part-time during the school year and full time during the summer months. Information for Work Study is available online and at your law school's financial aid office.

Loans

Education loans may be awarded directly by the school or thorough private agencies. The largest student loan programs are funded or guaranteed by the Federal government. Some are awarded on a financial need basis, but others are widely available to all students. Student loans usually have lower interest rates than consumer loans, and the repayment period is deferred until your studies are complete.

American Bar Association (ABA)

The ABA is the national organization of the legal profession. It is composed principally of practicing lawyers, judges, court administrators, law professors, public service attorneys, many non-practicing lawyers who are business executives, government officials, etc., and law students. It is the world's largest voluntary professional association. It serves a dual role as advocate for the profession and for the public.

Packet Published 1999, 2001

Researched and composed by Marybeth Priore.

Revised by Besty Snyder 1999, John Menard 2001.

GLS Director: John Menard

Assistant Director: Michael Carney

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