How to Get in to Law School

How to Get in to Law School Derek Meeker: Hi there my name is Derek Meeker and I’m Senior Law School Consultant for Admissions Consultants, a consulting firm for aspiring college business, medical, graduate and law school applicants. Today, I’m going to be answering some questions about law school admissions process. But before we get started let me tell you a little bit about myself. Prior to becoming consultant, I was the Dean of Admissions for the University Of Pennsylvania Law School. I also work as an Assistant Director for William Mitchell College of Law in St Paul, Minnesota and a total of nine years of experience in law school admissions. So I can definitely give you some inside information on the process. I received Majors Doctor from Capitol University in Columbus, Ohio and my bachelor’s degree in Journalism from the higher University. I also work as an Assistant, Attorney General for the State of Ohio and as a legislative aid in the Ohio Senate. So why don’t we now get started on the law school admissions process. Host: How much emphasis is placed on the essays? Derek Meeker: A lot of emphasis is placed on the essays. I would say aside from the LSAT and Academic Record the personal statement is the most important component of the application process. This is the only opportunity where the admissions committee has a chance to really get to know the applicant to get and idea or sense of what the applicant is going to add to the community, what voice the applicant is going to bring to the classroom. Keep in mind that law school classes are taught differently than college courses, the professor is particularly in the first year do not lecture their questioning, their questioning the students and so much of what happens in the classroom in law school comes from student discussions and students challenging one another. So the admissions committee is looking at the personal statement to see how the applicant is going to fit in, in that regard how are you going to contribute to the ideas and the discussions that are being generated in a classroom. How are you going to challenge your classmates, so this is one of the most important parts because this is really where the admissions committee shapes the classroom is really looking at how people are going to fit into that overall picture. Host: What do schools look for in a personal statement? Derek Meeker: What I always advice clients to do is to do life inventory before they start the personal statement. Think about all of the experiences that you’ve had even back to childhood. What have been the most remarkable experiences that defining the kinds of moments and experiences in your life, those things that have really shaped your values, your beliefs, your work ethic, your character and try to hone in on those experiences and the personal statement, you don’t want to rehash what’s already in the resume or what’s evident from other components of your application. You wanted to really elaborate on experiences or provide new information about yourself. This is your opportunity to really give a good picture of how you’re going to fit in to that community of people in the law school. Host: Should I talk about why I want to go to law school in my personal statement? Derek Meeker: Well that should definitely not be the main topic for your essay. I think that the readers should have an understanding after reading the essay why you’re interested in pursuing the legal education but you don’t have to address it specifically, especially if you’re coming directly from college or maybe a year or two. I will say however that if you are an applicant who’s been out of school for several years and you’ve been working or if you’ve gone to graduate school and perhaps professional school as well so already have a couple of advance degrees, I think in those cases it is important to address why you want to go to law school and what you’re interested in doing because the Admissions Committee is going to want to know on those cases why you are making the clearer change or why you’re pursuing another advance degree. Host: For more information visit and other helpful resources log on to www.admissionsconsultants.com or give us a call ate 703 242 5885.