Completing the Application and Other Application Materials
Once you have taken the LSAT and have researched where you would be interested in applying, the next step is to APPLY! Be sure to read instructions carefully to ascertain the correct application fee for each school, since this fee is often nonrefundable. It will be to your advantage to send in your application by Thanksgiving, when many schools begin screening applications, but by January 1st at the latest, regardless of deadlines listed in the schools' catalogs.
Obtaining the Applications
In the early fall of your senior year, send the information request cards included in the LSAT/LSDAS Registration and Information Book to the law schools in which you are interested. Addresses for the law schools can be found in the Registration and Information Book. You may use the LSACD to print out applications online or apply through the individual schools' websites.
Letters of Recommendation
Most law schools require you to use the LSDAS letter of recommendation service. Forms are included in the LSAT and LSDAS Registration and Information Book or on their website www.lsac.org
When requesting letters, try to ask faculty who have taught you in more than one course, as they will probably remember you and the quality of your work (you might keep this in mind when scheduling courses). If you are not using the credentials service, and letters are to be sent directly to the schools, provide stamped addressed envelopes to the persons writing the recommendation letters.
Dean's Letter
This form goes either to the pre-law adviser or to the person in your college office who is in charge of student records. Law schools will certainly not expect you to know the dean personally on a campus the size of Ohio State's, yet do not overlook submitting this letter, routine as it may seem to you. The dean's letter certifies your academic standing and indicates whether you have ever had any disciplinary action against you. (ASC Honors students should take this form to Aurelia Kubayanda in the ASC Honors Office, 207 Enarson Hall; all other ASC students should take this form to the ASC Reception Services Desk, West Lobby, Denney Hall.)
Personal Statement
Make sure you follow length and other limitations exactly, as each law school requests. Where no exact direction exists, limit yourself to two double-spaced typewritten pages. This statement is not only an important source of information about yourself that is not included in the rest of the application, but also a demonstration of your writing skills. Avoid clichés, glittering generalities, and grandiose expressions. Be direct, honest, personal, and specific. A memorable statement can help to distinguish you from the masses of other applicants. This is your opportunity to explain special circumstances, such as a heavy work-load or extracurricular activities. Do not be defensive or apologetic, since it is unwise to use the statement to call attention to, or make excuses for, deficiencies in preparation or performance. Do not hesitate to confer with your pre-law adviser for a reaction to a draft of your statement.
