Law School Admissions
Subjective Factors
GPA and Law School Admission Test (LSAT) scores, while important, are not the only factors in the admission process. Law schools also try to assess a number of intangible qualities, such as ambition, sound judgment, and high ideals. The main goal of the selection process at any school is to enroll the ablest student body possible. As an applicant to the law school, you're competing with thousands of other applicants to fill a relatively few positions in the entering class. Your experiences in and outside the classroom, your personal traits, and your background will be what set you apart from the crowd. The best way to convey information about these factors to an admissions committee is through your personal statement and letters of recommendation.
Non-academic experience
- Work experience
- Extracurricular activities
- Volunteer or community service
Academic experience
- Research skills
- Quality of writing
- Organizational skills
- Nature and quality of college work
- Course selection patterns
- Trend and distribution of grades
- Quality and grading patterns of the undergraduate institution
- Quality of graduate work
Personal traits
- Personal and academic integrity
- Values
- Ambition
- Energy
- High ideals
- Sound judgment
Personal background
- Cultural or socioeconomic background
- Individual circumstances of an exceptional nature
- Geography/State of residence