Top 10 Application Questions
Answers to your most popular questions, from Jamie and Judy
- When should I apply to law school?
- What is the Credential Assembly Service (or the LSDAS)?
- I’ve heard that the Law School Admission Council re-calculates my GPA, and that they count Credit/No Credit grades as “C” or “F” grades. Is that true?
- Will I get in to Dream Law School?
- How do I write a personal statement?
- Do I really have to disclose on my applications the underage drinking ticket I received?
- When is the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), and how do I register?
- From whom should I request a letter of recommendation?
- How many schools should I apply to?
- What is the “best” subject to major in if I want to go to law school?
1. When should I apply to law school?
Law schools start accepting applicants approximately one year in advance. If you wish to attend law school in Fall 2010, plan to apply in Fall 2009.
Most schools have rolling admissions, which means they will start accepting applications in September and will continually admit students until their classes are full. Therefore, it is HIGHLY recommended that you apply early in the application cycle. September through October is an ideal time to apply.
Many applicants will work for one or more years before applying to law school. Work experience can be valuable, especially for schools that express a preference for candidates with a professional background. Working for a few (or more!) years before law school can be a great way to save for law school, determine whether law school is right for you, or explore other opportunities (like Teach for America) before committing to a legal career.
For more information on when to apply, check out our Pre-Law Handbook.
2. I do not understand the Credential Assembly Service (or LSDAS). What is it?
This is a very popular question. Luckily there are very good resources to help you understand it.
The Credential Assembly Service (formerly known as and sometimes called the Law School Data Assembly Service) is a central repository for your candidate information such as transcripts and letters of recommendation. This service is required by many law schools, and administered by the Law School Admission Council. Their website contains lots of helpful information about the Credential Assembly Service and how it works. (Check out their Applying to Law School information here: http://www.lsac.org/Applying/Applying-menu.asp).
Once you register for the Credential Assembly Service online, you will set up an account and through that account you will receive detailed instructions walking you through each step of the process.
Please note that we are not affiliated with the LSAC and cannot answer questions about your LSAC or Credential Assembly Service account. Specific questions about your account should be directed to the Law School Admission Council by calling their Candidate Service Representatives. You can find their contact information at: www.lsac.org.
3. I’ve heard that the Law School Admission Council re-calculates my GPA, and that they count Credit/No Credit grades as “C” or “F” grades. Is that true?
It is true that the Law School Admission Council, in an effort to make all candidates comparable, will review your transcript and will re-calculate your GPA and include this recalculated GPA on your LSAC Law School Report. The Report will be submitted to law schools to which you apply. (However, your official University of Illinois GPA does not change.) This process is explained on the LSAC website and is also discussed in the FAQ section of their website.
If you took a class Credit/No Credit and received a Credit: That class will NOT be included in the calculation of your LSAC-generated GPA. (NOTE: A “Credit” on your transcript will NOT count as a “C”, despite popular belief.)
If you took a class Credit/No Credit and received No Credit: The LSAC will count this as an “F” and will factor it into your LSAC-generated GPA accordingly. It does not matter that the University of Illinois does not include that “No Credit” in your UIUC GPA.
4. Will I get in to Dream Law School?
The good news: Our most recent data from the Law School Admission Council (for the 2007-2008 cycle) indicates that 82% of University of Illinois applicants were accepted to law school.
However, whether you will be accepted to a particular school is dependent upon many factors, including GPA, LSAT, work experience, and the applicant pool. Unfortunately, we cannot tell you whether you will be admitted to your favorite school, but you are free to borrow our Magic 8 Ball if you like.
Your best resource is to compare yourself to the last entering class by using the Official Guide to ABA-Approved Law Schools profiles. Here you can search by your GPA and LSAT and get an “estimated likelihood of admission”.
5. How do I write a personal statement?
Many students find that writing the personal statement is the hardest part of applying. Our first piece of advice is: DO NOT PROCRASTINATE. This is not a piece that is best written in the wee hours of the morning and turned in last minute.
There is no magic formula to determine what to write. Your personal statement should be just that: personal. It is your opportunity to tell a law school why they should admit you over six or seven or ten other people who all want that seat in the class. You should take the chance to highlight your strengths. What makes you different from the rest of the pool? What do you hope to achieve with a legal education? How are you going to make this school glad that they admitted you? What will you add to the legal profession?
We have created a Personal Statement workshop for UIUC undergraduates to help give you some ideas about how to get started. For more information and to learn how to sign up, go to the Events page on our website.
6. Do I really have to disclose on my applications the underage drinking ticket I received?
Yes. You really do.
Law school applications will ask applicants to disclose any citations, violations of the law (sometimes including traffic tickets), and academic dishonesty or probation. They might ask other relevant questions about your character too. Partly they ask because the Board of Admissions to the Bar will also investigate (much more thoroughly) your character before allowing you to take the bar exam. Partly they ask because they want to know the type of people who will be representing this school for the rest of their lives.
Failure to disclose the tickets you have received (or any other relevant information the questions ask of you) reflects poorly on your integrity and judgment, both of which are critical when practicing law. It is a big deal and you can be reprimanded by the law school or even questioned by the Board of Admissions to the Bar, which can ask why you did not disclose the information on your law school applications.
You have selected a profession that demands respect for our legal system as well as good judgment and a high level of integrity. It is fair that you are asked to demonstrate those qualities to a law school and to the Board of Admissions to the Bar.
Learn more about disclosures and misconduct in the admissions process.
7. When is the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), and how do I register?
The LSAT is offered four times a year: June, September/October, December, and February. You can find out test dates, locations, and registration information on the LSAC website.
8. From whom should I request a letter of recommendation?
Consider the purpose of the letter: to demonstrate that you have either the academic strengths or the personal qualities that indicate you will be successful in law school and beyond. For that reason, many law schools express a preference for letters of recommendation from professors (or graduate assistants, as a secondary preference) who have taught you in college.
The key for this kind of letter is that your recommenders have been in a position to evaluate your work and assess your intellectual strengths. If you have been out of college for more than two years, most law schools will understand that it will be difficult for you to track down your old college professors, but it is still a good idea to try to obtain one. In the alternative, if you are in a graduate program, you should consider asking one of your graduate school professors to write a recommendation. If you are employed, consider asking your boss to write a recommendation.
Letters of recommendation from state senators, friends of the family, judges and/or lawyers that know you socially are generally not considered to be very helpful, unless you worked for that person and he/she can assess your professional or intellectual strengths in an unbiased manner.
9. How many schools should I apply to?
Last year, the average number of applications submitted to law schools by U of I undergraduates was 8 (and the average number of acceptances was 3). While there is no “right” number of schools for which to submit applications, we recommend that you determine whether the school is a good fit by assessing such elements as the school’s academic programs, its proximity to your preferred geographic region and/or its placement rate in that region, its bar passage rate, and the cost of attendance.
You can then refine your search by identifying schools where you are: (1) well above the median GPA and LSAT and therefore present a solid record with a strong likelihood of admission or (2) at the median GPA and LSAT, and therefore are within the statistical range of the majority of the most recently admitted class. Additionally, many students identify and apply to one or two (or more) schools in which they have a very strong interest (dream or reach schools) but where they are below the median GPA and/or LSAT.
As noted in Question 4, your best resource for applicant data is the Official Guide to ABA-Approved Law Schools profiles. Here you can search by keyword to identify programs of interest, or search by geographic region, or search by using your GPA and LSAT to get an “estimated likelihood of admission.”
10. What is the “best” subject to major in if I want to go to law school?
Because there is no “Pre-Law” major and since no one major is required for law school, many students wonder: “What should I be studying to prepare myself?” A good way to address this question is by reviewing what the American Bar Association recommends for students preparing for legal education.
It is recommended that pre-law students carefully review the ABA’s Preparation for Legal Education statement. Use this document to help you assess which skills you are already developing through your major, and which skills you can improve by taking other coursework. This statement suggests that pre-law students develop skills in the following areas: analytical skills; writing skills; research skills; critical reading skills; and oral communication skills.
For example, if your major does not require extensive writing and research, select General Education requirements and electives that provide research and writing opportunities. An introductory public speaking course is a good choice for any student considering pre-law to develop better oral communication skills. Talk with your academic advisor about selecting courses to help you improve skills in these areas.