Applying to law school can be a hectic process. Bryn Mawr students are frequently worried about what matters in law school admissions- whether it comes to grades, extracurriculars, or LSAT scores. Fortunately, Bryn Mawr was able to host the Pre-Law Orientation, an annual discussion panel for students at the college so that they can understand what it truly means to apply to law school. Jennifer Beale, the Pre-Law advisor, hosted this orientation and offered some invaluable advice for students interested in the prospects of attending law school. Here are her most important pieces of advice from the meeting:
1. In college, the best way students can prepare for law school right away is to get a stellar GPA. It doesn’t matter what you major in- students do not have to major in a traditional law-school major like political science, economics, or philosophy to attend law school.
2. Most Bryn Mawr students who graduate do not go to law school immediately after their senior year. Instead, they will take a gap year, pursue an internship, or save up for law school. You do not have to attend law school right after graduation.
3. Bryn Mawr students scored well on the LSAT compared to students from other colleges. Currently, the Bryn Mawr LSAT average score is 158.5, while the national LSAT average score is 152.9.
4. Internships are important, but are not required for the law school admissions process. Beale recommended that students try out an internship in order to fully understand the professional careers of lawyers.
5. In law school admissions, your grades, LSAT scores, and essays are the most important part of the process. Extracurriculars are important, but applicants should only participate in activities that are meaningful to them.
6. Ideally, the LSAT should only be taken once. It’s not like the ACT or SAT- admissions officers will look at how many times students have decided to take the LSAT and take this into consideration.
7. BMC alumnae said that the best practice for the LSAT is taking timed practice tests. After all, the test is approximately four hours long, and has time constraints on all the sections.
8. Fall is the best time of the year to meet with law school admissions at various events. After the fall, admissions officers are busy with selecting applicants and preparing for the next round of admissions.
9. Applicants do not have to apply to a certain number of law schools. Beale noted that some BMC students have applied to only one law school in the past, while others have applied to as many as 25 law schools in one year.
10. Students should apply in the early fall (September and October) to have the best chances for receiving more scholarship money.
11. There are no classes that applicants need to take in order to have a leg up on the admissions process. Beale’s best recommendation was that students should not drop any classes in order to have clean records.
Hopefully, Beale’s advice will give BMC students more assurance as they apply to law school. Bryn Mawr students have been able to be admitted to some of the best law schools in the country, including University of Pennsylvania, Georgetown Law, and University of Michigan. Maybe the next Elle Woods will be able to graduate from Bryn Mawr in the future and move onto Harvard Law!
Lead Image Credit: Vanderbilt University Admissions