Apply to Law School

• Pre-Law Required Courses
• Selecting a Law School
• Law School Application and Financial Aid
• The Right Time to go to Law School
• Law School Application Timeline
• Recent UVM Student Law School Acceptances

Just getting started? If you are in the early stages of considering applying to law school, let us help you begin with advising information, choice of major and an undergraduate timetable in our Considering Pre-Law webpage. Don't forget to join the Pre-Law Listserv.

Pre-law Required Courses

The American Bar Association does not recommend any specific group of courses to prepare for a legal education. There are, however, important skills and values it recommends acquiring prior to law school. These include analytical and problem-solving skills, critical reading abilities, writing skills, oral communication and listening abilities, general research skills, task organization and management skills and the values of serving others and promoting justice.

In addition to these fundamental skills and values, there are some basic areas of knowledge helpful to a legal education. These include:

1. A broad understanding of history, including the various factors (social, political, economic and cultural) that have influenced the development of society
2. A fundamental understanding of political thought and the contemporary American political system
3. Basic mathematical and financial skills
4. A basic understanding of human behavior and social interaction
5. An understanding of diverse cultures within and beyond the US, of international institutions and issues, of world events and of the increasing interdependence of nations and communities in our world.

Finally, many of our students have found it helpful to take classes in logic and philosophy.

 

 

Selecting a law school

We recommend a process of self-assessment whereby the candidate gathers information about those factors that are critical to their needs, priorities, and goals. Considerations may include: reputation of school, location, class offerings and atmosphere, cultural and racial/ethnic diversity, chances of admission, cost, and employment prospects following graduation.
The following links may be useful in your decision-making process:

• Official Guide to American Bar Association (ABA) Approved Law Schools
• Law school forums (LSAC website)
• Visit law schools (links to law schools from the LSAC website)
• Equal Justice Works Guide to Law Schools
• Talk to alumni practicing law through the Career Connection
• The Book of Law School Lists: Law Schools by Specialty Programs
• GLBT applicants (LSAC website)
• ALANA applicants (LSAC/MILE website)
• Economically disadvantaged applicants (CLEO website)

Law school application and financial aid

Application resources

• LSAC (Law School Admission Council)
• Letters of Recommendation for Law School FAQ’s
• Writing a Personal Statement
• LSAC: Your Personal Essay
• Pre-law books available in the Career Services library (Helpful for Personal Statement)
• UVM Writing Center can also give feedback on your Personal Statement
• Law School admissions events & presentations at Law School Forums
• Note: Schools that require a dean's recommendation will send the appropriate forms to you. It is a recommendation based on your UVM record, and prior personal contact with the Dean is not necessary.

Financing a law school education

• LSAC website
• www.finaid.org
• www.accessgroup.org
• www.nelliemae.com
• ABA - Legal Opportunity Scholarship Fund
• AboutLawSchools.org
• Penn State: Law School Financial Aid Resource List (Great list of resources for underrepresented groups)
• Financial aid offices at law schools

When is the right time to go to law school?

The “right time” will vary from person to person. Law schools are interested in people who take time off to gain related experience as well as students who choose to continue immediately after their undergraduate work. Taking time to gain relevant experience may enhance your application and make you more marketable to law schools and to employers after law school. Lawyers with specialized skills and expertise are competitive candidates for positions in both the public and private sectors.

Law School Application Timeline

SPRING (PRIOR TO APPLYING)

• Develop an application timeline with the goal of submitting applications by late November.
• Attend Pre-Law related workshops and events - watch Career Service’s Calendar of Events.
• Register for the Pre-Law Listserv.
• Meet with Career Services’ Pre-Law advisor and/or faculty Pre-Law advisors.
• Open an account with the Law School Admission Council  (LSAC).
• Prepare for and register for the June LSAT.
• Research law schools and their admission requirements.
• Register for LSAC Credential Assembly Service.
• Start requesting letters of recommendation.

SUMMER (PRIOR TO APPLYING)

• Take the June LSAT and/or prepare for the October LSAT.
• Register for LSAC Credential Assembly Service if you haven’t already done so.
• Request and submit official transcript(s).
• Continue to research law schools of interest and their requirements/deadlines, visit schools if possible.
• Begin to draft your personal statement.
• Continue or start requesting letters of recommendation.

FALL (OF APPLICATION YEAR)

• Attend Pre-Law related workshops and events - watch Career Service’s Calendar of Events.
• Take the October LSAT if needed. If necessary, register for and take the December LSAT.
• Finalize the list of law schools to which you will be applying.
• Continue and put final touches on your personal statement.
• Consider attending an LSAC Law School Forum in various cities.
• Submit your complete applications and necessary materials by the end of November (individual law schools will advertise much later deadlines, but the earlier you apply, the more competitive you will be).

WINTER/SPRING (AFTER APPLICATIONS ARE SUBMITTED)

• Confirm that your applications are complete through your LSAC account.
• Gather necessary financial documents and submit necessary financial aid applications/paperwork.
• If desired, send updated Fall transcript to LSAC or directly to law schools where you applied.
• Continue to do as well as possible in your classes – if you are waitlisted at a law school, a strong last semester can be beneficial.
• Think critically about where you have been granted admission and/or waitlisted as well as any scholarship or financial aid packages received.
• Notify us of your decision.

Recent UVM Student Law School Acceptances

Albany Law School American University Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law Boston College Law School Boston University Brooklyn Law School California Western School of Law Case Western Reserve Catholic University of America Kent College of Law CUNY at Queens Cornell University Duke University Florida Costal School of Law Fordham University School of Law Franklin Pierce Law Center George Washington University Law School Georgetown University Law Center Golden Gate University School of Law Gonzaga University Hofstra University Harvard Law School Lewis and Clark Loyola University New Orleans New England School of Law New York Law School New York University School of Law Northeastern University School of Law Northwestern School of Law Oklahoma City University of Law School Pace University Pennsylvania State University - Dickson Quinnipiac College School Roger Williams University School

Rutgers School of Law-Newark Seattle University Seton Hall University School St. John's University School Suffolk University Syracuse University Thomas M. Cooley Thomas Jefferson Touro College UCLA Tulane University University of Arizona University of Chicago University of Connecticut University of Florida University of Idaho University of Maine School University of Miami University of Maryland School University of Michigan University of Montana University of North Carolina University of Oregon University of Pennsylvania University of Southern California University of Toledo University of Virginia Vermont Law School Villanova University Washington & Lee University Washington University - Missouri Western New England College Widener University School William and Mary School Yale Law School

Last modified May 09 2013 08:06 PM