Law School Application Process FAQs
What do law schools evaluate? What are the most important admissions criteria?
What should I major in? What courses should I take?
When should I take the LSAT?
How should I prepare for the LSAT?
If I am unhappy with my test scores, should I retake the test?
When should I apply? Should I consider taking time off before law school?
To what law school should I apply?
To how many schools should I apply?
Should I waive my right to read my letters of reference?
What do law schools want to see in a personal statement?
Is it possible to defer admission to law school?
If I take time off what kind of a job should I get?
What do law schools evaluate? What are the most important admissions criteria?
Law schools view your four-year undergraduate GPA and your LSAT score as the primary criteria in the admissions process. Studies have shown the GPA and LSAT scores are the most valid predictors of first year law performance. Other factors distinguish among candidates of equal numerical qualifications. They include your course of study (pass-fail grades should be at a minimum), quality of your college (this assessment is not based on a specific uniform formula), an improvement in grades over the course of the undergraduate experience, letters of reference, personal statement, college activities, experiences after graduation, and ethnic background. Law schools vary in the weight they give these factors. In the most competitive schools, post-graduate work experience is not likely to offset poor grades and/or a low LSAT score.
What should I major in? What courses should I take?
Law schools do not require any particular course of study or undergraduate major as preparation for the study of law. Wellesley graduates enter law school from all majors offered by the college. A Wellesley student should select a major because she finds it intellectually rigorous and demanding and would enjoy studying the subject matter. The choice of a major is far less important than the intensity and rigor with which the student studies; such a liberal education is clearly available at Wellesley.
Many advisors recommend taking a few quantitative courses such as math, physical sciences, economics, or statistics. Courses that focus on research, writing, and analysis of dense texts may prove valuable. Extracurricular activities that involve debating, public speaking, or any sort of writing are helpful as well.
Wellesley’s Department of Political Science offers prospective law students a broad exposure to legal studies in addition to intensive work in American and comparative politics, international relations, and political theory. There are, in addition, a number of law-related courses at M.I.T. All students should be familiar with the important forces in the historical development of American government, including having a grasp of the chronology of the most important events in American and world history.
When should I take the LSAT?
Undergraduates planning to attend law school in the fall after graduation should take the LSAT in June of the junior year. This makes it possible to select law schools earlier in the application process. The early fall test will be timely, although you will not be able to choose your schools until November, the last preferred month for submitting applications. If you take the December test, you will probably be applying to schools without test results and will not have positioned yourself optimally for admission.
Those planning to apply some time after graduation need to keep in mind that while some schools will accept scores up to five years, others will have a limit of three years. You need only register for the LSDAS service in the year that you are planning to apply. Further information on the details of the LSAT and LSDAS can be obtained online at www.LSAC.org or from reading the LSAT & LSDAS Information Book available in the CWS.
How should I prepare for the LSAT?
A motivated applicant can adequately prepare for the test by using the Official LSAT Sample Prep Tests and official SuperPrep Test material available from the LSAC. Some candidates find that commercial study guides or videos are helpful. (Be sure to check whether the edition you buy is geared to the version of the test in current use.) Commercial prep courses are expensive and while there are no data that assess their positive impact, most applicants feel these courses provide the confidence, test familiarity, and discipline they need. (Major commercial prep courses offer financial aid.) Decide how much outside assistance you need, based on your previous experiences with standardized tests and using the practice LSAT as a guide. Most often, six months preparation time is recommended.
If I am unhappy with my test scores, should I retake the test?
Most people take the test only once. Consider all factors carefully in making your decision to retake the test. A few added points will usually be attributed to familiarity with the test and will probably not enhance your chances. The LSAC will automatically report the results of all LSATs in your file, including cancellations and absences, for the last five years.
When should I apply? Should I consider taking time off before law school?
If you are applying for fall admission, your application should be complete and ready for consideration by November of the year prior to the anticipated September entry date. "Complete" means your transcripts and LSAT score are on file as well as your recommendations, a completed application, and an application fee. An official Wellesley transcript must be requested directly from the Registrar’s Office. Request transcripts from Study Abroad and any other undergraduate and/or graduate institutions early. Your chances of admission are better early in the decision-making process. Whatever the circumstances, be sure to meet deadlines and allow plenty of time for recommenders to meet those deadlines.
You may want to consider taking some time off before applying to law school. This would make it possible to submit a full senior year’s transcript with any honors you may have received. It would also give you a break from school and an opportunity to explore other career options. The average age of law school students is a young 26.
To what law school should I apply?
Research information resources. Look at law school Web sites and catalogs, The Official Guide to U.S. Law Schools, and reports of alumnae who have attended law schools in the Law School Questionnaires notebook in CWS Library. Make a list based on location, size, cost, general reputation. Consider those law schools whose student body profiles, particularly LSAT score and GPA, most closely match yours. Use the grids in The Official Guide to U.S. Law Schools and online at www.LSAC.org to estimate your chances. State schools usually give preference to residents. If you know the geographic area in which you are going to practice and are not competitive at top-ranked "national" schools, apply to regional schools. Check Martindale-Hubbell, a directory of law firms worldwide, to see where lawyers in your chosen geographic region have attended law school.
To how many schools should I apply?
On the average, Wellesley undergraduates usually apply to seven to ten schools. Alumnae usually apply to seven to nine. Applicants should check acceptance grids and choose a cross section of schools including those where acceptance chances are strong (50th percentile or higher) along with a few back-up or "safety" schools. You will also probably want to apply to one or two "stretch" schools.
Should I waive my right to read my letters of reference?
In general, both the admissions officers at the law school and prelaw advisors respect your waiver of right to access your letters of reference. If you choose not to waive your right of access, you should know that most law schools will not take your letters as seriously as confidential letters.
The kind of reference that law schools find most useful addresses directly the candidate’s intellectual and analytical abilities, research and writing skills, and motivation for the study of law. Remember that faculty have the right to decide to write confidential letters only, and may refuse to write a letter that is not confidential in nature. (Refer to Guidelines for Faculty Writing Letters of Reference.)
What do law schools want to see in a personal statement?
Some law schools will ask specific questions. Be sure to answer all of them. Other schools give you an opportunity to say whatever you want about yourself that distinguishes you from the rest of the applicant pool. Write the statement as if you were having a personal interview. What would you say if you were asked, "Tell me about yourself." Use your essay to say something that is not evident elsewhere in your application. This is your opportunity to talk about your unique interests, whether academic or extracurricular; a person who has been a role model or mentor (be careful to write the essay about yourself, and not entirely about the other person); or an unusual and compelling life experience. If you have overcome serious obstacles or had a poor academic record, but can offer some tangible evidence that you are a "new person," tell the admissions committee in an addendum rather than addressing your weakness in the essay. Good writing, grammar, and perfect spelling are essential. Let your personality come through. Remember, the essay is your opportunity to let the admissions committee know how you think and why you would make a unique contribution to the student body. For further suggestions see Writing Personal Statements and Scholarship Application Essays: A Student Handbook by Joe Schall. See also The Role of the Essay in a Competitive Selection Process.
Is it possible to defer admission to law school?
Some schools will require you to reapply if you choose not to enter immediately. Others will defer admission for a year. You must check with each school. If you are certain you do not plan to attend in a given year, do not apply. Be sure, however, to make plans with faculty members to obtain letters of reference before you leave Wellesley.
If I take time off what kind of a job should I get?
Approximately 60% of first-year law students have taken time off before entering law school. They work in a wide variety of jobs in every field. Taking time to explore the world of work and to carefully consider your future plans is important. This choice should not be made because you think it will enhance your chances of admission.
Some prelaw candidates find it useful to experience the atmosphere of a law firm or other legal environment to assist in their decision-making about a legal career. Others prefer to work in another field and conduct information interviews with lawyers in various specialties and settings, attend some law classes, and perhaps "shadow" a lawyer to see what a typical day is like. The Wellesley Lawyers Network is a great source of information and support as is the W Network as a whole.
For an excellent overview of the admission and application process, see The Official Guide to ABA-Approved Law Schools, published annually by the American Bar Association and the Law School Admissions Council. A complete listing of law and law-related print and electonic resources may be found in the CWS Library Holdings blog, under the category "law."