Choosing Law Schools

Everyone wants to go to the best law school they can get into. Despite various official rankings, however, there is objectively no such thing as the best law school. Your law school choices should be based on your own list of criteria, not anyone else’s. Your goal should be to thrive in law school – personally, academically, and professionally. To have the best chance at doing so you should have all the facts in hand as you prepare to apply.

Some of the factors to consider:

Location. Is the school urban or rural in location?  What is cost of living?  Does the location support your cultural/social/lifestyle needs?  What is the schools proximity to your support network? Can you see yourself staying and practicing law in this area?

Reputation. How well do graduates fare on state bar exams?  Where do they get summer positions and jobs? Do graduates tend to seek employment in the area or nationally? By all means, look at the various rankings that exist (including peer assessment scores), but make your own ranking, based on your own criteria and preferences.

Selection factors. What are the average GPA and LSAT scores of a school’s incoming students? And how do your scores compare? What are the demographics of the applicant pool? And how could you contribute to the institution’s diversity?

Curriculum. What are the academic strengths and specialties of the law school? What electives are available? Are there experiential components of the curriculum? Are there opportunities for joint degrees? What is the grading system?

Faculty. What are the strengths and specializations of the faculty? What are their professional activities and interests?

Student profile. What is the total enrollment?  Racial and other diversity?  Male/female ratio?  What is the learning atmosphere like? Competitive? Supportive?  Are there student communities, academic and social, in which you would like to participate? Is there a strong alumni network?

Opportunities. What summer and co-curricular opportunities exist for students? Are there opportunities to get involved in moot court? Legal aid? Research? Law Review? Study abroad? What kind of summer jobs and internships are commonly available to students? What recruiters come to campus? What career counseling is available to students and alumni? Is there special support for women and minority students?

Finances. What does the program cost?  Can you afford it?  What kind of financial aid is available to you through grants and loans?  Does the school provide merit aid? Need-based aid? Aid for those planning careers in public service law? You need to check with each school to determine what help, if any, they will offer.

Talk to people.  Consult with lawyers you know, your internship sponsors, members of the faculty, other students who have been through the process, and MHC alumnae.

Application Strategy
When making the decision where to apply you should have your LSAT scores in hand (do not submit your applications with the idea that your LSAT score will be forwarded later).

 It is unlikely that you will get in everywhere you apply. Thus, to maximize your chances, plan to apply to a few “safety schools”, a few “target” or “realistic” schools” as well as a few “reach” or “dream” schools. First, make a list of schools that you can imagine attending, marking the admissions data of their most recent first year class. Your “safety schools” will be those where 80% or more of the applicants with your LSAT scores and GPA were admitted last year. Your target schools will be those where your LSAT and GPA is close to the median of the incoming class. Finally your reach schools will be those where 20% or more of the applicants with your LSAT scores and GPA were admitted last year. Research shows that students tend to do best academically at law schools with median scores similar to their own. And because first year grades determine a student’s chances at securing summer and co-curricular opportunities, this may be an important fact to keep in mind.

 How many schools you apply to in total depends on your finances (each school has an application fee; these can be as high as $75) and your confidence of getting in. Many students apply to 1-3 “safeties”, 4-6 “targets,” and 1-3 “reaches.” Remember, apply only to schools that you can see yourself attending.