Selecting the ideal law school can be a difficult decision, as you will spend years there studying to fulfill your career aspirations.
As educators, we should consider not only curriculum requirements but also other important factors when planning our classes. Here are a few factors to keep in mind.
Academics
It is essential when selecting a law school to carefully consider its academic offerings. Many schools provide specialty areas like gender and sexuality law, innovation and technology law, Japanese law and more. Furthermore, finding programs offering clinics or externships relevant to your desired practice area will enable you to build connections with local lawyers as well as prepare you for future career plans.
Use the Law School Admission Council tool to compare your LSAT score and GPA against that of admitted students at each of your potential schools, to provide a rough estimation of your chances for acceptance as well as merit-based aid.
Examining a school’s alumni network and learning about what fields of law they entered after graduating can help you identify which one best meets your specific needs, including prioritizing what are “must haves” over what are “wants.” In the end, choosing the ideal law school should be made after carefully considering your personal preferences.
Extracurriculars
Law school can be an intensive academic experience, yet you must also enjoy its social side. Luckily, most law schools have plenty of activities to keep students occupied – focus on finding one with extracurriculars that interest you as this will enhance your experience overall.
Volunteering is a popular extracurricular for law students. Volunteering demonstrates your dedication to helping others, with many law schools offering volunteer programs where students can work with children, animals or the elderly – or even participate in global volunteer programs which allow you to help people outside the US.
Writing and research skills are integral to legal careers, while moot court can provide an excellent opportunity to improve oral skills while showing leadership potential. Many schools also provide clinics that enable students to work on real cases.
Location
Many don’t take the location of a law school into account when making decisions, yet this could be an enormously significant factor. You will spend three years in an unfamiliar city that could end up making your life miserable if it ends up not meeting expectations.
Before selecting your school of choice, it is advisable to review its regional focus as this could give some schools greater ties with local industries and an expanded alumni network – this could prove invaluable when searching for future employment.
Other key considerations when choosing the ideal law school include activities (journals and clubs) available, the stated or implied ideologies of each school, diversity levels (some schools pride themselves on this feature while others try to hide it), cost of living considerations as well as availability.
Social life
One of the best ways to get an understanding of life at law school is to speak with current and past students, professors, alumni and others involved. Most schools provide student and alumni portals that enable you to ask questions and receive feedback; try reaching out to as many different people as possible and listen carefully when listening to what their opinions may be.
Check the local social scene to make sure it suits you. Most law schools offer student groups for every interest imaginable – law reviews and journals to political groups and advocacy clinics are just some of the options to meet people and break up your day of studying!
Remember to balance success in law school with having a full social life – they don’t need to be mutually exclusive! A little fun can do wonders in helping you focus and stay motivated, and keep those close to you informed about your plans.