Best Tips for Getting into Law School

Have you ever thought of going to law school? If so, you're not alone. Just a few years ago, I was in your shoes and didn't know much about the process. If you don't really understand how to get in, and what really matters during the admissions process, this article is for you.

Law school admissions decisions are less an art than a science. Just like any other college or university department, every law school wants to be viewed as being the best of the best, or at least the best in its class. Accordingly, there is a huge amount of pressure on admissions committees to make admissions decisions that will improve the school's reputation, which is largely determined by annual rankings issued by U.S. News & World Report.

Of the weighted factors that U.S. News considers, the prospective students' collective qualifications are responsible for providing 22.5% of the school's overall score in the rankings. This percentage of the school's overall ranking is determined by the student body's median Law School Admissions Test scores and grade point averages combined (12.5% for the LSAT and 10% for GPA).

As a means of illustration, out of a student body of 101 students, arranged from lowest to highest scores, U.S. News would consider the scores of the 50^th person in each category as representative of the entire school. This method allows the schools to take some atypical students with scores that are far below average, so long as there are enough more qualified students to keep up the median scores.

Another 2% of a school's overall ranking is determined by bar exam passage rates, which in turn are loosely correlated with LSAT and GPA scores. While passing the bar also depends upon drive, initiative and other personal factors that are displayed during law school, the prospect of being penalized in the future rankings and the loss of reputation that results from a potentially low bar passage rate could be an additional factor that leads the admissions committee to deny an applicant with insufficient scores.