There is often anxiety at some point for applicants during the law school application process. Will I do well on the LSAT? Will my professor get my recommendation letter in on time? Will I get into all of the schools I applied to? Will I get into any of them? Can I afford it?
In addition to general application anxiety, with the upcoming changes to the LSAT, future bar exam format, and changes in the legal profession, there’s a lot going on. While some of the anxiety can’t be helped, there are steps you can take to feel more in control.
Here are some tips:
Stick to official sources for your information
A friend will tell you that you need a certain GPA or LSAT score to get into a top law school. This makes you nervous-it’s more competitive than you thought. Are they correct? Maybe yes. Maybe no. It’s best to instead stick to official sources of information, such as that posted by the Law School Admissions Council, the American Bar Association, or on the admissions webpage of each law school you apply to. Other than official sources, over the years I have found most other sources of statistics to be often inaccurate. So if you want to see what the median GPA and LSAT score are for a law school, or information about scholarships, or anything else, check directly with official sources.
Don’t ask for too many opinions
The partner at the law firm you are interning at has a lot of advice about law school. So does your friend who is a second year law student at another school. So does your uncle, who attended law school twenty years ago. And so does your English professor who did not ever attend law school. Who should you listen to? This is causing you anxiety. In the end, you have to filter other’s opinions. It’s okay to listen to them and you might get some great advice. Do your own research, though, and listen to what your intuition is telling you. Too many opinions from others can be confusing, and lead you to doubt your own decisions.
Realize that circumstances can shift in your favor
Rejection is not fun to deal with. And it’s a part of the process. I’ve seen, though, in my decades of advising law school applicants that circumstances can change quickly. A waitlist can easily turn into an acceptance. A scholarship can be successfully appealed. A school that an applicant did not think they wanted to attend, and was their safety school, can turn into their dream school that they actually love. A school that rejects an applicant, later accepts them as a transfer student for their second year of law school. I’ve seen all of these circumstances change in an applicant’s favor—many, many times. There’s usually more than one path to attaining your goals.
Hillary Mantis consults with pre-law students, law students and attorneys. She is Assistant Dean of the Pre-law advising program at Fordham University and author of law career and admissions books, including The Essential Guide to Law School Admissions https://www.amazon.com/Essential-Guide-Law-School-Admissions-ebook/dp/B0BTDVYZ8C Questions? You can write to Hillary at altcareer@aol.com.
