So you’ve already passed the entrance exam and have submitted letters of recommendation. You’re also done browsing through countless sample law school personal statement essays that helped you come up with a well-crafted personal statement essay. But the admissions process for law schools does not end there. You’ll still have to strap yourself up for the personal interview that the admissions committee will conduct. Here are a few tips to help you gear up for the interview:
Confirm, inquire, and prepare
Once you receive the invitation for an interview, confirm your attendance as well as the details by calling the school. Inquire about the details of the interview; the time and venue, who the interviewer will be (if they’re allowed to disclose that information), and if you have to bring any personal documents. Take note of specific instructions. Sometimes this can also be used a test of your keenness and attention to detail. One way of preparing for the actual interview is by doing your research on the interviewer.
You can do this by visiting websites of school forums. Ask people if your interviewer has certain pet peeves that you should avoid. But more than the interviewer, you should spend considerable amount of time reading up on the law school’s history and the current developments and issues in the institution.
Do an ocular and review your personal statement
If you’re not at all familiar with the school’s grounds and the town where it’s located, you might want to do an ocular inspection prior to the interview. Familiarize yourself with the campus, as well as the building and area where your interview will be held. Then, you should review the documents you submitted, especially your personal statement essay. As you know, admission interviews will be based on what you’ve written in your essay. You will be asked to expound on the details of your transcript as well the bits of information you wrote in your essay.
Check out sample law school personal statement websites which provide tips and tricks on how the things you say in your interview can complement or contradict the stuff you’ve written in your essay. If you’ve lost the copy of your essay, and accidentally deleted the file in your computer, don’t worry. You can read sample law school personal statement essays to help you remember the things you’ve written about yourself in your personal statement.
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People have different standards in choosing law schools to apply to. Some consider the school’s reputation as the most important factor to consider, while some focus more on tuition and financial costs. To help you choose which law school to apply to, below are five key factors you should consider:
Financial costs
These include tuition, living expenses, housing and rent rates, and other miscellaneous expenses. For most students and parents, these are the main things to consider in selecting a law school. While scholarships and financial aid may help you deal with tuition concerns, you should also check if the cost of living in the school’s locality is within your budget.
Curriculum and course offerings
Especially for those who already have a specialization in mind, you should check if the law school offers challenging courses and programs that are related to your desired field. Most law schools follow a core curriculum for the first year, but come sophomore year, you’ll have to tailor your curriculum in accordance with the track you want to take.
Reputation of institution
Although some consider a law school’s reputation insignificant, others believe that it’s an important factor to consider because of the opportunities that the school’s alumni network can offer. Choosing Ivy League law schools solely because of their reputation is not recommendable, and should only factor in as a complementary consideration when choosing law schools.
Diversity and quality of faculty and student body
The best law schools are those that are able to cater to the academic and social needs of their students. By carefully considering the quality of faculty and diversity of student body, you can somehow ensure that you’ll be getting not only the best law education there is, but also the best law school experience.
Career opportunities
Many law schools have tie-ups with private firms and government institutions to help their students find work opportunities when they graduate. Although having job placement departments in law schools doesn’t always ensure employment, at least it can help up your chances of getting hired.
There are some admission requirements common to all law schools, such as college transcript, test scores, and personal statement essay. For the personal statement essay, however, the required structure and content may vary depending on the law school. There are sample law school personal statement essays found online, which you can consult to help you write your own. You can even find sample law school personal statement essays from specific schools. We recommend reading through sample law school personal statement essays so that you can get a clear and concrete idea of how these essays are crafted.
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In the US, virtually all ABA-accredited law schools offer the same courses to freshman students. These subjects or courses comprise what is considered as the general core curriculum. But by the time they reach their second year, law students get a wider range of course options to choose from and are allowed to then tailor their curricula according to their desired specialization. If, for example, you want to specialize in human rights laws, you should choose courses and electives that are directly related to human rights issues and topics.
The course and program offerings is one of the main things that students should consider and look into before applying to a particular law school. Most law schools regularly maintain their websites, where they post curriculum guides and outlines, so browsing through various schools’ curricula shouldn’t be that hard. To make things even easier for you, below we’ve provided an outline of, as well as links to, the courses offered in top-ranking law schools in the US.
Yale Law School
Yale Law School remains as one of the most exclusive law schools in the US because of their highly selective admissions processes. Yale only admits under 200 students per school year, but offers a wide range of options for courses, lectures, and seminars especially for business law.
Georgetown University
One reason why many students flock to Georgetown University to study law is because of their updated course offerings that tackle the latest legal issues and matters. Georgetown is one of the few law schools that have jurisprudence updates on Bioethics, as well as Internet crimes and cyberspace laws. The school is also known for the wide array of specializations they offer.
The New York Law School – International and Comparative Law
The New York Law School boasts of curricula that span international interests and concerns to cater to students who wish to pursue legal careers in a highly globalized and transnational setting. The school also offers advanced courses on Human Rights, Business Law, and Litigation and Dispute Resolution.
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The Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies, or simply called the Federalist Society, was formed in 1982 by a group of law students from top law schools, specifically, Harvard, Yale, and the University of Chicago. The organization was founded with the aim of reforming the current US judicial system. From being an organization composed mainly of law students, the Federalist Society has grown and developed into being the largest network of students and legal professionals in the US.
The Federalist Society is currently composed of three main divisions: Student Division, Lawyers Division, and a Faculty Division. The group has members of more than 10,000 law students from ABA-accredited and non-ABA accredited law schools, as well as members from international graduate and law institutions. The Federalist Society also has chapters all over the US and in other countries, and has around 30,000 members in their Alumni and Faculty Division.
Mission and vision
The Federalist Society aims to improve current and future political leaders’ understanding of the underlying principles in the Constitution of the United States. The organization believes that the main purpose for the state’s existence is to preserve and uphold individual freedom and the country’s traditional values by ensuring that the judiciary follows the limitations and rights stated in the Constitution. Furthermore, Federalists aim to spread legal awareness on constitutional issues and serve as watchdogs of the US judiciary system.
Programs and activities
The Federalist Society is known, among many other things, for the forums, discussions, and debates they hold in law schools across the US. Through these, and their annual gatherings, Federalists have successfully redefined the terms of legal debate and spread awareness and information regarding the issues that the US judiciary system currently faces. To ensure that the discussions and debates are as informative and unbiased as possible, the Federalist Society also invites speakers from opposing sides to present their views.
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Contrary to popular belief that law school students immediately go to law firms and practice law after graduation, there are actually quite a number of various positions that law school graduates apply for. From legal and corporate research to socio-political activism, here is a list of some of the fields and industries that law school graduates can work in:
Legal research, consultancy, and analysis
Though the knowledge gained in law school is valuable, most students feel the need to immerse themselves further in the legal realm before they apply their knowledge and litigate in courts. One good way to do this is to work as a legal researcher or legal consultant. Doing so will enhance the law school students’ work experiences while adding to their knowledge on legal matters.
Public administration and policy-making
It’s common for law school graduates to run for office after gaining much experience and knowledge on the legal aspects involved in holding government positions, such as policy-making. Most politicians hire law school graduates to be part of their staff to help them craft speeches, conceptualize and formulate policies, and even to lobby for bills. Working in this field is ideal for those who specialized in constitutional laws.
Corporate and professional industries
Especially for law school graduates who specialized in finance and taxation, companies and corporations hire law students because of their knowledge on taxation and revenue laws. Every large-scale company needs an attorney to take care of whatever legal issues that the company may fac, may it be labor-related or regarding income and revenue.
Non-profit and civic organizations
The types of law school graduates who go to work for non-profit and civic organizations are usually those who specialized in labor laws, human rights laws, environmental laws, and family law. For some law students, their law school education is best put to use by working in non-government organizations and civil society organizations dedicated to advancing human rights and bringing attention to social issues. The legal knowledge that law school graduates possess is valuable to such organizations because they provide the necessary information to hold socio-political entities accountable and pursue structural changes.
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In addition to passing the entrance exam and submitting a well-crafted personal statement, admission into law school also requires applicants to submit at least two letters of recommendation. If you’re at a loss as to what these are and whom to get them from, read on to find out the answers to these top two FAQs regarding letters of recommendation.
What are letters of recommendation?
Letters of recommendation are documents secured usually from previous professors and lecturers, which serves as complementary documents to your law school personal statement. Letters of recommendation are used by admissions committees to gauge the intellectual capacities and academic skills of applicants. These also serve as backing proof of the self-evaluation you give in your law school personal statement. Letters of recommendation allow admissions committees to know more about you by getting the perspective and opinions of the people you’ve worked with.
Just like in other graduate schools, letters of recommendation are usually part of the basic requirements of getting into law school. These, along with your transcripts and personal statement, will be the admissions committees’ preliminary basis for considering your application. Some law schools provide a template for how your letter of recommendation should be written, while some let applicants structure their own. The main thing to remember in letters of recommendation is that they should detail your personal and professional traits as well as the writers’ experiences in working with you.
Who should you get to write them?
Again, this would vary depending on the law school you’re applying to. Some law schools provide key reference persons, such as your professors and lecturers in undergraduate schools, while some will require you to get a letter of recommendation from someone you’ve worked with professionally. Some may even require a combination of both. If the law school did not give specific references, it’s still wise to get recommendation letters from previous professors. You get plus points if you get them from instructors you were close with or got good grades from, because they are the ones who will most probably give a glowing evaluation of you and your work.
Movies about law school experience could be considered as informative materials. People interested in law schools should be able to watch such flicks to give them a clear picture of how is law school like. Aside from checking out online source for sample law school personal statement, applicants who are about to write their admissions essay could also use these movies as a source of background information. To give you an idea of these law school movies, here is a list of the top five flicks that law school enthusiasts must watch.
Paper Chase
Paper Chase is a 1973 film by director James Bridges. The movie was based on John Jay Osborn, Jr.’s novel. The Harvard Law School student, Hart (portrayed by Timothy Bottoms), is the main focus of the movie. Hart became his Contract law professor’s opponent. The situation gets worse when he finds out that the girl he is dating is actually his professor’s daughter. The Paper Chase has been reviewed as one of the best all-time movies depicting law school life.
The Pelican Brief
This movie was based on John Grisham’s novel. Julia Roberts portrays the lead character named Darby Shaw. Shaw is doing a research about the death of two Supreme Court justices when she finds out that the death was caused by several men of high stature. Shaw gives the title of her research as The Pelican Brief. But although her research unveils interesting details, it causes the death of her professor Thomas Callahan. The movie focused more on Shaw’s quest to run for her life.
The Trials of Law School
The Trials of Law School features the lives of the University of Oklahoma College of law students. The 87-minute film delves onto the different hopes and aspirations of the students. This film focused more on how law school students managed to juggle their personal life and law studies. It is a definite must-watch film by anyone who is planning to pursue a law degree.
Legally Blonde
Elle Woods is the least person you would think to enter the world of law school. This president of a sorority known for its good-looking members does not possess the usual traits of a law school student. This movie has been considered as a surprise box office hit. The positive sales have even led to a sequel.
Reversal of Fortune
Claus von Bulow is convicted for the attempted murder of his wife. To get him out of jail, he asks Harvard Law School professor Alan Dershowitz to help him. The movie focused on the work that Dershowitz and his students did in preparation for von Bulow’s court trials.
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Being admitted to law schools could really be tough. But this does not mean that you have to back out from the challenge. There are ways which could help you go through the law school admission process. As a matter of fact, you could maximize the use of the law school admission requirements. Your sample law school personal statement, in particular, could be your passport to your dream university.
Your law school personal statement could be used to make yourself unique. You could use check out sample law school personal statement and use it to write about your very own experiences and activities that you had in your college days. Such situations could demonstrate your skills and traits. To help you in this aspect, read the following tips. The information below might give you an idea of how you can use your personal statement to convince your readers.
Don’t cram.
Give yourself enough time. There is a big risk that you won’t be able to think logically if you are time-pressured. So to avoid such occurrence, prepare your personal statement for law schools way ahead of time. You may wish to view different kinds of sample law school personal statement for you to get an idea of the common themes for this requirement. Admissions committee members have a knack for spotting admissions essays that have been hurriedly done. If you give yourself enough time to craft your essay, it will show in the final result.
Reflect.
It is easy to cite personal experiences that could improve your law school application standing. But you also have to provide information that could make you stand out. So, cite the experiences or the situation you have encountered that could show your determination and other relevant skills.
Reason out.
The things you would write in your sample law school personal statement must be able to show how you have decided to get into law school. You could state that getting a law degree has been your long-time dream. You could also share something about the person that have inspired you to take a degree in law.
Organize.
The flow of your sample law school personal statement must be smooth. Never write in circles. It would just turn your readers off. Organizing could also be an opportunity for you to review the coherence of your statements. You could also make an outline prior to writing your sample law school personal statement.
Edit.
The sample law school personal statement could give you an idea of what the admissions committee members are expecting from their applicants. So it is important to step your best foot in when you write your own personal statement. Reread your essay to make sure that you don’t have typographical and grammatical errors. Editing could also give you the chance to delete and add information. Coming up with a personal statement that has impeccable English convinces your readers that you are serious about law school.
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Law school applicants are not only preoccupied with writing an impressive sample law school personal statement. The financial cost of law school studies could also be one of the concerns of law school applicants. There are people who understand such a situation. That is why there are institutions that provide law school scholarships to people who they think are qualified.
If you want to get a law school scholarship, read the following list of organizations and institutions that offer such grants. The information below might help you find the law school scholarship program that you are looking for.
American Bar Association
The ABA gives legal opportunity scholarships to outstanding ABA-accredited law school students. The successful students would receive $5,000 per year. The association could also opt to renew the scholarship provided that the beneficiaries have maintained a satisfactory academic performance.
American Counsel Association
Third year law students with good academic performance could apply for the ACA scholarship. The nominations for these scholarships must be submitted by your law school dean.
Alabama Law Foundation
This organization offers the Cabaniss, Johnston Scholarship to Alabama law school students who are studying at ABA-accredited universities. Second year law students who can show civic involvement and financial need should consider applying for this scholarship.
Columbian Lawyers Association of Westchester County, Inc
The association awards the Carl A. Vergari Scholarship to students who rank in the upper half of their class. The students seeking this scholarship must also be willing to reside in Westchester County.
Erie County Bar Association
Law school students residing in Erie County could very well apply for the Erie County Bar Association Scholarship. Students who can demonstrate their financial need could fill out the online application form provided by the association.
Krugliak Wilkings Griffiths & Dougherty Co., L.P.A.,
This company awards the Samuel Krugliak Legal Scholarship to currently enrolled law students who are studying in ABA-accredited law schools. The applicants must have resided or are currently residing in Wayne, Carroll, Holmes, Tuscarawas, Mahoning, Summit, Columbiana, or Stark counties. The organization is also looking for applicants who intend to practice law in the region of Stark County.
Minority Corporate Counsel Association
The Lloyd M. Johnson, Jr. Scholarship is being offered by the Minority corporate Counsel Association. The scholarship is created for US law school freshmen students who are from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Orange County Hispanic Bar Association
This association awards the Wally Davis Scholarship to qualified Hispanic law school students from Orange County, California. Applicants who belong to the upper half of their class are qualified for this scholarship.
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There are people who decide not to practice law even if they have already done a lot of law-related tasks. Some people have gone through the whole law school experiene – writing a good sample law school personal statement, getting into law school, and finishing a law degree – only to find themselves wanting to explore other options. If you are one of them, no need to sweat. A lot of graduates have encountered the where-do-I-go-from-here dilemma. If you think that you can’t live up to your law school personal statement because you don’t want to practice law anymore, you don’t have to worry. The things that you have included in your sample law school personal statement would not go to waste because there are other career options for law graduates like you.
Teach.
As a person who has first hand experience in writing a sample law school personal statement, applying to law schools, and finishing a law degree, you are a very credible law “expert.” Getting a teaching post in law schools could be your career option. You could also teach law-related undergraduate courses such as Legal Studies and Criminal Justice. You just have to prepare yourself to take graduate studies. Academic institutions prefer candidates who have finished their Master of Law (LL.M.) or Doctor of Juridical Science (in the US).
Protect the environment.
A law degree means that you have full understanding of policies concerning the environment. You could act as an environmental advocate, environmental policies consultant, technological programs hazard specialist or coastal zone resources manager. Companies employ people who are adept in legal procedures concerning the environment to make sure that they don’t violate any policy.
Manage businesses.
Your law school training will put you in an advantageous position when applying for corporate positions such as property administrator, program analyst, corporate manager, and grants management specialist. Your knowledge in legal procedures could make you an ideal candidate for management positions.
Be involved in media.
Your extensive legal knowledge could very well make you a good law correspondent or a legal editor. Law students like you are very used to reading voluminous amounts of reading materials. Use it to your advantage.
Do something different.
Ascertain your interests. It is very likely that you can pair law school education with your strengths. Your educational skills could help you land research jobs or other similar positions. Your knowledge in policies and regulations could help you get positions in real estate, human resources and employment, financial services, and law enforcement.
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