Attending law school is an opportunity to boost your earning potential, earn community-wide respect, and advance towards financial stability. But before deciding to pursue legal studies, make sure you do it for the right reasons. Viable reasons to study law include possessing a genuine desire to make a difference socially and politically, expand your career opportunities, challenge yourself intellectually, and getting a high-paying career.
However, you should reevaluate your decision if your primary motivation for attending law school is any of the following: wanting to follow in the footsteps of others lawyers in the family, a high LSAT score, being told you’d make a great lawyer, and dreams of being like the attorneys on TV.
Once you’ve determined that your motivations to attend law school are sound, you’ll need to begin the application process. However, before initiating the application process, you’ll need to calculate your odds of admission. For instance, should you choose to apply to Tulane’s nationally-ranked law school, you’ll need to determine the Tulane acceptance rate. Otherwise, the time spent polishing your law school application will be hours wasted on a virtually useless pursuit.
Choose a challenging major
Choosing an easy major is not wise because law schools usually prefer students who took the risk and tackled challenging majors. However, ensure that the specialist you pick genuinely piques your interest because it can be challenging to earn excellent grades if you find your classes dull.
Acquire strong recommendation letters
An excellent recommendation letter conveys the attributes that would make you a great addition to the school you are applying to, so request recommendations from someone who knows you well, such as a professor you worked with closely. Take time to sit down with these individuals to find out if they’re willing and able to write a letter that will portray your great qualities.
Improve your college GPA
Given the intensive coursework, law schools exclusively enroll students with excellent undergraduate grades and academic achievements. Law schools that choose to admit students with subpar grade point averages are few and far between, so you’ll need to maintain a strict study schedule and dodge distractions that can interfere with your GPA if you wish to attend law school.
Gain work experience and participate in extracurricular activities
Law schools favor applicants that have experience in particular fields or participate in certain extracurriculars. Therefore, when choosing the school clubs to join and work experience to invest your time into, keep in mind that depth holds more value than breadth.
Refine your writing skills
You’ll need to have impeccable writing skills to succeed in law school. Therefore, when creating your resume, make sure you highlight the writing-intensive positions you were involved in, as they might sway these admissions officers.
Any written forms or testaments should be eloquently-worded, free from unnecessary jargon and fluff, jam-packed with active verbs.
A strong interview
You may be invited for an interview, either physically or virtually, for a chance to show your personality. Your interview can either increase or lower your chances of getting into law school, so make sure you prepare beforehand. Additionally, ensure that you communicate well, dress professionally, and remain calm and polite.
Spend ample time on your personal statement
A well thought out and well-written personal statement can help you stand out from the rest of the applicants and increase your prospects of getting a scholarship. In some cases, it can be the difference between getting accepted waitlisted.
Wrap up
Before sending your law school application, take time to review it, ensuring everything is in order. Additionally, pass it on to a trusted friend, mentor, or pre-law advisor for editing. Skipping this step can have severe consequences, especially in the case of a personal statement.
