If you are not applying to law school this year but may do so sometime down the road, I would still like to meet with you. However, unless you have questions that need to be resolved fairly soon, I would appreciate it if you would hold off from scheduling a meeting until the current applicants have had a chance to get underway.
If you are applying or considering applying to law school this year, we should meet sometime this month or next. For our first meeting, please bring a resume. It would also be helpful if you would write several paragraphs that describe your activities (academic, extracurricular, work) at Haverford and why you want to attend law school.
If you are certain that you are applying now, please review The Official Guide to ABA-Approved U.S. Law Schools and other sources described below and bring with you a tentative list of the law schools in which you're interested.
To current applicants only: It is crucial that you keep in contact with Cheryl Mathes and me throughout the application process. Be sure to drop off the forms that I need to complete on your behalf (see point 19, below). Later, please let Lois Schultz know if you are adding or subtracting schools; when you mail in applications; and when you hear from schools. This is the only way I will be able to follow your progress and, if necessary, run interference for you.
Think carefully about why you're interested in law school. What are your goals? Have you explored what law school and a legal career are like? Are you aware of what other jobs or careers are out there as alternatives? Often, people come to the law with preconceived notions about it, which prove to be wrong.
If you will have substantial difficulty in paying for the LSAT or LSDAS, please see me. There is a fee waiver program. Waivers of law school application fees are also available; Haverford students have obtained them in the past. Finally, there are also scholarships for some LSAT courses. Please note that these are separate issues from that of paying for law school itself.
From start to finish, it's up to you to make sure that the right forms get to the right places and that, finally, your application to each law school is complete. You get some help: LSDAS will send you a copy of the report they plan to send to law schools about you. Also, LSDAS will let you know which law schools have requested a report about you. And many law school application packets include a card that the law school will mail back to you when your application is complete. But in the end, if you're uncertain that your application has been received, or that a letter of recommendation has been mailed, or that a report from LSDAS has been transmitted --then make a call and find out. Do not assume that every law school will inform you if your credentials folder is missing something.
Important. Make every effort to have all of your applications to law school mailed by December 1 (or earlier if a school has an earlier deadline). This is not the legal deadline for most schools, but a guide to you, and it increases your chances with many schools. At the very least, make sure that you know the absolute deadlines for the law schools to which you are applying, and note that the deadline to apply for financial aid is sometimes different.
Many law schools use a rolling admissions plan. This means that once your credentials are complete (including the report of your LSAT score), the school will make a decision on your application. Other schools, however, wait until mid-April before informing candidates of their decisions. Note: It is better to take your time to do the application well (particularly your personal statement) than to rush things.
Exception: NYU has announced an "Early Action Option." The deadline for applying under this option is October 15. My understanding is that you must have taken the LSAT no later than June to be eligible. Students admitted under this option have no obligation to withdraw applications to other law schools and are not required to commit to NYU before regular deadline in May.
This may be the beginning of a trend. If you are not applying this year, watch for other schools to experiment with similar procedures.
About the applications:
Read all instructions before doing anything.
Type or print clearly in black ink. Never use blue ink.
Answer every question and put your answer in the place designated.
Unless an application says otherwise, I recommend that you enclose a resume. Do not, however, answer a question by writing "please see resume." That approach really irritates admissions officers. Answer the question as though the resume weren't there.
When you list your extracurricular activities, offices held, honors won, etc., provide a brief explanation if it is not obvious what the terms mean. (Explain "customsperson," for example.)
Consider mailing the application via "Certified mail with return receipt" if you are mailing it close to the deadline.
Law schools seldom grant personal interviews. (One notable exception is the University of Virginia, which will interview anyone who asks for one.) Instead, many law schools ask for a personal statement, which is your best opportunity to present who you are and to demonstrate your abilities to write and communicate. Begin thinking about that statement (about 500 words) now. Let it percolate inside of you for a while. The personal statement is very important.
Here are some suggestions about writing the personal statement: Think of it as the substitute for the interview you won't be getting. Write in as natural a tone as you can and, unless the law school asks, do not write about why you want to go to law school. In fact, to get started, it may help to pretend that this is a personal statement for veterinarian school; the key is to get your mind off of law school and onto yourself. Relax. Write in the active voice. Describe events or places in a way that lets the reader see what you saw and feel what you felt. Choose an event or theme from your life that feels very close to home -- so close that you might overlook it at first. Use detail. Try to be honest, but not pious. Don't ramble on about abstract notions of "the law."
Edit what you write: are there words (or entire sentences) that you could remove without changing the meaning of your statement? Is there a terrific sentence buried in the third paragraph that would serve you better as your opening? Have you used the same verb thirty-two times?
After you have drafted a personal statement, show it to someone you trust and ask questions like these: Does it convey a sense of who I am? Is it interesting? Is it grammatically correct?
If you want to share a draft of your personal statement with me, I will be happy to go over it with you. Or come see me if you are just drawing a total blank.
You will not hear from all schools at the same time, so be prepared to make a deposit at one or two schools to hold seats there while you're still waiting to hear from others. This is one of the most annoying parts of the process: all or part of a deposit is usually non-refundable.
You may find yourself on a school's wait-list. Each school has its own approach to these lists, but rarely will you be able to find out where you stand on a list.