Admission Criteria

GPA and LSAT

Your grades in college and your score on the LSAT (Law School Admission Test) are the most significant factors in law school admissions.  The higher your grades and LSAT score, the greater your chances of admission to law school and of receiving financial aid.  This information is published on every law school's website on their 509 report, as required by the ABA. The information is compiled and more accessible on Law School Transparency and AcessLex. The ABA-LSAC Official Guide to ABA-Approved Law Schools, on the on the website of the Law School Admission Council, does NOT provide this information directly but rather offers a filter/prediction tool that does not provide precise numbers.  Having the precise numbers is more valuable to students who are applying to law school

Letters of Recommendation

Many law schools request two academic letters of recommendation and will accept more including those from employers and others who have supervised your work.

Personal Statement & Other Essays

Law Schools rarely interview candidates for admission; therefore, your personal statement is an important element of the application.

Extracurricular Activities, Employment and Internship Experiences

These can help make you stand out from the crowd.  Law schools value leadership ability.  Demonstrating leadership in one or two areas (they need not be law-related) is preferable to listing a large number of activities.  Law-related activities may help you explore the legal profession and write a more focused personal statement for law school.  Whatever activities you choose to do, you want to be able to show that you are a motivated, disciplined person, who pursues your interests.

Personal/Diversity Factors

Factors such socioeconomic and personal background can weigh into admissions decisions when they speak to your experiences and world view.

Addendum

An addendum is appropriate to explain unusual patterns of note or problems you wish to explain. Be sure to speak with the Pre-Law office about when these are best used and how to draft.