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Do’s and Don’ts of the Law School Application Process

Published July 17, 2017 This content is archived.

Law school admissions officers interact with prospective law students on a daily basis throughout the calendar year, giving them a lot of experience with a lot of different applications. If you’re interested in law school, here are a few quick do’s and don’ts to help you navigate the application process. 

Communicating with prospective students through admissions cycles, managing general admissions and recruiting have all given me a wide range of interactions with prospective students and I’m here to impart my advice to you—our future prospective students! It’s not a comprehensive list, but it should give you well-rounded information and is a good basis for when you start the process.

Do: Initiate contact with the admissions office

If you haven’t applied to the law school yet, you can introduce yourself to the admissions office via email or phone. This correspondence could be used to set up a meeting with someone in admissions or request a tour of the law school, if they offer it.

Don't: Show up without an appointment (or notice)

Most schools receive several hundreds to thousands of applications so it is reasonable to introduce yourself and articulate your interest in the law school before showing up and hoping to get squeezed in. Prior to meeting with someone or calling in, do your research online and ask informed questions. The more prepared you are, the better your initial meeting will go!

Do: Be formal in all communication

You don’t get a second chance at a first impression. If you are sending an email, from subject line to signature, make sure you are using the proper tone when communicating with a law school. The goal of any admissions office is to answer questions you have, within reason. Providing enough information about yourself and articulating your questions will make sure you get the answers you are looking for.

Don't: Email or call too often

While it’s important to have meaningful and clear communication with the admissions office, it’s also important not to overload them. Unless you have a specific reason or are dealing directly with someone who is helping you with a problem or an issue, you should not be emailing or calling every day.

Do: Review the resources available to you

UB Law School has a plethora of great resources to help you through your law school application. Whether you’re curious about our academic programs, the application process, hearing from current students, housing options, or our LSAT workshops and practice tests, the UB law admissions team has put together plenty of information to help you along.

Don't: Ask different people the same questions

Most admissions offices are small and it is unlikely that different people in the same office will give you conflicting information.

Do: Request transcripts early

An often-overlooked and time-consuming process is requesting transcripts to be sent to the Law School Admission Council (LSAC). Transcripts from every institution you’ve attended (undergraduate and graduate, if applicable) are required for law school applications, including any certificates, community college coursework, or other pertinent academic experience. These oftentimes take longer than expected to be sent, received and processed by LSAC. Request transcripts early so you can spend more time focusing on other components of your application.

Don't: Leave out important information (good or bad!)

It’s important that your law school application is as thorough as it can be. If there is a reason you maybe did poorly in a certain course but did well in others, it’s worth disclosing why so the committee has an idea of the context without making any assumptions.

Do: Ask for letters of recommendation early

It’s important that your law school application is as thorough as it can be. If there is a reason you maybe did poorly in a certain course but did well in others, it’s worth disclosing why so the committee has an idea of the context without making any assumptions.

Don't: Ask the wrong person for a letter of recommendation

Letters say a lot about you as a person, student and potential future lawyer, so you want to make sure you ask the right person to speak on your behalf. Choosing someone you know and trust helps bring life to your greatest attributes. Also, it might be best to avoid acquiring letters that only rely on name recognition to help you, e.g.: a politician, relative or family friend. We want to know about your attributes as a student and candidate, not the recognition the reference carries.

Do: Give yourself time to submit the strongest application possible

Attending law school should be a carefully considered decision that weighs your future career goals as well as the financial obligations. It is not a decision to be taken lightly. Start early so you have enough time to compile materials, research what’s needed, collect letters of recommendation and study for the LSAT (or GRE)! A strong LSAT or GRE score may translate into more scholarship dollars for you, if admitted. Therefore, give yourself enough time to prepare and study.

Don't: Rush the application process!

I’m being repetitive, but it’s for good reason. The best law school applications have been meticulously prepared, reviewed and checked for grammar and typos. You want to put the best version of yourself forward to the admissions committee, so take your time.

Do: Keep a positive attitude

Although the application process can be daunting, keep a positive attitude and don't be afraid to ask questions. We’re here to help you succeed in your dream of attending law school, so don’t be afraid to reach out.

Contact the Admissions Office at law-admissions@buffalo.edu and we’ll be happy to answer any questions you have.

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Amber Melvin, Esq.'13 is the Marketing and Recruitmet Coordinator in the Office of Admissions at UB School of Law.

CONTACT US

Office of Admissions
University at Buffalo School of Law
408 O'Brian Hall, Buffalo, NY 14260
716-645-2907
law-admissions@buffalo.edu

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