Personal Statement

Your personal statement is generally considered the most important aspect of your law school application outside of your undergraduate GPA and your LSAT score. A law school personal statement is your chance to describe why you are better than the thousands of other applicants with whom you are competing for spots in that particular law school’s next incoming class.

 

The personal statement is where you can exert the most control over your law school application. The majority of Law School Expert’s clients come to us with questions about their personal statement due to its importance in the law school admission process. We get to know your background so we can help you identify the best topics and theme for your essay. Then, we provide you with a brainstorming exercise and give you feedback on the ideas you present before we even start working on a draft.

 

LSAT Score

Why is your LSAT score considered the single most important aspect of your law school application? Because the LSAT is the most objective criterion available for law schools to separate applicants from one another. The purpose of the LSAT is to level set applicants by having them all take the same test. The LSAT tests for skills required for success in law school and as a lawyer, such as qualitative analytical skills and reasoning skills. Statistics show it is the best indicator of who will succeed in law school and on the Bar Exam.

 

Yet, each school has a range of LSAT scores that they commonly accept. And law schools accept students on the bottom of their LSAT range if they have other aspects of their application that help them shine. But since the LSAT is so important, often the question is, “Should I retake the LSAT?” There are benefits and risks to taking the LSAT more than once.

 

Letters of Recommendation

Letters of recommendation are an important component of your law school application. In addition to your undergraduate GPA, your LSAT score and your personal statement, the letters of recommendation provide the law school with insights from those who are qualified to evaluate you as a future law student and attorney.

 

Academic letters are very important because law schools want assurance from professors that you can handle the rigors of a legal education. Law schools also want to know that you have the writing, analytical, communication, people, and managerial skills for this sophisticated profession. Therefore, a writing professor will be better than a recommendation from the manager for your part-time job in retail.

 

Resume

Law schools expect to see a resume with your law school application. For professionals returning to school (non-traditional applicants) the challenge is changing their resume from a professional, skills-focused resume to one where their achievements and activities are explained in a way that will allow law schools to appreciate how they have spent their time. For traditional applicants and recent college graduates, the resume provides an opportunity to highlight academic, extra-curricular, work-related and personal accomplishments and interests, including language skills and travel.

 

Selecting Law Schools

The big things to consider are reputation, location, and cost. You want to attend a law school that will provide you with opportunities in the community and area of law where you hope to practice. And of course most applicants want to get into the highest ranked law school possible. But the application process is expensive and tiring so selecting the right schools for your circumstances is critical. Harvarbridge is happy to help you with evaluating your strengths, weaknesses and career goals in order to help you pick the best schools for you to target. We know where other clients with similar credentials and circumstances have been successful and can help you judge how high you should reach and how big a safety net you should cast.