|
Checking With the Bar Association
You should contact the official
bar admission agency in the state
where they plan to practice. First of all, it is important
to determine if you are required to register with the bar
association upon entrance to law school, so that you can take a bar examination upon graduation. To
ensure you are prepared, you should familiarize yourself with
some of the rules governing admission to the bar in the state
you wish to practice.
Using Pull1
Admissions officers are
bombarded each day by people who wish to receive special
treatment for a specific applicant. Because of this, it is
probably better that you do not rely on being helped
significantly by people who can “influence” the committee.
While there are always people admitted through pull each year,
whether through an influential person or a sizable donation to
the school, there are probably fewer than you would assume.
This is something that you should not rely heavily upon in
your application process.
Checking on Your
Applications
It is in your best interest that
after you send out all your applications you check up on them
with each law school. In doing so you will eliminate any
complications or hold ups that may occur due to missing parts
of the application. Many schools offer you a postcard to send
in with your application that is sent back to you when it is
received. If a school does not provide this postcard, you can
call the admissions office about two weeks after your
applications are sent out to see the status of your file.
When You Have More
Than One Offer1
When you get stuck in the
position where you have more than one acceptance letter, the
choice can become agonizing as to what school you should
attend. Before making a decision you should consider
aspects such as location, housing availability, size of class,
quality of life, social environment, perceived reputation of
both the school and professors, cost, courses offered, and
anything else you may be concerned with. These
factors are all relevant, some more to you than others. You
should visit each school to which you are accepted before
making your final decision. Additionally, you should
look through the law school catalogs, where you can learn a
great deal about each school.
|
"Three years in law school is
stressful and difficult, and if you are in a place you do not
like with people you do not like, you are going to have a
tough time wanting to be there. Because of this, it is
important that you are comfortable with your decision."
- Pre Law Insider |
Being Waitlisted1
Being put on a waitlist can be a
good thing or a bad thing. If you are granted entry to a
law school from the waitlist, a vacancy came up and your name
was reached on the list. If you never reach that
point, the acceptance letter is not coming. You may be
offered acceptance up to the day classes begin and
most likely on very short notice. Since waitlists tend
to be very long, your chance od acceptance is probably slim to
none. A waitlist is something that you should not rely
upon. Never pass up a secure place at a law school in
hopes of eventual acceptance at a more desirable school.
It is a decision that you will have to address if you are put
in this position; whether or not you mind holding your breath
all summer in hopes of receiving an acceptance letter from
your preferred school.1
Taking Time
Off and Deferring Admission1
If you have been thinking about taking
some time off before you go on to law school, you are not
alone. You may want to spend some time traveling or even begin
working. If taking time off is something you decide on, it may actually be an
advantage to you. It is actually preferred by some
schools to see a student take a year
or two off before entering law school because such applicants
tend to be more mature and successful in their law study.
In addition, your grades from senior year will be calculated into your LSDAS report,
which tend to be higher than the rest of your undergraduate
marks.
When
applying to law school you are accepted for a specific
semester. Normally, if you decide that you are not ready
to go once accepted, you would have to reapply the year you
wanted to attend school. Fortunately, policies regarding
this issue have begun to change. Some schools are
beginning to offer the applicant the opportunity to defer
their admission for a year, only if the applicant can supply a
good reason. If you are sure that you will not be going
the year you are applying for, you should wait until you are
completely ready. One point to remember is not to ask
for a deferral until you have received an acceptance letter.
Tips for Writing a Winning Personal Statement2
This is an exercise to help you
collect your thoughts and figure out where to begin on your
personal statement.
In 3-5 pages write out your
answers for the following questions:
1) Why do I want to go to law
school, and what in my past supports that desire?
2) What do
I want to study in law school and why?
3) Why am I
unique?
4) What do
I bring to a law school class?
5) What is
my greatest joy/success and what felt so good about it?
6) What is
my greatest adversity and how did I overcome it?
7) Where do
I see myself in 5 years?
8) Where do
I see myself 10 years after law school?
Once you
have put a few ideas down on paper, it is time to start you
first draft. You should keep in mind these two points.
1) Your
finished product should be no more than two pages in length.
2) The tone
should be positive, emphasizing strengths and accomplishments.
As you
begin to write be sure to keep these essay-writing basics in
mind.
1) Before
you begin writing, outline your main points and the order in
which you want to present them.
2) Give
your essay direction with a clearly defined theme or thesis.
3) Use
concrete examples from your life experience to support your
thesis and distinguish yourself from other applicants.
4) Write
clearly and succinctly.
5) Try to
limit your use of “I” to three times per page.
6) End your
essay with a conclusion that refers back to the lead and
restates your thesis.
7)
Proofread and revise your personal statement a minimum of
three times. In addition to your own editing, ask
someone else to critique your essay for you, but remember it
should be your ideas and your voice.
|
Useful Tips for Law
School Applicants