With nearly 200 accredited law schools to choose from, it can be daunting deciding where to apply. Admissions experts advise creating a plan which includes dream, realistic and safe schools based on personal statistics (UGPA and LSAT score) as well as your long-term career goals.
At this stage, it’s critical that you remain honest with yourself in order to avoid spending years and incurring significant debt on an avenue that doesn’t reflect who you truly are.
Location
If you want to work as a lawyer in your home state, attending law school there can be beneficial. Many applicants give priority to selecting their chosen law school’s location as part of their application criteria; additionally, many students take their bar exams in the state where they studied law.
This university may not rank among the top 100 in terms of rankings, but its graduates enjoy excellent career placement rates upon graduation. Extracurricular activities and student employment opportunities abound at this university; however, you will need an LSAT score above 170 to gain admission.
Considerations when selecting a law program vary greatly for applicants. To help narrow your options down more efficiently, utilize Xplore by AccessLex to create a personalized list of ABA-approved law schools that fit your preferences!
Student Culture
Many students who enter law school do so with hopes of following in Harvey Specter’s footsteps and pursue “deep commitments to justice.” Unfortunately, in reality law school can be hard; its workload is considerable, exams can be demanding, and competition for jobs fierce – it can even become toxic!
Add to these challenges the rising problem of elitism. This term refers to classmates or professors who consider themselves superior due to factors like alma mater, family connections within legal communities, current or former employer affiliation, class ranking or any other factor.
To best select law schools to apply to, applicants are often advised to follow a three-pronged strategy when choosing law schools for admission: dream, realistic and safe schools. When making this selection process more precise and accurate, using tools such as LSAC LawHub(r) applicant profile grids or official guides of ABA-approved law schools to help determine your competitiveness at each school by providing data such as how your grades and LSAT score compare with that of other applicants is key in order to select suitable applications.
Class Sizes
When considering law school, class sizes are a key element. Classes taken are known as “sections,” with students assigned one of these sections upon enrolling – these sections may have from 23-109 members in them.
Larger classes offer more class options, events and networking opportunities; but may make it harder for professors and fellow students to form meaningful relationships that feel personalized. Furthermore, larger class sections may cause additional stress for students as they try to understand new legal concepts quickly before applying them in real-world scenarios and preparing for exams using Socratic methods.
Keep in mind that class size data and applicant profiles provided on law school websites only tell part of the story; other important considerations should also be weighed such as your financial situation and what matters most for you in a law school experience.
Specializations
Many law schools provide specializations tailored to specific fields or types of practice. For instance, trust and estate law specializes in laws protecting assets both during life and after death – an option which might suit those interested in creating long-term client relationships. Admiralty law explores maritime laws while an e-commerce degree educates students on those that govern online sales; both may appeal to individuals interested in technology.
At every law school, every curriculum differs. Most law schools will typically introduce a core curriculum in their first year that may include courses such as civil procedure, criminal law, contracts, property and torts*. Legal research and writing classes often are mandatory within that first year to familiarize students with online legal resources.
