School of Law Admissions Blog

Ever wonder how the Law School Admission Council calculates your undergraduate GPA for your law school application? In this blog, we break it down for you.

The bad thing about bar exam preparation? The stress, the anxiety, the time-crunch, or is it the…well, all of it? The good thing is all of your student colleagues are suffering through the same process! Okay, those might be some gross generalizations, but the fact of the matter is that bar exam preparation is as difficult—and as much a rite of passage—as any other part of law school, and there are plenty of helpful leaders, mentors and resources to make sure you are fully prepared to take the exam when the time comes.

Choosing the career path of an attorney is an honorable one, but there’s no denying it can be a difficult one. For starters, you need good grades and a determined mindset to want to tackle the legal field, but alongside a solid GPA and work ethic there is also something else to consider: the Character & Fitness (C&F) process. Some states, including California, Massachusetts and New Jersey, start this process as part of the application to take the bar exam, while other states like New York wait until you’ve completed the bar exam. In either case, it’s important to familiarize yourself with these processes, as law school admissions routinely contain similar forms as part of the application.

You’ve secured recommendation letters, wrote the perfect personal statement, submitted your application, and anxiously awaited a decision. Now, the moment has finally arrived. You’re about to start law school! As you embark on this journey, how do you make the best start? Before you dive into 1L classes, you will be introduced to your new school and classmates through an orientation program, and how you navigate these first few days could make all the difference in your law school experience. Want to start on the right foot? Here are a few things to consider to make the most of your law school orientation.

Many different careers intersect through shared skills, goals and ideals, and one of the more positive crossroads is between legal and social work. UB’s Juris Doctor/Master of Social Work dual degree gives students a chance to gain an incredibly unique perspective and set of skills that can lead them on a path to work in either realm. If you are interested in using the law to protect human rights, advance social justice and defend vulnerable communities, then this program could be for you. Let’s examine how both programs intersect to create the start of a rewarding career.