The Law School Application Process
Wednesday, September 30th 3:00 – 3:50 p.m. 250 Student Union
We will comprehensively discuss the entire application process: timelines, academics, extracurricular activities, the online application materials, financial aid, the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT), the Law School Admission Council (LSAC), the Law School Database Assembly Service (LSDAS), researching schools (The Official Guide to ABA-Approved Law Schools, the Boston College Law School Locater), courses, majors, a reading list, and will answer any specific questions you may have.
This will be an ideal workshop for those unclear about what law schools are looking for in applicants and want a clear timeline and list of priorities to ensure they are competitive applicants to law school. We’ll be introductory and start right from the beginning, so it is certainly a perfect workshop for new students. We’ll also unravel the administrative stuff so you have a good understanding of when and how to do things.
This excellent list was found at the Pre-Law Dean’s Certification page at Cornell, and appears to be an up-to-date and comprehensive list of schools that require a Dean’s Certification. Keep in mind that these thing change often enough, and you should read the applications carefully to ensure no supplementary form like a Dean’s Certification is required even if it isn’t on this list. (Thanks Heather Struck for this great list!)
To learn more about how UB and the Pre-Law office processes your Dean’s Certification request, please go here.
Schools Requiring Dean’s certification for all First Year JD applicants:
Brigham Young University
Brooklyn Law School
University of Connecticut
Howard University
University of Richmond (admission decision can be made prior to receipt of dean’s certification)
Stanford University
University of Washington
Schools Requiring Dean’s certification/ letter for First Year JD applicants who answer “Yes” to academic/disciplinary action questions on the law school application:
Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law
Columbia University
Cornell University
Duke University
New York University
University of Southern California
Southern Illinois University
Schools Requiring Dean’s certification for accepted First Year JD applicants who send a seat deposit:
Boston University
Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law
Columbia (see also above)
Cornell University (see also above)
Georgetown University
Harvard University
New York University (see also above)
University of Pennsylvania
Stetson University
Suffolk University
University of Richmond (see also above)
Wake Forest
I’d recommend students that are new to Pre-Law to head over to the American Bar Association’s “Preparing for Law School” page. It is the authoritative overview of what law schools are looking for in applicants. You will notice that there are no prescribed courses or specific types of hoops that must be jumped through. Rather, law schools want students that like to learn, learn well, and have excellent writing skills and a sound overall academic background that desire to serve their community.
Link to ABA Pre-Law website.
DiscoverLaw.org is a program focused on assisting underrepresented first and second-year college students start thinking about careers in the legal profession and help them choose an academic path that assists them reach their goals. Have a look at their website (same link as above). Has lots of good information and is quite informative on the law school application process.
Hello and welcome back to UB for another exciting and fulfilling academic semester. Please check out the workshops section to plan ahead on attending some workshops. While absolutely anyone can attend, the workshops are definitely focusing as well on the Fall 2010 admission to law school, and focus on the key points of reference in anticipation of working through the application process. Researching law schools, a UB Law School Informational Session (which will cover the whole gamut of general law school admissions questions), writing the Personal Statement, and figuring out the entire application process will be covered thoroughly.
Please don’t hesitate to make an appointment with me. I have lots of scheduled time for appointments, so coming in for a one-on-one chat at a time convenient for you shouldn’t be difficult to schedule. You can make an appointment by calling 645-6013 or stopping by 109 Norton Hall. For the first week of classes, we’re doing walk-ins and not scheduled appointments, so either stop on by to check my availability or schedule an appointment for next week.
For those of you currently applying for Fall 2009 application cycle, be sure to look at the “Dean’s Certifications” section, as several law schools require one of these are processed and we’re getting close to the deadlines for those.
For those of you interested in getting involved with clubs, Phi Alpha Delta has contact information on their website to find out more about they’re upcoming schedule. There are also several other relevant clubs, including the Pre-Law Society and Mock-Trial team (if interested, please contact me and I can give their student contact information).
Have a great semester everyone!!
If you haven’t done so already, send and updated transcript to the Law School Admission Council which includes your Fall semester grades. Go into your LSAC account, print out and complete the transcript request form, and drop it off at our registrar’s office (the Student Response Center in 232 Capen Hall). Once the LSAC receives the updated transcript, they will pass that along to the schools that you have applied.
Also, LOR ’s can still “trickle” in and will be send along to the law schools you’ve applied to as well.
