Owning Up - Disciplinary Statements

Every law school application contains several, extensive questions about your history -- this includes any troubles you may have had with the law or your undergraduate institution. The reason law schools solicit this information early on in the application process is because to sit for the bar (the test that you take after law school to practice) the ABA will do extensive checks into your background. The ABA places great importance on professionals who are in the legal clear.

It is important to acknowledge past indiscretions in an upfront and honest manner.

Typically, the application will ask if you have ever been charged with a felony or crime -- this excludes minor traffic violations; however, DUI and DWIs are taken very seriously. It may also ask if you are a litigant in an ongoing court procedures, or if you have ever been court martialed. Also, the application will ask if you have ever been placed on any sort of disciplinary probation by your undergraduate institution. Be truthful because law school's will see this in your transcripts, you will be asked to further explain if you indicate a yes to any of these questions.



Usually, minor violations of school policy (noise complaints and drinking violations) are not taken too seriously. In my case, I go to a dry campus and live in on-campus apartments. A few of my friends and I were drinking in a room and got caught by the university police. All the students were of age and no one had any legal charges pressed.

In my applications, I simply added a statement explaining my situation, and detailing how I learned from my mistakes and am currently in good standing with the university. You can upload a document like this to your LSAC profile and add it to every application you send out.

Law schools don't take such small violations too seriously; however, academic probations are of a much more serious nature. Plagiarism, getting caught cheating, or having a low GPA for several semesters can hurt your chances of getting accepted, but it is absolutely necessary to adequately explain your situation.

Always be truthful and upfront with your applications. If you aren't able to sit the bar later on because of character problems, it can save you thousands of dollars in tuition now.

(Image from Greenwhichroundup.com)

Letters of Recommendation - Take 2

Letters of Recommendation are one of the most integral aspects to your law school application; a solid LOR can be the little nudge that is necessary to get you accepted. Picking good recommenders is crucial.

So who are good recommenders?

• Professors. Your past teachers -- collegiate level only -- are the best sources for a good recommendation. They know the in's and out's of your writing, academic performance, performance in the classroom, and work ethic. Professors hold the most weight to an admissions committee. Remember to pick professors you have a good relationship with.
• Club Adviors. If you were involved in a club in undergraduate and held any leadership positions, a letter from your club advisor is a great attribute to your application. Advisors can attest to your motivation outside of the classrom and leadership qualities.
• Employers. These recommenders are good for law school hopefuls still in undergrad and those who have been in the workforce a few years -- it is most helpful to the latter. It shows the committee your ability to either (a) balance a job during your undergraduate studies or (b) your hard work ethic and professional experience. Letters from internships are great.

What about the not-so-good recommenders?

• The Member of Congress you worked for who barely knows you. You may think a LOR from a Member of Congress would dazzle an admissions committee, but unless you worked with the Member closely for an extended period, I suggest not to go this way. The committee isn't interested in reading a very general letter from a Member who can barely remember you, let alone attest to your superb working qualities.
• Famous people you met briefly. It's the same reason as above; you need to pick people who can really speak to who you are as a person. Do not try to impress the committee with a big name. Keep it low key.

Recommenders can be the key to your success or a roadblock. Pick good recommenders and you'll be fine!

Letters of Recommendation - Take 1

Letters of Recommendation (LORs) are similar to transcripts. You do not submit the letters to schools you apply to yourself, but rather, LSAC does that for you.

Just as you would with your transcripts, you will need to log on to the LSAC website and click the tab LSDAS/LOR and click on the link Letters of Recommenation. This section of the website is sub-divided into LOR overview and the actual LORs themselves.

You will need to print off and fill out release forms which you give to your recommenders to submit with the letter of recommendation they submit on your behalf. There are two types of letters: general -- which can be sent out to any school -- and specific -- which is designed for specific schools.

Towards the bottom of the LOR page, there is a chart where you can add in the information about your recommenders. This allows you to track when your letters are received by LSAC and monitor which letters are sent to each school.

Below the Recommender tracker is the Directed Letters for Law Schools tracker. For every law school you apply to make sure to add the school on your tracker, and then send the releant LORs to that school.

(Note: your recommenders send the letters in on your behalf -- you will not see the letter before it is sent to LSAC.)

Transcripts

Transcripts can be tricky.

When applying to law school, part of the application process is submitting your undergraduate transcript which details the classes you have taken and the grades you have received. The tricky part is that you do not submit them to the law schools yourself; LSAC does.

On the LSAC website, you will find a link detailing all the specifics of submitting transcripts to LSAC. When applying, it is necessary to supply the schools you are applying to with all necessary previous institution's documentation. This means your undergraduate school, any transfer schools, and any graduate institutions.

The transcripts must be submitted directly from the institutions themselves, so go to your enrollment services office on campus and request a transcript to be sent to LSAC. You will need to print off a Transcript Request Form from your online LSAC account and ask the school to add this to the transcript. This helps LSAC to quickly file away your transcript with your LSAC file.

You may also update older transcripts by sending in newer ones -- usually this happens when grades are posted at the end of the semester. It is the same procedure as sending in an initial transcript.

Your home institution will inquire where you would like the transcript to be sent. For domestic transcripts send it to:

Law School Admission Council
662 Penn Street
Box 200-M
Newton, PA 18940

Foreign Transcripts have the same address except that the PO Box number is 8502.

If you have any further questions, consult the LSAC website, or e-mail me.

Resumes: Not Just for Job Hunting Anymore

A resume can be a valuable tool in applying to law schools. It allows you to not only list your previous experiences, but expand and highlight them in a way that makes your candidacy more appealing. As mentioned before, law schools look for well rounded applicants to admit, and those who took an active role in their home institution during undergrad come out on top.

Similar to a resume you would create for a job, your law school resume ought to include work experience (internships, part time jobs, summer jobs, etc.) you had during your college years. It's important to show the committee that you were able to balance the work load in and the out of the classroom. If you didn't have a job during undergrad, have no fear; admission committees aren't necessarily looking for work experience in every applicant. Simply stated, they are just looking to see that you weren't partying it up so much in undergrad that you didn't have time for much else.

Many admissions committees look for volunteer work on a resume too and feel strongly about a law school prospect involving themselves in their community and giving back. In your law school education, you'll have to perform pro bono work, and once you graduate you will be working with the public, so it helps to have a background in this. It doesn't matter where you volunteer -- soup kitchen, animal shelter, assisted living facility -- it just matters that you did.

Listing and elaborating on your extra-curricular activities is also crucial. Make sure to denote whether you held any leadership positions in clubs during your years. Getting involved and being a leader bodes well with law schools.

Also, beef up your resume with any awards you might have won in undergrad or special recognitions. If you published anything you wrote, definitely include that on the resume. There's no such thing as being an over-achiever to an admissions committee, and the more accomplishments you can display on your resume, the more likely a review committee will see your determination and offer you admission.

If you are looking to flush out a resume, you can always add a section near the bottom detailing future plans in law. Keep it simple though; law school resumes ought to be scanned easily and not boughed down with wordy sentences which distract the reader.

As always, feel free to contact me or e-mail me your resume if you need some pointers.

It's Not You... It's Me.

This age old breakup excuse aptly applies to writing a good Personal Statement. Good Personal Statements are all about you; selling yourself to the law school you apply to is key.

Personal Statements are one of the admissions committee's sole chances to consider you as more than a number (LSAT and GPA). It allows the individuals reviewing your application, the ability to see past a rigid application and get a comprehensive view of who you are as a person.

Law schools look for motivated candidates with diverse backgrounds. Unlike other graduate school programs, law schools do not conduct interviews. Your Personal Statement is your one shot to dazzle the committee. So, how do you knock their socks off? Here are some things to keep in mind.

1. Write something interesting. A good opener, similar to any type of writing you do, helps to pull in your audience and get them interested. I wrote about my time in DC with Congressman Berry and made sure to incorporate engaging concrete details about our work together.
   


2. Write about yourself. Really sell yourself and write about anything that is unique about you.
   


3. Explain why you want to go to law school. However, be careful not to become too preachy (i.e. "I want to change the world...").
   


4. Keep away from the legal jargon and specific law related issues. Addressing these topics can be dangerous since the people who are reading your essays are lawyers themselves and probably know more than you do.
   


5. Do not address low LSAT scores or GPAs. The Personal Statement is not the place for this; you're trying to talk yourself up -- not sell yourself short. If you think something needs to be explained, add an addendum.
   


6. Make sure your grammar is perfect. One typo or misplaced comma can hurt your chances of being admitted. (Note: Prepare yourself for writing several drafts and make sure to have friends and professors look over your writing.)
   


7. Be clear and concise. Keep it simple and your message will go far with the reader. About 2 pages double spaced is the normal size.
   


8. Address specifically why you wish to attend a certain institution. Law school admission committees love to hear why you want to go to their specific school because it gives them insight on you.
   


9. Be passionate. Studying law is tough and having motivation and determination will win over the selection committees quickly.
   


10. Be confident. A confident writer is easy to spot, and your confidence can take you a long way with the committee and in life.
    

Start writing a draft now, and it will pay off later.

For more helpful hints visit this great Personal Statement Advice website.

Feel free to e-mail me your drafts or ideas for feedback as well.








(Image from http://www.une.edu.au/library/images/writing.jpg)

Application Process

As mentioned in previous posts, the application process can be a long and stressful process. In this post, I just want to outline the basics of applying to law school for you, and in future posts, I will go into greater detail about the finer points touched on here.

Getting an early start to researching schools is crucial. Once you've narrowed down the potential law schools to the ones you would be interested in applying to, you should educate yourself about the application requirements for each specific school.

The most basic law school application consists of filling out the institution's application form, writing a personal statement, creating a resume, submitting transcripts and recommendations to LSAC, and sending in all these materials plus any additional disciplinary or addendum statements.

If you are currently a Junior in undergrad who will be graduating May 2010, I suggest working on your resume, personal statement, and getting together all of your materials this summer. This way, you won't struggle with balancing applying to law school and a semester workload this upcoming fall.

Applications must be flawless; even one typo on a personal statement or accidental false statement will cause your candidacy to be cast aside by an admissions committee.

So get to work!