What factors are considered in admission to law school?
- GPA. Obviously your grade point average is important, but the quality of your course work influences how committees weigh your GPA. A 3.8 GPA earned with difficult courses has more weight with an admissions committee than a 4.0 GPA earned with easy courses.
- LSAT score. Many law schools consider your LSAT score to be the most important factor. Not only does your LSAT score and GPA determine where you get in to law school, it also determines how much you receive in scholarships.
- Letters of recommendation. Most schools require 3 letters of recommendation from professors or others in a position to know you, your abilities, and work habits well. Provide your letter writers with all the information they need to write a specific, detailed letter of recommendation. Your resume, personal statement, list of law schools, and a particularly excellent paper you wrote for that professor or work product for an employer would be helpful.
- Personal statement. The admissions committee wants to know what makes you special and qualified for law school. Carefully compose your admissions essay to highlight your strengths and unique abilities. For Loyola University Community Action Programs (LUCAP) devoted to justice through the law: http://www.loyno.edu/~lucapweb/projects.html
How do I navigate lsac.org? It's so confusing!
www.lsac.org is your go-to website when you are thinking about and applying to law school, but the amount of information on the site can be overwhelming. You can call the help number on the site 215.968.1001 for assistance, and you can also email Annie Goldman at agoldman@loyno.edu.
When should I take the LSAT?
In general, students seem to perform better after the junior year in college, and since there is no reason to take the LSAT before this time, you need not plan to take it earlier. I suggest taking the LSAT the June after your Junior year since it is important to apply early to law school (the longer you wait, the harder it is to get in). The October LSAT is also a good option for this reason.
What major should I choose?
Law School Admission Committees do not have "preferred" majors. A pre-law curriculum or major is not necessary as long as you take a range of courses that impart breadth of knowledge and hone your reasoning skills. Writing and critical thinking skills are vital to law school admissions as well as success in law school.
Learn more about the Philosophy Major for Pre-Law Students.
Learn more about the History Major for Pre-Law students.
I've heard there is an early entry program to Loyola College of Law, is this true?
For information about the Loyola College of Law early entry program
Read more about the early entry program in The Maroon, Loyola's student newspaper. If you think you might be eligible for the early entry program, please see an advisor in your college's Dean's office right away.
Where do I find information about the new federal loan forgiveness program?
Which law schools have recent HNS graduates attended?
- Loyola University College of Law
- Yale University Law School
- Georgetown University
- Harvard University
- George Washington University
- Boston College
- Louisiana State University
- University of North Carolina Chapel Hill
- Florida State University
- Tulane University
- Catholic University Law School
- University of South Florida Law School
- DePauw University Law School
- University of Chicago Law School