One cannot apply too early or too late hoping there is still equal opportunity to get accepted to graduate school. I was approaching the oldest median age in law school with prior work experience, giving me the most opportunistic time to apply.
If one applies too late, it presents a “my first career wasn’t panning out so here I am” attitude. I knew it was the right time to apply because I was thriving on the appreciation of being a student again. I also knew I’d be more of an asset than other students applying, giving incredible amounts of competition. One has to apply knowing he or she is fully prepared to take on this huge responsibility.
3 things carry great weight in the law school application process:
1. The LSAT
The LSAT is immensely important to being accepted. A low score is problematic. I worked full time in a family demanding job, so luckily, I took the LSAT ahead of time. One needs to spend significant time prepping for the exam before the pressures of work; it is difficult to allocate time to studying while being well rested and maintaining a good work ethic. I took a prep course during the summer that was paid for by my boss. In most cases, undergrads block out a sizeable portion of their summer, usually 1 to 3 months, to prepare. The test is sufficiently difficult and has hard curve outcomes.
You must be well prepared even if you are a good test taker.
A good way to prepare is to always take practice tests; they range from 3 to 4 hours. It is necessary to be comfortable. Also, ‘prep classes’ that are a couple hours a week are incredible beneficial. Some full-fledged classes run about 4 to 6 hours a week. They cost anywhere from $600 to upwards of more than $1,000. Three-fourths of the Harvard student body has an LSAT score within the 99th percentile. The median score is within the 96th percentile.
No single element is determinate on acceptance, but if this is low you will not succeed even if you are an outstanding individual. These scores are equivalent to at least a 2200 on the SATs. The 25th quartile was 172 at Harvard and Yale. One school of thought believes that the two main variables to getting accepted to prestigious graduate schools are the LSAT and one’s GPA.
If you score poorly on the LSAT, retake it!
Though there is never any assurance that you will do better, the odds of an increase in acceptance from a 169 to a 170 is statistically significant and a massive influence.
2. College Grades
The next most significant aspect is college grades. Graduate schools l look at one’s grade trajectory; thus it is indubitably important to do well senior year; the student can explicitly point that out to school they are applying for if need be. Law schools are more inclined to look at senior year grades to see capabilities because one usually takes the hardest classes at this time.
Law schools also take into consideration each major. That being said, it is necessary to prioritize, quantitatively, one’s grades. Though majors do matter, law school’s admissions are as agnostic as possible and seem to be more egalitarian; because the LSAT is taken by everyone, it is the great equalizer.
3. Essays
Law school essays must stay consistent with the theme presented, but they give lots of discretion with what to write. The personal statement is nebulous, and gives the opportunity to write about whatever one finds important. This allows you a chance to demonstrate how you think about certain issues that are permissible. The topic choice is taken into account with how well one executes their essay; this, once again, is the double edged sword. This can be contrasted to all professional, strictly business, schools because they have well defined parameters, whereas law school does not.
During my senior year being an undergrad, I had a serious responsibility from the principle perspective. This made it much easier for me to come up with my essay material as I progressed in life because I reflected why things mattered. I did not constantly draft an essay, but I thought about why I made certain choices, I thought about why I did the things I do, and I thought about if they were interesting or challenging.
It’s all about what makes you more of a reflective human being. After doing this, if asked to write an essay one will already have this repository of ideas or issues prepared. From leadership as an undergrad, and through working, I let my ideas marinate through experience in the professional world. Consequently, I banged out my essay rather quickly because I had already flushed thoughts out previously. The beauty of this open ended topic is if it matters to you, it will work. That is all the rationale one needs.
