Your success in law school is dependent upon your work ethic.
Applying for and obtaining admission into a professional school is not easy. This is no different for law schools. While there is no specific formula to gain admission into a law school, understanding the entry requirements is helpful in maximizing your chances, especially since the application process is a very competitive one.
Undergraduate Education
One of the most fundamental requirements for entry into any American Bar Association (ABA) accredited law school is the completion of an undergraduate education. If you considering attending an ABA accredited law school, you must have completed a four-year bachelor's degree. The bachelor's degree must be regionally accredited in the United States. In addition to this requirement, law schools find other factors, such as your GPA, academic awards and the rigor and quality of your undergraduate classes, are helpful in choosing students for an incoming law school. Furthermore, law schools view applicants who have completed a graduate education favorably.
LSAT
The Law School Admission Test (LSAT), administered by the Law School Admission Council (LSAC), seeks to measure skills that are critical to succeeding in law school. The test is open to the public four times a year, which is typically in June, October, December and February; the actual dates vary from one year to another.
There are five 35-minite sections in the LSAT, namely the Analytical Reasoning, Reading Comprehension and Logical Reasoning sections. The score scale ranges from 120 to 180, with 120 being the lowest score and 180 being the highest score an applicant can achieve on the test.
All ABA accredited schools require applicants to register and sit for the LSAT. Typically, the higher your LSAT score, the more competitive you are in comparison to other applicants. Therefore, it is important to score highly on the test. Nonetheless, law schools do not solely rely on an applicant's LSAT performance in making an admission decision.
LSAC Account with LSDAS
Before gaining admission into any ABA accredited law school, you must sign up for an LSAC account with a current Law School Data Assembly Service file (see Resources). Upon paying the LSDAS fee, which, as of May 2010, was $132, the LSDAS provides law schools with a comprehensive academic summary of your background. Your LSDAS file displays vital information, such as your undergraduate GPA and your LSAT score.
ABA accredited law schools require applicants to maintain an up-to-date LSDAS file.
Additional Requirements
Additional requirements for law school admission include a personal statement discussing any aspect of your life that you believe will help the law school admission in assessing whether law school would be a good fit. Typically, law schools require law school applicants to type their personal statements with a 12-point font; the page must be double-spaced.
Law schools generally view applicants who have overcome various forms of adversity favorably.
Other requirements include an up-to-date resume demonstrating your work experience, if any. You are also required to pay the application fee by check. Application fees vary from one law school to another.
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