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Law School, the LSAT & Test Prep Courses

SELECTING A LAW SCHOOL & THE APPLICATION PROCESS

Law School Guide, by Matthew L. Tuccillo, Esq. ’95.
Matt has written an excellent discussion of the decision to attend law school, the application process, and more.

LSAC (Law School Admission Council)
LSAC administers the LSAT, the standardized test for admission to law school.  Review this Web site.  You will use it to register for the LSAT as well as the compilation and submission service for your applications.  It explains everything you need to know to apply to law school.

Northeast Association of Pre-Law Advisor’s Pre-Law Guide
A comprehensive resource designed to assist those preparing for a career in law.  Includes information on career exploration, excellent online resources, admissions and the application process, selecting a law school, personal statements, letters of recommendation, and financing a legal education.

Researching Law Schools & Ranking
Note: these ranking resources are provided to help you gain some perspective on this topic and to aid you in drawing your own conclusions regarding the place of ranking in your application decisions.

• American Bar Association Official Guide to Law Schools - Great resource for researching law schools.
• Boston College Law School Locator, 2009-2010 - Useful tool to develop a target list.
• Boston College Law School Range Finder - Researching Law Schools > BC Law School Range Finder Rankings
• Brian Leiter's Law School Rankings - Leiter is professor of law and the University of Chicago Law School.
• LSAC - Section on ranking law schools.
• Northwestern University School of Law - Statement on Rankings.
• Top-Law-Schools.com - Top 2010 Law School Rankings.
• U.S. News & World Report - The grandaddy of ranking systems.

Law School Predictor
For your entertainment, enables you to plug in your numbers to get a list of target schools.

Personal Statements
Think of the personal statement as a substitute for a face-to-face interview.  As such, they are most effective when they give the admissions reader an insight into who you are as a person, and NOT when they are written like an academic essay.  This section links to a list of Do’s & Don'ts for this important part of the law school application.

Dean's Certification Letter
A limited number of schools require a disciplinary clearance for the applicant's undergraduate institution.  When needed, mail a stamped addressed envelope for each law school to: Wesleyan University, Dean of the College Office, Att: Lorna Scott, North College 219, 237 High Street, Middletown, CT 06459.

THE LSAT

Needless to say, do not sit for the LSAT unless you feel thoroughly prepared.  Although law schools do not count it against you if you take the exam a second time, it is recommended that you plan to take the LSAT only once.  A second round score can be lower as well as higher than your first attempt.  Two to four months is typically spent in preparation for this exam, which test mental ability and thinking, not knowledge.  Recommended preparation is to take several full-length practice tests (not including the essay question), either with or without a prep course.  Wesleyan students have done well on the LSAT without a prep course.  Others insist it's a good idea, if only for the discipline and structure it provides.

Test Prep Courses
Wesleyan does not endorse one particular prep course over another, nor do Wes students seem to favor a particular program.  Investigate several programs to see which one best fits you.

BLOGS

Harvard's HLS in Focus
Law Blog, Wall Street Journal - Interesting posts on issues of interest to law school applicants.
Law School Expert
LSAT Blog: Ace the LSAT - Useful tips on the LSAT, etc.
Personal Statement School - Useful tips on a variety of law school issues, NOT JUST personal statements.
Yale's Asha Rangappa, (203) Admissions