4 Lessons From The Fall 2016 Law School Admission Cycle

Another cycle of law school admission is behind us, and people are already being admitted to some schools for Fall 2017.

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Another cycle of law school admission is behind us, and people are already being admitted to some schools for Fall 2017. However, most people won’t apply until 2-3 months from now, so it’s a good time to check in and learn from lessons of the past cycle.

  1. More schools are asking for optional essays, including Berkeley Law, which joined the optional essay bandwagon for Fall 2017. If the optional essay applies to you, do it. If it’s purely a diversity statement and you don’t have something genuine to share, then do not write the essay. Some schools have such broad prompts—such as Northwestern Pritzker School of Law’s new and very vague diversity statement topic—that it’s going to be a tough call for many to use good judgment about what to include.
  1. Don’t get too excited this year if you’re on a waiting list. Unlike the previous five cycles, waitlists didn’t move much this year. Those who used their waiting lists did so at the last minute (often during Orientation week). I think this is related to the fact that more schools are waiting for February LSAT takers and admitting them, thereby filling their classes more easily without going to the waitlists.
  1. Schools are using interviews more, particularly video interviews. UVA and UCLA now use phone calls and Skype, and Northwestern and Cornell and Seton Hall added a recorded video format. Georgetown is, thankfully, still the only school utilizing the dreaded “group interview” format, where you have to work as part of an “admission committee” to choose between candidates to the law school.
  1. Schools were less likely to negotiate scholarship amounts; attempts to secure matching scholarships were less productive this cycle. It’s still worth trying, but assume that what you’re offered is what you’ll get for Fall 2017.

Advice for Fall 2017

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In light of the above, here is my advice as you prepare your strategy for this admission cycle:

  1. If you need to take the December, or even February LSAT, to get your highest score, do it. There is still an advantage to applying before February, but the advantage rarely overrides the benefit of having the higher LSAT score.
  2. Write the optional essays that apply to you. Even if a school says it’s truly optional, it looks lazy and disinterested to not go the extra mile, especially when it’s only 250 or 350 words (that’s 2-3 paragraphs!). Plus, lawyers write! Lawyers use words! Show you use them well and take the opportunity to highlight something new about your background and/or interests.
  3. Prepare for interviews. Look online for reports of what schools have asked in the past. Do practice interviews with friends and make sure you are presenting the most salient information about your accomplishments. Take time to prepare intelligent questions for in-person interviews, especially when a graduate of the law school has taken time out of her day for your interview.
  4. Collect application fee waivers through the Credential Referral Service and at law school recruiting events on campus, as well as at LSAC Forums. Applying to more schools, especially those showing a proclivity to recruit you, should result in more scholarship offers to choose from at the end of your cycle.

Ann K. Levine is a law school admission consultant and owner of LawSchoolExpert.com. She is the author of The Law School Admission Game: Play Like an Expert and The Law School Decision Game: A Playbook for Prospective Lawyers.

 

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