Law School Admissions

Best Law Schools for Practical Training

Which law school experiences best prepare a student for a legal career? In the most recent Law School Alumni Employment and Satisfaction study, the National Association for Law Placement (NALP) added this question for 2019 law school graduates. And their answer was clear: experiential learning. The majority of respondents, 70 percent, named clinical and experiential courses as their most impactful. On the other end of the scale, just 17 percent named student affairs programs and resources. 

The emphasis on experiential learning aligns with the National Jurist’s methodology for its 2024 ranking of Law Schools with the Best Practical Training. The methodology places the heaviest weight on student participation in clinic offerings (32 percent), followed by externships (25 percent), simulation courses (20 percent), moot court / pro-bono work (10 percent), and practical training offerings (10 percent). The ranking allots extra credit to schools that require or guarantee clinic work. 

Review the National Jurist’s top ten-ranked programs for practical training below and check out the full list here.

  1. Baylor University School of Law

  2. University of St. Thomas School of Law (MN)

  3. Northeastern University School of Law

  4. Elon University School of Law

  5. University of Minnesota Law School

  6. Drake University Law School

  7. University of Denver Sturm College of Law

  8. Cornell Law School

  9. Pepperdine Caruso School of Law

  10. Case Western Reserve University School of Law

LSAT to Debut Updated Writing Section this Summer

The LSAT’s writing section is getting refreshed. LSAC announced this week that, as of July 31st (start of LSAT testing cycle), the test will debut a new writing section designed to gauge test-takers’ argumentative writing skills. 

The update, made in response to the evolving needs of the profession, and to input gathered from the legal community, will no longer focus just on logical reasoning.  It will now try to capture an applicant’s “ability to construct a cogent argument based on a variety of evidentiary sources.” To do this, the section will provide test-takers with an issue and additional context, given through competing perspectives on that issue. The writer will be asked to draft an essay taking and supporting a position, taking into account and addressing, as appropriate, the context provided.

For now, the writing section will remain an unscored component of the LSAT. However, LSAC plans to collect data over the 2024-2025 testing administration period to assess the validity and reliability of the updated section. The organization will work towards its longer-term goal of providing a scored section for law school admissions officers. 

Interested test-takers can review a sample prompt, via LawHub, as a part of the free official LSAT Prep test library. A sample writing prompt is also available on LSAC.org

ABA Declines to Grant JD-Next Full Approval

Last week, the ABA declined to grant the JD-Next law school admissions test full approval. This decision maintains the status quo in which schools must request a variance from standard 503—the ABA’s admissions test requirement—to use the test for admissions. Almost 25 percent of ABA-accredited schools have already received this exemption for the upcoming admissions cycle.

The ABA requested additional data in order to confirm the test as a "valid and reliable" predictor of law student grades, on par with the LSAT or GRE. Daniel Thies, Chair of the ABA Standards Committee, provided his reasoning by referencing an ABA-commissioned third party evaluation of the test. Although the report did conclude that the JD-Next was a valid predictor of grades, it came with “multiple cautions and caveats” that pointed to a need for additional data collection and study. 

David Klieger, the Program Director for JD-Next at Aspen Publishing, provided a statement to Reuters that expressed disappointment, but highlighted that "institutions still have the option to incorporate JD-Next through the use of a variance, and potential law students continue to benefit from it."

Related JD-Next: What You Need to Know About this Alternative to the LSAT

Stanford and Yale Law Schools Announce Plans for Earlier Virtual On-Campus Interviewing

Stanford and Yale Law Schools are making waves with their recent announcements to move virtual on-campus interviews up to June, which is ahead of the formal OCI processes.

Stanford Law School’s announcement explained that they want to better align with firms’ recent hiring practices. Many firms, they noted, are now doing significantly more hiring early in the process through direct applications and interviews. The schedule change will not only provide students with access to those open positions, it will also allow them to focus on their finals and/or their summer internships. 

Yale’s announcement also focused on its desire to align with firms’ hiring patterns. Kelly Voight, Yale Law School’s Assistant Dean for the Career Development Office, said that the school is making this decision to, “best serve our students by maximizing student choice, promoting informed decision-making, and leveling the playing field for law firm recruiting,” in an email to Law.com.

Prospective law students interested in big law should keep an eye on how other elite schools respond to Stanford and Yale’s announcements, and also how they plan to support their students amidst an evolving employment market. 

Wondering When to Apply to Law School? New Research Confirms the Earlier the Better

Findings from an AccessLex study on law school admissions prove the old adage: If you’re early, you’re on time and, if you’re on time, you’re late. They found: 

Submission timing matters greatly. Students who submitted applications early, prior to the end of November, gained admission to law school at a rate of 40 percent. Those who submitted applications “on time,” prior to the beginning of February, gained admission at a rate of 24 percent. Late applicants, even with similar admissions profiles, were less likely than those who submitted early or on time to receive an offer. 

Kelsey Risman, a senior evaluation methodologist at the AccessLex Institute, spoke about the study results with the ABA Journal, emphasizing the impact that rolling admissions can have on applicants. “The deadline is not really the deadline. The deadline is just when they stop looking at things in a rolling admissions context. If you submit the day before the deadline, you might be fighting many people for one remaining slot,” she said. 

LSAT timing drives an applicant’s submission. The report also showed that a key contributor to overall application timing is LSAT timing. Of the prospective law students who took the test after January 1st, almost two-thirds, 63 percent, submitted their application late. Among those who completed the LSAT before January 1st, the percentage that submitted late decreased to 26 percent.

Sound application strategy is different from law school readiness. The study found no correlation between high LSAT scores and early application submissions. Those who submitted applications early were simply more likely to have demonstrated knowledge of application tactics, while those who submitted late pointed to “an incomplete or inaccurate understanding of sound application strategy.” 

Prelaw Priorities: Tips for the Early Birds

Sometimes we'll have clients reach out long before they begin applying to law school. And we love it! It gives us the opportunity to advise them on things they can do now that will save them time later, when things are more hectic. 

Journal Your Experiences. In addition to seeking out high quality and challenging academic, professional, and extracurricular experiences you’re interested in, you should keep a journal. It will make the brainstorming process a breeze. Log details while they're fresh in your mind. Did you have a meaningful conversation with a colleague while volunteering? Demonstrate leadership in an organization you’re involved with? Develop an imaginative solution on a team project? How did those interactions feel? What actions did you take, if any? Are there results to share? Pay particular attention to those experiences that prompted an evolution in your perspective and reinforced your interest in the study of law, as well as those that could show the reader your intellectual curiosity, integrity, and abilities in critical thinking, problem solving, and collaboration.

Secure the Right Rec in a Timely Manner. If you're a college sophomore and have a current professor who you'd love to support your candidacy for law school, ask for the letter of recommendation right after the course ends. Your Credential Assembly Service (CAS) subscription remains active for five years and will deliver your reference letter when it's time to submit. Alternatively, if you would prefer to wait or if your ideal recommender says, "I'll write it the year you apply," stay in touch and keep them updated on your accomplishments. 

Start Preparing for the LSAT. A long lead-time before you apply to law school allows you to adjust your schedule to accommodate studying and taking the LSAT. Consider when you can most easily make the time for prep. Will it be during the summer while you participate in an internship or job? Or do you hope to plan for a lighter academic load the semester you plan to take the test? 

LSAT scores are valid for five years. If you can take the test earlier in your undergraduate career, you will have space to focus on strengthening other components of your application later. Additionally, taking the LSAT early leaves you with more options if your initial score doesn’t meet your expectations.

Survey Shows Law School Admissions Officers Concerned About Impact of Recent Supreme Court Decision

A recent Kaplan survey found that a vast majority of law school admissions officers worry about the impact of last year’s Supreme Court affirmative action ban. In the survey, which included 85 law schools, admissions officers from 74 schools expressed concern. Forty-six of those schools’ administrators reported that they were “very concerned.” 

When asked about the impact of the ban on their own school, admissions officers were slightly more optimistic. Fifty of the schools expressed concern, with just 18 saying they were “very concerned.” 

The survey found that diversity is valued “almost universally” at law schools by both students and administrators. 

Amit Schlesinger, Executive Director of Legal and Government Programs at Kaplan, summarized the findings, while also alluding to the news that the applicant pool has increased in diversity this year

"In the wake of the Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action, Kaplan’s survey reveals that law schools are grappling with concerns about maintaining diverse student bodies, which is something many of them have long prioritized. However, the silver lining lies in the promising trend of an increasingly diverse applicant pool, which presents an opportunity to mitigate any challenges they may face in achieving a representative student body. It’s also important to note that while law schools can no longer explicitly use race as a factor, we know that some law schools have broadened their personal statement criteria, which may give admissions officers a deeper understanding of prospective students’ backgrounds, while also remaining within the bounds of the Court’s ruling,” Schlesinger said.

How to Use Hobbies to Bolster Your Law School Application

Hobbies. They are not a make or break component of the law school application, but they are an opportunity to provide the admissions committee with a view of the person beyond the test scores and transcripts. Hobbies are also an effective way to demonstrate how you will add to the diversity of the incoming class, showcase qualities you will need as a law student/lawyer, and/or provide insight into how you may relieve stress during law school. With many law schools’ increased focus on student mental health, this is particularly noteworthy. 

Within your application, hobbies might be embedded within your personal statement, included in your resume, or referenced as anecdotes in interview responses. While hobbies can be powerful for demonstrating some of your personal qualities, we recommend considering the following guidelines before you highlight them in your application:

  • Be current. If you played the trumpet in the high school band, but haven’t picked it up since then, consider what hobbies are more relevant to your life now. What do you turn to for fun, and what do you see yourself doing for stress relief in law school?

  • Be specific in your description. Provide a sense of how often, and how long you have been pursuing the hobby, as well as what the hobby entails. It’s great that you love to read, do yoga, and travel, but so do many others. Consider the unique ways you have engaged with your interests. Did you launch a monthly book club for discussing the NYT best sellers? Write book reviews for the school paper? Did you gain a yoga teaching certification or take part in a unique yoga retreat? Do you travel to particular destinations or did you engage in a volunteer experience while abroad?

  • State how your hobby has impacted your personal growth. Did an experience within your hobby contribute to a change in your perspective or influence your decision to apply to law school? What attributes have you developed through your hobby that will benefit you as a law student and lawyer (resilience, effective communication and collaboration skills, the ability to thrive in a diverse environment, etc.)? 

  • When possible, provide an experience or milestone that differentiates your involvement in the hobby. Many people play an instrument, but fewer start a quartet or play in the university band. Many people enjoy running or fitness, fewer run the NY marathon to support a favorite cause/organization or start a running club. Providing the specific way(s) that you’ve engaged with your hobby will demonstrate to the admissions committee what you may offer to your incoming class.

Law School Applicant Volume Up from Last Year

Prospective law students are coming out in droves for the 2023-2024 admissions cycle. The number of applicants for Fall 2024 matriculation is up four percent compared to the same point in the application cycle last year. And the pool is expected to continue to grow based on the registration volume for the January LSAT, which is up 15 percent from last year.

The diversity of the applicant pool has also increased compared to last year, which is notable because last year’s admissions cycle yielded the most diverse law school class on record. According to Reuters, the newly published LSAC data shows that over 43 percent of the applicant pool is made up of minorities and that the number of minority applicants has increased by seven percent from last year. Hispanic applicants have increased by almost nine percent, Black applicants by just over seven percent, and Asian applicants by six percent. The number of White applicants has held stable with growth of just one percent year-over-year. 

Last Summer, when the Supreme Court disallowed the use of race as a component of university admissions’ decisions, many in the legal and academic communities expressed concern that it would negatively impact underrepresented applicants and would discourage students of color from even applying. To counteract this, many schools updated their outreach and even their application components with the intention of encouraging minority students to apply. While it remains to be seen how many of the applications will turn into law school acceptances, this applicant data is encouraging. 

Related: A Compelling Diversity Statement will Strengthen Your Candidacy for Law School

Application Tips: Duke Law’s School-Specific Short-Answer and Optional Essays

Beyond the Personal Statement, Duke Law School requires applicants to submit responses to one or two short-answer essay prompts and offers an additional optional essay opportunity. Crafting a compelling response to each essay gives the school a better idea of who you are and your views of the law and the world. 

Let’s look at their prompts, starting with the six short-answer prompts, of which you’ll answer one or two. We say, go ahead and answer two. The more quality ideas you can share with the school, the more they have to consider when reviewing your candidacy.

Short Answer Essay(s) (required): Please write one or two short essays from the list below. Please limit your answer(s) to approximately 250-500 words per essay.

a. What does the rule of law mean to you, and what special background or experience do you have that may help you contribute to its advancement or that underscores its importance to you personally?

b. The promise of equal justice is fundamental to our legal system. Why is equal justice important to you personally, and what personal experiences or knowledge do you have that may help you become an effective advocate for equal justice under law?

Although these questions are different, your responses will take a similar structure. For each, the prompt asks you to describe your unique background, experience, and/or knowledge on the topic at hand.

Anchor your answer in a key experience from your life that impacted your view(s). Invite the reader to follow along on your journey and let them see you learn and grow from the experience. Consider the following: Did the situation solidify your initial impressions or change your perspective/lead to personal growth? What characteristics did you demonstrate during or develop through this experience that will help you advance these ideas? How will your background or the knowledge you’ve gained impact you as a student and a lawyer? How will you bring this experience and its resulting knowledge into the classroom for the benefit of your fellow students? 

c. Exposure to a diversity of perspectives and experiences can enhance one's ability to deliver effective professional services. Please describe any opportunities you have had to serve clients or your community, either through work or on a volunteer basis, and how your own exposure to different perspectives and experiences helped you.

For this response, you’ll obviously reflect on past work and community experiences where you learned from and thrived alongside others from different backgrounds. Be sure to highlight what makes these anecdotes meaningful. Did you seek out others’ perspectives or a learning opportunity? What didn’t you know before this experience? How did or will this experience change how you approach something else in the future? And one thing we always advise applicants to do: Use other peoples’ first names. When you’re talking about learning from or having an impactful experience with a member of your community, a colleague, or a client, using their name is simply more personal than not doing it. After all, this person isn’t just their role in your story, they’re an individual.

d. Lawyers are members of a learned profession and are often called to serve the public in a variety of ways. Please describe your interest in public service and any experience that you have had to prepare you for a life of service in the public interest.

This essay is not just for those seeking a career in public interest law. Duke Law School describes public service as, “core to the profession and central to the Duke Law experience.” If you choose to respond to this essay, share an experience that reinforced your interest in public service or pro-bono work. Why was it so meaningful for you? What did you learn? Then segue to your public service goals, both as a law student and legal professional after law school. (Read about the school’s many offerings like clinical courses and externships, here.)

e. Please describe your interest in learning the law in an open, rigorous, and collaborative environment. Why is a commitment to the free expression of ideas so important in the learning process?

This is a timely question. Controversies at Stanford Law, Yale Law, and other elite programs have led the ABA to push forward legislation that would require law schools to enact policies protecting the free exchange of ideas on campus.  

So, what do you think of what is happening on these campuses? And how do you think free expression connects to the type of learning you’re seeking? What do you gain by facing something you don’t agree with? What do you gain by expressing yourself freely? If you have misgivings about free expression that could be something you get into here—or a reason to skip this question. 

f. What does ethical leadership mean to you? Please provide examples of how you have prepared yourself to become an ethical leader.

Prior to writing this essay, it may benefit you to familiarize yourself with the Duke Law Blueprint, what they call a “framework for ethical growth, engagement, and professional development” for students. Then consider your own ideas about the key tenets of ethical leadership—and when you’ve enacted them. Choose one or two leadership anecdotes to explore—one might be from work, another from a volunteering position, or even as a student leader or captain of a sports team. Relate what you learned to how you will behave as a student leader at Duke and throughout your career.

Optional Essay: You may submit an essay providing additional information about why you have chosen to apply to law school in general and Duke in particular. We are interested in the factors that have prompted your interest in a legal career and the ways in which you think Duke can further that interest. Please use 1-2 pages, double-spaced, for this optional essay.

You likely got into why you’re choosing law school at this juncture in your Personal Statement. So, this is a great place to get into “Why Duke?” in a hyper-detailed way. They’re not looking for a list of reasons why you think Duke is the greatest and definitely avoid telling them bland, flattering things about themselves as if you’re reading them their own pamphlet: “Duke Law is a competitive, prestigious program.” Yeah, no kidding. And writing like that won’t get you into a competitive, prestigious program. They once again need to hear about something you have done, learned or are in the middle of doing/learning—and how that connects to what you want to do at Duke. 

What resources unique to Duke will you access? How will they benefit you? How will X class teach you Y so that you can accomplish Z goal? Which professor could you see as a potential mentor? Could you see yourself working at the Appellate Litigation clinic? How will you support pro-bono work? Will you do a pro-bono externship? Do you have family in the area and hope to take the NC bar and work at a local firm post-graduation? Which clubs might position you to reach your goals, and what do you have to offer those student organizations? Why can you picture yourself at Duke? And why should they picture you there? Adding what you will contribute to the community is clutch.

JD-Next: What You Need to Know About this Alternative to the LSAT

Next year’s law school admissions cycle will bring change. Law.com reported that almost 25 percent of ABA-accredited law schools have been granted a variance from Standard 503—the ABA’s admissions test requirement—to use the JD-Next, in addition to the LSAT and GRE, for the 2024-2025 admissions cycle.

What is JD-Next?

The JD-Next differs from the LSAT and GRE as participants must take an eight-week online course on doctrinal concepts and legal skills in addition to a final exam. The virtual exam is given at the course’s conclusion and is based on the content presented throughout. The test is given on one of two predetermined dates and is four hours in length. It includes multiple choice questions and an unscored essay. Students must take both the course and the exam.

The test is said to measure a student’s learning ability, predict their performance in law school, and actually help prepare them for law school. And according to various studies, the JD-Next is more equitable, perhaps an answer to the long-standing racial disparities seen in standardized test scores like the LSAT.

When is the test available?

The upcoming JD-Next administration runs April 29th through June 24th with the test available on either June 25th and 29th.

The price for the course, test, and score report is $250.

Who accepts the test?

These 47 schools have been granted the variance to accept the JD-Next:

  • (University of) Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law

  • Arizona State University Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law

  • Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School

  • Boston College Law School

  • Brigham Young University J. Reuben Clark Law School

  • California Western School of Law

  • (University of) California-Davis School of Law

  • Case Western Reserve University School of Law

  • Charleston School of Law

  • (University of) Cincinnati College of Law

  • City University of New York School of Law

  • Cleveland State University College of Law

  • Creighton University School of Law

  • (University of) Dayton School of Law

  • Drake University Law School

  • Emory University School of Law

  • Florida International University College of Law

  • The George Washington University Law School

  • Georgetown University Law Center

  • (University of) Georgia School of Law

  • Hofstra University Maurice A. Deane School of Law

  • Indiana University-Bloomington Maurer School of Law

  • Loyola University-New Orleans College of Law

  • (University of) Maine School of Law

  • (University of) Massachusetts Law School (Dartmouth)

  • (University of) Miami School of Law

  • Mississippi College School of Law

  • (University of) Nebraska College of Law

  • Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad Law Center

  • Oklahoma City University School of Law

  • (University of the) Pacific McGeorge School of Law

  • (University of) Pittsburgh School of Law

  • (University of) San Diego School of Law

  • (University of) South Dakota School of Law

  • St. Mary’s University School of Law

  • Suffolk University Law School

  • Syracuse University College of Law

  • Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law

  • Texas A&M University School of Law

  • Texas Tech University School of Law

  • Thomas M. Cooley Law School (Western Michigan University)

  • (University of) Toledo College of Law

  • Vanderbilt University Law School

  • Western New England University School of Law

  • Widener University Delaware Law School

  • (University of) Wisconsin Law School

  • Yeshiva University Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law

Recent Kaplan Survey Found Majority of Pre-Law Students Seek a Law School Where Students Hold Similar Political Views

The majority of pre-law students, 58 percent, say that it's important to them to attend a law school where students share their political and social views, according to recent Kaplan Survey results. About one-third of respondents, 36 percent, said this was “not important.” Just six percent responded that they “weren’t sure.” 

Explaining their perspectives to Kaplan, students who noted political fit’s importance made the following comments:

  • “I want to feel free to express my opinions without the fear of a backlash.”

  • “Even though it is important to dissent with respect and grow with people with opposing views, I consider that in this day and age it’s very difficult to survive in hostile environments.”

  • “Before the end of affirmative action, this was not as heavy of a concern. Now, I fear for a lack of community and support should I attend a school that does not value diversity and inclusion highly.”

Students who responded that political fit was not important were more likely to feel that political discourse and disagreement provided a richer learning environment. “I’d rather attend a law school with a range of political ideologies. I think it’s important to discuss differing beliefs and learn to respect everyone’s opinions,” one survey participant said. 

Notably, Kaplan fielded the survey prior to the October 7th attacks on Israel by Hamas. Kaplan’s Executive Director of Government and Legal Programs, Amit Schlesinger, speculates that if the survey had taken place post-October 7th, and amidst the ensuing tension on campuses nation-wide, the percentage of students calling political fit important would have been significantly higher.

To get to know better the programs you’re considering, we recommend the following: 

  • Visit the school. If at all possible, meet with faculty and students. Sit in on a class discussion. Observe an extracurricular group meeting. Attend a social event if you’re able. This will help you to get a full view of what your life could look like as a student there. 

  • Use social media. Follow the school on social media, as well as various student run clubs/affinity groups and/or the school paper. You will learn a lot about the perspectives and discourse that you’ll experience as part of the student body. Reading comments beneath posts will also provide you with insight on how students engage with each other and the posted content. 

  • Reach out to current students and alumni in your network. If you’re not able to visit the campus, it may still be possible for you to set up meeting(s) with students and alumni who live near you or via zoom to hear about their experiences and get useful insight into the school’s culture.

Application Tips: How to Approach Stanford Law School’s Optional Essays

In addition to the standard personal statement and resume, Stanford Law School (SLS) invites applicants to submit responses to up to three optional essays. SLS provides one optional diversity essay prompt, as well as four short-answer essay questions of which candidates may answer up to two. We urge you to respond to the maximum number that you can. Compelling responses will only strengthen your candidacy. 

Optional Essay. At Stanford Law School, we value the ability to communicate constructively across differences – even when the stakes are high or the differences significant. Please discuss a time when you encountered a viewpoint that contrasted with your own and explain how you responded. Would you do anything different if the same thing happened today? Your essay should be approximately one to two pages in length.

This is a timely question. SLS generated headlines and controversy last year after students disrupted a guest speaker, 5th Circuit Judge, Kyle Duncan. In the aftermath of the incident, SLS officials made a public apology noting that the protest was not aligned to the school’s values around free speech and that students would be required to attend free speech training. Similar controversies at Yale and other elite programs have led the ABA to push forward legislation that would require law schools to enact policies protecting the free exchange of ideas on campus.  

Given this context, SLS is looking for students who are able to exchange ideas respectfully and with humility, even when impassioned. Engage the reader in a situation when you disagreed with another party or were challenged to learn more about a contrasting position. Were you able to listen and learn from someone you disagreed with? How did you remain calm? Did maintaining respect for the other speaker allow you both to come closer to one another’s position? Did you come to an agreement? If not, how did you maintain your relationship despite the differences? What parts of the interaction were you proud of? What mistakes did you make? Be sure to provide insight into what you learned from the experience and how those insights will inform your interactions with students, professors and visiting speakers at SLS.

Optional Short Essays. If you think these optional short essays could help us get a better sense of who you are, we encourage you to consider submitting your responses to no more than two of the following questions.  Note that there is a 100 to 250-word limit for each question. 

As you consider the four short-answer essays, keep in mind your overall application. Select the questions that will allow you to enhance and complete your profile.

If you could sit and chat with anyone, living or from any time in history, who would you chat with?  What's one question you'd ask?  Why?  

The key part of the question is the “Why?”. Give a person and a question, but spend most of your limited word count on the why. What about this person do you admire and/or are curious about? What do you hope to learn from them? 

You're given the opportunity to teach a one-day class to your fellow students at Stanford Law School.  Based on your particular skills and talents, what would you teach?

This essay provides a great opportunity to showcase a non-academic side of yourself with the admissions committee. Do you have a unique hobby or interest? Have you mastered the chocolate souffle? Are you an avid guitar player? Show the admissions committee what you are most passionate about.

The library in the town where you grew up has been destroyed.  Choose three books to contribute to rebuilding the library's collection. 

The key part of the question is also the “Why?”. Give three titles, then explore why each one is meaningful to you. Did one prompt a significant evolution in your perspective and/or have a particular impact on your community? Is another relevant to the town’s history? Did your third title elevate minority voices? Show the reader what you value most through the books you select.

Music has a way of setting tone and mood for any occasion.  With this in mind, pick three songs or musical works to be playing in the background as the Admissions Committee reviews your materials. 

It’s time to get creative and show some personality! SLS is looking for students who will be collaborative and form lasting personal and professional relationships, so exposing a bit of vulnerability to showcase a quirky or sentimental side is a good idea. You could choose three titles or musical works that correspond to different parts of your life (i.e., a running mix, a study mix, and a social mix). You could propose a theme and pick three titles that fall under that theme. Or you may opt for three songs representing different eras in your life. As with the other optional questions, be sure to spend most of the word count on the “why?”. 

Application Tips: How to Approach Northwestern Pritzker School of Law’s Optional Essays

The Northwestern Pritzker School of Law requires applicants to submit a personal statement and resume. They also invite applicants to consider four optional essays that you should respond to if you can. Compelling responses will only strengthen your candidacy. 

Here is our advice for making the most of each response: 

Describe your interest in attending the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law. 

Demonstrate to the admissions committee that you are interested in Northwestern Pritzker, not just law school. This is a place to mention specific courses you're excited to take, potential mentors you'd seek out, clubs you'd join, what the school's experiential learning opportunities mean to you, etc. And you want to share how those offerings are relevant to your past experiences and/or passions. If you've spent the last two years volunteering at Legal Aid and the school has a public interest center serving a population you care about, you want to be working on it. If you aim to work at a startup and Professor So-And-So just presented her work on innovation, venture capital, and the law, you want her as a mentor and to become involved in her current research. 

You also might share how the school's location will set you up for the kind of career you want. If true, you could share that you want to work in the Chicago-area post-graduation. 

Describe any experiences in your life or unique qualities you think would benefit Northwestern Pritzker School of Law and/or your classmates. (Relevant information may include but is not limited to financial hardship, education adversity, special talents, work or community service experience, first generation or immigrant experience, and unusual rural or urban upbringing, foreign residence, military background, or unique family and/or personal circumstance.) 

Approach this optional essay as you would a diversity essay. Start by thinking about: What makes you unique? How has your personal journey likely differed from other applicants? And how has it shaped your world-view and goals? Have you encountered significant setbacks, yet through perseverance and grit, succeeded? How have these setbacks shaped how you approach challenges today? You will also want to reflect on past experiences when you learned and thrived alongside peers from different backgrounds and/or took on significant community or leadership roles. Show Northwestern Law’s admissions officers who you are and how you will be a valued member of their community.

What does public service mean to you and how do you see yourself engaging in public service or pro-bono work to meet the needs of the underserved? 

This essay is not just for those seeking a career in public interest law. Northwestern Pritzker values public service and notes on its website a “long history of fostering a commitment to public service in its students and graduates.” You’ll want to show that you share this value. Anchor this essay in an experience from your past that reinforced your interest in public service or pro-bono work. Why was it so meaningful for you? What did you learn? Then segue to your public service goals, both as a law student (Read about the school’s many offerings here.) and legal professional post law school. 

Did you face any particular challenges we should know about when considering your academic history or test scores?

This essay is for additional context around a weak spot in your application. Did you get a C in calculus? Or withdraw from your courses your sophomore year to help a family member? Do you feel that your lackluster LSAT score isn’t indicative of your abilities?

If you are going to address a low grade in a course or a low LSAT score, don’t make excuses. Spend the majority of your word count demonstrating your ability to excel in rigorous academic or work environments. Cite specific examples of professional pursuits that resulted in success or classes where you excelled. 

If you are speaking to a more sensitive situation, perhaps a big mistake or personal matter that impacted your GPA, spend approximately 20 percent of your essay addressing the situation. Then use the remaining 80 percent on the actions you took to improve and what happened as a result. Place the emphasis on what you learned. Remember, everyone makes mistakes. Taking accountability and moving forward demonstrates maturity.

Application Tips: How to Approach NYU Law’s Supplemental Information Section

The NYU Law School application requires applicants to submit a personal statement and a resume. In addition, NYU allows applicants to provide supplementary information in support of their candidacy. Their optional supplemental request is detailed below:

New York University School of Law seeks to enroll a student body from a broad spectrum of society. The Committee on Admissions encourages you to provide any information that may be helpful to us in reaching a thoughtful decision on your application. While the choice as to whether and what information to submit to the committee is entirely yours, any information you provide will be used to give the Committee a more complete understanding of your background: to help the committee reach an informed decision on your application, and to aid the Committee in selecting a student body with a range of experiences.

This is an opportunity to share with the Committee information about how your background will enable you to contribute to the NYU Law community. Information that has been helpful in the past includes, but is not limited to, meaningful leadership experience; significant community involvement; personal/family history or educational or socioeconomic disadvantage or unusual circumstance which may have affected academic performance and how you excelled despite those circumstance; and the skills you have developed to overcome adversity. This list is not all-inclusive, but we offer it for you to think about as you consider whether such information might be relevant in your case, and to assure you that it is quite appropriate.

Approach this optional essay as you would a diversity essay. Start by thinking about: What makes you unique? How has your personal journey likely differed from other applicants? And how has it shaped your world-view and goals? Have you encountered significant setbacks, yet through perseverance and grit, succeeded? How have these setbacks shaped how you approach challenges today? You will also want to reflect on past experiences when you learned and thrived alongside peers from different backgrounds and/or took on significant community or leadership roles. Are you a passionate environmentalist who has spent a great deal of time volunteering for environmental causes and hopes to spearhead a sustainability initiative within the law school? Were you a leader in the student government at your undergraduate institution and hope to take on a similar role at NYU?

Use this essay to show NYU’s admissions officers who you are and how you will be a valued member of their community.

Next Gen Bar Exam: Latest Updates

Last week the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) announced Next Gen Bar Exam updates. Here’s what you need to know. 

Your Law School Application: Create a Brainstorm Document

Before you can begin work on your personal statement, resume, and school-specific essays, you’ll want to create a brainstorm document where you will explore your formative experiences—what you thought, felt, said, and did. While your brainstorm text does not need to be polished, your unfinished thoughts should be organized for greater ease when writing. Putting meaningful experiences into different "buckets" helps a lot. You might have some crossover with experiences technically fitting into two buckets or more—don't worry about that; put them in one bucket, for now, to keep things grouped. Maybe write: "This is also a leadership experience" or "Integrity/Critical Thinking" in your notes.

Bucket 1: A-ha Moments: What meaningful experiences changed your mind about or expanded your perspective on something? Some could be spectacular successes, others, catastrophic failures. Have you learned from a mistake? What skills of yours did you discover in a challenging time? What did you think about these things at the time? How did you feel? (Prepare yourself, we're going to ask those last two repeatedly.)

Bucket 2: Intellectual Curiosity: What experiences have prompted you to seek out additional learning or research? What ideas or issues are you most passionate about? Why? Do you have related academic or professional experience?

Bucket 3: Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving: In what meaningful experiences did you utilize critical thinking and problem-solving skills? How did you determine the best course of action? Did you approach something one way at first and then correct yourself? What did you think about these things at the time? How did you feel?

Bucket 4: Leadership Abilities: In what meaningful experiences did you show your leadership abilities? Did leadership come naturally to you, or did you work to get to this place? (Both things are great!) How did you support your team? Did you encourage collaboration or independence? Did you feel supported by your team? Did you experience any pushback, and how did you handle that if you did? What did you think about these things at the time? How did you feel?

Bucket 5: Teamwork and Collaboration: During what meaningful experiences did you work with a team or collaborate with others? Were you working with people unlike yourself? Was there a struggle for balance in the beginning? Any confusion? What did you appreciate about your team members? How did they influence and impact you and your actions? Did one or two team members step up in a way you admired? What did you think about these things at the time? How did you feel?

Bucket 6: Ethical Behavior: Fill this bucket. In what meaningful experiences did you showcase your ability to stand strong and make the right decision? How have you demonstrated your personal ethical code? What did you think about these things at the time? How did you feel?

Bucket 7: Experiences that Reinforced Your Commitment to the Study of Law: What meaningful experiences reinforced your commitment to studying law? Have you known that you wanted to go to law school for some time? What situations let you know that you were on the right track? Was it meeting a judge or lawyer you admired? Was it accomplishing something academically? While volunteering? What did you think of these things at the time? How did you feel?

Bucket 8: Miscellaneous: What experiences have you had that you can't quite categorize? What else should we know about you? What do you think we don't necessarily have to know? Don’t be afraid to expose some vulnerability and use everything you’ve got. You should even include things about yourself and what you care about that you don't imagine will be a factor in an essay. You might be able to weave aspects of your personality or some fun facts into your Personal Statement or school-specific essays to add some color—or something even better.

Logic Games to be Removed from the LSAT Next Summer

Next August, the LSAT will ditch its infamous “logic games” section. In its place, the test will include an additional logical reasoning section. 

While the new logical reasoning section will test the same skills, the impetus for the change stems from a 2019 settlement that LSAC made with two blind test-takers. According to the test-takers, the analytical reasoning section violated the Americans with Disabilities Act, as they could not draw the diagrams that most test-takers use to work through the questions.  

LSAC President, Kellye Testy, commented on the announcement to Reuters. "This decision might help some, and it hurts none," Testy said. "The skills that we assess are the same and the scoring is the same."

Ten Common Mistakes to Avoid When Writing Your Law School Personal Statement

Writing a Personal Statement is a massive undertaking. In a relatively short document, you’re trying to show the admissions committee who you are and what you value, while simultaneously building a case for why you will succeed in law school. It’s a lot. But we can help.

Below are some of the most common mistakes we see applicants make as they approach the Personal Statement. Try your best to avoid them.

1. Trying to include everything: You cannot fit every relevant experience you've ever had into this essay—and hey, that's why you submit a resume. Stick to one or two key experiences that will show your abilities in critical thinking, prompted growth, and reinforced your interest in the study of law. The Personal Statement is about showing depth.

2. Telling instead of showing: The admissions committee is looking for more than a list of your strengths and traits. Not only is that boring, it is unreliable. A good rule of writing is: “Show, don't tell." Listing off your qualities is meaningless if you're not backing them up with real-life examples. Instead of telling the reader, “I am good at solving complex problems,” provide an anecdote that will show them your critical and/or creative thinking in action.

Similarly, don’t tell the school what you will do in the future without showing them why you are capable of achieving such things. We've said it before: Sharing goals works when what comes before it exemplifies your strengths and abilities. More than what you want to do, what you have done tells us who you are.

3. Staying linear: You don’t need the essay to be linear. Imagine your intro paragraph as the opening sequence of a movie—the most thrilling ones start mid-scene. You want to see an action star in action, not waking up to a buzzing alarm clock. Don't save the excitement for many scenes later. Show yourself there, then explain how you got there.

4. Being uptight: A personal essay is more like journalism than an academic paper. You're telling a story, and this one is about you. You want to sound intelligent and respectful but being a bit colloquial makes you appear confident and relaxed. As if to say, "This is who I am. This is who I plan to become." Boom.

5. Getting too poetic: Being a little poetic can show style, but if your point isn't clear, a beautiful turn of phrase is meaningless. One of our mottos is: "Clarity above all things." Leave no room for misinterpretation. The reader needs to see the story how you do.

6. Overusing passive voice: Keep most of your sentences active. Passive voice can minimize your contributions and slow down your essay's momentum. Active sentences move the statement forward.

There is flexibility, of course. Some passive sentences aren't slow-going or unnatural, and there are also times when you'll use passive voice for effect, accuracy, clarity, or flow. Just be mindful of how often you're doing it.

7. Spouting off clichés: Nothing says, "I don't think outside of the box" quite like the phrase "I think outside of the box." We also read a lot of first drafts that include "puzzle pieces"—skip 'em, they're going to be in a thousand other essays.

8. Using long quotes: A short conversation you had in an intense circumstance can be illustrative in a Personal Statement. It helps a reader picture the event. But making the point of your essay completely revolve around a long quote of someone else's thoughts about law, leadership, integrity, or whatever, makes it their essay, not yours. No Supreme Court justice, professor, lawyer you worked with, or dad is supposed to be the star of this show.

9. Dwelling on childhood stories: Schools don't care how long you've wanted to be a lawyer—they care if you have the potential and drive to be one. This doesn't mean that a flashback scene is never relevant. Perhaps you were in a unique situation at a young age when you learned about the legal system and it influenced your law school goals. That is noteworthy. But you need this essay to focus on your recent impactful experiences. Ones that reinforced your interest in studying law and gave you the skills applicable to excelling in a program.

10. Having too many readers: Having too many readers review your Personal Statement is a common mistake. If you're an Apply Point client, consider asking two people besides your two Apply Point advisors (who work as a team) to read your essays. If you're not working with a consultant, you could ask up to four people to read your work but make that the maximum just so you won't be overwhelmed by input.

This is not us saying that you shouldn't have any readers at all. You want eyes or ears on this, especially if they're attached to someone you respect who knows you well. In fact, the top question you should ask them is: "Does this sound like me?" Friends, family members, or a mentor can confirm if your essay gets your personality and best qualities across. That said, send them the edited, polished draft rather than your raw first draft. This way their suggestions and questions won't psych you out because you already have a good idea of what you want to present in your statement.

One more note on having too many readers: Never post your essay in an online forum, such as Reddit. Sharing thoughts and advice on the overall application process online with other prospective students is great, but if you post your essay, you'll have too many strangers giving input and you’ll be vulnerable to plagiarizers.

Application Tips: How to Approach Yale Law School’s 250-Word Essay

The “Yale 250” prompts you to show the admissions committee your intellectual curiosity in action. Here is the prompt: 

The Law School is a vibrant intellectual community where students are expected to engage academically with faculty and fellow students. In no more than 250 words, applicants must write about an idea or issue from their academic, extracurricular, or professional work that is of particular interest to them. The idea or issue you choose does not have to be law-related; this is an opportunity for readers to learn more about how you would engage intellectually in the Law School community.

According to the Yale admissions website, many students write about an academic thesis or major paper, an issue encountered at a job or internship, or an ethical challenge at an extracurricular activity. 

Before you get started, take time to brainstorm and consider the following questions: 

  • What idea or issue are you most passionate about? Do you have related personal, academic, or professional experience? Have your views on this topic changed over time? If so, when? Why? 

  • What experiences have prompted you to seek out additional learning or research? Does a particular area of study fascinate you so much that you lose track of time?

  • What challenges have prompted your most significant evolutions in perspective?

Once you’ve chosen an idea or issue, you’ll want to show the reader your critical thinking in action.  How have you grappled with the complexities of this topic? Do you continuously gather more information? How has your perspective changed over time? It’s ok and likely that your work on the issue continues, so you can also discuss questions that still exist for you or additional learning you’d like to pursue. Just be sure to present yourself as someone with an appetite for learning and discourse, who appreciates complexity, nuance, and other points of view.