Raising the Bar: Preparing for Law School

RAISING THE BAR:

PREPARING FOR LAW SCHOOL

INTRODUCTION

If you’re reading this, you have likely already

made the choice to embark on an immensely

rewarding intellectual experience. You want a

degree that can open doors to endless career

possibilities, and you’re ready to invest in your

future. You’ve decided to go to law school.

Congratulations on your decision. It’s one that

will have a lasting impact on the rest of your

life—and whatever your legal aspirations, you’re

in for a challenging, gratifying journey to a Juris

Doctor degree. So what now? Researching

programs and choosing where to apply are the

logical next steps, but before you select the

right school for you, there are several things

you need to do to make yourself a competitive

candidate.

Want some help? The Admissions team at

Syracuse University College of Law whittled

that list of essential must-do’s down to the

most important steps. This book will cover

raising the bar in the following ways:

• Preparing Your Application

• Professional Image

• Finding the Right Fit

• Financial Awareness

And because we genuinely want to see more

law students succeed, we’re sharing those steps

with you now.

Let’s get started.

PREPARING YOUR

APPLICATION

Part of perfecting your professional image is having your act

together. Ideal law school candidates are prepared to apply, eager

to learn, and equipped with transferable skills and experiences.

Here’s where to start:

Take The Test

To apply to any law school, you ﬁrst need to register with the Law

School Admission Council (www.lsac.org) and then take the LSAT.

The test is scored on a scale of 120 to 180, with 151 being the

national average. The test consists of 5 sections of multiple choice

questions and 1 section of writing. These questions evaluate:

Reading Comprehension, Analytical Reasoning, and Logical

Reasoning. Remember to plan ahead, most test registrations close

over a month prior to the exam date. If you feel strongly that your

score doesn’t best depict your capabilities, you can retest—but

know that law schools will see your complete test record. Your

best bet: study hard and plan to take the LSAT once, but leave

time to retake if needed.

Get Your Application in Top-Notch Shape

Completing the application is the easy part. Next, focus on

securing up to four strong letters of recommendation and

penning an impeccable personal statement.

When writing personal statements, the process does not have to

be overwhelming. Consider some personal attributes you want

to highlight.

Some characteristics we suggest are:

• Intelligence

• Originality/Creativity

• Communication

• Judgment and Maturity

• Persistence

• Leadership

At Syracuse Law, we want to learn about

you

and what you will

add to our incoming class and law school community.

APPLICATION CHECKLIST

• Register for the LSAT and the

Credential Assembly Service (CAS)

• Research Law Schools

• Prepare Applications

• Take the LSAT

• Write Your Personal Statement

• Prepare Addendums (G.P.A., LSAT,

Diversity, Character and Fitness )

• Update Resume

• Request Transcripts

• Gather Letters of Recommendation

• Edit, Edit, Edit!

Five Quick Personal Statement Tips

Choose a topic that reﬂects your skills.

Show, don’t tell.

Be genuine. Don’t exaggerate or use

vocabulary you think Admissions wants

to hear. Use your own.

Be energetic. Use the active voice and

keep it interesting.

Don’t repeat what can be read in your

resume.

Proofread and have others proofread

for you.

Be Honest

Err on the side of disclosure versus withholding

information on your application. Candor and

honesty on your application will help ease

your process when applying for the bar exam

following law school. Your character and ﬁtness

will be revisited at that time and bar committees

will be referencing your answers submitted

on your law school application. Put your best

foot forward and submit your application with

up-to-date, accurate information.

Demonstrate Experience, Knowledge

and Skills

While no speciﬁc undergraduate majors or

courses are required in order for you to enroll

in law school, Admissions Committees want to

see that you’ve done some homework. Polish

your skills and don’t shy away from courses

with extensive reading, writing, and analysis.

These classes will better assist you with the

basic foundations for law school. It’s great if your

prelaw track includes hands-on experience like

interning at a law ﬁrm or shadowing a lawyer, but

if it doesn’t, discuss your leadership skills, work

experience, or volunteer activities and how these

have prepared you for the rigors of law school.

PROFESSIONAL IMAGE:

LOOK THE PART OF A

LAW STUDENT

Wherever your degree takes you, keep this

in mind: your image should be polished and

professional.

Clean Up Your Resume

The resume is an important component of your

application. It tells Admissions Counselors what

type of student you are through how you have

spent your time in and out of the classroom.

Before clicking attach, make sure you have a

well-organized and easy to follow resume. Not

sure what changes to make? Here are some

things we look for:

• Focus on keeping it to one page, if possible.

• Be informative, but concise.

• Highlight not only skills, but job successes.

• Demonstrate leadership experience through

internship, extra-curricular, and/or real-world

experiences.

Button Up Your Presentation

A professional career starts with a good ﬁrst

impression, the last thing you want is to be

memorable for a negative reason. Look put

together, and remember to carry yourself with

conﬁdence.

Prepare for any conversations you may have

throughout the admissions process—with

interviewers, alumni, mentors, and other

prospective students at formal and informal

events. In any of these situations, your goal

is to be able to participate in a discussion on

anything from unique aspects of the school

that drew you there in the ﬁrst place to your

own legal and professional experiences.

WHEN IT’S TIME FOR

AN INTERVIEW WITH

ADMISSIONS OR AN

INTERNSHIP PLACEMENT

Be organized

Dress professionally

Make direct eye contact

Arrive 15 minutes early

Avoid distractions

Make a list

Prepare questions

ahead of time.

Turn off phones.

If your Facebook privacy settings aren’t locked up tight,

go through your posts and photos and delete anything

inappropriate.

If it isn’t already, change your LinkedIn proﬁle photo

to a professional headshot and update your work

experience to match your resume.

Are you on Twitter? Delete any tweets or retweets

on your stream that you wouldn’t want a potential

employer or admissions ofﬁcer to read.

Do any of your inactive social proﬁles show up in

a Google search? Consider deleting your account if

you no longer use that platform.

YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA CHECKLIST

Create at thank you letter form

Send out 24–48 hours after

interview.

FINDING THE RIGHT FIT

Whether you are fresh out of college, a few years into your career,

or a seasoned professional, selecting the right law school can be

very stressful. In order to make an informed decision, prospective

law students must research more than just rankings to ﬁnd the

right ﬁt.

Do Your Research

Here are several factors to help you select the right law school

for you:

• Admissions Criteria—Diversify your applications by including

safety, competitive and reach law schools.

• Location—Do you know where you want to practice law?

If so, do they have a critical mass of alumni working in that

geographic area?

• Employment Data—Research employment rates 10 months

after graduation and types of jobs.

• Law School Environment—Visit potential law schools and

connect with law school alumni and/or current law students.

• Overall Cost—Create a spreadsheet that compares tuition

and projected living and other expenses minus scholarship

and grants.

• Joint Degree Programs—Know your options. Are you able

to complete two degrees concurrently? Are there additional

costs involved?

• Bar Passage Rates—Research the school’s bar passage rate

and compare that to the state average.

• Reputation of the Law School—Ask attorneys, pre-law

advisors and friends that are current law students.

• Specialized Programs—Look for institutes, externships,

clinics, certiﬁcates, student associations, law journals or

elective courses in the area of law that you are interested in.

VISIT POTENTIAL LAW SCHOOLS AND

CONNECT WITH LAW SCHOOL ALUMNI

AND/OR CURRENT LAW STUDENTS

6 6

FINANCIAL AWARENESS

Choosing to go to law school will have an impact on your future

and is an important commitment to both your time and your

ﬁnances, therefore it’s important to consider all aspects of your

legal education, including ﬁnancing.

Advice for Present and Future Finances

Before starting law school, students should take account of

their ﬁnancial situation and work on minimizing their consumer

debt. By trying to reduce consumer debt, students can alleviate

ﬁnancial stress while in law school. It’s important to be aware

of your borrowing and spending habits. Students can save

themselves from incurring more debt by creating a budget and

tracking current spending habits.

Positive Financial Habits:

• Avoid indulgences and excessive purchases.

• Borrow wisely and be aware of what you owe.

• Get a part-time job or apply for Federal Work Study if

available.

• Save in areas where you can cut costs like splitting rent with

a roommate or learning to cook.

Orange You $avvy

Don’t forget to consider outside resources for possible funding.

During the application process, research funding and aid

offered at the schools you are applying to. Many schools offer

merit scholarships and need-based grants.

At Syracuse Law, we do not require a secondary application

to be considered for merit scholarships. Watch for deadlines

for scholarships and ﬁnancial aid applications. You don’t want

to miss out on potential funding because you missed the

deadline!

Don’t limit yourself—broaden your search to outside

scholarships for law students, but also consider searching for

educational scholarships that pertain to your other interests.

CONCLUSION

In the interest of time—because you now have quite a bit of work

to do—we’ll keep our closing argument short. If law school is in

your future, and you cannot wait for the day you sit in on your ﬁrst

deposition, it’s essential to start thinking like a law student and a

lawyer as early as possible.

We hope you found this information helpful in getting your started,

and we also hope you’ll consider Syracuse Law. From our world-class

faculty and unique programs to our dedicated alumni network, it’s

the ideal place to hone your professional image and set yourself up

for a successful career in law. Schedule your visit today!

Contact Admissions

Suite 100, Dineen Hall

950 Irving Avenue

Syracuse, NY 13244

admissions@law.syr.edu | 315.443.1962

@SUCollegeofLaw

@syracuselaw

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