SOS!! Law School Questions!!

HappyAlumnus
Thu, 30 Jun 2016 00:35:28 +0000

-How do you decide where to apply to law school? Is it similar to college–as in, are you looking for fit? or is there something else? Is it just based on numbers?

Apply to the highest-ranked schools where you think you may be admitted, based on your GPA/LSAT numbers and the schools’ GPA/LSAT numbers.

-How does one determine their top choice law school? Is it based on the programs there?

Job placement, job placement, job placement. Good job placement is often correlated with a high US News overall ranking (or similar ranking, such as Above the Law). The specific programs at the law school don’t matter; for example, US News has sub-rankings for law schools (i.e., Environmental Law, International Law, etc.), but those sub-rankings don’t matter and should be ignored. Ignore “fit” and intangible criteria about law schools.

-How do you figure out the programs each school offers? Does it even matter?

In the league of school that I expect you’ll be admitted to, they don’t matter. Specific programs only matter if you’re headed only to a middling law school and you want some standout thing on a resume, such as a specific field of study, to make you more marketable to employers. You should be heading to a top-10 school, and the school name alone matters; it doesn’t matter what you study there.

-What are journals? How do you guarantee getting one once you’re in law school? Why are they important?

They are professional publications that law school students publish. Nobody much reads them. They’re important to the extent that they are competitive to get onto; if they are, then being on one is a mark of success that will make you more desirable to employers. Law Review everywhere is very desirable, but the better the school, the less a journal position matters. If you can just sign up for a law journal and it’s not competitive to get on the journal, it’s not really helpful in getting a job.

-What should I be doing to get ready?

Keep up your amazing grades, have plenty of time to study for the LSAT and, these days, plan to spend a year or two after college, in the workforce, before going to law school. Dean Minow of HLS is constantly talking about the importance of doing that (for admissions purposes and otherwise), and more and more applicants take time off.

-How do you know what to write your personal essay about?

Your life’s passions and how a J.D. from the school you’re applying to will sync with those passions.

-Are you supposed to have an internship while studying for the LSAT?

No.

-Is there any other guidance, advice, etc. you could give me? I am registered with the LSAC, but have not registered with CAS or anything.

What’s CAS? If it was around when I was applying to law schools (mid-90s), I never registered for it.

Also, GPA and LSAT alone are NOT the only things that law schools consider. It’s important to have a life where you’ve pursued your passions (which can be via studying abroad, a job, an extracurricular activity, etc.), as top law schools still have more applicants than open spots, and the high-end law student job market is picking up, so competition is increasing; to be a sure-fire applicant at a top school, you should have neat things that you’ve done in life that you can write about in your personal essays.

Your GPA is higher than mine was in college so you should get in lots of amazing schools. I expect that you’ll do very well on the LSAT, and be sure to have amazing life experiences that will tie into use of a JD degree, when it comes time to write those personal essays.