University of Georgia Prelaw Guide
Chapter 6
THE APPLICATION PROCESS
The application process for law school involves providing reliable
information to admissions committees which they use to help determine
which students will be successful in their law school, positive
additions to their student body, and good practitioners of the
art of law. The process usually consists of completing an application,
writing a personal statement, obtaining letters of recommendation,
providing a Dean's Letter of Certification, sending your undergraduate
transcripts to LSDAS, and earning an LSAT score.
You should plan to apply to law school in the fall of your senior
year if you intend to go directly to law school, or the fall before
whichever year you wish to enter school. While there are a very
small number of law schools which begin in other semesters, almost
all entering law school students begin during the Fall Semester.
A good general rule in choosing the schools to which you would
like to apply is to look for about six schools: two schools that
are your ideal or "reach" schools, two schools where
you believe you are competitive, and two "safety" schools
whose admission standards are not so competitive. Virtually every
law school makes available its "numbers," which reflect
the median grade point average (GPA) and LSAT score of the previous
year's incoming class. A "median" is a term describing
the score that is in the center of all of the scores, so the median
will indicate to you that half of the class scored above that number,
and half of the class scored below. Many schools also make available
the range of all students in the entering class from the previous
year. This information will be very helpful in determining the
schools at which you will be competitive. Your "numbers" are
not the only criteria considered by a law school, but they are
usually the most important. You must take your grade point average
seriously from the very beginning of your college career.
The Law School Admission Test (LSAT), is considered by many schools
to be the most important indicator of your ability to succeed in
law school. You must rigorously prepare for this test, with the
intention of taking it only once. Although there are exceptions,
many law schools average LSAT scores, while others may accept a higher test score for application purposes. You should never take the LSAT unless you
are prepared for it to be reported to law schools. The test is
given four times each year; usually early in February, June, September/October,
and December. There are many factors to consider in deciding when
you wish to take the test. You should allow yourself six weeks
before the test for serious nightly preparation, whether in an
individual plan of self-study or in an official preparation course.
The June test is always given on a Monday, and may prove to
be the optimal time, as spring semester will have ended a month
before the test. Waiting until December or February can be risky,
as an unexpected illness or other circumstance may prevent or impair
your ability to do well, and there would not be another chance
to take the LSAT for that year's application. The February test
date is acceptable for some schools but not all, so you must be
aware of the deadlines for each school you are considering. Any
and every score you earn on the LSAT remains valid, and will be
reported to law schools, for five years.
The LSAT/LSDAS Registration and Information Book is available
at 207 Memorial Hall. This book explains the test in detail, and
you should read it thoroughly. It also provides sample questions
that will assist in your preparation and includes a registration
forms. You will want to mail in your completed form well before
the deadline, because your most convenient testing site may fill
quickly. You will also need to subscribe to LSDAS, the Law School
Data Assembly Service, for the year during which you will be applying
to law school. This is a centralized service that is used by almost
all law schools. You register with LSDAS and supply it with all
of your college transcripts. LSDAS uses this information along
with your LSAT score to prepare a profile on you. When you apply
to law schools, each school will contact LSDAS for your profile.
There are significant costs involved in applying to law school.
See the LSAC website for
detailed information on the current costs of applying for the LSAT;LSDAS
and to law schools.
Treat the entire application process seriously and respectfully.
Try to type your applications, or you may want to consider the
option of applying online by computer. Put serious thought, and
several re-writes, into preparing your personal statement. Admissions
counselors suggest that you think of the personal statement as
your best chance to emerge from the application as a real person.
Counselors recommend that when you write your statement you imagine
the law school admissions committee literally sitting around the
table with your file and information lying on the table before
them, and you are allowed to enter the room for five minutes to
tell them why you want to attend their law school.
You may include an addendum to your record if you wish. An addendum
is in essence, a short memo written to explain a specific situation,
such as one particular quarter when there was an illness or family
crisis. You do not want to use the personal statement to dwell
on explaining "bad things" in your record, but you should
address them quickly in your statement, or in an addendum, and
then focus on presenting a positive image of yourself, an honest
expression of your desire to pursue the study of law, and perhaps
a summary of how your past experiences have brought you to this
point. Different law schools will have different questions for
your personal essay, and it is important that you answer the question
you have been asked, and not write a generic statement to submit
to every school.
It should go without saying that, on questions concerning your
academic or legal record, you must always tell the entire truth.
If necessary, write an explanation on a separate sheet that briefly
addresses the circumstances and the way they were handled, provide
a positive and sincere expression of the effect it may have had,
and what you have done since then.
Your extracurricular activities can be a valuable addition to your
application. You do not need to feel that you must be able to list
an entire page of participation in every organization you can imagine,
but showing how you have chosen to use your time in organizations
or volunteer experiences that reflect your commitments and values
is important. It can be equally important to mention if your circumstances
involved significant family or work obligations.
While letters of recommendation are often required and considered, keep in mind that poor recommendations could be detrimental to your case. You want strong academic recommendations from professors
who have personally graded your written work and had you in a participatory
class situation. If you had a poor academic record early on, sometimes
an enthusiastic, personal letter with specifics about your recent
work and performance in a particular class can make an impression.
Academic recommendations are more important than employers, unless
your experience has been in a closely related field and the writer
can speak specifically to abilities applicable to success in law
school. Recommendations from politicians or prestigious law professionals
are only beneficial if the writer knows you personally and can
speak specifically to your abilities.
Many schools require a Dean's Letter of Certification. If you
are a student in Arts and Sciences, take the forms to Judicial
Programs in the Dean of Student's Office located in Memorial Hall.
Allow 10 days to 2 weeks before your deadlines, to insure that
they can be processed and received by your schools in a timely
fashion. If you are graduating from another college at the University,
be sure to take the forms to your Dean's office for prompt processing.
Previous Chapter | Table
of Contents | Next Chapter
| 
