preLaw Magazine - Fall 2008 - (Page 46) HELPFUL ADVICE Seven ways to beef up your application BY HILLARY MANTIS, ESQ. Y our LSAT scores are below the 25th percentile for your dream law school. Should you give up? Not necessarily. There are ways to potentially up your chances of admission, despite your scores. I recently attended a panel of Law School Admissions Officers. Here are some of their insights, which also mirror what I have found myself in advising students. person. A very well written, insightful, interesting personal statement can add a lot to your application. By the way, I suggest you make your personal statement positive, and not a litany of excuses of why you did not do well on your LSATs. Make a good impression in person If you really want to get into the school, take any opportunity you have to meet the admissions officers in person and make a favorable impression. A handful of law schools, such as Pace Law School, conduct some personal interviews. This may be a growing trend among law schools, so find out if any schools you are interested in offer interviews. Apply early This can be critically important. Because most law schools now have rolling admissions, they start reviewing applications in the fall. By February, some have almost filled their entering class and have already started to waitlist students. According to one admissions officer, that same student might have had a better chance of getting in earlier in the fall. Although many law schools state that their application deadline is March 1, you would be well advised to get it in well before then, preferably by Thanksgiving of the year you apply. If your scores are not ready, get it in as soon as possible and have everything else ready to go. Show that you have real world skills You don’t have to work after law school if you don’t want to, but it gives you a chance to show the admissions committees what you can achieve outside of academics, and also, by the way, gives you a chance to submit second semester senior year grades, which gives you more time to up your final GPA. Show academic promise Even if your LSAT scores are not what you would like them to be, you can work on your GPA. A stellar GPA can influence your application results if you can show academic promise. Try to show that you trended upwards during your years in college, with increasingly good grades. Take tough courses and show that you have a very solid education and would do well in rigorous law school classes. LSAT scores are an indicator of how you might do in law school, according to studies, but they are not the only indicator. Work the waitlist If you end up getting waitlisted at your dream law school, you do have some control over the process, according to an admissions dean I recently spoke with. You may or may not get into the school, but you can keep in touch with them periodically to let them know you would definitely attend the school if admitted. By periodically, I don’t mean that you should pester them, however, as that may have the reverse affect. If you have new grades, a new recommendation, or other materials that add to your credentials, send it to them. Show leadership skills If you have been active at your college, and achieved leadership positions in activities, you show potential to be a good example as a lawyer. Similarly, if you have been active in volunteer activities and involved in your community, you show compassion and maturity. Write a killer personal statement Since most law schools do not conduct personal interviews, the personal statement is your chance to let them see who you are as a 46 preLaw HILLARY MANTIS is a consultant to pre-law students, law students and lawyers. She is the pre-law advisor at Fordham University, the former director of career services at Fordham University School of Law, and the author of Alternative Careers for Lawyers, and Jobs for Lawyers. She can be reached at altcareer@aol.com
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