Applicants love the spring when law schools start accepting students. But what you do after you’ve been accepted can make a big difference.
You’ve spent the fall and maybe much of winter break putting together the perfect application package. Now it’s time to wait — for that first acceptance, hopefully a second, and maybe a third.
“I remember the email came in the middle of the day,” said Alexandra Ogunsanya, a graduate of New York Law School. “I remember opening the email and immediately just screaming and jumping around. It was an amazing feeling.
“And it was just as exciting — if not more — every time I received an acceptance.”
This is an exciting time. But after a few days, the inevitable thought will hit you: “Now what?”
And if you get accepted to more than one school: “How do I choose?”
This is also a stressful time. Really stressful. As deposit deadlines quickly approach, big decisions must be made.
Application anxiety gives way to deadline anxiety and financial anxiety.
Ogunsanya was accepted by several schools, which made the decision-making process harder. Ultimately, she chose NYLS because it felt like the best place for her to pursue a career in public interest law.
“I received great advice from a mentor to really research not only the school and what programs they offered, but the city, and to consider where I saw myself,” she said.
“I created an Excel spreadsheet to help me keep track of factors like median LSAT, median GPA, cost of tuition, cost of living, the amount of financial aid that I had been offered, diversity, bar passage, the school’s ranking and my own reasons why I wanted to go there. This helped me to really consider what would be the best choice for me.”
Most law students probably would agree that a school’s rankings helped in their search process. But so did other factors such as location, curriculum, financial aid and more.
Generally, most law school graduates and legal educators say there are a multitude of factors that play into this lifechanging decision.
Among them: money, setting, faculty and classes, and — don’t forget — career services.
In law school the career services office starts working with you in October of your first year and may work with you for the rest of your life, said Jill Backer, associate dean for professional development at Ave Maria School of Law.
“Therefore, you better understand what to look for in a great career services office,” she said. “It should be a major consideration in your choice of law school.”
Hillary Mantis, assistant dean of the prelaw program at Fordham University and a preLaw columnist, offered some other factors to consider and suggested resources to help you make the decision.
Check ABA Standard 509 disclosures for each school.
The American Bar Association reports data from each school. It includes the school’s bar passage rate, recent graduate employment rate and merit scholarship retention rate. It also shows the top three states in which the school’s recent graduates are employed.
For example, let’s say you are accepted by a school far from home and your home state is not one of the top three states for its graduates. If you definitely want to return back home after law school, does it make sense to go there?
Or you get a merit scholarship, but retaining the scholarship is dependent on maintaining a certain GPA. Do you feel OK with that, or is it cause for concern?
Attend accepted student days.
Each school has its own vibe, which is easier to determine by attending these programs, either in person or virtually.
If you can, go in person. Talk to students, walk around the neighborhood, eat in the cafeteria and walk through the library.
Can you picture yourself there? Do you feel comfortable? Do the students seem happy? Is the law library nice? (You will be spending a lot of time there.)
Is food and coffee widely available on campus? Do you like the neighborhood the school is in? Is housing available?
As important as the ABA data is, features such as these are equally important.
Figure out the total cost of attendance.
The total cost of attendance (COA) includes rent and other fees beyond the stated tuition. So even if you receive a partial scholarship to a particular school, the total COA at that school could be more than the COA at a school that didn’t offer a scholarship but has lower tuition and is in an area with a lower cost of living and less expensive rent. Sit down, crunch the numbers, and figure it out.
Also, the AccessLex Institute offers counseling and has many resources related to financing law school. It is dedicated to helping applicants afford law school.
“It is equally important to research all of the extensive available data and to also spend some time thinking about the intangibles,” Mantis said. “In the end, what is the best fit for you?”
NEGOTIATING SCHOLARSHIPS
What if the schools where you got accepted don’t offer you the scholarships you were hoping for? How do you politely ask them to reconsider? Can you negotiate?
Yes, you can try. Here are some suggestions.
For your top school: If the school is your first choice, tell them. Admissions folks want to help students who are serious about attending their school.
Merit scholarships: If you have received a higher merit scholarship offer from another school, especially if it is comparably ranked, attach a PDF of the offer letter from the competing school and politely ask if it might be possible to match it. In addition, if you have received academic or other honors since you submitted your application, let them know, and include an updated resume.
Additional scholarships: You may be able to find additional scholarships on your own. Check with the AccessLex Institute. It has a scholarship database and counselors who you can speak with about financing law school.
Need-based aid: If your financial circumstances have changed since you applied, let the financial aid office at the law school know. It is a great resource, which may be able to help or may have ideas for you to pursue, so don’t be afraid to reach out.
Scholarship research definitely takes a lot of digging and time, but it’s worth it if you can minimize costs.
PREPARING FOR LAW SCHOOL
Law school is a big transition. Whether you’re coming straight from undergrad or from a career in another field, get ready for an experience like no other. Be prepared for a professional environment where your professors will expect you to be prepared for every single class. Not only should you prepare yourself to put in the work, but you should also try to create your best learning environment.
Ashley Heidemann, owner and founder of JD Advising and a columnist for The National Jurist, has advice for those preparing for law school.
Enjoy your time with family and friends.
It’s no secret that the first year of law school is demanding. Take advantage of the summer before law school to spend quality time with your family and friends before beginning this next chapter of your life. To avoid hard feelings, you may also want to discuss the demands of law school with loved ones and help them understand that they might not see you as often once classes begin.
Create a reading list.
Most law schools will send a reading list to incoming students. Instead of viewing this list as an assignment, think about it as a chance to get exposure to some of the concepts you’ll be discussing in class.
There’s no need to read everything on the list but reading a book or two is a great way to get those mental juices flowing.
If you can, move in early.
Starting law school is stressful enough. Try to avoid the stress of moving at the same time. If you can, find a place to live well in advance and move in early. Take time to set up your space the way you want it and get to know the surrounding area. This will help you feel settled and grounded once classes start.
STILL WAITING?
Be patient and be flexible, Mantis said.
If you’ve been waitlisted, be prepared to make a quick decision. If you get in from the waitlist during spring or summer, you may have little time to give the school your final decision.
Keep in mind that if you get in from the waitlist, you may be less likely to receive scholarships, especially toward the end of an admission cycle. Because of this, Mantis suggests that you determine the total cost of attendance for schools where you are waitlisted and decide in advance if you would accept a last-minute offer that doesn’t come with aid or scholarships.
May the best school win.
Article appeared in the 2025 Winter issue of preLaw magazine.
