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The two most important factors that determine admission into law school are the student's score on the LSAT, and the student's grade point average. However, is important to know that law schools are also interested in students' work experience and extra-curricular activities. Most law schools also require one or more letters of recommendation plus and a personal statement.
In addition to applying for the LSAT, students must also request to have their college transcripts sent to the Law School Data Assembly Service (LSDAS), including transcripts from all undergraduate institutions which they have attended. The transcripts are sent by the undergraduate institutions to the LSDAS, which supplies a summary of the transcripts to the law schools to which the student is applying. In this summary, the student's GPA is computed separately for each year, allowing a law school to detect an improvement in a student's GPA as well as to see the overall GPA of the student. LSDAS also sends to the law schools to which a student is applying copies of the transcripts themselves. The GPA is of course the average of the grades received by a student during college. The higher ther GPA, the better your chances of admission to law school will be. Keep in mind that a high GPA, in by itself, will not be sufficient. It must be based on achievement in serious and challenging courses. Therefore, the only sensible strategy for a pre-law student is to take a manageable number of challenging courses each quarter and to do as well as possible in those courses.
Law schools do not have a preference for students who have majored in any particular subject. For the most part, they are interested in students with a solid liberal arts background. Therefore, regardless of what subject you major in, always plan to take courses at the appropriate level in a wide variety of subjects, including social sciences, humanities, natural sciences, business, mathematics, and statistics.
Law schools are also interested in evidence that a student is particularly mature or responsible, has participated in various activities during college, and has demonstrated exceptional leadership ability. A student planning the It is highly recommended to take advantage of opportunities to participate in activities which contribute to personal growth and social competence such as student government, the school newspaper or special research projects.
Lastly, most law schools also suggest that an applicant submit two or three letters of recommendation. Students should take advantage of opportunities to become acquainted with particular faculty members, and be able to identify, by the time they are to apply to law school, at least two faculty members from whom to request a recommendation. Faculty members occasionally go on leave for a year or part of a year, and students should determine whether a faculty member from whom they wish to request a recommendation will be readily available to write such a letter at the appropriate time. Law schools do not appreciate and do not place value in letters of recommendation from relatives or friends of applicants, even if such relatives or friends are of importance. The purpose of the recommendation is to assure the law school that the applicant is a conscientious and mature student. The most useful letters of recommendation should come from faculty members who are familiar with the student's work and work habits.
For more information about law school:
Advice for Getting Into Law School
Surviving Law School
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