How to Apply to Law School

Transcription

1 How to Apply to Law School This packet contains the information you will need to apply to law school in the most efficient and effective way possible. Although working with our office is not required by law schools, we urge you to do so for the following reasons: (1) We have experience that will likely be helpful to you as you navigate the law school admissions process. For instance, we can help you make a wise selection of schools to which to apply, offer guidance on writing a strong personal essay which accompanies the application, and advise you on how to prepare the most effective application. (2) The more that we know about you and your applications, the more we can do for you. This Pre-Law Packet contains the following materials: Pre-Law Registration Form Checklist, Timetable, and Guide to Working with the Pre-Law Advising Office Profile Sheet for Law School Applicants Guidelines for Letters of Recommendation for Law School Waiver Law School Application Record Information regarding Dean s Letters or Certification NAPLA Law School Locator

2 PRE-LAW REGISTRATION FORM NAME: CLASS: BOX NO.: LOCAL PHONE #: HOME PHONE #: CELL PHONE#: HOME ADDRESS: ADDRESS: I plan to apply to law school during the academic year or in the future Date:

3 A Guide to Working with the Pre-Law Advising Office 1. Dean Christina Kuan Tsu is the pre-law advisor. At any time, you may make an appointment with her for advice about applying to law school and/or about the practice of law. 2. If you are not already on the pre-law contact list and would like to receive notices of prelaw events, please give your name, class, and address to the pre-professional assistant, Janelle Torres, 3. We ask that you have copies of your recommendations and evaluations sent to your prelaw file in the Dean of Studies Office, as we find them useful when we are advising you. It may also be helpful to have a set here in case scholarship applications require a letter of recommendation, or your recommendations are delayed at LSAC. 4. You will need to decide whether or not to waive your right to read your recommendations and dean's letter (more about dean s letters below (#6) and in the Pre-Law Advising Guide). Federal legislation (Buckley Amendment) entitles you to the right of access to your recommendations. No one can force you to relinquish that right. If you have any questions regarding the waiver issue, you may consult with Dean Kuan Tsu. If you choose to waive your right to read your recommendations and dean's letter, you must sign the waiver statement on the recommendation forms provided by CAS and the waiver form included in the pre-law packet and available in the Dean of Studies Office. 5. A few law schools still have a Dean s Certification, sometimes called a Dean's Letter or College Questionnaire, as part of their application. Dean Kuan Tsu will complete the school forms.

4 Pre-Professional Office: 105 Milbank Pre-law Advisor: Associate Dean Christina Kuan Tsu ( , Pre-Professional Assistant: Janelle Torres ( , CHECKLIST FOR PRE-LAW APPLICANTS, I HAVE: Read all of the attached materials. Submitted an updated copy of my resume to the Dean of Studies office. Completed my Credential Assembly Service (CAS) registration. Registered for the LSAT and authorized release of my scores to Barnard's pre-law advisor. (If you do not authorize release of your scores, we will not have as much information about you in order to be helpful to you through the application process. Ordered all required transcripts from the Registrar of each post-secondary school I attended to be sent to CAS. Verified that copies of all of my recommendations and evaluations are in my pre-law file. Signed the Barnard College Waiver of Access Statement if I do not want to review my dean's certification or letters of recommendation. Submitted a copy of my personal statement for my pre-law file.

5 TIMETABLE FOR LAW SCHOOL APPLICANTS IN THE ACADEMIC YEAR BEFORE THE END OF SPRING SEMESTER '14 Verify with the Pre-Professional Office that you are applying to law school this year to start in Register for the Credential Assembly Service (CAS). Start working on obtaining recommendations and evaluations. Nearly all ABA-approved law schools require the use of LSAC s Credential Assembly Service (CAS). CAS can receive letters of recommendation written on your behalf and then forward them to the law schools to which you are applying. You may ask your recommenders to send their letters directly to CAS (if you have your recommenders send hard copies of their letters, you must give your recommenders the LSAC recommendation forms to send with their letters. If online, provide CAS with your recommenders addresses) If your recommenders are sending their signed, hard copy letters to the Dean of Studies Office, we will keep them in your file and send them to CAS for you (in this case, you give the LSAC recommendation forms to us as well as a stamped envelope addressed to CAS). To find out the LOR preferences of each law school, go to: Evaluations, which are entirely online, may take the place of the letters of recommendation. You should discuss with Dean Kuan Tsu the appropriateness of evaluations versus recommendations. Once you have registered for CAS, you will be able to indicate which letters you want sent to each school. Always ask the people you would like to write letters of recommendation or complete an evaluation for you in person do not just leave them a form. It is useful to provide them with any information that would be helpful, i.e., a resume, copies of papers you wrote for their courses, a copy of your personal statement (if available). We provide "Guidelines for Writing Letters of Recommendation for Law School" which you should feel free to give to the people who are writing for you. Even if your recommenders and evaluators are sending their original letters and evaluations directly to LSAC, please ask your recommenders to send a copy of their letters directly to us for inclusion in your pre-law file. Reading your recommendations and evaluations will help us in advising you. These recommendations in your Barnard pre-law file may also be used if you apply for any law-related scholarships. If you are waiving your right to read your recommendations and your dean's letter, sign the Waiver of Access Statement, which we will place in your file and send with your dean's

6 letter. You must be consistent: if you sign the waiver on the CAS recommendation form, you must also waive your right to read the copies of the recommendations that are in your pre-law file. Once you have waived your right to your recommendation/certification, then recommendations should come directly from the recommender(s) to our office. If you plan to take the June 9 LSAT, you must register by May 6 (receipt deadline). You may register by one of three different ways: online, mail, or telephone. When you register, make sure you authorize the release of your scores to Barnard's pre-law advisor. We cannot knowledgeably support your application in our Dean's Certification without an official score report. OVER THE SUMMER Do research on the various law schools to decide where you are interested in applying. One guide to law schools is jointly published by the Law School Admission Council and the American Bar Association, entitled The Official Guide to ABA-Approved Law Schools. It is available online at The LSAC website also provides a link to the websites of each individual law school. The "Law School Locator" (which is included in this packet) has been developed by the Northeast Association of Pre-law Advisors to help applicants quickly assess the LSAT and GPA median ranges of the overall pool of admitted applicants for all the law schools accredited by the American Bar Association. You can also access an interactive version of the locator at: This information can help you decide where you have realistic chances of being accepted, but it should be used as a general guide only. The Pre-Professional Office also maintains some other statistical information on our prior graduates who have applied to law school, called the Action Reports. This data can be reviewed in consultation with the pre-law advisor. All CAS registrants with LSAC online accounts will have access to the electronic applications for all ABA approved law schools. You do not have to have a transcript sent from a foreign institution if the total amount of work you completed at all foreign institutions combined is equal to or less than the equivalent of one year of undergraduate study in the US, its territories, or Canada, OR your work was completed through an overseas study program that was clearly sponsored by a US, US Territory, or Canadian school. In the latter instance, however, LSAC has in the past required that a transcript be sent from the US sponsoring school. So, if you studied abroad with a program that is sponsored by an American University, it is advisable to still request an official transcript from that U.S. school. If you plan to take the October 4 LSAT, you must register by September 2. It is strongly advised that you take the LSAT no later than this date.

7 EARLY FALL '14 A number of law schools have early action, early notification, or early decision programs. The applications may be due as early as the second week of October. As long as your application materials arrive at the law schools by the early action/decision deadlines, your application will be given full consideration by the admissions committees. Fill out and return to the Pre-Professional Office the profile sheet that is included in the prelaw packet along with an updated copy of your resume. Prepare your personal statement and supplemental essays. (One should be submitted to every law school to which you are applying, even if it is not required.) If you would like advice on your essays, submit a draft to Dean Christina Kuan Tsu for review and comments. You may the essays as an attachment prior to meeting with Dean Kuan Tsu. We strongly urge you to show us your statement before you send them to the law schools. If you have not yet obtained the necessary number of recommendations or evaluations, you should do so now. You should complete your pre-law file in the Pre-Professional Office. Submit a copy of your personal statement and essays to our office for your pre-law file. If you did not have your LSAT score released to Barnard, you should do so now. You should make an appointment to speak with Dean Kuan Tsu to discuss a reasonable range of law schools to which you should apply. Watch for campus visits from law admissions officers and other informational meetings or panels. These sessions are jointly sponsored by Barnard and the three other undergraduate divisions of Columbia. If we have a current address for you, you will receive notices about our pre-law programs through the prelaw listserv. In addition, the Law School Admission Council sponsors several Law School Forums around the country. The New York Forum is scheduled to be at the Hilton New York, 1335 Avenue of the Americas, on October 17 and 18, These forums provide a good opportunity to meet representatives from many law schools in one place. Furthermore, we will hold our own on-campus law fair on October 16, at which there will be at least 70 law schools in attendance. MID-FALL THROUGH EARLY WINTER If you have not done so already, this is when you should finish your applications. Make sure you know the deadlines for each of the schools to which you apply. Most deadlines fall between mid-january and March 1. If you are taking the December 6 LSAT, you must register by November 3. It is inadvisable for you to be taking the LSAT for the first time now.

8 Schedule a personal or phone appointment with the pre-law advisor if you have not already done so. Attend the Financing Law School Workshop and complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) if you are applying for financial aid (this includes loans). Wait for responses from law schools. SPRING '15 If you have been placed on hold (or in a pending category), on a wait list, or in a reserve group at a law school, consult with the pre-law advisor about your strategies. You may consider sending an updated transcript with the most recent grades (if applicable) and a letter of continued interest. When you have been accepted to a school you wish to attend, you should write to the other schools that have accepted you to notify them that you will not be attending. Attend open houses for admitted students at the law schools. Pay the deposit to the school you choose to attend. Before you leave campus after graduation, order a final official transcript from the Barnard registrar (showing graduation date) to be sent to the law school you will attend. FINALLY Please inform the pre-law advising office about your acceptances, denials, and wait-lists as the application process progresses. We would also like to know which law school you decide to attend, and we hope you keep in touch with us in the future. It is important for us all to build a solid Barnard network in the legal profession. GOOD LUCK!

9 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 1. When you fill out the LSAT application, remember to authorize the release of your scores to Barnard's pre-law advisor. We need an official report of your scores in order to evaluate your candidacy and advise you knowledgeably. 2. If you take the LSAT in June, October, or December 2014 at the regularly scheduled sessions (which do not include the special sessions for Sabbath observers), you will receive with your score a copy of the test, your answers, and the correct answers. If you take the test in February 2015, or a special session, you will only receive your score report. 3. LSAC will automatically report the result of all your LSAT scores and registrations, including cancellations and absences. 4. If you need to apply for a waiver of the LSAT fee, or any law school application fees, you may download a fee waiver packet from the LSAC website 5. Most law schools have application deadlines between mid-january and early March; however, it is advantageous to complete your application by mid-november because many schools have rolling admissions. Completing your application early will also allow you time to remedy any clerical problems that may occur, such as lost or misplaced recommendations. 6. If at any point you decide not to apply to law school this year, please let us know so that we will be able to maintain your file in the appropriate location.

10 PROFILE SHEET FOR LAW SCHOOL APPLICANTS (Optional) Date: Name: LSAC #: Barnard College ID #: Class: When do you plan to begin law school? Major and advisor: Mail Box # (if undergraduate): Mailing Address if no longer a student: Permanent Address: Local telephone #: Permanent phone # (if different): Cell phone #: address: Answering the following questions will help us in advising you. 1. Where were you born? 2. List the places you have lived and the years you lived in each place. 3. What is your ethnic background? African American/Black Hispanic/Latina (Specify: Mexican American, Puerto Rican, Cuban, etc) Native American Asian American/Pacific Islander White Other 4. What are your parents (and, if applicable, step-parents ) degrees and occupations? 5. How many siblings do you have? Indicate whether they are male or female and their ages? 6. Please describe any special circumstances which would give our office a better idea of your home life (divorce, illness, death of family members, living with extended family, frequent moves, etc.).

11 7. If you have already graduated from Barnard, what have you been doing since you graduated (include school, jobs, volunteer work, etc.)? 8. If you are presently doing a senior thesis, or did one when a senior, please describe your project. 9. What is/was your major and why did you choose it? 10. College extracurricular activities (please briefly describe and include the semesters/years you were involved in each activity): 11. Jobs held during college (please include paying jobs, internships, and volunteer work and provide the length of time you held the job and the approximate number of hours you worked each week). Also specify whether the job was paid work or volunteer work. 12. List all academic, civic, and professional honors or awards you have received since graduation from high school and when you received each: 13. What activity or accomplishments are you most proud of and why?

12 14. What influenced you to choose law as your future career? 15. What do you believe is your greatest academic strength? Explain. 16. What do you believe is your greatest non-academic strength? Explain. 17. List your interests or hobbies in order of importance to you: 18. List and comment briefly on the activities and jobs you have performed that relate to your decision to become a lawyer: 19. If there is an academic weakness in your record or a particularly difficult semester while you were in college, briefly account for the reason. Please explain any leaves of absence or withdrawals.

13 20. Which home-family and/or extracurricular college experiences have contributed to your strengths and weaknesses as a potential law student? How? 21. If you know, describe the kind of work you would like to do as a lawyer and why. (For example, criminal defense, corporate, public interest, landlord-tenant, etc.). 22. (a) When did you take or when do you plan to take the LSAT? (b) What is/are your LSAT score(s)? (c) What were your highest SAT scores (math and verbal)? IMPORTANT!! When you register for the LSAT, remember to authorize the release of your scores to your undergraduate pre-law advisor. 23. Have you ever been the subject of a disciplinary action at Barnard/Columbia? Yes No 24. Have you ever been given an academic warning or placed on academic probation? Yes No If you have, please explain the circumstances on a separate page or in a confidential meeting with a pre-law advisor. Disciplinary action includes a warning, probation, or suspension for academic, Honor Code, or non-academic reasons. If you have any questions about whether something you have been involved in amounts to a disciplinary action, please ask your class dean or the pre-law advisor.

14 GUIDELINES FOR WRITING LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION FOR LAW SCHOOL Recommendations and evaluations play a significant role in the admissions' process for law school. We thank you for taking the time to write on behalf of one of our applicants. At the bottom of this page is a signed statement indicating whether or not the applicant is waiving her right to read your letter. The following are guidelines for your evaluation: Letters written by faculty: Your appraisal should include a statement about how well you know the applicant and in what context. Comments about writing and speaking skills, analytic ability, contribution to the dynamics of the class, as well as the ability to think independently and to deal with complexity and challenges are particularly relevant for law school applicants. It is also helpful if you can discuss personal traits such as diligence, organization, the ability to work under pressure, overall maturity, intellectual vibrancy, and respect for the opinions of others. It is particularly helpful to admissions committees if you can comment on how the applicant compares with her peers. Letters written by supervisors of work or volunteer activities: Your letter should indicate how well and in what context you know the applicant and how long the applicant has worked for you. Law schools will find it helpful if you can also address any of the following points about the applicant: sense of responsibility; resourcefulness; intellect, speaking and writing abilities; analytical and organizational skills; ability to think independently and to deal with complexity and challenges; ability to deal with a variety of people and to handle stressful situations; judgment and common sense; and potential for leadership. Please note: The applicant may ask you to send your letter directly to LSAC with the LSAC recommendation form. If this is the case, we ask that you also send a copy directly to the Barnard College Pre-Law advisor, 105 Milbank, Barnard College, 3009 Broadway, New York, New York Thank you. Applicant: Please fill in this section. Your name: Class: (please print) I understand that federal law provides me with a right of access to this recommendation and that no school may require me to waive this right. I hereby waive do not waive my right of access to this recommendation. Signature: Date:

15 B A R N A R D BARNARD COLLEGE COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY Barnard College 3009 Broadway New York, NY To the applicant: Federal legislation known as the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 gives matriculated students the right of access to recommendations and evaluations submitted in support of their applications if the school retains these materials. You may choose to waive this right, but no school or person can require you to do so; and under the law, your decision concerning this option should not affect consideration of your application. Nevertheless, you should be aware that recommendations and evaluations are most useful when admissions officers believe they are candid and objective and that some writers may be less frank if they know you may read their letters. However, it is entirely your decision as to whether or not you waive your right of access to these recommendations and evaluations. Please indicate your decision by checking one of the boxes below and signing your name on the line provided. I hereby waive my right of access to the recommendations, evaluations, and dean s letters/dean s certifications which have been or will be written for me. I do not waive my right of access to the recommendations, evaluations, and dean s letters/dean s certifications which have been or will be written for me. Signature: Date: Print name:

16 Year of intended admission: First Application Deadline: Class of: LAW SCHOOL APPLICATION RECORD Name: Student Mail Box: Local Phone #: Home Address: Permanent Phone #: Cell Phone: Please list ALL the schools to which you are applying and the application deadlines (this means the school s deadline, not your own). Please indicate how your recommendations are being handled: My recommenders are sending their letters directly to LSAC. My recommenders are sending their letters to my file in the Dean of Studies Office to be mailed by the DOS to LSAC. Some schools require dean s certifications; others do not. Please place a check in the column Send Dean s Letter. by those schools which require the dean s certification. Signed: Date: Shaded area for office use only School 1. Application Deadline Send Dean s Letter Date Mailed Additional Action Results: Accept Reject W.L ATT

17 Information for Pre-law Advisors: Dean s Letters or Certifications The primary purpose of a law school dean s letter (also known as Dean s Certification, Dean s Recommendation, or College Questionnaire) is to obtain information about academic and disciplinary misconduct (or lack thereof); some law school forms also include questions about the applicant s academic performance, leadership, motivation and character. Six ABA-Approved law schools require a dean s letter as part of the J.D. application for all first year applicants. Seven additional schools require a dean s letter at the time of submitting the J.D. application if the applicant answers yes to questions involving academic or disciplinary action. Twelve or more schools require a dean s letter for all matriculating first-year students (this information is hard to ascertain). Undergraduate institutions vary in how they assign responsibility for completing dean s letters. Some institutions handle this function within the dean s office; others delegate the responsibility to the prelaw advisor, registrar, other university official, or to various offices. Undergraduate institutions prepare dean s letters in different ways. At some schools, a personal letter is written for each applicant, providing the required disciplinary information and additional support for the candidate; at others, the dean s form is completed as a clerical function, after checking university judicial and disciplinary records. Most law schools also require the applicant to provide information about prior disciplinary, judicial, or academic history, whether or not a dean s letter is required. The question is often phrased have you ever been subject to disciplinary action for scholastic or other reasons...? This question is broader than the questions answered by college officials, who typically complete a dean s letter based upon records, not upon personal experience or knowledge. Applicants should be advised to answer such questions truthfully and completely, disclosing information even when records have been expunged or sealed. Failure to disclose can trigger severe consequences in the law school admission process and later in the bar admission process. A law school application is a continuing application; it must be updated if the initial response becomes inaccurate or incomplete. The Pre-law Advisors National Council (PLANC) adopted a resolution in 2003 urging law schools to eliminate the dean s letter requirement. Many law schools have changed their policies since Some require a dean s letter with the initial first year application only if the applicant has a history of academic or disciplinary violations. Others require a dean s certification only for matriculating first year students, after an applicant has been accepted and has made a seat deposit. Typically, this form will be sent to the applicant s undergraduate school in late Spring or early Summer. A list of schools requiring dean s letters for first year JD applicants is provided below. Many law schools require a dean s letter from the undergraduate institutions and law schools attended by transfer applicants. Additional research is needed to identify these schools. Tips for Pre-law Advisors responsible for completion of Dean s Letters: Identify the campus offices that maintain disciplinary and academic records necessary to provide information required in the dean s forms. At many schools, academic integrity records are maintained separately from disciplinary records. At undergraduate institutions with more than one college or school, separate records may be kept within each unit. Some law schools specifically request a certification from each degree program in which the student has been enrolled, which may include transfers within the same university. Obtain a copy of the standard student record release form for your campus. To ensure compliance with Federal and state confidentiality requirements, it is best to require applicants

18 to sign your campus form, in addition to any waiver/release included in the dean s form. Electronic signatures are permissible under Federal FERPA Rules. After determining prior practice, make a decision as to how you will handle dean s letters. The decision to prepare a personal dean s letter can benefit the applicant, however it will require significant resources (i.e. your time) in the busy fall and winter admission season. Also, it is difficult to know all applicants, since most law school candidates apply after graduation. If you choose to prepare individual letters, consider the use of a template on your word processing program. Keep track of the volume of paperwork and staff time required for dean s letters, to include in your annual report. Provide applicants with clear directions on office procedures, allowing your office sufficient time (minimum two weeks) to check records, complete the form or letter, and mail it to the law school. Many schools require applicants to furnish a stamped envelope addressed to each law school. Some pre-law advisors send the dean s letter, as an additional reference and at the applicant s request, to law schools not requiring a dean s letter. Dean s letter required for all First Year JD applicants: Brigham Young University Howard University University of Richmond (admission decision can be made prior to receipt of dean s letter) Stanford University University of Washington Yale Law School Dean's letter required for First Year JD applicants who answer "Yes" to academic/disciplinary action questions on the law school application: Brooklyn Law School Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law Columbia University Cornell University Duke University University of Florida New York University Dean's letter required for accepted First Year JD applicants who pay seat deposit: Boston University New York University (see above) Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law University of Pennsylvania Columbia (see above) Stetson University Cornell University (see above) Suffolk University Georgetown University University of Richmond (see above) Harvard University Wake Forest ***Note: A number of law schools are requiring that applicants who answer yes to disciplinary question also submit copies of official documentation, which could trigger the applicant s request for a letter from the undergraduate institution to document the disciplinary action. Heather C. Struck Assistant Dean and Pre-law Advisor College of Arts and Sciences Cornell University October 2010

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