III. THE APPLICATION PROCESS

Start early to allow for delays and assume nothing. Conversations with law school representatives lead us to believe that it is in your best interest to apply as early as possible to law school. Even though stated application deadlines fall anywhere between January 1 and May 1, it is advisable to get your application completed and in by November 15 or earlier. This will insure a careful and thorough reading of it before admissions officers are faced with the thousands of applications that they have had to deal with in recent years. Many law schools have rolling admissions procedures, allowing those applicants who apply early a better opportunity; October 1 is not too early for competitive schools with rolling admissions. Earlier applicants also have an advantage of being considered for scholarship and grant opportunities.

The law school application process is long and complicated. There are many opportunities for mistakes to be made. If you don't hear from LSDAS or a law school you have applied to, call and verify that your application or registration has been received. Keep track of your information on LSDAS. Make sure all transcripts and recommendations are in and correct. Follow up if necessary! Remember that you are responsible for completing and mailing your applications on time and meeting all deadlines. You are in charge of your own destiny. The CMC Career Services Center, your faculty, parents and friends will offer support, encouragement and information, but you, and only you, can complete the application process.

A. THE LAW SCHOOL ADMISSION TEST
1. What is It?
As the LSAT/LSDAS Registration and Information Book explains, "The LSAT is designed to measure skills that are considered essential for success in law school: the reading and comprehension of complex texts with accuracy and insight; the organization and management of information, and the ability to draw reasonable inferences from it; the ability to reason critically; and the analysis and evaluation of the reasoning and argument of others." The Law School Admission Test continues to be regarded by law schools as the single best predictor of first-year law school performance. It is a half-day standardized test with five 35-minute sections of multiple-choice questions. Four of the five sections are scored; the fifth is used to pretest new items. A 30-minute writing sample is administered at the end of the test, and is not scored although it is sent to all law schools to which you apply.

2. How to Register and When to Take It
You can register online for the LSAT by going to www.lsac.org. Registration forms for the test are also available in the LSAT/LSDAS Registration and Information Book, which is available at the CSC. These resources contain important information concerning the LSAT, the Law School Data Assembly Service (LSDAS), sample test questions, and publications available to help you with the application process, financial aid information and other resources.

Registration for the examination is approximately five weeks in advance of the test date. It is important to register early to insure you obtain the test center of your choice. An additional week is provided for late registration, with a late fee. On the day of the test be sure to take your LSAT admission ticket and a form of identification that includes your signature and descriptive information; a photo driver's license should be acceptable.

Plan to take the LSAT when you will be most prepared for it. Most CMC students take the October exam. This allows time to study and prepare the summer prior and gives you time to get the results back and develop a clear picture of where to apply. It also lets you know whether you should take the test again. The December test is typically the last test you can take for the following fall's admission. If you are considering applying early action/decision, for some schools the last accepted exam is June so research the deadlines carefully! Retake the LSAT only if you feel there was some definite reason why you did poorly the first time (you didn't feel well, you forgot to guess, etc.) and you feel that you can improve your score substantially. Data indicates that the average retest affects the score three points either way. Although you should attempt to get the best LSAT score you can, and in certain instances, retesting might be important, LSDAS averages more than one test score. Individual law schools react differently to a retake of the LSAT; some will average the scores, others will take the most recent, others will take the highest. Before you decide to retake the test, analyze where you made your mistakes and identify a strategy to improve.

B. PREPARING FOR THE LSAT
It is imperative that you are well prepared for the test. The real question is: "How do I prepare for the test?" Preparation will help you improve your score as well as develop a relaxed and confident attitude toward taking the test. The best way to improve your score on the LSAT is to familiarize yourself with the test using old test questions and reviewing as frequently as you think necessary. Put yourself in a simulated test setting, time and score yourself. Then analyze your mistakes and develop strategies to improve.

Preparatory courses such as Testmasters, Kaplan, The Princeton Review, and specialized courses on local campuses, are some of the options available. You must be the judge of what kind of course best suits your study habits and personality. Many students prefer the regimen of a course rather than depending on their own self-discipline to practice the test. In addition, several publishers offer books on preparing for the LSAT. Several students have recommended Barron's, but check the bookstore for other publications. The key point to remember is the importance of the test score. Admissions officers often give equal, if not more, weight to the LSAT score than to your G.P.A.

Once you have taken the LSAT and wish to further discuss your possibilities, please make an appointment to speak with our Pre-law Advisor, Susanne Mahoney Filback at the CSC.

C. LSDAS ~The Law School Data Assembly Service
The Law School Data Assembly Service (LSDAS) provides a way to centralize and standardize your undergraduate academic records to simplify the law school admission process. The LSDAS prepares and provides a report for each law school to which you apply. The report contains information that is important in the admission process. Your report will include:

• Your undergraduate academic summary
• Copies of all your undergraduate, graduate, and law school transcripts
• LSAT scores and writing sample copies
• Copies of your letters of recommendation

Almost all ABA-approved law schools and several non-ABA-approved schools require that their applicants register for the LSDAS. Your LSDAS is valid for five years from your registration date. If you register for the LSAT at any time during your LSDAS period, the LSDAS period is extended five years from your latest LSAT registration.
Once you have registered with the LSDAS you need to have an official copy of your transcript sent to LSDAS from the Registrar's Office of every college or university you have attended. A profile report will be sent by LSDAS to all the law schools to which you apply. LSDAS calculates your G.P.A. slightly differently from your CMC transcript. Use the LSDAS grade conversion table on page 23 of the Registration and Information book to know how your G.P.A. will be affected. You should forward subsequent transcripts to LSDAS when they become available.

The other important component of the LSDAS is the recommendation service.

1. Law School Recommendations
The LSAC's Letter of Recommendation Service allows you to use your LSAC online account to have your letters of recommendation sent to law schools based on each school's requirements or preferences, and to direct letters intended for specific schools. Use of this service is optional but most law schools require recommendations to be submitted through LSDAS. If you elect to use this service, it is very important to follow the rules set out by LSAC on their website. You may submit up to four general letters to be sent to every school to which you apply. Be sure to check the letter of recommendation requirements of each law school to which you are applying. For general letters, identify your recommenders, print out your pre-filled letter of recommendation forms, and give the forms to the appropriate recommenders. Your recommender must sign the letter, insert it in his/her own envelope, along with their letter recommendation form, and send it directly to LSAC. LSAC will send your general letters to law schools in the order in which they are received (up to the number required or preferred by the law school.) You may also submit targeted letters that you direct to specific law schools.

2. The Art of Gathering Recommendations
For many students, it is a rude awakening to reach their junior or senior year and suddenly discover, "I don't know any professors." Throughout the campus community, you hear the echoed refrain: "Who am I going to ask for a recommendation?" Only you can answer this question, but there are steps you can take to make the search less painful.

One thing you can do is to look back over your record and pick out courses where you did well and had some interaction with the professor. Law schools are looking for recommendations from people who have observed you in classroom situations and can comment on your intellectual abilities. How well do you express yourself? How do you approach problem solving? What about your integrity? What is the quality of your written work? Do you perform strongly in a rigorous academic environment? Admissions committees will appreciate a recommendation that can cover the points in detail, citing specific examples.

Choose someone who knows your work. It makes much more sense to ask for a recommendation from an assistant professor or legislative assistant who knows you well than a department chair or Congressman who doesn't know you.

Remember the admonition, "Don't assume anything." This is the time to keep it in mind. For instance, don't assume that a recommender has enough information about you just from classroom encounters. Supply the writer with a list of your activities, a paper from the class, a copy of your resume and a copy of your transcript. Make an appointment with the recommender to discuss your interest in law school. Provide the recommender with an envelope with your name on it. It is also helpful to put a date on the envelope as a reminder of when you would like the letter to be received.

Finally, don't assume that a recommendation will be automatically written for you. If nothing is forthcoming within 2-3 weeks, gently nudge the recommenders and remind them that deadlines are approaching. Be fair to your recommenders. They are busy too. Give them a month's notice. When you talk to them, be clear about your deadlines. If you wish to have your applications mailed by December 1 your letters of recommendation will need to be in before the application can be sent.

How much do recommendations actually count in the admissions process? The answer is a multiple choice ranging from quite heavily to not at all. If the numbers are not there, some schools don't even bother to read the recommendations. Other schools make a point of reading everything you submit and pay close attention to recommendations, particularly when you fall into the middle range of applicants. The point is, you never know how they will be viewed, so it's better to be safe than sorry.

D. THE PERSONAL STATEMENT ESSAY
Law schools have only two ways to look at you as a person instead of just another set of statistics: your personal statement and your recommendations.

The essay is the sleeper of the whole admissions process. All too often, candidates waste this golden opportunity to communicate directly with the decision makers at law schools. Both form and substance are important; your personal statement will be judged for clarity of expression and general writing ability as well as for its content. There are a few general mistakes to avoid:

For a better personal statement DO:

• Do give examples of how you think, critically, systematically and analytically.
• Do tell something interesting about your insight into yourself.
• Do be fairly modest (not apologetic), describing adversity, interruption, or failure. Be
  personal, write something about yourself, not designed to impress. Show your insights.
• If your LSAT and G.P.A. don't match up, explain it (without bitterness, anger or
  defensiveness). This explanation is better handled on a separate piece of paper entitled "explanation of LSAT score" or "explanation of G.P.A."

DO NOT*

• Do not write an essay on social conditions.
• Do not tell the work you will do when you get a law degree, unless your past experiences have been a motivating force in your decision to go to law school.
• Do not use the creative writing approach (i.e., sending a video tape of yourself or writing your essay in verse).
• Do not write a travelogue of where you've been and what you've done, (unless you can show how you learned something from it about yourself).
• Do not write assertiveness essays (I've always been successful, therefore have confidence in me).

*Notes from "How to Write a Personal Statement" - a lecture by Professor Robert Condlin (University of Maryland School of Law).