Where Should I Go to Law School?
Becoming a lawyer is a prestigious and lucrative career, but it requires hard work, persistence and determination.
Your law school professors expect you to glean general legal concepts and principles from reading casebooks–collections of legal decisions and opinions–in most of their classes. They expect you to extrapolate them as cases unfold.
Where should you enroll in law school?
Academics
Law school can be an intense academic experience that demands intense reading, writing, researching and memorization. Although not everyone finds law school appealing, having strong motivation to pursue legal careers as well as the intellectual capacity is vital in order to overcome its rigors and graduate successfully with your degree can give employers and peers recognition of your achievements in certain roles.
Gaining admission to law school can be challenging and requires careful consideration when selecting an undergraduate degree and application materials – including an LSAT score, strong GPA and solid letters of recommendation – for consideration. But once admitted it can open doors to many exciting career options that can benefit society.
If you know which kind of law you wish to practice, the first step in finding a school for that type of law can be finding schools offering relevant courses – for instance if criminal law is your chosen field it might be beneficial to look for schools offering courses on its history, criminal law and procedure as a starting point.
Another key consideration should be faculty and student body diversity. Being exposed to people of varied backgrounds will enable you to think more critically and creatively when analyzing cases, while having an engaging classroom atmosphere due to having diverse student bodies allows for deeper insight into understanding client perspectives.
Consideration should also be given to what types of student activities a law school offers its students. Many find it advantageous to join student groups like law journals or clubs – this allows you to meet people with similar interests as well as make job search easier once graduation approaches. Some law schools will advertise the number of their student group offerings while others might bury this information in fine print on their websites.
Careers
There are various factors that could dictate your choice of law school. An obvious answer would be selecting one that provides the most beneficial path towards your career goals after graduation; however, depending on what it is you intend on doing with your legal degree this could vary widely.
In general, attending a top-14 law school makes more sense if your career goal involves becoming a partner in a large law firm or federal judge. Do all that you can to gain acceptance to one so you have the best chance at landing an advantageous post-graduation position and job offer.
However, if your goals include advocating for environmental issues or anti-racist civil rights litigation, more liberal law schools with larger African American student bodies might make more sense for you.
As you investigate different schools, take note of their alumni lists and speak to people who graduated from them about what their careers have been like since graduation. It may also be beneficial to do more extensive research into all of the careers lawyers can pursue so you have a better idea of which skills and experiences will be necessary in certain fields of law practice.
Other important considerations when selecting a law school include its location, types of internship and experiential learning opportunities available, ideology (whether stated or unstated), class size and cost. Finally, keep in mind that cost may have an outsize influence over your decision.
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to selecting the ideal law school, but with some careful thought and research you should be able to find your perfect match. Good luck and don’t forget us; our admissions staff is here for help; simply email [email protected]!
Personality
Law students come from diverse backgrounds and possess various abilities. Yet the top students all share similar characteristics, making recognizing these characteristics even easier and increasing your odds of success.
Successful law students share one key trait: their ability to function under pressure. Law school can be extremely stressful, particularly during final exam periods when students must process and analyze large volumes of information in a short amount of time. Successful law students find ways to manage their stress instead of allowing it to distract them from achieving their goals.
Effective law students possess another essential characteristic: grit. While it’s unlikely you’ll gain admission to top law schools with low GPA or LSAT scores, it’s worthwhile considering what steps can be taken towards admission – for instance if you needed to work full-time while attending challenging classes while paying tuition bills yourself, explain this circumstance in your application and highlight how it has helped shape you as an individual.
If you have struggled in an assignment or test in the past, using your personal statement and other long-form answers to demonstrate how you have overcome obstacles and learned from failure can demonstrate grit while providing law school admissions staff and future employers with a more holistic understanding of your experiences and abilities.
Law students tend to be self-starters who enjoy taking initiative. They take pleasure in taking on new challenges and have a thirst for knowledge about how the world operates, while having respect for authority and communicating their ideas effectively written form – an invaluable skill set when embarking on a legal career, where you’ll likely spend much of your time writing contracts and other documents.
No matter your background or personality traits, being passionate about law school and legal profession is of utmost importance when applying to law schools. They look for applicants that demonstrate they will make a significant contribution when they graduate as lawyers to their community.
Location
Law school can be an intense and time-consuming endeavor, so it’s wise to think through how it would fit into your life and goals before making this commitment. Consider your career and lifestyle needs, the cost of law school and how long after graduation you plan on practicing as an attorney.
Law schools typically provide their students with numerous academic and social activities, as well as opportunities to become engaged in community service or professional organizations. These experiences give law students valuable networking opportunities as well as helping them develop the necessary skills to excel in legal careers.
Some law schools specialize in specific legal fields such as health care, business or technology; others offer an all-encompassing curriculum covering torts through constitutional law. If your focus lies elsewhere than torts or constitutional law, choosing a school with that focus could give you the edge needed to succeed in that particular area of practice.
Many law schools offer clinics, externships and on-campus interviews designed to assist graduates in finding employment upon graduation. You could also select one with scholarships available that can assist you in meeting tuition costs; one such scholarship provider is The City University of New York which boasts an exceptional public interest mission and clinical training programs that are both affordable for in-state students as well.
Finding success in law school takes hard work, dedication and determination. You will need to master various skills, such as critical reading, writing, organizing speaking and problem-solving. A good way to start honing these abilities during undergraduate education is to major in an area of interest while taking classes with challenging material – or speaking to a pre-law counselor at your undergraduate career center about how best to apply and what grades are necessary for admission.
Law students are expected to act professionally both inside and outside of the classroom. They should arrive on time for class and appointments, produce top-quality writing and research and display maturity when communicating with professors, fellow students, clients and other professionals. You’ll also work on real cases in clinics, externships and internships so it is essential that you assess whether you can handle this level of accountability before applying to law school.