Completing Applications
By the time you have completed the Common Info Form, arranged for the parts of your file which must be produced by others (transcripts and recs) and have completed all your supplementary documents for arrests and other problems, you must begin the tedious chore of completing applications. Each one must be carefully read, and the application must be typed and proofread, a time-consuming and tedious task.
But It's All Online!
"Can't I just use the LSAC application system?" Yes, you can. This doesn't negate the need to enter data carefully. In fact, it makes it more important.
Often the common info form will fail to fill in something on an application. For instance, on this sample application:
- If you return to "Register with LSAC"and look at the last screen shot, you'll see that I already told them when and where I went to college, and with what majors. But that info didn't fill in for me here.
- The screen shot above shows that the app asks for chronological order; the auto-fill function failed to follow that instruction; in the common info, I listed Temple as my second school and North Seattle CC as my most recent.
More often the errors you make are due to your desire to fill in a space rather than ask yourself what they want and why, and give that information. For instance:
- The app asks "Father's Occupation" and you enter "deceased." Well, I'm sorry to hear that, but did he ever work? Doing what?
- The app asks for your school and you enter "University of Te" because you ran out of space. Don't you think they'd rather see "U. of Texas" or "U of Tennessee"?
- The app asks for your home phone, work phone, and parents' phone, and you list your cell phone for all of them. Then what happens when you have a cell phone problem?
You also have to proofread -- LSACD does not provide a spell-checker, and even if it did, spell-checking is not proofreading. Here's an example. LSAC's Common Info form often doesn't have info about optional essays, resumes, etc., that you can only see by reading the instructions each school provides someplace.
Law schools do care that you take the time to complete their applications carefully and accurately. Sloppy work or skipped questions are taken as a sign that you don't care about the law school, or that you don't pay the meticulous attention to detail required of a good lawyer. Accordingly, you should give each application the attention it deserves.
Do I Have to...?
One of the commonest questions to appear in my in box is, "Do I have to...?" Get an academic rec, write a diversity statement, put "N/A" in all the boxes that don't apply, actually go get a copy of my driving record, etc., etc. Here's my latest answer:
| No, you don't have to; you can get by with less. Now do you want to get by with, or do you want to make your best effort? Do you want their best effort when they read your file? |
Never leave a question unanswered. Questions about military service or citizenship should be answered with a "no," a notation of "n/a" (not applicable) or a line drawn through the space. If you simply leave a blank, you may cause the admissions committee to wonder whether you are hiding something; the application may be returned to you as incomplete, or you may be rejected.
Full Disclosure
NEVER attempt to hide a problem. You were fired from a job when you were an alcoholic; you had to be hospitalized and take a leave of absence from school when you were anorexic; you were a gay teenager who got beat up all the time in school and stopped going, so you were hauled into court for chronic truancy. Do you really think that law school admissions officers don't understand these problems? More importantly, do you really think they'll buy whatever sad excuse you use to try to hide it? Trust me, they're not that stupid; don't you be, either.
How Many Schools Should I Apply to?
Although the national average used to be about 4 schools, as apps have risen and the hysteria about getting into a "top" school has increased, the average is now about 7 schools. Applicants from highly competitive regions of the country often apply to more; 10 to 15 is not uncommon. A good general rule is that if you are applying locally, just count the number of local schools. If you are applying within a region, plan on 8 to 10 applications. And if you are applying all over the country, or if you know that a weakness in your file will make your admission less likely, plan on 12 or more.
Prioritizing the Work
The third step is to prioritize the apps in the order you wish to complete them. Do not try to send all apps on the same day. Mass production leads to mistakes!
All other things being equal, you should send the apps with the earliest deadlines first. But of course, all other things are never equal. |
Send a safety or two off earlier, even though they tend to have later deadlines. An early acceptance at a safety will raise your spirits, and may save you the time and money of applying to schools with similar reputations or programs. If you are applying late, complete the applications to your safeties first; your chances diminish with each passing day. Complete your target schools second; you don't want to be closed out because there are no seats left. Save the longshots until last; they're going to set your file aside until later anyway. (Huh? Don't they read them in the order they're received? No. See the note on Top-down admissions.)
In prioritizing schools, you should check to see whether you will have to write additional essays; you might want to finish the easy ones first, and save the more complicated applications until later.
Supplemental Forms
The application is rarely complete with the few pieces of paper you see. Forms for residency or a dean's certification (to prove you really are a student in good standing at the college) and addenda must often be enclosed. Financial aid forms, early decision contracts, and "I swear I'm telling the truth" forms may be required. READ EVERYTHING. CLICK ON EVERY LINK. Carelessness always come with a penalty.
Notice that on Cornell's application information, the "Supplemental Form" button is active. That should reliably mean that Cornell has one or more Supplemental forms for you to look at.
Once you've completed and proofread the application, you can begin the many, many steps of the submission process.