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Pre-Law
Guide (208K PDF File)
Personal
Statement Handout (128K PDF File)
Law School Frequently
Asked Questions (124K PDF File)
Applying
to Law School Online Workshop
SPRING (before applying)
- Attend an informational meeting on application procedure
- Prepare for and register for the June LSAT
- Conduct research on law schools
- Open a LEO Credential File with
Career Services
SUMMER (before applying)
- Take the LSAT administration or prepare for the October LSAT
- Subscribe to LSDAS
- Have official transcripts sent to LSDAS
- Write to law schools for application forms and brochures
- Research, visit, and select law schools (note application deadlines)
- Prepare several versions of a personal statement
- Talk to those you have chosen to write letters of recommendation
FALL (of application year)
- Take October LSAT if necessary
- Request a Dean's Certification
- Participate in the Career Services Graduate School Visits Program -
Informational meetings with admissions officers representing various law
schools
- Attend the Law School Forum in Boston - meet representatives from law
schools and pick up application forms, brochures, etc.
- Make a short list of law schools
- Complete and send off your applications and all supporting materials by
December 1.
- Check online that your LEO Credential File is complete - Request letters to
be mailed to LSDAS or your selected schools (please allow 3-5 days for
processing)
- Take the December LSAT if necessary
WINTER (after application)
- Check to be sure application file is complete, including letters of
recommendation
- File your financial aid applications
SPRING (after application)
- Pay your seat deposit on time
Begin your law school preparations as early as possible during your
undergraduate career. The American Bar Association Section of Legal
Education and Admissions to the Bar has provided a statement on Pre-Law
Preparation at http://www.abanet.org/legaled/.
Explore and examine both the profession and the law school experience.
Carefully examine your interests, abilities and goals. Question your
preconception about ‘the Law,’ and weigh your aspirations against the realities
of job opportunities and law school admissions. If these considerations
do not yet confirm your commitment to a legal career, work a year or two before
applying to law schools.
- Meet with a Career Advisor or Pre-Law Advisor to help you clarify your
career interests.
- Dartmouth's Alumni Advisory Network identifies alumni/ae who may be
contacted for information and advice about their careers.
- Monitor the Career Services Blitz Bulletin for relevant program
information, law school visits, and law school application procedures.
- Participate in the Daniel Webster Legal Society and attend programs
presented by the Dartmouth Lawyers Association.
Many people apply with the expectation of deferring admission. While
one-year deferments are sometimes granted after acceptance, they are not
automatic nor can they usually be extended beyond one year (policies vary from
school to school). In recent years, the Dartmouth applicant pool has
contained more recent graduates than graduating seniors; there is no
disadvantage to delaying applications.
Many seniors consider the option of working a year or two before applying to
law schools. They question what kind of employment will enhance their
chances of admission to law school. Students are often concerned that
they may lack the motivation to return to school after they have begun a
working career. Our surveys indicate that Dartmouth graduates do, in
fact, return to school. Moreover, the overwhelming advice of alumni/ae
currently enrolled in law schools is to take time to work before attending.
Law school admissions officers encourage work experience. The goals of older
applicants are generally more focused and, therefore, they are better prepared
applicants. Dartmouth graduates have worked in any number of fields
before applying, ranging from business and education to the media and the
social services. For example, as many teachers as paralegals apply to law
school. Paralegal work can give an undecided senior some experience in
the field and help reinforce a career decision, but it is far from being an
automatic, even desirable, route to admissions.
If you apply as a senior and are not accepted, you can always reapply
without prejudice. Plan to take at least two years to gain experience and
knowledge in a job you enjoy. Develop some skills that will make your
next application significantly different from your earlier ones. In
general, unless you are very certain about a career in law and have a strong
record going into senior year, our advice is to wait. Don't rush. A
challenging job can be a good foundation for your postgraduate education.
Feel free to discuss your questions or concerns with the pre-law advisor in
Career Services. We wish you every success.
"Misconduct or irregularity in the admission process is a serious offense
with serious consequences. Intent is not an element of a finding of
misconduct or irregularity. Misconduct or irregularity is defined as the
submission, as part of the law school admission process, of any information
that is false, inconsistent, or misleading conclusion, or the violation of any
regulation governing the law school admission process, including any violation
of LSAT test center regulations." -- Law School Admission
Council
Applicants should be prepared to answer candidly and honestly questions
about their background. Examples follow:
From Cornell Law School
Have you ever been the subject of disciplinary proceedings, or been warned,
placed on probation, or suspended for academic, nonacademic, or any other
reasons by any of the colleges, universities, graduate schools, or professional
schools you have attended, or are any such proceedings pending?
-and-
Have you ever been charged with or convicted of a crime, including expunged
offenses, other than a minor traffic violation, or are charges pending?
From Boston College Law School
Have you ever been placed on academic warning, academic probation or conduct
probation, or been dismissed or subjected to any disciplinary action from any
college, graduate or professional school, law school or professional licensing
agency? Are you currently charged with (note: we are not inquiring about
arrests) any violation of law other than minor traffic violations with a fine
of less than $100.00 per violation?
Applicants who answer "yes" to any such question should meet with a pre-law
advisor and include an addendum with their applications. This document
should describe and take full responsibility for the incident. Failure to
disclose is considered misconduct and can result in expulsion from law school,
refusal of an application to take the bar exam, or even subsequent
disbarment.
Most law schools begin to announce decisions in February. By the beginning
of April, you should know your status at most schools. If you are
notified that your decision will be placed on "hold" or that you'll be placed
on a "wait list", acknowledge the notification and send any relevant current
information, such as an additional letter of recommendation and/or a brief
account of your present academic work, especially if you are writing a thesis.
"Hold" status implies that your application has been reviewed, and that the
school has not made a decision. This may be because a school wants to see
a larger percentage of the applicant pool before making a decision. "Wait
list" status implies that the law school believes that you are qualified to be
a member of the entering class, but that there were too many other candidates
who were even more qualified. Many times students are admitted off the
wait list through late in the spring and summer. If you find yourself on
hold or on a wait list at a school, please discuss your options with a pre-law
advisor.
Most financial aid is administered through individual law schools, and most
awards are based on financial need. Although most financial aid packets have a
large loan component, some merit scholarships are offered. Read individual law
school catalogs for procedures for applying for specific scholarships and for
financial aid policies. Contact the financial aid officer at the law school if
you need further information. Many schools have loan repayment
assistance programs (LRAP) for graduates who choose to enter low
paying or public-interest law firms.
If you wish to be considered for federal aid, you must
complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
form, available from the law school's financial aid office and online at
http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/. Individual institutions may require additional
forms to be completed, please be sure to read the institution's financial aid
literature carefully. If you are currently receiving federal financial
aid, you should receive a FAFSA renewal form in November or December.
Information about fee waivers for LSAT and LSDAS is
contained in the LSAT and LSDAS Registration/Information Book
and online at www.lsac.org. If you
require a fee waiver for an application fee contact the admissions office at a
law school of your choice to determine if the school participates in the fee
waiver program and how it wants you to submit your application. Get an early
start during spring or summer, well before you plan to apply. Procedures
for requesting application fee waivers are described in the individual law
school catalogs.
Legal Career Information
LAST Information
Selecting Law Schools
Application Information
Applicant Resources
Financial Aid and Scholarship Sources
Available in the Career Services Resource Center
- Admissions Statistics Notebooks - Profiles of Dartmouth
applicants outcomes at each school
- Alumni Questionnaires Notebooks
- The Best Law Schools- Princeton Review
- Funding for Law School
Notebook
- Official Guide to ABA-Approved Law
Schools - American Bar Association and Law School Admission
Council
- The Official Guide to Legal Specialties - National
Association for Law Placement
- The NAPLA/SAPLA Law School Lists by Wilson & Stern -
Contains information on academic programs, clinical programs, student
publications, student organizations, and scholarships
- So You Want to Be a Lawyer: A practical guide to law as a
career - Law School Admission Council
- The Ultimate Guide to Law
School Admission by Carol L. Wright
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Albany Law School
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Texas Tech University School of Law
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American University Washington College of Law
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Touro College Law Center
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Ave Maria School of Law
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Tulane University Law School
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Appalachian School of Law
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Univ. of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law
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Arizona State University School of Law
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University at Buffalo Law School
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Benjamin Cardozo School of Law
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University of Baltimore School of Law
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Boston College Law School
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University of California, Berkeley School of Law
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Boston University School of Law
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University of California, Davis School of Law
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Brooklyn Law School
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University of California, Hastings College of the Law
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California Western School of Law
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University of California at Los Angeles School of Law
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Case Western Reserve University School of Law
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University of Chicago Law School
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Catholic University of America School of Law
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University of Colorado School of Law
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Chicago-Kent College of Law
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University of Connecticut School of Law
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CUNY School of Law at Queens College
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University of Florida Levin College of Law
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Columbia Law School
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University of Hawai'i at Manoa School of Law
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Cornell University Law School
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University of Houston Law Center
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Creighton University School of Law
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University of Illinois College of Law
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DePaul University College of Law
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University of Kentucky College of Law
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Duke University School of Law
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University of Maine School of Law
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Emory Law School
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University of Maryland School of Law
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Florida State University College of Law
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University of Miami School of Law
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Fordham Law School
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University of Michigan Law School
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Golden Gate University School of Law
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University of Minnesota Law School
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Franklin Pierce Law School
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University of Montana School of Law
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George Mason University School of Law
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University of New Mexico School of Law
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Georgetown University Law Center
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University of North Carolina School of Law
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George Washington University Law School
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University of Notre Dame Law School
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Hamline University School of Law
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University of Oregon School of Law
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Harvard Law School
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University of Pennsylvania Law School
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Hofstra University School of Law
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University of Pittsburgh School of Law
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Howard University School of Law
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University of Richmond School of Law
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Indiana University School of Law - Bloomington
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University of San Diego School of Law
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Lewis and Clark Law School
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University of San Francisco School of Law
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Louisiana State University Law Center
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University of Southern California Law School
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Loyola Law School Los Angeles
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University of South Dakota School of Law
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Loyola University Chicago School of Law
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University of Texas School of Law
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Michigan State University College of Law
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University of Virginia School of Law
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New England School of Law
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University of Washington School of Law
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New York Law School
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University of Wisconsin Law School
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New York University School of Law
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Vanderbilt University Law School
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Northeastern University School of Law
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Vermont Law School
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Northwestern University School of Law
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Villanova University School of Law
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Ohio State University Moritz College of Law
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Wake Forest University School of Law
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Pace University School of Law
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Washington and Lee University School of Law
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Penn State Dickinson School of Law
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Washington University School of Law
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Pepperdine University School of Law
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Wayne State University Law School
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Quinnipiac University School of Law
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Western New England College of Law
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Roger Williams University School of Law
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Whittier Law School
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Rutgers University School of Law Newark
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Widener University School of Law
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Saint John's University School of Law
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William and Mary Law School
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Saint Thomas University School of Law
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Yale Law School
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Santa Clara University School of Law
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Seattle University School of Law
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Southern Methodist Univ. Dedman School of Law
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Southwestern University School of Law
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Stanford University Law School
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Suffolk University Law School
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Syracuse University College of Law
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Temple University Beasley School of Law
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