Dear Mr. Hechtman: Congratulations on your success in college! You should feel confident that admissions deans will notice the strength of your academic work.
We also know that some students perform brilliantly in the classroom, but struggle on standardized tests. Your job here is to make an argument that your LSAT score does not accurately reflect your potential to perform well in law school. We like arguments in law school, but especially those that are backed by persuasive evidence. You have already identified one piece of helpful evidence—the fact that your SAT score did not necessarily predict your strong performance in college. If you include this argument in your applications (and I think you would be wise to do so), be sure to include a copy of your SAT scores as proof. Good luck! Sincerely, Bill Hoye
Dear Mr. Hechtman: I too wish to extend my congratulations to you for your academic accomplishment. I agree with what Dean Hoye has written. I will only add that a review of your file will involve evaluating your demonstrated academic skills. The scored portion of the LSAT is attempting to measure your logical and analytical reasoning skills as well as your reading comprehension skills. With that in mind, along with supplying a copy of your SAT, you should also look to your transcript as another piece of evidence. Bring to the attention of the file reviewer courses that developed your skills in logical or analytical reasoning (if it’s not obvious from the course title). Additionally, make your letter-of-evaluation writers aware of your situation and ask that they specifically address those LSAT-tested skills in the letters they will be writing on your behalf.
Your question about presenting your interest in academics and art is a good one. The most logical places to show those interests are your personal statement and/or resume. How much you discuss this depends on how it relates to your interest in law school and your intended field of practice (if you have one identified—it’s fine if you don’t). Submitting your portfolio is a judgment call. I would first suggest that you note any pieces that won awards or special recognition in your resume. If you are committed to including a sample portfolio with your application, check with the schools to which you are applying and see if they will accept this additional information. I hope you find my answers helpful. Sincerely, Reyes Aguilar
Dear Karen: I’m sorry to hear about your experience. It is sometimes easy to assume that a part-time legal education might be easier to handle than full-time study. But the opposite may be the case, especially when a student is juggling a full-time job, family responsibilities, as well as difficult law school classes. Still, part-time programs give many working professionals the opportunity to change careers or to maintain a current job that is interesting and fulfilling.
The ABA requires law schools to make certain that previously disqualified students have the requisite ability to complete law school before offering readmission. An applicant can help convince law schools of their ability by highlighting the nature of the work, activities, or study that she or he pursues in the interim. So, I would recommend that you seek out an activity that requires you to conduct critical analysis, read and understand dense material, and problem-solve. I hope this helps. Bill Hoye
Dear Ms. K: When considering candidates who have been dismissed for low grades, there are two primary questions that must be addressed. First, what contributed or led to the candidate’s failure to maintain the law school’s established academic standards? And second, what has the candidate done to rectify the situation and ensure that it will not once again prevent success?
Articulating answers to these questions requires that a candidate take a serious and honest look at the previous time in law school and determine what went wrong and what needs to change. While these are two primary questions that must be answered, they are not the only things that need to be addressed. Keep in mind these applicants still need to present themselves as “whole” candidates with a variety of attributes that will enhance a law school’s student body. I know this must feel like a daunting and frustrating task. I hope my answer to your question is helpful. Best of luck in your future endeavors. Sincerely, Reyes Aguilar
Dear Ms. O’Donnell: For many law school applicants, grades in the first year of college are often inconsistent, and we recognize that performance during this transition period may not be the best predictor of performance in law school. (When reviewers read files at Duke, they can even check off a box on the summary sheet that says “strong grades after the first year.”) There are also applicants who have performed less well during other periods in college due to identifiable reasons such as poor health or unusually heavy family responsibilities. In such cases, it is helpful to submit with the application a concise written explanation of why the grades were weak.
Your daughter’s grades this year will be very important in the admissions process to law school, so it is definitely time for her to buckle down and focus on doing the best work possible. It will also be very important to avoid further brushes with the law, since another DUI would suggest a pattern of substance abuse and lack of judgment. In addition, she should use this time to establish good relationships with professors. This will help her get the most out of her undergraduate education, but can also provide her with good sources for academic letters of recommendation. Bill Hoye
Dear Ms. O’Donnell: As a parent I can empathize with you and your concerns about your daughter’s future. The issues you bring up in your question do matter. As Dean Hoye mentioned, admission committees understand early college transition challenges and will often look differently at early grades—she should be sure to include a discussion that sheds light on the reason for the performance. The University of Utah, like Duke, has a practice of noting grade trends on a candidate’s file.
With her positive experiences interning for a judge and working in a law firm, hopefully your daughter will have found interest in law as a profession and inspiration to do well from this time forward. It is good that she still has these last two years of college available to her. This is an opportunity for her to shine. She should grasp this opportunity and focus on improving her performance, developing her academic skills, and avoiding behavior that may raise concerns in the minds of those who will review her file a year and a half from now. There are over 190 ABA-accredited law schools in the U.S. With research and effort, she will find a school that is right for her and where she is right for the school. If your daughter continues on a positive path, she will help create future opportunities for herself in law school. As a parent you can support her and let her know she still has law school as an option. You must emphasize that the standards under which she will be measured have been raised. Her future opportunities in law school are largely dependent on her actions—especially from this point forward. Sincerely, Reyes Aguilar
Dear Ms. Hays: You should plan to take the LSAT when you are most prepared. It’s true that taking the LSAT in June of your junior year may allow you to complete your applications early, as well as possibly be eligible to apply through early-action programs offered by some law schools. Yet many applicants find that they do not have adequate time to prepare for the June test because of the demands of their class and final-exam schedule. Therefore, many candidates use the summer months to extensively prepare for the October test. Bottom line: take the test when you are really ready! Bill Hoye
Dear Ms. Hays: You ask a very relevant and common question. I completely agree with Dean Hoye’s response. Take the LSAT when you are most prepared. I will approach my answer from the standpoint of looking at all four LSAT administrations over the course of a year. The timing of your test should take into consideration the amount of time you know you will need to adequately prepare for the test. Look at that and look at your work, personal and academic calendars, and try to identify potential obstacles to your preparation.
Dean Hoye listed June test challenges; another test with obvious challenges is the December test. Six to eight weeks before that test there is Halloween, Thanksgiving, exams and winter holiday preparation. Take calendar events like that into account when setting your LSAT study schedule. Give yourself the time you need to do the best you possibly can on this test. Also, many schools have deadlines that will allow for a February test—for example, here at the University of Utah Quinney College of Law, our file completion deadline is March 10.
But be aware that a rolling admissions process may create timing challenges in the availability of offers late in the admission cycle. In the end, however, having a stronger application file is more beneficial than having an application simply completed early. The best approach is to have your strongest application file completed early. Sincerely, Reyes Aguilar
