Pre-Law Advisement
Diverse Student Populations
Women students
Recently, more women than men have applied to law schools, and female enrollment is nearly 50%. But women should consider more than percentage of female enrollment when exploring prospective law schools. One indicator of how women are valued within a law school is the number of faculty and deans at the school who are women. Other factors to consider are the number of women who are teaching the more prestigious courses and the number who hold tenured faculty positions. For further information, including current research findings, see the Law School Admission Council (LSAC), American Bar Association (ABA), National Association for Law Placement (NALP), and other resources.
Students of color
Students of color constitute a disproportionately low percentage of those enrolled in law schools today. These low numbers may be due to many factors, but all law schools are working to improve their enrollment statistics.
Some schools consider the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) a barrier for students. Law school admission committees are considering different avenues for reviewing students for law school admission besides the reliance on LSAT scores combined with undergraduate GPA. Certain law school application committees may consider the personal statement to be as important as the LSAT scores or GPA. The student should note ethnic background and proficiencies in languages other than English on her/his application. (See resources for additional information.)
Gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender students
Lawyers play an important part in the continuous development of the social and legal rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender populations. These rights and issues are also present in the application process and law school considerations for students. The Law School Admission Council pamphlet Out and In: Information for Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Law School Applicants provides information on gay and lesbian student organizations, faculty, courses, and nondiscrimination policies at most law schools. A 30-minute video about issues facing the gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender student is also available for a fee from LSAC. This video includes such issues as coming out (or not) on the application, identifying schools that are supportive, and mentors.
Students with disabilities
Undergraduate students with disabilities must plan ahead for their LSAT by contacting LSAC early to make necessary testing arrangements. Special arrangements may be exercised through documentation about disabilities. Contact law schools to discern each school's culture in regard to disability resources, courses taught about disability rights, and faculty with disabilities. A student may indicate disabilities in the application process as law schools search for more diversity on their campus.