How to Get Into Law Schools
Law school is only for those willing to make a big commitment and work hard to get through the program. There is a lot of competition for law school admissions. Often many applicants apply and only few get in. In order to apply for law school, here is the nitty gritty on all you’ll need to do to get ahead of the competition:
- Take the right undergraduate courses - While in college, students should focus on taking courses related to law. Law schools look for students who have experience with political science, history, sociology, and philosophy classes. It’s a good idea to take any electives in courses related to the study of law. Other classes that will be useful come from economics, math, and business.
- Do well on the LSAT - Anyone applying to law school is required to take the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT). Those driven to going to law school should take the LSAT early on in case taking it again is necessary. The LSAT is a pretty big factor in deciding who will get into law school and who will not. The test consists of five 35-minute sections with multiple choice questions. The sections include reading comprehension, analytical reasoning, logical reasoning, a writing portion, and one extra section that isn’t used to score the test. It serves to pretest new test questions.
- Earn a high GPA - Other than doing well on the LSAT, law schools look for students who have high GPAs and have carried large course loads throughout their undergraduate studies. Someone with a double degree and a high GPA will likely be considered over someone with only one degree and the same GPA. Law schools want to know that choose to be part of the program are going to be able to handle the large amounts of work required inside and outside of class.
- Sell youself in the personal statement - A personal statement is something law schools will request in order to get to know the applicant. This statement should be a reflection of who you are and shouldn’t just restate everything in the resume. Be sure to make the personal statement original and unique from others. The whole goal of the personal statement is to convince the committee why you are a better candidate than everyone else.