Applications for most Ontario law schools close on November 1st. Most of you will have started your application.
Since we can’t all be Elle Woods and get into Harvard Law based on a cute video and a shockingly high LSAT score, these are some tips that I have been keeping in mind to help while applying for law schools.
- Start Early
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Estimates say that completing your Law School Application will take about 25 hours. But that doesn’t include all the hours staring at a blank page wondering what to write your Personal Statement on, getting over your fear about which professors to contact for references and figuring out who to ask to be your verifier for an extracurricular activity. Not to mention procrastination. If you haven’t started on your application, start now!
- Just email that prof
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Two years ago, when my sister was applying for her MBA, there was a requirement to have both professional and academic references. My sister was easily able to get professional references, but, she was nervous because she felt like she didn’t make any connections with her past professors. But she reached out to a professor in a class where she had gotten a good grade. The professor gladly gave her a great reference.
Chances are, your law professor has been in the same position that you have been in. To become a professor or lawyer, you have to apply for master’s or law school which both require references. Most professors are happy to help out!
- Feeling unoriginal?
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Originality is key. But I feel like I’m not a very interesting person. Some applicants have done a ton of cool volunteer work, multiple different internships and lots of other things that they can add to their personal statements.
For my personal statement, I’m going to write about a combination of my work in the legal field and in journalism! I felt like journalism gave me a passion for the truth, and I want to write about that in relation to law. I want to write about the stories I have told and the fascinating people I have met and how that pushed me to be a truth-seeker. It’s all about finding the originality in your everyday life.
- LSAT score stress
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Your LSAT isn’t everything. Personally, I didn’t get the score I wanted. But I knew that I studied hard and tried my hardest. The LSAT is HARD, and it does matter. But your GPA, experience and personal statement matter too. Instead of beating myself up, I’m confident that I have a well-rounded application that will get me into law school.
Samuel Dore/Netflix - Choosing your schools
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I applied to every school in Ontario that I thought I had a reasonable chance of getting into. That’s what I recommend. Don’t just apply to your top two schools — you want to have a backup in case the cycle is super competitive.
That way, you won’t have to wait to apply next year. I chose not to apply to the top schools in Ontario because the fee to apply is $150 dollars and I knew I likely wouldn’t get in, so I chose to save my money.
As you work on your applications, keep these tips in mind if you’re stuck on which schools to apply to or feeling nervous about your application. Good luck, future lawyers!