<p>Is it helpful to express interest in a law school? Do law schools vary on that concept? I know for undergraduate applications, some law schools did not care if you visited and others would not admit you unless you had visited. Does it help at all to express interest and/or visit?</p>
<p>Top law schools care about LSAT scores, grades, and, to a lesser extent, ‘soft’ factors such as work experience and leadership skills. Expressing interest is demonstrated by applying and nothing more is necessary. Some schools follow up the applications with a phone interview. Northwestern requires a face to face interview prior to admission. Others may, too. In general, though, making a visit before being accepted is a waste of time. Once accepted, by all means go at their invitation. At that point, they’ll be begging you, not the other way around.</p>
<p>Having observed the current law school admissions cycle from a distance (but with great interest!), I agree that a visit is an unnecessary expense. Much better to visit when the school will foot the bill. However, several law schools do want to see interest in terms of supplemental essays (“Why Our School?”) or a letter of continuing interest sent after an application has been in for a while. These are detailed explanations of why you want to study at a particular school. </p>
<p>In my d’s case, UVA had been first in her heart since she submitted her application in November. Her LSAT/GPA were well above their medians. However, she hadn’t written a “Why Virginia” essay, nor had she submitted a follow-up letter stating she was still interested. She started to get concerned when several friends who submitted applications later than she did had final decisions and she still hadn’t heard a thing. top-law-schoolsDOTcom, a very detailed site with active LS discussion boards, mentioned the importance of sending a “Why Virginia” essay (annoying my d because apparently the application didn’t mention it at all). She sent one on a Saturday afternoon and received a phone call from the dean less than 48 hours later, with a nice scholarship offer.</p>
<p>Some T14 schools are very anxious to protect their yield (UVA apparently being the most anxious :)). So no visits, but let the schools feel the love.</p>
<p>I think it only helps in getting money from a school when your numbers are well above their medians, since they might normally assume you’d never seriously consider them and not bother offering money that could be offered to someone more likely to attend. It’s not going to help you get in.</p>