How Law School Admissions Works

Most law school applications typically consist of four components: personal statement, letters of recommendation, LSAT scores and transcripts. Students register with LSAC’s Credential Assembly Service (CAS), pay their registration fee, and submit their applications directly through CAS to schools.

Personal statements should provide insight into why an applicant chose law school and their desired impact as lawyers.

LSAC

LSAC is an organization that oversees the law school application process and standard transcripts for applicants. Their Credential Assembly Service, commonly referred to as CAS, allows users to submit all materials through one portal and prepopulate individual law schools’ applications with all components for submission. Many ABA-approved schools require applicants use CAS, with most not reviewing applications until receiving reports from it.

Admission offices typically look for signs of improvement in students’ academic records. Retaking courses that earned low grades if allowed by their undergraduate institution can show resilience and boost an applicant’s cumulative GPA calculated by LSAC for its academic summary report. Some ABA-approved law schools may allow enrolling in graduate courses post-degree to strengthen an applicant’s performance.

CAS

The LSAC Credential Assembly Service, or CAS, streamlines law school admissions by collecting your transcripts and letters of recommendation before providing schools with a PDF version of your academic summary report. LSAC-approved schools use this service and you must subscribe in order to apply to law school.

Admissions committees carefully consider your entire undergraduate education when reviewing applicants, looking beyond just GPA to establish that a candidate has a solid base across many courses such as history, economics, government philosophy mathematics science literature classics etc. rather than having narrowly focused studies.

Be cheerful and calm in all interactions with admissions representatives; this can be a trying time for them as well. Show kindness and care for the people around you by showing kindness. It will reflect well on you as an individual.

LSAT

The LSAT is one of the cornerstones of law school applications; admissions committees use it for admissions decisions and scholarship selection purposes. An impressive LSAT score may even help counterbalance an underwhelming undergraduate GPA by outstripping it.

Students should begin preparing for the test early, taking an intensive prep course or hiring a tutor as necessary. Additional tests may also be taken multiple times to avoid time and money being wasted by selecting schools with care.

Apply to schools that take an holistic view when reviewing applications to increase their odds of acceptance. To do so effectively, applicants should highlight professional achievements and academic advancement in the personal statement, for instance by telling stories about perseverance or significant academic achievements that go beyond grades earned that can divert focus away from low GPAs.

Letters of Recommendation

Some highly selective law schools place great weight on letters of recommendation. Therefore, it is crucial that professors or supervisors who know you well write a personalized recommendation letter that captures your true character and will remember you – someone like a manager you work closely with daily is better suited than someone from years ago who may not remember you well enough to provide one.

Be sure to approach your recommenders early and allow them plenty of time to write an impressive letter for you. Most recommenders will ask that you waive your right to see the letter – this can help ensure admissions officials receive more candid letters when applicants waive their rights.

English Language Tests

Candidates whose first language isn’t English must demonstrate proficiency by taking either the TOEFL or IELTS examinations; under exceptional circumstances they may be exempted from this requirement.

The LSAT exam includes three sections which are scored: Reading Comprehension, Analytical Reasoning and Logical Reasoning. However, the Essay portion is not factored into your score.

Interviews are the key component of international students’ applications; it provides them the chance to tell their individual stories and explain why they want to become lawyers. Be ready to discuss family history, professional experience and any discrepancies between American legal systems and those back home; be sure to also address any inquiries regarding visa regulations which can become quite complex very quickly.