A Step by Step Guide

Prelaw Handbook

A Step by Step Guide

to Applying to Law School

Prelaw Handbook

Revised and edited summer 2013

CONTENTS

Preface……………………………………………………………………………………………..3

Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………..4

Prelaw Advising at Clark………………………………………………………………………….4

Academics…………………………………………………………………………………………6

Extracurricular Activities………………………………………………………………………….8

Careers in Law…………………………………………………………………………………….9

Applying to Law School…………………………………………………………………………10

The Law School Admissions Test (LSAT)………………………………………………………15

Financing Your Legal Education………………………………………………………………...20

Calendar of Things to Do………………………………………………………………………...23

Suggested Reading List…………………………………………………………………………..27

Financial Aid Resources…………………………………………………………………………28

Bibliography……………………………………………………………………………………..29

Acknowledgements………………………………………………………………………………30

Law School Acceptances………………………………………………………………………...31

PREFACE

Law school is an experience which can greatly change people. Not only must one learn the nuts-and-bolts details of working as a lawyer, one must also learn to think as a lawyer. Law school is, of course, challenging because it involves learning a new legal language, a new style of analysis and a new approach to problem solving. It can also force students to adopt a whole new perspective on our society. If you would like to learn more about the somewhat complicated process involved in becoming a law student, then read on.

Mark C. Miller

Professor of Political Science

Director of Law and Society Program

INTRODUCTION

This handbook has been designed to provide you with basic information about the prelaw program at Clark University and to answer many of the questions that prelaw students most frequently ask. One fact you should know is that there are no absolute answers when dealing with law schools. The factors vary from student to student and from school to school. There are, however, some fundamentals that are relevant to all prelaw students. Keep in mind that this is a starting point – a tool of reference to guide you through the preparation for and application processes to law school.

PRELAW ADVISING AT CLARK

Prelaw Adviser

Professor Mark C. Miller in the Department of Political Science serves as the primary prelaw adviser along with the members of the Prelaw Advisory Committee. The prelaw adviser can assist you in tailoring an individual approach to the law school application process. The adviser communicates with law schools and has access to information such as application, acceptances, and matriculation rates that may be useful when planning an application strategy. The Office of Career Services writes the Dean’s Certification Letters for Clark University law school candidates who require them.

Throughout the school year, emails are sent that invite registered prelaw students to group meetings, workshops, panel discussions, and lectures. These activities are structured to inform you about law as a career as well as to support your efforts to prepare for law school. The Office of Career Services maintains the pre-law email list.

Prelaw Advisory Committee

The Prelaw Advisory Committee is comprised of faculty and administrators who work with prelaw students through the law school preparation and application processes. The members serve as auxiliary advisers to prelaw students, particularly in assisting students with their personal statement essays. Members of the committee are available to review personal statements and discuss application strategy.

Prelaw Society

The Prelaw Society is a Student Council – recognized student organization, and as such operates independently of the Clark Prelaw Advisory Committee. There is, however, a close cooperation between the two. The Prelaw Society (PLS) collaborates with Career Services, the Alumni Office, and other offices to sponsor events such as guest lecturers, alumni panels, and a mock trial competition. The PLS also offers you a peer group of students who share your interest in the law. Upperclass students, especially graduating seniors, can offer considerable insight.

You may find that you want to take an active role and become part of the PLS’s executive board. Not only will this give you an opportunity to be active in prelaw programming, but it will also provide you with leadership experiences. Attend the Student Activities Fair in the fall or spring of each year to ask to be placed on the membership list or email with your full name, class, box number, email address, and phone number and ask to be subscribed to the Prelaw List.

The message is simple: you are responsible for your four years at Clark. You have the opportunity to spend these years in pursuit of not only liberal arts education, but also in pursuit of information about the law profession. Clark offers you both.

DECIDING ON LAW SCHOOL

The law school application process can be stressful and competitive. A strong interest and motivation will help you handle the process. Take advantage of all resources available to you at Clark to research the law school application process and the legal field so that you are sure you really want to pursue law school.

Once you decide to apply to law school, the next decision you will need to make is when to apply. Will you go directly after college or will you take a year or two off? There are some very compelling reasons to delay application to law school. If you plan to attend law school directly after college, the law schools will only see your first six semesters of grades during consideration of your application. If your undergraduate record is weak, a year or two in a field of undergraduate employment that allows you to make a significant improvement in your analytic abilities, motivation, judgment, and maturity will greatly enhance your chances for admission to law school. Law schools also seem to favor “older” applicants (the average age of entering law students is 27 and going up).

ACADEMICS

Will a certain major enhance my chances for admission to law school? The answer to this question is No. You should choose a major in whatever topic you are interested in studying. Our research shows that there is no one major that law schools prefer and, likewise, there is no major that they particularly dislike. Because grades are so important, you should major in a subject you like because your grades will probably be higher in that major.

Like most colleges, Clark does not have a “Prelaw curriculum,” although we do offer many law-related courses in many departments through our Law and Society program. The Law and Society concentration can be added to any major. In effect, the Law and Society program functions as an interdisciplinary minor. However, the Law and Society program is not required for pre-law students and many students apply to law school without completing this concentration. The best thing you can do to prepare yourself for law school is to study something that interests you. The theory behind this approach is that if you are interested in your courses, you will be motivated to achieve high levels of academic performance. This demonstrated commitment to learning is the most important factor in the law school admissions process.

There are, however, three basic areas in which prelaw students need to develop proficiency:

1.  Effectiveness in the comprehension and use of oral and written language.

2.  In-depth understanding of human institutions and values.

3.  Analytical and critical thinking.

Choosing electives that will strengthen your aptitude in these areas will greatly assist you when you are a student of law. Demonstrating competence in these fields will make you an appealing candidate for admission at law schools.

Language

Language is the most important working tool used by the lawyer. Whether the task is effectively negotiating a contract, examining a witness in court, preparing an appellate brief or just grasping the exact meanings of legal provisions, the lawyer must understand the precise meanings of words. To facilitate the development of language skills, students should pursue courses that will give them adequate practice in:

1.  Expression: vocabulary, usage, grammar, organized presentation, structure of language, and clarity of statement in both writing and speaking.

2.  Comprehension: concentration and effective recollection in reading and listening skills.

Both expression and comprehension require sensitivity to the fluidity of language – the various meanings of words in different times and contexts, shades of meanings, interpretive problems and the hazards in use of ambiguous terms. Also, skilled expression, especially for the lawyer, requires knowledge of the deceptiveness of language – emotionally charged words, catch phrases, hidden meanings, and empty generalizations.

Most Verbal Expression (VE) classes at Clark University, regardless of discipline, stress the fundamentals of language. Student research projects are also the key to developing these skills. Taking a variety of courses with strong writing and research components can strengthen language skills.

Human Institutions and Values

A good lawyer must have insight into information about the institutions and values which concern the public at large, since lawyers are a force in shaping such institutions. Such insight comes from intensive study in selected areas, rather than from attempts to skim all the large areas. Your major, minor, and concentrations will have an impact on your development in this area.

Creative Power in Thinking

Perhaps the lawyer’s most valuable asset is the power to think clearly, carefully, and independently. The role of the lawyer involves constant problem-solving and sound judgment. Creative power in thinking has, as its prerequisite, the acquisition of skills in research, use of facts, inductive, deductive and analytic reasoning, critical analysis, and the systematic formulation of principles and concepts.

Classes that stress critical thinking can include: English, history, philosophy, economics, sociology, geography, and political science; all classes in the natural sciences, lab courses in psychology, classes involving research methods in the social sciences; and all courses in computer science and mathematics. You should take challenging courses in all disciplines to strengthen your skills. Courses in philosophy that stress logic and analytic reasoning skills can also be beneficial to the development of critical thinking skills and can help to prepare for the Law School Admission Test (LSAT).

Remember, you should only major in a discipline because you find the subject matter appealing; the key to academic success is to pursue what you enjoy. Whatever your major, you will have ample opportunity to sample other departments when you choose electives. In selecting those classes that fulfill the perspective requirements of the Program of Liberal Studies, you will find that many of them concentrate on the areas outlined and will assist you in your future as a lawyer.

Do grade options have an impact on my chances for admissions?

Law schools do not like to see several pass/fail or credit/no credit classes on an applicant’s transcript because they are an obstacle in evaluating a student’s academic performance. Whether it is a fair assumption or not, admissions committees may assume that a student elected the pass/fail option because the student anticipated that doing so would allow him/her to do less work in the class and not be penalized for it by having a low grade affect his/her GPA. The other assumption might be that the student feared receiving a low grade in a course with a high degree of difficulty and could avoid doing so by electing the pass/fail option. As a general rule, the first two pass/fail courses are overlooked, but after two, they may recompute your GPA, counting a pass as a “C” or even a “C-.” Taking an internship as pass/fail is generally fine.

Will a few poor grades really hurt my chances for admission?

Don’t let anyone kid you – your first-year grades are very important if you plan to apply to law school. But, your “academic trend” is also taken into consideration by law schools. A student who has earned high grades in analytic and advanced courses, but whose GPA has been lowered by a few low grades in less-demanding and introductory courses taken in the first-year, might be regarded as a stronger candidate than the student who has earned a high GPA by taking introductory classes in the junior or senior year. Moreover, law schools may overlook a low grade that was earned in the first or second year if they see an improvement in academic performance in the junior and senior year. On the other hand, law schools will react unfavorably to an applicant with a strong first-year grade point average which drops each successive year due to poor performance in advanced courses.

EXTRACURRICULARS

The extent of your involvement in extracurricular organizations, not your mere association with a group, is considered both by the law schools and by those who will write your letters of recommendation; membership alone counts for very little. Active participation, as demonstrated by long-term commitment in leadership roles, indicates maturity, motivation, and direction.

Your depth of extracurricular dedication could be an important part of the admissions process. A career in law requires that you work well with people and know how to balance various aspects of your life. A student who strikes a balance between real commitment to a few extracurricular organizations and maintaining a high level of academic achievement will be a strong applicant.

Community Service

Beyond extracurricular involvement, students should be involved with some type of community service because law schools want their students to have sensitivity toward the needs of society. However, the only reason to be involved in community service is because you care enough to be involved, and a true commitment to your community would then be highlighted in one of your letters of recommendation.

Law-Related Activities, Internships, and Employment

Meaningful involvement in law-related activities can be of great value in two ways. It proves to law schools that your desire to study law is well considered, and it also serves as an excellent way for you to discover the area and extent of your own interest in law. There are a few ways to achieve this end.

1.  Join the Prelaw Society. It is an easy way of being involved in a law-related activity on campus.

2.  Another way of demonstrating your interest in the law is through legal internships and/or employment. Clark has many legal internships available for academic credit. They range from working in a law firm in Worcester to being a probation assistant. Also, the Washington Center and Washington Semester programs have hundreds of law-related internships available. Some students do law-related internships abroad as well. If you are interested in pursuing an internship, make an appointment with Career Services. Legal employment on your summer vacation offers yet another opportunity for firsthand experience in the field of law and demonstrates to law schools your seriousness about the pursuit of a legal career.