申请过程

大多数法学院的申请要求提供常规信息. While filling out the application is not particularly taxing, you should exercise care when doing so.

Admissions officers will inevitably notice an application that is illegible, 包含错误, 或者是不完整的. So, be sure to provide the required information in the correct place and in the correct manner.

Enclose a check made payable to the law school for the amount of the application fee to ensure that your application will be processed. 如果你无法支付申请费, follow the instructions outlined in the given law school’s application materials to obtain a fee waiver. 在证明有需要的情况下，可以免除费用.

几乎所有的法学院申请都要求写论文. A majority of law schools ask for a personal statement; a few, 然而, 问一个特定的问题，让对方在一篇规定长度的文章中回答. Preparing your personal statement essay is the longest part of the application process and may take several months and many revisions.

The critical elements in writing a personal statement are what you say as well as how you say it. As a college senior or graduate, it’s assumed that you are capable of writing proficiently. Failure to do so will hinder your chances of admission, so proofreading is vitally important.

A good essay is a factor in helping to positively sway the committee on cases that are “middle-of-the-road.” The personal statement is the only opportunity you have to allow the admissions committee to get to know you as an individual. 你应该充分利用这个机会! Make yourself come alive; let the committee know something that it could not learn from reading the other parts of the application. 因为很少有法学院允许个人面试, the personal statement is an opportunity to introduce yourself in writing to the selection committee.

论文该做和不该做

Do:

• 诚实、真实地表达自己
• Write about an activity or experience that speaks to your motivation, maturity, and character
• 尽可能具体和详细
• 用清晰、有逻辑的方式表达新鲜、原创的想法

别:

• 为你申请中的弱点道歉
• Write an essay like “Why I have Always Wanted to Be a Lawyer” or “Why I Believe Your Institution is the Best Law School”
• 使用概括或陈词滥调

You may write on any topic you wish, so long as it expresses information about yourself. 如果你在你的申请中有一个或两个弱点是有正当理由的, explanations for them should be addressed in your letters of recommendation or in a supplementary statement from you. Your personal statement essay should put your best foot forward and portray you in a positive light.

长度

Some law schools do not indicate a specific word or page limit for the essay; others do. 一般来说, 你的文章应该写在一页纸上, 在两页纸上，单行距，一英寸边距, 双倍行距.

资源

你不需要自己准备个人陈述. 写作中心可以帮助你提高语法、清晰度和整体结构. 在那之后, 你应该与法律预科咨询委员会的成员分享你的论文, 谁能提出改进的建议.

法学院通常需要三封推荐信. The Prelaw Advisory Committee suggests that two of these recommendations come from faculty members who are familiar with you. 第三封推荐信可能来自另一位教授, 实习主管, 雇主, 或者是熟悉你的学术或工作相关技能的人.

LSDAS

法学院数据组装服务(LSDAS), 也是向法学院报告法学院入学考试成绩的机构, 最近开始提供推荐信服务了吗.

• 你应该让你的推荐人直接把信寄给LSDAS.
• The recommender should include the LSADS recommendation form with their letters.
• If a recommender is writing a letter targeted only at a specific law school, then they should send the letter directly to that law school but should also send a general letter to LSDAS.
• Some law schools will not review applicant files until they have received at least two or three letters from the LSDAS letter of recommendation service.

获取您的建议

当获得你的建议时, you should ask instructors who are not only familiar with your work but are impressed with your academic abilities.

你的推荐人应该写：

• 智力和分析能力
• 写作能力
• 研究技能
• 诚信与成熟
• 致力于法律的研究
• 领导才能

Recommenders need to be specific about such information, citing examples whenever possible.

有时教员会休假, 所以不要等着收到你的推荐信. The Office of Career Services maintains a letter of recommendation file service, so that you can ask faculty for letters throughout your four years at Clark. It’s best to obtain them while your academic work is fresh in the minds of your professors.

The letter of recommendation is the proper forum to address any shortcomings in your application. Your recommender should explain any circumstances that led to faltering academic performance. 这样做，法学院可能会忽视这些弱点. 你的个人陈述文章不是提出缺点的地方, so make sure to share relevant information with your recommender if you want these issues addressed.

给你的推荐人时间

You should give your recommenders at least a month to complete their letters. 以下是一些关于时间安排的基本准则:

• 如果可能的话, approach faculty members in the late spring of your junior year – this will give them the whole summer to work on your letter.
• 另外, ask for letters as early as possible in your senior year so that your applications will be ready for December.
• Provide the date you need the recommendation by, especially if you are applying early.

Some schools have a special form known as the “Dean’s Certification Form” or “College Questionnaire.“这张表格的目的是验证你在大学的状态. It will ask a dean or deans to provide information on your disciplinary record and an estimate for class rank or percentile rank. 请注意：太阳城娱乐不对学生进行排名.

While law schools are mainly interested in whether you were the subject of any disciplinary action during your time at Clark, most forms will also invite the dean to add any additional comments that will serve as a supplemental letter of recommendation. Applicants should send all of these Dean’s Letter requests to the Prelaw Advising Committee. The committee will forward these requests to the appropriate deans for their comments.