Many factors should be considered when applying to law schools: geographical region, setting (urban or rural), size, selectivity, status, costs, financial aid possibilities, special programs (combined degree, affirmative action, night school, etc.), clinical programs, and so forth. The Official Guide to U.S. Law Schools is a good place to begin; it is available online at http://www.lsac.org. The Guide presents descriptions of the various schools prepared by the schools themselves. These descriptions give a good sense of how the schools see themselves--what they think they do especially well--as well as specifics about their programs and financial aid. Many include a grid of their admissions record from the previous year at the various GPA and LSAT levels, which can give you some idea of how likely you are to be accepted at any particular law school.
Law school admission personnel are usually happy to provide information to prospective applicants. You should take the opportunity to meet with many representatives in person. The four Minnesota law schools send their Director of Admissions to Gustavus Adolphus each year to meet with pre-law students; watch for announcements of these meetings.
Once you have established a list of law schools to which you might apply, you should visit the law schools' websites to learn all you can about each. New catalogues are available in August or September.
You are encouraged to use the LSAC electronic application process. A link can be found on the LSAC homepage.
Choosing a law school is a critical decision. You should gather as much information as possible before you commit your time, money, and energy. The following is a checklist of items you should investigate before you make a final decision:
Faculty: legal training, specialties, diversity, accessibility to students, ratio of faculty to students, the number of adjunct faculty
Journals: a school's journals tell you its areas of emphasis and reputation
Law Review: what are the ways a student can join
Financial Support: loans, scholarships, employment opportunities at law school or law firms for second-year and third-year students
Housing: dorms (if any), apartment rates, parking, clearing house for roommates
Tutorial: academic support programs
Internships: number, locale, salaries (if any)
Community Environment: recreation opportunities, safety, diversity
Student Organizations: kind and type
Attrition Rates: how many students drop out or fail and why
Employment Placement: locations, salaries, depth, differences between the top 10% and the other 90%, percentage hired within 6 or 9 months of graduation
Bar Passage Rate: include review course costs, study facilities
Library Facilities: extent of holdings, computer access, hours of operation, access to other libraries’ holdings, available individual and group study space, parking and proximity to campus, electronic research resources
Alumni: what do recent alumni have to say
Student Body: satisfaction level, backgrounds, undergraduate schools, diversity
Costs: fees, likely increases, transportation or commuting costs; parking fees
Bookstores: holdings, study guides
Special Programs: guest speakers, moot court and/or other competitions
Career Services: number of advisors, programs, resources
Student Participation and Representation: in admissions, curriculum selection and administration of the law school
Philosophy: practitioner oriented, Platonic/Socratic method
Administration: focus, personnel
Joint Programs: joint degrees, flexibility in tailoring a special program
Enrollment: student body count, class sizes
Physical Facilities: classrooms, student lockers and study spaces, student meeting areas, disabled student access and facilities
Try to contact current students and recent graduates as well as law school representatives to get answer to your questions.
You should select a range of schools for application. It is wise to apply to a couple of schools that will almost certainly accept you. You should also include a few on the other end of the scale, where you are not likely to be admitted, but would dearly love to attend if accepted. Your middle range should be schools that may or may not accept you, but you would be happy to attend. Gustavus students average six applications; they also receive an average of more than two acceptances.
You can apply to as many or as few schools as you wish or can afford. Each application requires a fee; fee waivers are available in cases of financial need. You should apply to enough schools to be sure of being admitted to a school you would like to attend.
