A pernicious myth of law school admissions, particularly prevalent within online forums, is that admissions decisions are largely based on only two factors: GPA 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. Consequently, law school admissions are based on many factors weighed differently by each admissions officer or committee. Here are seven important factors in law school admissions decisions:
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. 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. If you have taken the LSAT multiple times, law schools will generally consider your highest LSAT score.
Life Experience
Law schools carefully consider applicants’ backgrounds, perspectives and interests as expressed through their personal and 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.
Work and Volunteer Experience
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.
Applicants who bring real-world experience often have more practice at law-related skills like resolving disagreements and engaging with different kinds of people.
Recommendations
Law schools typically ask for at least two, and sometimes up to five, letters of recommendation. 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.
Resilience
Law school is tough. Many applicants who sailed through high school and college find the demands of law school overwhelming, and some inevitably drop out.
Thus, many law schools look for evidence that a candidate has overcome setbacks and learned from mistakes. This can take many forms, from standing up against adversity to bouncing back after a disappointment to recovering from a wrong turn in life.
Motivation and Goals
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.
