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Exclusive! Most common applicant mistake? "They submit
the same personal statement to UNC that they are submitting
to every other school they are applying to." Interview with
Michael J. States, Assistant Dean for Admissions at
University of North Carolina School of Law.
Click here to read the full, 3-page transcript free of
charge! |
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Law School Admissions Becoming
Increasingly Competitive
Applications to top programs have hit record highs. While this is
not good news for aspiring lawyers, it does make sense. For one
thing, the economy is down and law school provides 3 years of safe
harbor. For another thing, the average starting salary for top
graduates going into private practice is $125,000. Not too shabby,
huh? For more information, please visit our article on
application volumes.
However, while application levels have risen, acceptances have
remained even. According to recent data by the ABA, enrollment for
first-year law students was flat for the fall of 2007. The number of
men enrolled fell by 2 percent and the number of women rose 2.4
percent.
Total enrollment for J.D. programs rose by 2.9%, from 141,031 to
141,433 students attending the 196 law schools accredited by the
ABA. First-year minority students enrolled in J.D. programs
increased 0.9%, but as a percentage of the first-year class, they
dropped from 22.4% to 22.3%. Among all students enrolled in J.D.
programs, 75,383 were men and 66,050 were women.
While it should remain possible for the "traditional"
applicant to gain admission right out of college, it is becoming increasingly important that
each applicant demonstrate their overall potential through such
avenues as part-time
employment and extracurricular activities. Relying on great GPA and
excellent LSAT scores isn't enough to guarantee admission to the top
law schools in the country.
Your Starting Point
Please be sure to check out our
top 10 admission tips. Among other things, you may learn that a large number of graduates quickly
leave the law field because they realize it is not for
them.
Even if you know that law is your calling, you still need to take
the time to articulate why this is the case. We interviewed an
admissions officer at
University of Pennsylvania as research for
this website and she told us that approximately half of the
applicants she gets to know have inadequate reasons for wanting an
education. Needless to say, these applicants receive rejection
letters from Penn.
The Selection Process
We believe there is a program for virtually every applicant. If you are not going to be comfortable in an ultra
competitive atmosphere like Harvard,
then don't apply there. It's
not just 3 years of your life, it's also true that you will learn more and earn the
highest possible grades in a program better suited for your personal
tastes, interests, and future career goals.
Are you still insisting on applying to schools based solely on their
rankings? Well, perhaps then you should consider that your chances are
indeed lower at those schools where you are not a good fit to their
program. Consider this quote from an admissions officer at
Northwestern1:
"In my position I very often refuse great
applicants because I know that our school is just not the right
place for them and that both of us would be happier if they went to
one of their other choices. This does not mean that they are bad
students; it just means that we think they would be better served
elsewhere."
1Quote supplied by
AdmissionsConsultants, Inc. |
