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There are some 200 law schools in the United States that are accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA). Applying to law school is a costly and time-consuming endeavor, but not nearly as costly or time-consuming as attending law school. Since you will likely leave law school with a personal debt somewhere between $80,000 to $150,000, take the time now to carefully research different law schools and find the ones that are the best fit for you. Start by thinking about what you want from a law school. Draw up a list of law schools that meet your criteria and then revise your choices based on your chances of admission. While your GPA and LSAT do not begin to tell your whole story, unfortunately they are the primary yardstick that admissions committees use to differentiate among applicants. Don't underestimate your qualifications and abilities; at the same time, be realistic about your expectations in a highly competitive process. We urge you to only consider ABA-accredited schools. They are the only institutions whose degrees entitle you to sit for the bar anywhere in the United States. Non-accredited schools, which may seem attractive because of more generous policies regarding low LSAT scores or lower tution, are a mixed bag in terms of quality. More imoprtantly, in many states, you cannot sit for the bar unless you attended an ABA-accredited institution. Your primary source of information about the law schools should be the ABA-LSAC Official Guide to ABA-Approved Law Schools, available as a free searchable online database on the LSAC website. (You can also purchase the book version at LSAC's online store, or peruse the Pre-Law Advising Office's copy during regular office hours.) The guide provides an array of information about each school, with links to the schools' official websites. This is the most reliable source of information about law schools and should be consulted before you begin checking out various secondary materials (commercial guides, websites, blogs, etc.). Lawyers and law students can be quite informative about their own law schools, but please remember one important caveat: with rare exceptions, any given lawyer or law student has only ever attended one law school. They have little or no basis for comparison, and can only tell you about their particular experience. Keep in mind also that any two graduates of a school can emerge with very different impressions of the experience. Make sure you ask them for the basis of their opinions, and not just their conclusions. Developing
your criteria The following are some of the most important factors to consider: National vs. regional schools: Are you more interested in a school with a national reputation that attracts students from many places and whose graduates get jobs across the nation? Or are you more interested in a school with a regional reputation attended by local students whose graduates tend to get jobs in the immediate area? Regional schools generally offer a strong network of alums in the area while national schools tend to offer a brand name diploma that will open doors almost anywhere. National schools also generally require higher LSAT scores and GPAs. Location: Where do you want to live after law school? Most lawyers' first work experiences are in the same general area as where they attend law school. Also consider whether you want to study law in an urban environment with many clinical opportunities, a diverse population, and summer law clerk positions, or in a smaller town where the pace is slower and the living expenses are lower? In what sort of an environment do you work best? Diversity: What is the make-up of the student body and faculty? Are they diverse in terms of race, ethnicity, gender, national origin and socioeconomic background? Does the school have a reputation as fostering a particular political point of view? Most law students learn better in an environment that provides a range of opinions, backgrounds and assumptions. If you are a member of a minority group, do you want to seek out schools that have faculty and other students who share your background and experience? Facilities and resources: Is the law school affiliated with a university? Is access to a large academic research library important to you? Has the law library been keeping up with technological advances? Do the facilities provide a learning environment in which you feel comfortable? Are there programs or courses available outside the law school that you want to pursue in addition to your J.D.? Faculty: What is the academic and experiential background of faculty members? How accessible are they? What is the faculty-student ratio? What percentage of courses are taught by adjunct faculty? How many of the faculty are minority and/or women? What are the publications and reputation of faculty in specific areas of law that interest you? Specialization or focus: Law school education is not as specialized as college education; there is no law school “major.” However, some law schools, particularly more selective ones, are known for a particular specialization or focus. Other law schools may offer specialized joint degree programs, permitting a student to simultaneously pursue a J.D. and Ph.D. in certain fields, or a J.D. and an M.B.A. If you have a specific interest in a related field, this should be part of your law school application planning. Note, though, that such joint programs are not for everyone, and you should think carefully about your professional goals before applying. Student body: What is the size of the entering class? How large are the first-year clases? What does the admissions profile tell you about the quality of the student body? Is there diversity among the student body? What is the overall atmosphere-are students friendly or are they overly competitive? Is there much student interaction outside class? Are there journals, projects, or student organizations for minorities, women, gays and lesbians? Cost: What are tuition, fees, housing, and book costs? For state schools, what are their requirements for in-state tuition? Is financial aid need-based or are merit scholarships available? Does the school have a loan repayment assistance program (LRAP) for public interest work? What is the average debt of recent graduates? Student life: Where do most students live? Is housing provided for first-year students? If not, does the school offer assistance in locating off-campus housing? What is the cost of living? Placement: How effective is the placement office? What percentage of the most recent graduating class is employed? In what types of positions and what geographic area are they employed? What are typical starting salaries? How many students move on to judicial clerkships? What assistance is available for graduates not interested in working in law firms? Bar passage rate: What percentage of the school's graduates pass the bar exam the first time they take it? This figure will give you an idea how strong the school is in giving students a well-rounded, legal education. Although law schools do not gear their curriculum to bar exams, it is another criteria you may want to consider. Bar passage rates can vary from as low as 50% to almost 100%. It's another way to compare different law schools. This is the criterion most often discussed by prospective law students and the most difficult to determine because it is so subjective. You need to decide what is important to you and not rely on someone else's "ranking." In particular, once you leave the set of 10 or 20 schools considered "national" law schools, the rankings are completely meaningless in conveying any universally useful information about any given institution. The 40th ranked school is not objectively "better" than the 120th ranked school. Placement information suggests that when it comes to finding a job, graduating from a prestigious school is less important than graduating high in your class. You are more likely to do well at a law school in which you feel comfortable. Although graduates from prestigious schools may begin their careers with more options, as your career progresses, your professional accomplishments will mean more than where you earned your J.D. The law schools themselves have almost unanimously rejected the ranking system in a strongly worded open letter to law school applicants. Professor Brian Leiter at the University of Chicago has developed a very helpful analysis of the US News and World Report ranking, to demystify what it actually measures. Once you have decided what you want from a law school, then you can begin to narrow your search. Application fees range from $40 to $80. Being selective saves you time and money. (Please note, though, that fee waivers are often available for applications.) However, don't put all your eggs in one basket. Apply to a range of schools including some that look sure, some where you have a reasonable chance, and some that are a stretch. Your goal at this point is to apply to enough schools so that you will have some choices in the Spring. You're not yet deciding where you will attend law school, you're gathering information: Will this school accept me? Will I be offerred any financial aid? Once you have this information, then you can make your final choice. There are many resources designed to help you learn about and evaluate law schools. The ABA/LSAC Official Guide to ABA- Approved Law Schools is available free online. It includes a searchable database of all ABA-accredited schools, with an array of information and links to the schools' own websites. A hard copy is available for review in the Pre-Law Advising Resource Library, or can be purchased through LSAC. In addition, every school has its own website and most still produce catalogs (although a number of schools have moved completely to electronic catalogs available on CD-ROM or on their website). Many catalogs are available in the Pre-Law Advising Office, or you can order your own copy directly from the school. There are also many book-format guides to law schools, available in most bookstores. As you begin planning for law school, you may wish to browse through these books and see whether you particularly like the format or content of any of them. If so, it may be a worthwhile purchase. Meeting
law school representatives You will have several opportunities during the Fall Semester to talk directly with representatives from law schools and get information about their schools. UMass sponsors a "Professional and Graduate School Fair" at the end of October. Representatives from 30-40 law schools will be available to answer questions. Contact UMass Career Services to find out more information about this event. In addition, LSAC sponsors Law School Forums in several cities including Boston and New York. Representatives from almost all of the law schools nationwide attend these events, allowing you to do a lot of research at one time. The Boston and New York forums are normally held in October. Of course, visiting law schools is the best way to learn about them. Visits can tell you much more than catalogs ever will. If you are accepted at more than one law school, make every effort to visit each school before deciding which one to attend. When you visit a particular school, call the admissions office and ask them to help you plan a visit. If school is in session, ask if you can sit in on a class. Talking to current students will give you a good "feel" for the school. Ask the admissions office at the law school to arrange a meeting with a UMass graduate now attending the law school. Many schools sponsor open houses throughout the year for prospective students. See the Pre-Law blog for regular announcements of these events. Before the visit, make a list of the things you want to find out about. Check your list during the visit to make sure you haven't forgotten to ask any questions. |
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Developing your criteria
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