Law School

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Dale Kissell Eng.101 Alton Jowers 9/30/10

Is law school right for me? Television portrays lawyers as high powered, well dressed individuals that have fancy offices and flashy cars and they spend the entire episode of your favorite drama series trying to either put the bad guy away or save the good guy from false prosecution. The reality is that there is more types of law than what you see on TV. The road to getting into the practice of law is not paved with gold and peaches and cream like the movie Legally Blond portrays, it very tough to get into law school and once there the work load leaves little time for anything but studying and taking an occasional nap to recharge. According to attorney Donald Cheney Law school requires discipline, dedication, and hard work, a lack in any of the three will result in you not making the grade (Cheney) . When considering whether to go to law school or not one should think about the follow: Cumulative GPA, Lsat test scores, the type of law you may want to focus on, and the schools which you should consider given all of the other criteria listed. Whether you dream of being a high profile prosecutor or defense attorney or you would prefer to represent clients in patent and copyright law your choice of going to law school needs to be well thought out and you must be sure that you have what it takes to make it through such a rigorous 3 years of school. Unlike when you got your Bachelor s degree, law school does not afford much opportunity for free time during the study year especially for first year students. Most law schools encourage first year students not to try to hold any sort of job due to the work load that is encompassed in first year studies. For first year students the curriculum is set you do not choose your class schedule all freshman are required to take the same course load which may include: Legal methods, legal practice workshops, civil procedures, contracts, and torts to name a few (Columbia). When thinking about where to apply certain things must be considered such as your cumulative GPA from your 4 year school. Most law schools require that students who are considering attending must have a minimum GPA of 3.5, while there may be some schools that do not have this requirement the higher your GPA the better chance you have at getting into the school of your choice. GPA however is not the only criteria used for the selection process there are also your scores from the LSAT exam which every potential law student must take. The LSAT test is comprised of logical reasoning, analytical reasoning, as well as sections on reading and writing and is based on a score of 180 total points. To get into a top 10 law school for example you should shoot for a minimum LSAT score of 165 or better. Don t worry if you don t make the 165 test score your first time out though you are able to take the test

multiple time although it may have an effect on the entrance committees decision if you take it multiple times. Another criterion to consider when making the decision on where to apply is the type of law that you may be interested in practicing. While most all law schools will be able to give you a wellrounded law degree some schools are known for a specific area of law, for example Cornell University in Ithaca, NY is known for its international law program which is regarded as one of the best in the country according to Cornell s website, whereas the University of Miami or the University at Buffalo, both considered regional schools, do not have a specific area they are known for. If you are not sure what you want to practice don t worry you have time to figure it out once you are enrolled, as stated above all first years students are required to take the same curriculum so you have your first year to get a feel for the different areas of law and make your decision. Obviously schools that rank in the top 20 nationally for law schools will have more stringent admission criteria, schools that are ranked lower or regional schools will have a looser set of standards and may be more apt to consider lower GPA or LSAT scores. Law schools want to see that a potential student is well versed in writing because a great deal of what goes into being a lawyer revolves around being able to write effectively. So when you are considering what to major in for your 4 year degree keep this fact in mind and choose a major that not only has some usefulness outside of getting into law school in case you do not make it but also you should make sure that you essay writing skills are up to the challenge. There are many resources for potential law school student to use in order to prepare for the admissions process on the web. Kaplan, a leader in LSAT prep courses offers many different programs for you to use in order to get familiar with all of the portions of the test. There are also essay writing courses you can take that will prepare you for the essay portion of the admissions process, and don t think that you must be a pre-law minor or major to get into a good school, most schools do not look at a pre-law discipline with any weight. With all of the requirements for getting into law school you may be thinking that it may not be worth it or that you may not be able to do well enough to get accepted but if you put your best foot forward and give 100% to the process and do get accepted you are on your way to being part of the most noble and oldest profession in the world.

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