 Applying to Law School
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are three different ways you can apply to law school.
Whichever way you decide to use depends only on your
preference and financial status. The first way is the most
conventional way, send away for the catalog and submit a paper
application through the mail. If you choose to use a paper
application I suggest that you type everything, unless the
application specifically asks for a handwritten statement.
Typing your application makes it look neater and will leave a
better impression on the admissions officer. The second way to apply,
which most people are probably familiar with, is
electronically through each school’s website. Since this is
probably the preferred method for law schools, they tend to
offer an advantage if you apply in this fashion by reducing
the application fee. If you are applying to many law schools
this may be the most cost efficient way. Finally, there is
the LSACD, which is offered through the Law School Admission
Council. This CD is priced between $54 and $59 and is less
formerly called a common application. It consists of one
application, which can be applied to any number of law schools
you wish, similar to the common application for undergraduate
institutions. If for any reason you are under a time
restraint this is probably the best approach.
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During the application process there are two decisions where
the applicant’s own needs and desires should come first.
One is when deciding where to apply and the second is where to
attend once accepted. Your first step should be to create a
list of schools that interest you based on factors such as
location, setting, available housing, available
transportation, size, composition, and background of the
student body, size of first year section, opportunity for
employment, placement statistics, perceived prestige and
quality of education of the institution, number and type of
student organizations, strengths and interests of the faculty,
nature of specific programs offered, and net overall cost.
All of these factors are important and should be weighted in
your decision to apply to a particular school; I am sure some
more than others. After you have created your list based on
at least some of these criteria, you should then begin to look
at the schools in terms of your chance of acceptance.
Based on what you learn about each school rework your original list.
By doing this you will
end up applying to schools where you will genuinely enjoy
studying. It
is not advisable that you apply to any school that you have no
desire to attend. Again, check your pre-law advising office
for more information on specific law schools of interest.
When choosing how many schools you should apply to
there be no simple method. The advice that I can give you is
to apply to a variety of schools. By searching through
each law school’s website you should be able to find a
statistical grid that describes the amount of people that
applied within a certain range of LSAT and undergraduate GPA
and the amount of those people accepted. You need to examine
these grids and make sure that you apply to a wide range of
schools that can be considered a reach, ones to which you have a
fair chance of acceptance, and schools to which acceptance
seems solid. However many schools you decide to apply to
within those ranges is up to you and may depend partially on
financial matters. If possible, I would suggest that you
apply to at least seven schools, based on the amount of
competition that exists in the law school applicant pool
today. |
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Early
Acceptance vs. Regular Decision3
Not every school may offer early acceptance, but if they do,
it is something that you should definitely look into. As a
rule of thumb with applying to law school, it is a good idea
to have all your materials into the law schools as soon as
possible. By applying for early decision you are giving the
admissions committee the message that their school is your top
choice, and that you are a well-organized person with good
initiative. If you feel that you do not want to be held by
the contract of having to go to a certain school if accepted,
this is understandable also, but it is still in your best
interest to have your application file complete and ready for
consideration by early December. If you are taking
your LSAT in December or February do not worry. You can still
send your application to the law schools and let them know
when they can expect your scores.
For specific details about the deadlines of both early
admission and regular admission you should consult either the
school’s website or their catalog. Make a list of deadlines
for each school and be sure to schedule your time for
preparation of the applications. Keep in mind that most
schools have rolling admissions and the longer you wait to
send your material in, the fewer the seats available to you.
Another important reason to apply earlier is that you receive
your answer sooner. Generally, if you apply early acceptance
you will have your reply by mid December. With regular
admission the date may vary from as early as December to as
late as April. Find out the earliest schools begin to accept
applications and set that date as your deadline. This way, if
you miss this deadline you are still ensured that you will be
ahead of the majority of the applicant pool.
Fall vs.
Winter Acceptance1
Another important issue to
address is applying for fall admission or winter admission.
For the most part, law schools offer admissions to applicants
beginning in the fall. A few
schools though, offer admission to students beginning in
January. The curriculum for midyear students is
generally the same as that for the
fall class. A possible advantage to January admission is that fewer
people apply for a midyear start and therefore admission
standards may be lower. To see a list of schools that offer a
January start date see Schools
Offering a January Start Date.
Evening Divisions/Part-time1
Whenever
you begin your studies, whether it is in the fall or winter,
most schools offer an evening division. This is a good
idea if you need to work a full-time job while attending law
school. Additionally, if you feel that your chance of
acceptance into the daytime program is less than secure you
may also be interested in the evening division.
Competition for acceptance does not seem to be as competitive
for part-time study. In most cases, it will take a
student about four years to complete their degree under these
conditions, but through summer courses can be completed in
just three. |
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What is it? Do I need it?4,5
The Law
School Admission Council (LSAC) is a corporation whose members
consist of 201 law schools in the United States and Canada. LSAC
was founded in order to organize the law school admission
process and provide services for those interested in a legal
education Every law school approved by the American Bar
Association is a member of LSAC.
The Law
School Data Assembly Service is a part of the LSAC Corporation (who also administers the LSAT). Most
schools require the use of this service, for it summarizes an
applicant’s academic performance and personal information
into a single report. Your report is sent to each school
you apply to. The LSDAS report contains a summary
of academic work, college transcripts, letters of
recommendation, LSAT scores, and writing samples. The only
things that you do not send to LSDAS are the actual
application and personal statement. Once you submit your
applications, the schools will request your report from LSDAS
and everything from there is taken care of. Note: your file must be
complete with transcripts and LSAT score before a report can
be sent out to the law schools.
Registration
You can register for the LSDAS
through the mail by using a form in the LSDAS information book
(available in your pre-law advising office) or you can
register online. There are certainly some advantages to
signing up online. For one, you have complete access to all
your current information 24/7. Secondly, you receive your
LSAT score through email a week before people would receive it
through the mail (without a fee). You do not need to register
for this service at the same time as you register for the
LSAT, but I personally think it is a good idea. It will be
one more thing that is out of the way. Your subscription is
good for a few years.
Fees5
In order
to register for the LSDAS there is a one-time fee of $99. One
LSDAS report is included with your subscription. If you
intend on applying to more than one school you will have to
purchase more reports, one for each school. If you buy them
at the time of registration they will cost you $10 each, but
if you wait until later, the price raises slightly to $12 a
report. So if you have a good idea as to how many schools you
will be applying to from the beginning, it is probably better
to purchase your reports at registration. |
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1Boston
University Pre-Law Advising Office, The NAPLA Pre-Law
Advisor's Guide, (2001. |
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2Boston
University Pre-Law Advising Office, Law School Recruiting
and Application Process, (2001).. |
| 3Encarta on MSN,
Make Your Law School Application Stand Out (2003). |
| 4Law School
Admission Council, Think About Law School (2002). |
| 5Law School
Admission Council, LSAC Support Center FAQ- LSDAS
(2000). |
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