Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Entry Requirements To Study Law

Take heed to these law school entry requirements.


Law firm's summer associates make thousands of dollars per week. A summer associate position is basically a months-long interview with a law firm at which a student would like to work after law school. The firm and the student attempt to see if they fit together. In order to obtain one of these prestigious positions, a person must first be accepted to law school.


Undergraduate Degree


Law school applicants need a baccalaureate degree from an accredited university or college. Such a degree normally takes four years to complete. Many schools offer pre-law programs as a degree, but a student need not major in pre-law to enter law school. Many of the students major in such programs as English and political science, but any degree program would be acceptable. Students can begin the application process as an undergraduate student. Students also need an acceptable grade point average to be admitted to any law school.


LSAT


All applicants need to take the Law School Admissions Test, or LSAT. A student should not take the official test as a dry run. Law schools will receive all scores with the student's application, so if a student takes the test and makes a low score and then takes the test again, making a higher score, the schools may take both scores into account. Some schools will average the two scores, essentially discounting the second effort. The LSAT takes proper preparation of at least several months of study.


LSDAS


Applicants must register with the Law School Data Assembly Service, or LSDAS. The LSDAS requires applicants to send a transcript from each college or university attended to the Law School Admission Council (LSAC). The LSAC analyzes a student's undergraduate records and compiles them with LSAT scores then sends them to each school where the applicant applies.


Other Application Materials


Almost all schools require students to pay an application fee. With the application, the students must include a resume, letters of recommendation and a personal statement. The resume should include the names of the undergraduate schools attended and the dates attended. It should include any employment up until this point and ideally should stay on one page.


The recommendations should be from people who know the applicant well. The ideal recommendation writer would be a professor who can speak to the student's analytical abilities and communication skills.


The personal statement should not just state that the applicant wants to attend law school and the reasons why. The personal statement should be original. The law school application process is a very competitive one, so applicants should give the reader something compelling in a personal statement that could possibly push the application into the accepted pile.







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