LSAT Blogs

As I’ve mentioned in earlier entries, the Admissions Committee takes into consideration every element when reviewing your application: LSAT, undergraduate and graduate GPA and transcripts, letters of recommendation, resume, work experience, life experience, personal statement and addendum (should you have needed to write one). 

I tell my clients right up front that I cannot and will not guarantee that they will be accepted to a specific law school, nor will I guarantee that they won’t be accepted to a specific school.  I do not have the advantage of serving on the Admissions Committee and being able to read your application along with the other thousands that have been received for the upcoming year. 

In researching law schools, you noticed that each school indicates a range of LSAT scores and a range of GPAs for accepted students.  This range covers the 25th – 75th percentiles, which means the school also accepts above the range and below the range:

• Should your LSAT and GPA fall way above both ranges, I’d say that you have a very, very strong chance of being accepted.  As your consultant, I would not guarantee your acceptance because maybe there is something else going on in your application that I’m not aware of, something you haven’t shared with me.  However, the odds are very much in your favor.
• Should your LSAT and GPA fall way below both ranges, as your consultant, I would tell you that it’s going to be an uphill challenge to get in.  However, maybe there’s some other aspect of your file that you haven’t shared with me that particularly attracts the attention of the Admissions Committee.
• Should your LSAT and GPA fall solidly within the middle or near the top end of the ranges, once again, you have a solid chance of being accepted.
• Should your LSAT and/or GPA fall at the lower end or just below the 25th percentile, then the Admissions Committee looks for some other aspect of your application to help compensate for the lower LSAT/GPA.  If one isn’t as competitive, they look for the other to be more competitive. 

Which brings me to the three decisions awarded by the Admissions Committee:

• Acceptance
• Denial
• Deferral or waitlisted.  The Admissions Committee has fully reviewed your application and determined that there are some aspects of your application that are exactly what they’re looking for, and yet, there are other aspects that are not quite as competitive.   They are unable to accept you at this time, but they also do not wish to turn you away.  As a result, you could be waitlisted or receive a defer decision – both of which mean that a final &yes& or &no& will be determined at a later date, possibly in two weeks, in a month, or two months from now.

As you are learning, applying to law school is very much a hurry-up-and-wait process.  You exert much effort in a short amount of time to take the LSAT, request your letters of recommendation, craft your personal essay, and submit your application.  Now comes the hard part…calling upon your patience as you wait to learn one of the three decisions above.

Once you enter law school, most likely during your first year, you will start to fill out the application for the bar exam.  Why do I bring this up now when you’re working on getting into law school, let alone thinking about graduating?  Because there are similar questions on both the bar and law school application, the bar examiners will compare your bar exam application to your law school application.  If there is any, and I mean any, discrepancy between the two applications, it can be cause to expel you from law school or prohibit you from taking the bar exam.
The bar exam application asks you about every aspect of your life, from marital status to filing tax returns to outstanding parking violations.  I strongly encourage you to check out the bar exam application for the state in which you plan to take the bar.  It’s easy.  Just do a search, for example, on the words "Illinois bar exam."
Today I want to focus on two questions in the bar application called Character & Fitness. To paraphrase:

1. Has any academic institution you attended ever placed you on suspension or probation?
2. Have you ever been convicted of a crime, including/excluding traffic violations, including/excluding speeding tickets?

Maybe your undergraduate school placed you on suspension and later expunged the suspension from your records.  Do not assume that because the occurrence was expunged that it no longer matters.  It most certainly does.  You will need to explain –- in detail — what happened.
Regarding question #2 above, read the correlating question on each law school application very carefully.  I randomly selected schools from around the country to see how they phrased the question on their applications.  Some exclude traffic violations, and others include minor traffic violations such as speeding tickets.  I understand that it may have been ten years since you received that speeding ticket.  You still need to disclose it and do your utmost to find out the exact details.  Either way, call your state’s Department of Motor Vehicles.  It is possible that by doing so, you will be reminded of a violation that you had forgotten.  Once again, you will need to provide a detailed explanation.

1.  If you know the exact details, then include them.  Be very succinct and straight forward.  Provide the date, where the violation occurred, the exact violation and the fine. 
2. If you remember receiving a speeding ticket,  contacted the DMV and learned that it has since been expunged, then you should write exactly that. Here’s an example of how such a concern might be explained: I remember receiving a speeding ticket approximately 7-10 years ago and called the Department of Motor Vehicles to find out the details. The DMV notified me that my record has been expunged. To the best of my recollection, I was driving down Highway 294 and pulled over by the Sheriff’s Department and cited for speeding. I do not recall the amount of the fine, but I paid it. (Or, I remember attending traffic school in lieu of paying the fine).

If you are unsure whether your circumstances require you to answer "yes," it is always much more beneficial to disclose too much rather than not enough. In this particular situation, the giving "TMI" (too much information) is a good thing.

Last week I talked about the possibility of transferring law schools. But did you know that there’s a second way to attend another law school? It’s called being a visiting student.

Most law schools offer you the opportunity to spend a semester, or at most an academic year, attending classes at another law school. Consider, for example, that you are currently enrolled in a Chicago school, and you’ve decided to live in New York City upon graduation. As a visiting student at a New York law school, you can begin the networking process prior to moving there. Or, maybe you’re concentrating in intellectual property law at a Washington, DC, school, and you find a California school offers classes that your home institution does not. Or, maybe you’re attending school in Florida and a personal matter requires you to be in Minnesota for a short time.

In all of the above cases, I encourage you to contact the Registrar at both your current school and the school you’re considering visiting. You want to make sure that the credits and classes from your visiting school will transfer back to your original school. The application process to be a visiting student can vary from school to school, but generally you will need to submit an application, a letter of good standing from your current law school and your law school transcripts. You may need to also submit letters of recommendation from law school professors.

You will pay the tuition of the school you’re visiting and will receive your degree from your original law school. You should be able to become involved in school organizations and take advantage of that school’s career placement services. However, you may not be eligible to participate in law review or moot court.

I would never guarantee a client that he/she will or will not be accepted to a law school. I do, however, believe it is my responsibility as a Kaplan consultant to make my clients aware of the various options open to them. Visiting another law school can be a very valuable tool depending upon your individual situation. Be sure to check it out.

"What about transferring to another law school after my first year?" It is a very common question posed by my clients.

The Admissions Committee is required to bring in a first-year entering class of a certain size determined by administration) in order to meet budget projections. On the other hand, there is no class size requirement for transfer students. If ten transfer applicants qualify for admission, then the ten will be accepted. If no transfer applicants qualify for admission, then none will be accepted.

The Committee is looking to accept applicants who will enhance its student body; therefore, it is essential to earn strong grades at your current institution. Generally, a transfer applicant must provide the following material to be considered:

» Application

» Letter(s) of recommendation, at least one being from a first-year law school professor

» Certification letter from the law school confirming that you are in good standing and able to continue legal studies there should you choose to do so

» Official LSDAS report

» Final transcripts from all schools attended

» Transcript of first-year law school grades

» Personal statement. Be sure to include your reason for wishing to transfer.

» Application fee

Because it might take awhile for your first-year grades to become available, it is possible that your transfer application will not be reviewed until July. Some schools may allow you to submit copies of your grade reports – or some other documentation indicating your grades – until your official transcript becomes available.

Each law school’s Admissions Committee has set its own transfer application process, such as number of letters of recommendation to submit. Be sure to call each school to learn its specific requirements.

Over the weeks we’ve discussed the various components of the application: the application form itself, the LSAT score, academic history, letters of recommendation and personal statement. This week I’d like to introduce one additional element that some of you may need to submit: the addendum. What is an addendum? Who should write one? What is the objective of an addendum? Keep reading…

While reviewing your application, it is very common for an Admissions Committee member to question something that he/she just read. Most of the time, these questions will center on some aspect of your grades or LSAT. For example, if you’ve taken the LSAT twice, and one score (hopefully your most recent one) is dramatically higher, the Admissions Committee is going to wonder what happened. There is no need to be concerned; you simply need to address the question. And you do so in an addendum. Most likely, you felt that your first score isn’t indicative of your true ability, so in order to make your application more competitive, you retook the test. Maybe the first time you took the test, you weren’t feeling well, or circumstances arose that limited your prep time. Just say so.

The Admissions Committee is going to examine every aspect of your academic transcripts. Perhaps you initially intended to major in mathematics, so a majority of your classes were math related. Then you changed majors to history. The Committee is going to notice the conflicting subject emphasis and wonder what happened. Once again, there is no need to be concerned, but you need to answer the question somewhere in your application. Now here’s the tricky part. Depending on how you frame your personal statement, you may refer to the change in majors there. But if it doesn’t fit in your statement, then you can comment on it in an addendum.

What are your grade trends? Did you start off with a 2.8 your first year, and then earn a 3.5 or higher each subsequent semester? What caused this? Were you homesick? Dealing with a personal issue? Facing an illness? Maybe you drifted your first year and had no direction. It’s ok. Life happens. Know, however, that the Admissions Committee is going to look for an explanation somewhere in your file.

I’ve worked with many clients who transferred schools, and this will be obvious to the Admissions Committee when it comes across multiple transcripts. Why did you transfer? Why did you choose to attend the original school? What attracted you to the school to which you transferred?

If you’ve determined that you need to write an addendum, the next question is how to do so. Whereas the personal statement is just that – personal – the addendum is very straight forward and succinct. You clearly state what issue/problem you wish to address and provide the explanation. If it applies to your situation, emphasize the learning experience and accentuate the positive. Be concise. When you are ready to submit your application, be sure to attach the addendum in addition to your personal statement and resume.

The Admissions Committee offers you the advantageous opportunity to explain any discrepancies in your application by utilizing the option of writing an addendum. If you don’t address the issue, you allow the Admissions Officer to assume, and you want to avoid that at all costs. Take advantage of the addendum. It is definitely worth it.

While each law school’s application form is pretty straight forward, I would like to point out a few things.

Some law schools start accepting applications on September 1, others on October 15, or somewhere in between. You’ll find that information on each school’s website. As I mentioned in an earlier entry, you’ll be applying through the LSAC website, and it’s possible that the schools haven’t yet made available their applications for the Fall 2010 Entering Class. That’s ok. In the meantime, check out each school’s website because you may be able to find the Fall 2009 application, which will give you an idea as to the information you’ll need to provide.

There’s a question that asks you to indicate what area(s) of law you may be interested in. Don’t worry; there’s no right or wrong answer. But if you check the box – or write on the blank line – that you’re interested in estate law, as an Admissions Office reading your application, I’m going to wonder where they interest came from. Do you have work, life, academic or volunteer experience in this/these areas? If so, make sure you comment on it in your personal statement. Your experience will add richness to the classroom discussion; be proud of it.

Remember, even if a school’s application is not yet posted, you can still be working on all of the other pieces of your package (your transcripts, letters of recommendation and personal statement) so that completing the actual form is your last step before submitting all of your material.

Ok, let’s start at the top…

The Admissions Committee has a two-fold goal: to bring in as competitive of a class as possible, while bringing in as diverse of a class as possible.

There’s no question that each school is looking for the strongest LSAT and GPA. At the same time, the last thing the Committee wishes to do is bring in a class in which everyone is from the same hometown, same high school, same college and same major. It makes for very boring classroom discussion. Instead, they’re looking for applicants who:

• Are in-state and out-of-state
• Attended private universities, state universities and community colleges
• Majored in biology, math, music, accounting, history, engineering, English, foreign language
• Just graduated from undergraduate school, as well as those who’ve been out of school one year, five years, ten years and twenty years

So what does this mean for you? Be comfortable knowing that there is no mold that you have to fit. A common mistake made by applicants is crafting an application that reinforces what the applicant thinks admissions committees want to hear. The committee doesn’t expect you to be an expert on the legal system, nor do they want to hear you pontificate on what your views are of the law (a major turn-off). Use your application to embrace your uniqueness, and combine that with your passion for earning a JD. Each stage of the application process (from writing personal statements to securing strong letters of recommendation) allows you an opportunity to showcase your unique story and your drive. We’ll address each piece of the application further in future blogs.

Ideally, every person who takes the LSAT goes into the testing center, takes the test, and leaves feeling confident that great results will follow. However, it’s inevitable that some test takers will succumb to the pressure of Test Day and walk away feeling anxious and uncertain.

The LSAC offers test takers the opportunity to cancel their scores. Before making that decision, one should know a few facts about canceled scores:

1.) If you choose to cancel a score, nobody will ever know your actual results on that test – not law schools, not the LSAC, not even you. It will be as if you never took it.

2.) You’re only allowed to take the LSAT three times in any two-year period. Even though you won’t get a score if you cancel, it still counts as an exam taken. So, you will only be allowed to take the exam twice over the next two years (unless you contact a law school that is willing to send a written approval to the LSAC on your behalf).

3.) While admissions officers won’t see your score, they will still see a note in your file indicating that you took the exam and canceled the score. In some cases, schools will request that you provide an addendum to your application explaining the canceled score.

Knowing all of that, how do you decide whether or not to cancel? Cancellation should typically be an obvious decision. If something drastic happens on test day (e.g., severe illness), cancellation is a clear option. When it’s not as obvious, the decision can get a little harder. However, a good general rule is that the more uncertain you are about canceling your score, the less likely it is that you should choose that option.

The anxiety of Test Day tends to skew people’s assessment of their performance. Often times, people will feel as if they performed inadequately when, in reality, they performed just as well – if not better – than they originally expected. It’s true that the stress of Test Day leads many test takers to receive slightly lower scores than they achieved on their final practice exams. However, that’s hardly a universal occurrence and one that is very hard to predict with certainty.

What’s more important to consider, should you decide to retake the exam, is how a relatively lower score differs from a canceled score in the eyes of admissions officers. Also, do the admissions officers consider your highest score or do they average your scores? The answers to these questions vary from school to school. Your best course of action is to contact the admissions officers of the schools to which you’re applying and ask these questions. That information will be most helpful in making your final decision.

After all, let’s say a school considers the higher of two scores (which is reportedly the case with most, but not all, law schools). In that case, if there’s even a chance you’ll get the score you wanted, then it’s not worth canceling. If you get the score you wanted, you’ve taken the test once and you’re done. If you don’t get the score you wanted, you can take the next few months to study again and go into the next test confident that you’re going to get an even higher score, which is what the school will be considering.

One last thing to consider: if you choose not to cancel your score and you took the test under standard conditions, your test results will come with a copy of the exam along with your response sheet and a list of the credited responses. By not canceling your score, you’ll be able to review the test and see what mistakes you made. This way, if you do decide to take the exam a second time, you’ll be able to analyze what you could do better and how you can achieve the highest score possible the next time around.

First, allow me to congratulate you on your law school acceptance(s). The good news is that you are definitely attending law school come Fall 2009; the question now is, where? With first deposit deadlines quickly approaching, you’ll want to make sure you have all the information you need to make informed decisions. Below are the steps you should take before choosing where to put down a deposit:

1. If you have been accepted to School A and are still waiting to hear from School B (and you prefer to attend School B), you should know that you can call School B’s Admissions Office, request to speak to an Admissions Officer, and ask the following question: I’ve been accepted to another law school and am required to put down a first deposit on {whatever} date. I prefer to attend {name of School B) but haven’t yet received a decision. Do you have an idea as to when I might receive one?
2. If you have received your financial aid package from School A and not from School B, call School B’s Financial Aid Office and ask: I’ve been accepted to another law school and have already received my financial aid package from that school. However, I haven’t yet received my financial aid package from School B. Do you have an idea as to when I will? Is there any other information you need from me to complete my financial aid file?
3. If you’ve received a scholarship from School A, prefer to attend School B and have not yet been awarded a scholarship from School B, call School B’s Admissions Office, request to speak with an Admissions Officer and ask: I’ve received a scholarship from School A but School B is my first choice. Can you tell me whether I am being considered for a scholarship?

In all three cases, the #1 rule is to be polite. It is perfectly acceptable to call the Admissions and Financial Aid Offices to ask any questions you may have, but take care to avoid coming across as entitled. While you may not always hear the answers you wish, you can feel good that you took the steps possible to help land your desired outcome.