College Crunch

All law schools are not created equal. If you want to be working for one of the best law firms in the county, attending a community college and skimming by on a 2.0 grade point average just isn’t going to cut it.

The top law schools pride themselves on turning their students into some of the best lawyers in the country and they won’t waste their time admitting students who don’t prove that they have what it takes to excel. To get into one of the best law schools in the country, you will have to understand what those schools are expecting out of prospective students.

The admissions department will look at quite a few factors such as your GPA and SAT/ACT scores, LSAT scores, what college you attended previously, extracurricular and community activities, your personal statement, and a few other factors such as background, residency, and anything special about your application.

Your academic prowess is extremely important if you plan to attend a top law school such as Harvard, Yale, or any of the large schools. This includes your GPA which should be above 3.75 and as close to 4.0 as possible. Whether or not you have taken advanced placement (AP) classes will also be very important. If you have taken standard pre-law classes in college and your friend has taken all AP classes, his application will stand out more than yours. It’s usually better to do above average in AP classes than to do great in regular classes.

Your SAT, ACT, and LSAT scores will have to be very good also. The top law schools like students who have over a 1300 on the SAT, over 30 on the ACT, and over 165 on the LSAT. Each of these tests has a different scoring method and the top scorers usually study for months ahead of time.

The top law schools will require that you have completed 4 years of college before you even apply. This can be discouraging for people right out of high school but it’s necessary so these schools can focus on the law curriculum only. Most students will have taken some form of pre-law but you can also have a bachelor’s degree in a field related to law such as criminal justice, business, political science, and psychology. The school you have attended will have some impact on whether or not you get into a top law school. Bob’s online college won’t look as impressive as UCLA or another large school.

Many students don’t take the initiative to participate in extracurricular programs at school or in their community and this can really get you knocked down the list of applicants. Law schools look for students who have participated in extracurricular activities because it shows that they are interested in their school and activities related to it. Being part of the debate team or something else law related looks best on your application but any extracurricular participation will help keep that part of the application from being blank.

Community activities look especially nice because it lets the law schools know that you are in touch with other people. A great community activity is volunteering at a non-profit association that deals with people’s rights or the environment but you won’t want to take part in protests or marches unless it’s something you firmly believe in.

Your personal statement can make an average application look outstanding if done correctly. Your personal statement is your big chance to make a good impression to the admissions board. You will have to be completely professional and you will want to relate some important aspects of who you are, what you’ve done, and what you want to accomplish out of life. Your personal statement shouldn’t be longer than two pages because that’s a great length to ensure the entire thing is read. Any longer and it might end up getting skimmed or ignored completely.

You will want to focus on positives and avoid negatives such as “I got a 2.0 that semester because …..”. Don’t make excuses for poor performance in school or any trouble you have gotten into. Spelling and Grammar is extremely important in your personal statement so proofread it as many times as possible. Have your family read it, have your old teachers read it, have anyone read it. They can give you valuable input on what, if anything, sounds out of place.

Some factors top law schools look at that aren’t as important as the rest are your background, race, residency, and what you had to overcome to get where you are now. If you come from a hardworking but uneducated minority background and fought tooth and nail to break out of your family’s rut, your application may look more interesting than a middle-class, average student who hasn’t had to work for much in their life.

The main rule of thumb when applying to any school is to just be yourself, be honest, and do your best.

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