OHLPA Pre-Law Handbook
Handbook
Introduction
Mission Statement
The Office of Health and Legal Professions Advising (OHLPA) located in the Academic Advisement Center (AAC) at the University of Florida endeavors to provide our students with the information they will need to make an educated decision about whether or not to attend law school and, if so, how best to prepare for that goal.
Exploration
Is law school the right choice for me?
Students who choose to apply to law school run the gamut from those who have known they wanted to be an attorney from the time they were a child to those who are still debating senior year of college whether or not they should go to law school. No matter where you fall on the spectrum, there are some steps you can take to find out if law school, or a career in law is right for you. As U.F. students you have the good fortune of being able visit a fantastic law school right on our own campus. It is possible for you to sit in on a class or two so you can get a feel for the caliber of performance that will be expected of you in a typical law school class. If you are interested in scheduling a visit to a class, contact the Office for Student Services at the law school. They will be happy to help any way they can including setting up a tour of the law school facilities or even arranging a meeting with current law students.
Another idea is to shadow an attorney for a day. If you are fortunate enough to have a relative or friend who is an attorney, ask him/her if you could go to work with him/her for a day or two to see what a day in the life of an attorney is like. Keep in mind that there is no "typical" day. The role of an attorney is diverse and the responsibilities are many. One day may be spent in court arguing a case while the next day may be spent in a law library researching an issue for another case. Also, it is important to remember that there are many different areas of legal practice from public interest law to tax law. If at all possible, you should try to spend the day with several attorneys who have different types of practices. For students who do not know any attorneys, the pre-law organizations on campus have set up shadowing programs with several attorneys in town so you may want to contact these organizations for information.
Some students are able to find employment as "runners" in a law office before they attend law school. "Runners" may be asked to offer general clerical assistance but their function usually entails filing papers at the county courthouse for the attorneys in the office. An opportunity like this provides students a more long-term view of what life is like in a law office. The number of jobs like this are limited so do not be discouraged if you are not able to find anything since most students come into law school without any prior experience in a law office. Therefore, you will not be at any great disadvantage.
Another point which should be mentioned is that some students choose to go to law school knowing that they will never practice law as a career. They know, however, that a law degree will help them reach their ultimate career goal, whatever it may be, such as professor, entrepreneur or consultant. For some, law school is the culmination of their years as an undergraduate because they believe it will give them a competitive edge in the marketplace.
Ultimately, only you can answer the question of whether law school is the right choice for you. The important thing is that you think about this question. Going to law school for the wrong reasons can be the recipe for three years of regret.
Demographic Information
In 1994-95, total law school enrollment was at 128,989 according to The Official Guide to U.S. Guide to Law Schools, 1997 edition. As mentioned above, there are many different areas of law in which to practice and many types of settings in which to practice them. According to The Official Guide to U.S. Law Schools, most attorneys are employed in private practice in firms ranging in size from several hundred attorneys to one or two. Attorneys in smaller practices tend to have more diverse practices as opposed to attorneys practicing in larger firms where they may work in a specific division of the firm such as the tax or bankruptcy division.
The types of law are as diverse as the types of practices. Not only do attorneys deal with issues relating to contracts, criminal law, family law, estates and trusts and environmental law, but also new areas of law which are constantly arising as society progresses such as is the case with intellectual property law and constitutional issues involved in free speech on the Internet. Only time will tell how many other different areas of legal practice spring up to meet the changing needs of our society.
Preparation
What
should I major in?
Although there is no such thing as a pre-law major at the University of Florida, most pre-law advisors and law school admission professionals agree that a general liberal arts education is the best preparation for law school. However, a degree in Liberal Arts and Sciences does not ensure success in law school. Likewise, students who have degrees in areas other than Liberal Arts and Sciences do succeed in law school. Therefore, it is difficult to advise students regarding the types of courses they should take or what they should major in to ensure acceptance into law school.
Sound advice for a student interested in attending law school is to major in something you like. Chances are, if you enjoy your courses you will want to study them and your grade point average (g.p.a.) will, hopefully, reflect that fact. Do not choose a major because you think it will get you into law school. While you may, in fact, earn a g.p.a. competitive for law school, you will find out that you sacrificed learning about things that were of interest to you when you could have achieved the same goal and learned things you have always wanted to know along the way.
Almost as important as planning your curriculum for your career in law is planning your academic curriculum in case you decide not to attend law school or you are not accepted. You should always have a "Plan B" no matter what career you are choosing but especially if you are choosing a more competitive one. Therefore, you should always have a thought in the back of your head that if you did not get into law school, what would you most like to do and are you preparing yourself appropriately for such a career--paralegal, graduate school, movie actor, retail sales representative. If your "Plan B" career requires a certain degree such as nursing or engineering, that goal should drive your choice of major and the appropriate steps for law school admission should be taken along the way.
What courses should I take?
Law schools do not require any prerequisite courses for admission. This statement seems to rattle some students. They find it difficult to imagine that they could take any courses they want as an undergraduate and still be accepted into a law school. However, that is the honest truth. Yet with this freedom of choice comes responsibility. Although there are no prerequisite courses, the University of Florida offers a number of courses which can assist you in sharpening the skills you will be using in law school. In general, there are some academic basics with which you, as a pre-law student, may want to familiarize yourself with such as accounting, economics, philosophy, history, composition and literature, psychology, sociology, political science, religion and logic.
You should choose courses where you have the opportunity to do extensive writing that is critiqued often such as courses with research papers and essay exams. Many students participated in debate in high school and continue to pursue this interest here at U.F. which is an excellent way to hone your skills as a polished public speaker. For those who have never had a public speaking course, it may be a worthwhile course to take before you graduate.
Extracurricular Experiences
Student Activities
Law schools are looking for well-rounded students and participation in any of the over 450 student organizations here at the University of Florida can assist students in achieving this goal. Do not choose an organization because you think it will impress a prospective law school. Choose your extracurricular activities because you think they will be fun and you will enjoy spending time with the members. In addition to the extracurricular activities offered on campus, do not forget that you are part of a larger community-the city of Gainesville-and there are many opportunities for involvement in town as well.
One important thing to remember is that over-involvement in students activities will not compensate for poor academic performance. In other words, never sacrifice your grade point average for your extracurricular activities. Also, do not forget to let law schools know if you have held a leadership position in any of the organizations to which you belong. A leadership position may provide you with skills you would not necessarily learn in the classroom such as organization, time management, delegation of authority and public speaking.
Pre-Law Organizations
All of our pre-law organizations have a social as well as information-oriented purpose. They invite speakers including area attorneys and law school administrators. Although law schools will not look to see if a student has participated in a pre-law student organization when making admissions decisions, these organizations provide an important function in terms of the collection and dissemination of pertinent law school admission information. An added benefit of these organizations is that they provide an opportunity for students with diverse academic interests but similar career goals to interact.
The Minority
Professional Association directs their efforts toward assisting minority
students navigate their way through the law school admissions process.
Phi Alpha Delta Legal Fraternity is an international fraternity which
focuses their efforts on preparation for the LSAT exam and the application
process. The Pre-Legal Honor Society is an organization which tries to
provide students with exposure to careers in the area of law through shadowing/internship
experiences. Information about any of these student organizations can
be obtained from the Student Activities Office on the third floor of the
Reitz Union or by calling 392-1671.
Work Experience
Law schools do not expect that students will be applying with major work experience in the legal field. However, some students are able to intern in the legal field and perform entry level tasks as "runners." Students have found internships in the state attorney's office, with the public defender, state legislators and local law firms, etc. The possibilities are endless. In some cases, what began as shadowing an attorney for the day ended as an internship experience. Not all students, however, have the ability or the opportunity to get jobs in a legal field and this is perfectly acceptable. Any work experience (paid or not) is valuable because it is teaching some skill whether it is time management, leadership, responsibility or bookkeeping. Some students deliberately choose to delay entering law school in order to work for a year or more. This may be to earn money for law school itself, or to add to their own applications by demonstrating that they are motivated to succeed both in and outside the classroom. Also, these students enhance their own diversity through their work experience and, thus, enhance the diversity they bring to the law school classroom. Keep in mind that 40% of all law students are non-traditional students-meaning that they have taken off at least a year in between earning their undergraduate degree and entering law school.
Volunteer Experience
If you are unable to find paid employment in the legal profession before law school, there are still excellent opportunities for students to get some basic introduction into the legal system through volunteer efforts such as the Guardian ad Litem program and the Alachua County Victim Intake program. Students may wish to ride along with police officers while they are on duty. The numbers for these offices are located in the OHLPA library (206 AAC) or the Gainesville phone book. Also, anyone is permitted to sit in open court and observe a trial, provided the defendant is not a juvenile. The courthouse for the Eighth Circuit is located on East University Avenue downtown. Another excellent opportunity for involvement in public interest issues on campus is through G.I.V.E., a volunteer organization located in the Student Activities Center in the Reitz Union.
General Time Line
Freshmen and Sophomore Years
These two years should be viewed as a time for exploration. It is a chance for you to find out whether or not you want to pursue law as a profession. It is also a time for you to find out what other careers exist which deal with law-related issues but may not require a law degree. In other words, it is never too early to begin considering alternatives to a legal career.
During
this initial stage, your curriculum should be broad and you should challenge
yourself to get the best grades possible since your cumulative g.p.a.
plays such an important role in the law school admissions process. You
also want to get involved on campus or in the community since law schools
are looking for well-rounded students. Additionally, some of the best
friends you'll make here at U.F. will probably come from the extracurricular
activities you choose to participate in here.
You are encouraged to visit the OHLPA library in room 206 of the Academic Advisement Center and look at the resources which discuss legal careers as well as the law school admissions process. First and second year students should also take the opportunity to meet with a pre-law academic peer guide. The pre-law peer guides are pre-law students who were selected and trained to answer questions specific to pre-law students. The pre-law peer guides have their office hours posted in the OHLPA library. If you are seriously considering a career in law you should also visit the Career Resource Center for information regarding legal and law-related careers in addition to meeting with the pre-law advisor.
Junior Year
This year you should begin researching and preparing for the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT). The LSAT is offered four times a year (February, June, October and December). If you can adequately prepare yourself, I recommend the June LSAT after your junior year because you typically take a lighter load of courses, if any, during the summer so you can devote more time to LSAT preparation. Also, if you are not satisfied with your June score, you still have the opportunity to take the test again in October or December of your senior year and still apply to law schools before the deadlines. Another bonus with taking the June test is that if you are satisfied with your June score, you can begin researching possible choices for law school before returning to school for your senior year because your g.p.a. and LSAT scores are now known. As soon as the fall semester of your senior year begins, you can request applications from the law schools and then begin the application process.
As far as preparation for the LSAT goes it is completely up to you. The important thing is that you prepare in some way whether on your own or through a commercial preparatory course. If you plan ahead and begin researching your options, you will be able to make the right choice about LSAT preparation because you will have the time to buy prep books and study on your own and, if your score is not as competitive as you would like, have the time to research the commercial preparatory courses and choose the one that is right for you in time to adequately prepare for the LSAT that following June.
Senior Year
This is the year you apply to law school. As soon as you come back to school for your senior year you should get yourself organized for the application process. Law schools usually have their applications ready by the start of the fall semester so you can contact each school and have them send their applications to you. It may help to make a list of all of the things which need to be completed for each application and a personal deadline for each of these items. Most law schools begin accepting applications on or about October 1st. Since law schools have a rolling admissions process, as soon as your file is complete the admissions committee can make a decision about your application, it is to your advantage to get your applications in as soon as possible. You can increase your chances of acceptance by sending in your application as early after October 1st as possible because your application may be compared with a fewer number of other applicants. Once applications are complete and sent into the law schools, it's time to sit back, relax and wait for their decisions. If you are trying for admission to law school in the spring your deadlines will be different so make sure you know the spring application deadline for each of the schools you are interested in. Remember that not every school has a spring or summer matriculation so be sure to find out if the schools you are interested have one.
Law School Admissions Test (LSAT)
The LSAT is a half-day standardized test which must be taken for admission to all 193 law schools in the United States and Canada that are members of the Law School Admissions Council (LSAC). In addition to the undergraduate grade point average, it is the most important factor used in determining admission into law school. The test measures logical analysis and analytical reasoning skills considered important for the study of law. Basically, the LSAT measures your aptitude for success in law school based on how you perform on the LSAT exam. The LSAT is composed of five 35 minute multiple-choice sections. One section is experimental and not counted for scoring purposes. There is also a writing sample which is not scored; however, copies of this sample are sent to each of the law schools to which you apply. The test sections are divided into reading comprehension, analytical reasoning, logical reasoning and logic games. The test scores range from a 120 to a 180. The cost of the LSAT is approximately $81.00 with an additional $49.00 fee if you sign up after the registration deadline. Beginning this year, you may register for the LSAT by telephone. The number and registration deadlines can be found in the LSAT Registration and Information booklet located in the OHLPA library (206 AAC) or in the office of the pre-law advisor.
Since the LSAT exams are administered on Saturdays, if you are a Saturday Sabbath observer, you may take the LSAT on the Mondays following the regular Saturday administrations. To request a Saturday Sabbath observers administration, you must obtain a letter on official stationery from your minister or rabbi confirming your religious affiliation. This letter must be sent in with your LSAT registration.
As mentioned above, preparation for the LSAT is essential. The Law School Data Assembly Service (LSDAS) offers an LSAT Prep Series which includes copies of all released LSAT examinations including explanations which you may want to invest in before you decide to try a commercial preparation course. If you find that you are not making the score you would like by studying on your own, you may want to consider professional preparation courses such as Barbri, Princeton Review and Stanley Kaplan which are located in Gainesville. Specific information about these preparatory courses can be found in the OHLPA library or by calling their offices directly. Their phone numbers are listed in the Gainesville phone book. Commercial preparation courses may cost anywhere between $500-$800; however, financial aid may be available on a case-by-case basis by each course.
Law School Data Assembly Service (LSDAS)
The Law School Data Assembly Service is the clearinghouse for your undergraduate transcripts, biographical information and LSAT score(s). The LSDAS is used by law schools in evaluating the undergraduate performance of each law school applicant. Through a conversion formula, LSDAS provides a more accurate way to measure applicants who have gone to different undergraduate institutions with different grading policies.
When you subscribe to the LSDAS, you must have an official transcript from every undergraduate, graduate, and professional school you have attended-including any other law school-sent to Law Services. LSDAS will summarize your information and reconfigure your g.p.a. to their standard scale. For example, a "+" (B+) at the University of Florida is worth .5 of a grade point. With LSDAS, however, that same + is worth only .33 of a grade point so you may find that your g.p.a. is not as high as your official U.F. g.p.a. On the other hand, U.F. does not factor in grades from courses taken at other institutions into your U.F. g.p.a. as LSDAS does. Therefore, if you have a number of good grades that are not currently being factored into your U.F. g.p.a., your LSDAS g.p.a. may be higher than you think.
After summarizing your transcripts, LSDAS creates a Law School Report which is sent out to law schools within two weeks after a law school has requested information about you. This report will include your grade summary, copies of your official transcripts, your biographical data and your LSAT score(s). You will receive a copy of this report as well as an update any time a law school requests information about you from LSDAS.
You may subscribe to LSDAS by using the same registration form you use to register for the LSAT in the Registration and Information Book. The book also provides complete information on transcripts, LSDAS Law School Reports, and other LSDAS subscription information. Registration packets are located in the OHLPA library as well as in the pre-law advisors office. You can also contact Law Services at (215)968-1001 or lsacinfo@lsac.org.
The cost of registering with LSDAS for twelve months is $82 which includes one LSDAS Law School Report. You may order additional reports at $8 per law school when you subscribe initially or for $10 if reports are ordered after you have already subscribed. The cost of renewing your LSDAS subscription is $47.
Fee Waivers
Fee waivers are available for economically disadvantaged students through Law Services or Law School Admission Council (LSAC)-member schools. Fee Waiver applications are also available in the OHLPA office or in the office of the pre-law advisor. Participating schools are listed in the LSAT Registration and Information Book. Fee waivers are available for the LSAT, LSDAS, and TriplePrep Plus. If you have questions about fee waivers call 215-968-1001 or http://www.lsac.org.
How Do I Choose the Law School That's Right for Me?
As far as your professional career goes, your choice of law school may be one of the most critical decisions you can make. There are a number of factors which you may want to consider before deciding on the school you will attend. The important thing is that you do take the time to consider the issues which are important to you. If you are admitted to a law school which has a national reputation but you know you would be miserable in that particular city, should you choose to go there over another law school where you know you would be happier? That is a question only you can answer but you may want to consider that your first year of law school is competitive enough without the additional pressures of depressing surroundings or incompatible classmates to increase your stress level.
The following are some questions which you might want to consider before you decide where to apply or before you make your final choice. Remember that this list is not inclusive and there may be issues that are of much greater importance to you than those on this list (such as whether the law school provides child care).
- How many students attend the law school and what is the faculty/student ratio?
- How published are the faculty teaching at the law school?
- Does the law school provide any clinical experience?
- How equipped is the library in terms of technology and resource materials?
- How many and what types of student organizations are there? How active are they?
- What percentage of students pass the Bar examination on the first try?
- How many students have secured full-time employment, as a practicing attorney, at the time of graduation? At six months?
- How many law students have found full-time employment in any other field of their choice (for example a risk management consultant) the time of graduation? At six months?
- How many law firms come to interview on campus?
- How helpful is the Career Planning and Placement Center at assisting students who wish to look for employment outside of the traditional on-campus interview process?
- If you know where you want to live after law school, do any firms from that area come to interview on campus?
- How does the Career Planning and Placement office determine who will get interviews? Is it left strictly up to the interviewing law firms or is there some type of lottery system used (for example, ten of the interviews from the top 10% of the interested students and five drawn from the rest of the interested students by lottery)?
- What is the cost of the school including tuition and living expenses and how do most students pay for their education?
- What type of financial aid package are you getting from the law school?
- What is the average debt load to salary load upon graduation?
- What percentage of the student population are minorities and/or women?
- What is the average age of the student population?
- If interested in a joint-degree program, does this law school have the program you are looking for?
- Does that law school look like the type of place you would feel comfortable attending? Keep in mind that the law school catalogs are going to take pictures which flatter their school. Therefore, if you have the opportunity to visit the law schools, take it. While there, sit in on a class and talk with some students. The admissions offices at the various law schools can be very helpful in setting up such a visit for you. Remember that none of your visit is used for evaluative purposes in terms of your application. In other words, your visit is not a law school admissions interview.
You may want to make a grid placing all of the law schools you are considering on the top and listing all of the factors you think are important down the left side. As you research the schools, make comments or checks in the grid. The schools with the most areas filled in might be the ones you really want to focus your attention on. Additionally, do not apply to a law school where you would not consider attending. While this seems like common sense, I was surprised by the number of students who came to my office and discussed how they would not really go to a particular school but they knew they would get in and they just wanted that acceptance. Remember that every application costs money that could be better spent elsewhere if you would not really attend that school. Also, although you might not be seriously considering a particular school to which you are applying, someone else might be and the seat you take may be one he /she wanted. Therefore, please remember to call or send letters to each law school you have decided not to attend as soon as you have made your choice so that those seats can be offered to other qualified applicants.
Rankings
There are a number of publications which rank law schools based on a number of factors such as national reputation, job placement and average income of graduates. Considering all of the factors that go into creating "the best" law schools may seem too overwhelming and the temptation to listen to advice of others about the different law schools may be too great so you follow it. There is a chance that those who have rated and ranked all of the law schools have made their choices based on the exact criteria you would have used. However, maybe they didn't. Remember that ratings are highly subjective. While the student/faculty ratio of a law school is an important consideration for a prospective student, it may not be as important for some as for others.
In other words, you need to rate and rank law schools based on your own individual criteria. While this task is much more time consuming than having someone tell you which are the best schools, only by doing it for yourself will you truly come to find the law schools which are right for you. Take the time to think about the different qualities that are important to you in a law school. What were the things you liked about your undergraduate experience and the things you did not like? Do you want to be in a big city or a small town? As stated above, there are many factors to consider but you need to choose the schools based on what is important to you! The ABA has issued the following statement concerning their position on law school rankings:
No rating of law schools beyond the simple statement of their accreditation status is attempted or advocated by the official organizations in legal education. Qualities that make one kind of school good for one student may not be as important to another. The American Bar Association and its Section of Legal Education and Admission to the Bar have issued disclaimers of any law school rating system. Prospective law students should consider a variety of factors in making their choice among schools.
Application
Gathering the Applications
Until you know your LSAT score and your undergraduate grade point average as calculated by LSDAS, it is unlikely that you will truly be able to identify the law schools where you have the best chances of acceptance. However, you can begin researching in earnest as early as the summer before your senior year. You may have a list of twenty or so schools that you are interested in. It is perfectly acceptable to contact these law schools directly and request a catalog with application. Keep in mind that all of these schools may not have their latest catalog back from the printer yet. In that case, they will put your name on a list and send you the catalog as soon as it is available. After you have compiled your collection of catalogs and you get your LSAT and LSDAS grade summary report, you can filter out the schools that no longer seem likely, or begin working on the applications for more competitive law schools which have now become more realistic possibilities based on your numbers.
Another way to collect catalogs is at the Law Forum hosted by the Law School Data Assembly Service (LSDAS) each fall in Atlanta, GA. The Law Forum is an opportunity for pre-law students to attend a variety of workshops concerning the application process, financial aid and minority affairs information all in one place over a two-day period. In addition, pre-law students can meet with representatives from about 150 or more law schools across the country to get answers to any questions they may have. Remember, these meetings are non-evaluative and will have no bearing on the admission decisions of the law schools but are a great way to talk to someone face-to-face from each school you are interested in. These representatives typically bring the latest edition of their law school's catalog to this forum. If you are interested in attending the Law Forum, check with the various pre-law student organizations. Often, an organization will reserve a block of rooms at the conference hotel and students will car pool and stay together to help defray their cost of attendance.
If, however, you are interested in viewing a school's catalog and application but you cannot make it to the Law Forum, stop by the OHLPA library. We currently have catalogs from almost every law school in the country. You may come in and look at the catalogs to get an idea of what a particular school may be looking for in a student. While most law school applications will request the same type of information, there are some schools which ask for some additional information. You can view the catalogs while you're in the library, however, they are not available on a check-out basis.
Students may also be interested in using the LAW MULTI-App when applying to the various law schools. MULTI-App is a software package which includes the actual applications for over 50 law schools. You download the software and input the common information into fields. The software automatically places all the common information in each application so you can spend less time filling-in the basic information and more time concentrating on the information specific to each law school. The current cost of the software package is $50. For more information on the MULTI-App, call 1-800-515-2927.
Completing the Applications
All applications should be typed to make them as easy to read as possible. Make sure you read the directions on each application. If a law school states that they do not want a resume enclosed with your application, then do not provide one even if you think it will be more impressive. If you do have additional information you wish to include in your application (such as an explanation for why you withdrew from a year of school), do so in an addendum to your application. Remember to sign all the appropriate places and include all of the information the school wants.
Most law schools have a rolling admission policy meaning that as soon as your file is complete, it can be sent to the committee to be evaluated. In other words, the sooner you send in your applications, the sooner you may be able to find out if you have been accepted. Most law schools will begin accepting applications for fall admission on or around October 1st and continue accepting them until February 1st (please read each application carefully to find out the application deadline for each school because some do have deadlines in March or even later).
By sending in your application early in October, you may be compared with a fewer number of students (since not all students will have their applications in that quickly) and so your chances for acceptance may improve. You may find out you have been accepted before you go home for your semester break. You may also find out that you were not accepted to several of your top choice schools. Depending upon how early you find out, you may still have time to send out one or two more applications for safety schools you had been considering. However, if your application places you in the middle range of candidates, you may still have to wait until all applications are in before yours will be evaluated again.
If you are trying for admission to law school in the spring your deadlines will be different so make sure you know the spring application deadline for each of the schools you are interested in. Remember that not every school has a spring or summer matriculation so be sure to find out if the schools you are interested have one.
Role of LSDAS in the Application Process
The LSDAS acts as the clearinghouse for your student transcripts, LSAT score(s) and biographical data. Once a law school receives your application packet, they contact LSDAS and request your file containing all of the information you have sent LSDAS. Assuming your LSDAS file and your application packet (application, personal statement, letters of evaluation and Dean Certification form) are complete, your file can be closed and sent forward to the admission committee for review.
To ensure that your LSDAS file is complete when the law school requests it, make sure you get your information to them as soon as you can. Although it is not required, many students register with LSDAS when they register for the LSAT. Since your LSDAS subscription remains good for one year, most students will have already been accepted to a law school by the time their subscription runs out. If, however, you are not accepted during that year, or you choose to delay your application for whatever reason, you will have to re-register with LSDAS.
Your LSAT score will be sent directly to LSDAS and to you once the results are calculated. Provided you sent in the biographical data sheet when you registered with LSDAS, that information will be in your file already as well. Often times, law school will request the names of students that fit a certain profile (either a certain ethnic origin or LSAT/g.p.a. combination) and those law schools will send information directly to those students so make sure to fill out the biographical information. If a law school is sending you information, it is certainly worth your time to take a look at it, especially if you had not considered it before.
As for your transcripts, remember that you must send official transcripts directly from each school to LSDAS (in other words, just because it's on your U.F. transcript doesn't make it official). Also, even though your undergraduate g.p.a. is the only thing LSDAS uses to compute your g.p.a., send transcripts from any graduate school work, including any other law school, so those can be sent to each law school. If you are applying for a fall admission, the last grades law schools will see is the summer after your junior year. If you wait until your grades come back from fall semester of your senior year you will still have to send them to LSDAS to be reconfigured and they, in turn, will have to send the new grade summary out to each law school. Most likely, your application will be late if you are applying to a school whose deadline is in February. If you applying for a spring admission, however, depending upon the application deadlines, law schools may see up until the end of the senior year (unless the application deadline is in early May).
Letters of Recommendation
Letters of recommendation are objective accounts of your academic/employment skills. Depending upon which law schools you apply to you may need anywhere from one to three letters of evaluation. Make sure you read each law school catalog carefully to determine how many letters the school wants. Whenever possible, the weight of your letters should come from professors who are familiar with your academic work. Although your letters do not need to come from professors in your major department, those are typically your smaller courses and so there is more chance for interaction with your professors.
When you ask a professor or employer for a letter of recommendation, make an appointment to see them if possible so you can get uninterrupted time with them. You should bring with you a resume and cover letter (mini-personal statement) in order to give your professors a more well-rounded picture of you and what you hope to accomplish with a law degree. I think it is also helpful to include any anecdotes from class which may jar the professor's memory as to who you are and what your participation level was like in class. Finally, it may be helpful for your professors if you include any written assignments or exams from that class, especially with written comments from the professor so that they can see, in their own words, what they thought of your class performance.
When deciding upon who to ask for letters of recommendation, the most important quality you can look for is that this particular person can write the best evaluation of your classroom performance. Whenever I have listened to admissions officers speak about letters of recommendation at a conference, they are very clear about this point. They can tell the difference between a professor who simply knows that this student got an "A" and the professor who really knows the academic capabilities of a particular student. Remember that your best letter might not come from a professor who gave you an "A" but a professor who gave you an "A-" if he/she can truly speak to your aptitude for a legal curriculum. In fact, some students have had professors for several different courses and although they may have only gotten a "B" in the first class, by the second or third, that student had earned an "A." Now that would be a letter to have! Bottom line: No matter how impressive the letterhead of the person writing the letter, if it is clear to the admissions committee that this individual merely signed off on a letter written by an aide the letter will not hold much weight with the committee. Letters that compare you to your academic peers are generally most helpful.
The OHLPA office provides a letter of recommendation service for students who are applying to law school. All you do is have your professors or employers send their letters to the OHLPA office to be placed in your confidential file. As soon as you let us know which schools you are applying to, we send the letters out for you with a cover sheet from our office and your signed waiver form attached. Although you can check on the status of your file during posted office hours to see if letters have been placed in your file, you are not permitted to see the actual letters. The service includes 9x12 envelopes, post cards, laser printed labels and postage to 15 schools. To subsidize the cost of this service, we ask that students make a donation to the OHLPA office through the University of Florida Foundation. Students not wishing to contribute to this account will be required to provide pre-addressed stamped envelopes (without a return address) for the mailing of their letters.
Some law schools have a letter of recommendation forms included in their applications. The letter service provided by OHLPA can take the place of these forms. If you decide to use the letter service we provide, you may want to give these recommendation forms to those writing your letters and ask that they take these points into consideration when writing your letters (obviously these are the qualities the law schools are interested in when reviewing applicants).
Personal Statement
For most students, the personal statement seems to be the most dreaded part of the entire application process. You have probably heard this statement over and over, "Your personal statement is your interview on paper." While that is true, how does that help you to write it? Well, if you actually stop to consider this statement it really does help you. Remember that the admissions committees are going to be getting many sheets of paper from you including the actual application, letters of evaluation and your official transcripts. On paper, you may look very similar to many of the students applying in terms of g.p.a., LSAT score, honors, awards and activities. Your personal statement is your best chance to let these admissions committees know that you are an individual with a variety of ideas and experiences to offer to the class. Think of all the information included in the rest of your application and put it in your mental vault. What's left that the committee would not know about if you did not tell them? That is what you need to talk about.
The committee has read what organizations you were involved in on campus from your application so do not laundry list them again in your personal statement. What is more important is what these organizations taught you about yourself. I realize this is easier said than done but the personal statement was not added on to each application as an afterthought. It is a challenge for students to express why their life experiences have readied them for the rigors of law school. What makes it even more of a challenge is that students tend to dislike writing about themselves because they feel they are bragging. However, if you have done something worthwhile let the committee know.
Most importantly, take the personal statement seriously. At the point in which you are ready to write it, it is usually the last thing you have control over since your grades are already calculated, your LSAT has been taken and your letters of recommendation are written by someone else. Based on what I have been told from admissions officers at many different law schools, a member of the admission committee reads every word of each application. Whether or not that member feels your application is worthy of going forward may be based on a well-written and interesting personal statement to set you apart from a stack of applications with the same LSAT and g.p.a.
As far as the actual writing goes, do not expect to sit down one evening and have the perfect personal statement written in two hours. You may work on your statement for many hours over the course of several weeks. It helps some students to keep a notepad with them for several days or so and when they think of things to include in the statement they write them down. When the time comes to write the actual statement, they already have most of the body written. It may also help to write a rough draft and put it down for a couple of days. When you pick it up you may see additional things you want to add or think of a different way of saying something. It is a good idea to have several different people read your personal statement. You might find out that what was a clear thought to you is very confusing to someone else. You may even want to ask the professors who are writing your letters of recommendation if they would assist you by critiquing your personal statement.
There are several books available which discuss writing the personal statement such as Getting Into Law School Today, by Martinson and Waldherr. These books offer examples of personal statements. Use caution when reading them. It seems all of the examples were written by students who discovered the cure for cancer during and independent study lab, or worked for three years in the Peace Corps. One statement was written by a police office shot in the line of duty. My point is that sometimes these examples can make students feel inadequate. While I believe there are some people applying to law school with life experiences that would make Mother Theresa stand up and take notice, I do not believe the majority of applicants have had that level of life experience. I actually had one student who came in worried about their chances for acceptance into law school because, as she said, "I'm just average and I've lived an average life." Well, there are many students with average grades and LSAT scores but each life is unique. Whether or not you are able to showcase on your unique experiences for the admission committees is up to you.
Dean's Certification Form/Letter of Good Standing
You may be asked to have a Dean's Certification form or letter of good standing sent in with your application. This form is to be filled out by the Assistant Dean for Student Judicial Affairs located in P202 Peabody Hall. If you go to that office, the dean's secretary will explain the procedure to you. You can have a generic letter sent by the dean directly to our office and we will keep it in your OHLPA file and send it to all the schools to which you apply. On this form, the dean will list any violations of the Student Code of Conduct including academic dishonesty violations. Often times, the certification forms from the law schools ask for your class rank. The University of Florida does not provide that information until after graduation and that information is explained on the certification form from the dean's office. As with your other application materials, you want to make sure this form is filled out and sent as early as possible.
Full Disclosure
The cornerstone of the legal profession is truth. It starts with the application process. There is no excuse for falsifying any information on your law school application and if a law school uncovers any attempt to do so the consequences can be severe including the rescinding of an acceptance. As a rule of thumb I advise students that it is better to over-disclose than under-disclose. This goes for the alcohol violation as a freshmen to the judicial sanction for using the wrong type of extension cord in your residence hall room to any misdemeanor or felony offense. Just because it occurred when you were a freshmen does not mean it should not be disclosed. Many violations are not something that would prevent a student from being admitted to a law school; however, failure to disclose such violations would be. Therefore, when in doubt, disclose.
Anticipation
Once your applications are in and your file is completed they can go to committee and you can be considered for admission. All of your hard work is done and now comes the easy part-the waiting and waiting and waiting. For some students the wait may not be that long. If your application is very competitive, you may find out you have been accepted to a law school before the Thanksgiving break depending upon how early your application was sent in. On the other hand, if you are not competitive for certain schools, you may find out you have not been accepted fairly quickly. The positive spin to this is that you may still have time to apply to another school you were holding back on. Most students, however, will be placed in that middle category where the law schools want to get a look at every eligible application before they make their final determination about the make-up of the class.
Wait Lists
You may find out from one or several law schools that you have been placed on a waiting list if your application is not as competitive as those who are currently being admitted. You may find out about being placed on a waiting list as early as April or as late as July. At this point you have some tough decisions to make. Are you going to accept an invitation from a school that has already accepted you or are you going to "hold out" for the school(s) where you were put on a wait list? One thing you should seriously consider doing is contacting the law school(s) which put you on a wait list. Most law schools rank order their wait list and it might be possible for you to find out where you are on that list. You may also want to ask how far down on the wait list does the school usually get so you can gauge what type of chance you have at eventual acceptance. You may also want to ask when the law school(s) will make their final determinations about the wait list. Please note that each law school may have their own policy about telling students their rank on the wait list. If a school will not tell you such specific information, they may be willing to let you know how many students have been placed on the wait list entirely.
Seat Deposits
Once you have been accepted to a law school, you may be required to submit a seat deposit to reserve your space in the class which will be credited to your first year tuition. Seat deposits are one way a law school can anticipate who will become a part of the first year class. By submitting your seat deposit, you are essentially accepting a law school's offer of admission. Most law schools request seat deposits to be made on April 1st. In fact, aside from an early decision program, if a law school requests a seat deposit earlier than April 1st, LSDAS would like to be informed. By allowing students to wait until April 1st, they will hopefully have found out decisions from all of the schools to which they applied. Additionally, they may have a better idea of the financial aid package being offered by each school so that they can make a better informed decision about where to go. If you decide not to attend a particular school after you have submitted your seat deposit that money may be forfeited to the school depending upon their policy. Before submitting your seat deposit, make sure you know if it is refundable, how much is refundable and if there is a deadline date for a refund of your deposit.
Some students may have been accepted to one or more schools but have not yet made their final decision about where they wish to attend. These students pay seat deposit to one or several of their schools to save a seat for themselves until they can make their final decision. Out of courtesy, please remember that by saving a seat for yourself you take away a seat from someone who may not have been accepted anywhere else. To avoid this problem, please rank order your law school choices while you are waiting on your acceptance letters so that you know your top choices when you acceptance letters arrive.
High Finances
The tuition at a law school can range anywhere from a few thousand dollars a year to over $20,000 a year. Add to that your books, apartment, food, utilities and any other expenses and you may find that locating the means to pay for law school may be more mind-boggling than the application process itself. So how can you find a way to pay for law school and still afford to eat once you have finish and are finally working? Most students will pay for their law school education through government subsidized or unsubsidized loans and/or private student loans. Law schools also have their own sources of funding available to students through scholarships and grants. There are also private sources of funding which students can find out about by researching scholarship/grant resource materials at the campus libraries.
What type of aid is available to law students?
There are three main sources of aid for law students. Scholarships and
grants are awarded on the basis of merit and, far less common, on the
financial need of law students. This type of aid does not have to be repaid
and it is usually given by the individual law schools so you should contact
each individual law school to find out more information about these types
of aid. The second source of funding is loans. Well over half of all law
students pay for all or part of their graduate education through government/private
loans which must be repaid after attending law school. The amount of money
which must by repaid each month may affect where you can afford to work
once you have graduated so keep this in mind when deciding how many loans
to apply for. The OHLPA library has a list of law schools with loan repayment
or loans assistance programs. The availability of such programs may factor
into your personal law school rankings. The third type of aid is Federal
College Work Study. This type of aid is typically awarded to second and
third year students because first year students are expected to concentrate
solely on their studies and are usually not permitted to work at all.
Where should I start?
There are a number of initial sources to help with financial aid. First, try the OHLPA library or the pre-law advisor's office where you can find a brochure titled "Financial Aid for Law Schools: A Preliminary Guide" published by the Law School Admission Council (LSAC). The brochure is free and, if the OHLPA library has temporarily run out, you can get your own copy by contacting LSAC at (215)968-1001. This brochure might be the best place to start. The next place to turn is the financial aid offices of the law schools you are interested in attending. It is important to make sure that you follow the policies and procedures of each institution with respect to financial aid.
What financial aid forms will I need to fill out?
If
you want to apply for federal aid you will need to fill out the Free Application
for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Applications cannot be filed until after
January 1st but, as with you law school applications, the earlier the
better. Since schools will want to see a copy of your actual income tax
return, complete your income taxes as soon as possible after the first
of the year and keep a copy of the return. If you are applying for institutional
aid, be sure to contact the individual law schools to find out whether
there are any additional forms which you may need to fill out.
How can I afford to repay my loans?
As already stated, the amount of educational loans you need to pay back after law school may affect the types of law you can afford to practice. That is why some law schools are participating in loan assistance/repayment programs. Also, the Federal Loan Consolidation Program may assist in alleviating some of the financial burden by creating a lesser monthly payment which spreads the loan repayment over a longer period of time. The financial aid office of your law school will have additional information about this loan repayment program.
Minority Opportunities in Law
Minority students have typically been underrepresented both law school and in the legal profession as a whole. Therefore, many law schools have become actively involved in providing increasing opportunities for minority students. Remember that law schools are looking for a diverse class of students each year and diversity is measured in a number of ways, including ethnic and racial diversity. One important thing to think about with respect to minority status is how being a minority student may have given you a different perspective so that you will, in fact, be contributing a diverse viewpoint to the class. An exceptional resource available to students interested in law school is Thinking About Law School: A Minority Guide which is available to students free of charge from the Law School Data Assembly Service (LSDAS). You can also find copies of this booklet in the OHLPA library (206 AAC) or in the office of the pre-law advisor. The publication provides information about how to select the right law school as well as the application process in general and how to finance your legal education.
Loans and Scholarships for Minority Students
- Council of Legal Education Opportunity (CLEO) Grants--CLEO is designed to motivate and assist educationally and economically disadvantaged students to matriculate successfully into law school. Applicants accepted by the CLEO program attend regional summer institutes and receive an annual grant during law school. For more information and an application contact CLEO, Suite 390 N. Lobby, 1800 M St. NW, Washington D.C. 20036 (202)785-4840.
- The Earl Warren Legal Training Scholarships--The purpose of these scholarships is to increase the number of African-American attorneys in the United States. For more information contact the Earl Warren Legal Training Program, 99 Hudson Street, New York, New York, (212) 219-2772.
- Florida Minority Participation in Education Program--The program seeks to increase the numbers of minorities practicing law in the state of Florida. The program provides up to $19,000/year for selected students at private Florida law schools and up to $13,972/year for selected students at a public Florida law school. For an application and/or information contact any Florida law school or call or write: Florida Education Fund, MPLE Office, 18350 N.W. 2nd Avenue, Third Floor, Miami, FL 33169, (305)654-7133.
- Legal Defense and Education Funds--To increase the number of minority enrollments in law schools, scholarship funds are available through the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund and the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund. For more information write 99 Hudson St., New York, New York 10013.
- National Hispanic Scholarship Fund--The National Hispanic Scholarship Fund provides scholarships on a competitive basis to undergraduate and graduate Hispanic American students. For more information contact NHSF, P.O. Box 728, Novato, CA 94948.
- America Indian Graduate Center--The American Indian Graduate Center (AIGC) of Albuquerque, New Mexico is a national non-profit organization that provides graduate fellowships for American Indian and Alaskan Native students from federally-recognized tribes. For more information contact American Indian Graduate Center, 4520 Montgomery Blvd. N.E., Suite 1-B, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87109-1291, (505)881-4585, (505)884-0427 (fax).
Applicants with Disabilities
All schools receiving federal funds-and this includes nearly all colleges and universities-are legally obligated to provide accommodations that make programs accessible to qualified persons who have disabilities. By law, schools are not permitted to ask about an applicant's disability status so whether or not you disclose on your application that you have a disability is entirely up to you. Accommodations for the LSAT are available for students who have documented disabilities. To find out more about these types of accommodations, please contact the Law Services Testing Accommodations Section at (215)968-1001.
The American Council on Education operates the HEATH Resource Center,
the national clearinghouse on postsecondary education for individuals
with disabilities. HEATH can provide information about requesting disability-related
accommodations, ascertaining the level of physical and programmatic access
available to law schools, and thinking through disability issues surrounding
the application process. A reprint of "Students with Disabilities and
Law School" from the HEATH newsletter is available free by request. For
more information, please contact HEATH Resource Center at One Dupont Circle,
NW Suite 800 Washington, D.C. 20036-1193, (202)939-9320 (in Washington)
or 800-54-HEATH (outside D.C.). (Both numbers are voice/TDD). Copies can
also be found in the OHLPA library (206 AAC) and in the office of the
pre-law advisor.
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