Application and Admission

The Law School Admission Test (LSAT) ideally should be taken in June of the last school year before you hope to be admitted into law school. The test is given four times a year: June, October, December and February. Taking the LSAT in June allows a student to re-take the LSAT in October and still be on track for most law school admissions cycles. However, law schools view multiple LSAT scores differently. Registration information can be obtained from the Arts & Sciences Advising Center or from the Law School Admissions Council, www.lsac.org. The LSAT measures logical reasoning, analytical reasoning, reading comprehension, and student’s writing ability through a writing sample. There is also an experimental portion to the LSAT to assist in future test development. Students are encouraged to take practice tests as much as possible to familiarize them with the test and develop the skill areas the test is designed to measure. There are many study guides and books available to help you with this process.

The Law School Data Assembly Service (LSDAS) is a standardized reporting service that prepares a report on you for distribution to law schools. The registration material for LSDAS is available through the Arts & Sciences Advising Center or at www.lsac.org. LSDAS will compile your LSAT score(s), undergraduate transcripts, and letters of recommendation (if you utilize the optional service) and send out to law schools interested in you a Master Law School Report summarizing the above information. You will also receive a copy of this report. You should register for the LSDAS service sometime in the early fall of the school year prior to entering law school or at the same time you register for the LSAT. The subscription to the service is good for five years.

Application Process - In addition to the LSDAS report, law schools will want a school specific application submitted to each school. This application will include submission of a personal statement/essay. If you choose not to use the LSDAS Letter of Recommendation service, letters from faculty, staff, employers, or personal contacts, will be sent as part of the secondary application process. School applications are available directly from the school or students can simplify the application process by subscribing to the LSACWeb to complete applications on line. To determine what applications to complete, students must choose where to apply. There are many different law schools to choose from and there are many different reasons why one law school might be a better fit for you then others. Some of the decision factors to use in choosing a particular law school are your LSAT scores, GPA scores, geographic location, cost, faculty to student ratio, reputation, career services, and many other factors. Most law schools have rolling admissions usually starting in the fall. This means the earlier you can apply to a particular law school the better your chances will be of being accepted. To determine what schools you might apply to, use the ABA-LSAC Official Guide to ABA-Approved Law Schools published by the Law School Admissions Council and updated annually. A searchable version of the book is available at www.lsac.org. It is advisable that students apply to multiple law schools as time and expenses will allow.