6 Deciding Factors in Law School Admissions | Law Admissions Lowdown | US News - U.S. News & World Report

A pernicious myth of law school admissions, particularly prevalent on online forums, is that admissions decisions are largely based on only two factors: grade point average and LSAT score.

If only it were that simple. Instead of hiring admissions officers, law schools could just sort applicants by their numbers and take the highest performers. Wouldn’t that be fair, transparent and efficient?

In reality, law schools have other interests to consider. They seek a balanced class, bolstered by diverse students with unique perspectives and varied interests. They need to screen out applicants who lack the emotional maturity to handle sensitive classroom discussions and manage stress. Most importantly, they want applicants who are likely to excel in law school and beyond.

Because of such considerations, law school admissions are based on many factors weighed differently by each admissions officer or committee. Here are six important factors in law school admissions decisions:

• Transcripts.
• Standardized test scores.
• Life experience.
• Work and volunteer experience.
• Recommendations.
• Motivation and goals.

Transcripts

Law schools look carefully at the transcript report they receive through the Law School Admission Council's Credential Assembly Service, because college grades have been statistically correlated with law school performance.

This transcript report includes a calculation of your cumulative GPA, as well as your GPA at each institution attended. However, admissions officers also look beyond those numbers to consider the subjects, difficulty and workload of the courses you have taken.

They also consider any trend of improvement over time. Most students take time to acclimate to college, especially those who face special challenges like first-generation students.

Standardized Test Scores

Studies have correlated law school grades with performance on the LSAT and GRE, as they have with college grades. Unlike grades, standardized test scores can be easily compared across applicants with different academic backgrounds.

While a growing number of law schools accept the GRE and some even accept the GMAT, law schools will use your LSAT score for comparison if you have taken the LSAT. So there’s no point in taking the GRE if you already have an LSAT score. However, it is OK to take the LSAT multiple times since law schools will consider your highest LSAT score.

Each law school combines your cumulative GPA with your LSAT score to come up with an index score. This index score is the most important admissions factor, and it is used to benchmark you initially against other applicants.

Life Experience

A monolithic student body would result in dull classroom discussions. Like-minded students would overcrowd certain clinics, research opportunities and campus organizations and leave others understaffed. Thus, law schools carefully consider applicants’ backgrounds, perspectives and interests as expressed through their personal statements, diversity statements, resumes and other materials.

Law schools want a study body that is diverse in many ways, including race, ethnicity, sexual and gender identity, age, military service, socioeconomic status, disability status, personal beliefs and academic interest.

Some law schools are increasingly emphasizing work experience, after finding that applicants who have been in the workforce tend to adjust better to the expectations of law school.

More broadly, volunteer activities, internships, sports and research experience can demonstrate skills relevant to law school. Law schools value applicants who have demonstrated the ability to lead and serve others, contribute to a team, commit to long-term goals and impact their community.

Recommendations

Law schools typically ask for at least two, and sometimes up to five, letters of recommendation. The perspective of a professor or supervisor can help admissions officers evaluate your achievements, potential and communication skills.

Recommendations from professors are particularly important, as they show your ability to excel academically. It means a lot if a student can stand out among the hundreds of students that professors may teach over the course of their careers.

Law schools want students who are committed to law school and able to persevere when the going gets tough. Thus, they are attuned to how applicants convey their career goals and reasons for applying in their personal statements.

Some law schools use interviews to delve into candidates’ interests and goals and assess their professionalism. Even if a law school doesn’t interview, convey your seriousness of purpose by carefully preparing and editing your written materials and avoiding mistakes.

Note that these factors also play a role in determining the merit-based aid offered to each candidate. So if you want to save on tuition, think carefully about using these factors to demonstrate your strengths as a candidate for law school.

source: https://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/law-admissions-lowdown/articles/deciding-factors-in-law-school-admissions

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