<p>I was just wondering what factors law school admissions look at, and to what degree each is weighed... Thanks.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.lsac.org/%5B/url%5D">http://www.lsac.org/</a></p>
<p>Visit Chances At Top Law Schools thread.</p>
<p>i've seen that thread, but it doesn't really say how important each factor is, and that website is really confusing to me since i've never seen it before.</p>
<p>basically, i know that gpa and lsat score are a huge chunk of the equation.</p>
<p>how much do college ECs, letters of recommendation, and essay/personal statement factor in though ?</p>
<p>This question has been asked and answered on this board many times. (At one point, one of the moderators said this board would have FAQs and this was one of them; it never happened.) No matter how many times it is asked, different people give different answers. </p>
<p>Law schools can do whatever they want in terms of admitting people and there's really not one way they all do it. But keep in mind that law schools don't have varsity athletic teams and orchestras, newspapers, intramurals, etc. except those organized by students just for fun. Perhaps even more importantly, everyone ""majors" in the same subject. There is no need to admit some classics majors, some pre-meds, some English types, etc. The end result is that you can forget the undergraduate admissions model for top schools that you are used to. </p>
<p>My own take is that about 80% of law school admissions is about two numbers:LSAT and GPA. How much weight each law school gives to these two factors varies a bit among law schools. Everything else counts about 20%. Roughly half of that 20% is made up of factors you have no control over: URM status, legacy status, celebrity/develpmental admits, geographic diversity or in-state preference (depending on whether it's a regional school trying to become more national or a state U.) (That's not an exhaustive list.)</p>
<p>All the rest--how early in the admissions cycle you apply, the college you attended, your LORs, your recs, your work experience, military service, community service, your ECs, the difficulty of your course work, etc.--make up about 10% FOR MOST people.</p>
<p>Are there exceptions when these can count more? Yes. But two years of work experience and good LORs from two profs aren't going to get someone with a gpa and LSAT score at the 25th percentile into a top law school.</p>
<p>MOST of the time at most--not all, but most--law schools, if your LSAT and GPA are both above the 75th percentile, you'll get in. However, it is also true --and isn't, IMO appreciated enough on this board--that you can shoot yourself in the foot even if you have perfect #s. Blow off the personal statement or submit two LORs that say "he took my class; he got a good grade" and you can--despite near perfect #s--be rejected, especially at the law schools at the top of the totem pole. But the converse really isn't true--all those other things can't make up for weak #s unless they are extraordinary. </p>
<p>When your GPA and LSAT are within the 25/75% range, other factors come into play. My observation (which is purely anecdotal) is that when you are in the 50%-75% zone at top 14 schools, you need SOMETHING else. It doesn't have to be extraordinary, but if you don't have some ECs or work experience or internships, you aren't going to get in UNLESS you are above the 75th percentile (and even that won't work at Yale and Stanford.) But it doesn't have to be anything outstanding. When you are in the 25-50% zone, then the other things will matter more--and they do have to be significant. For example, if you played a Division I sport, you'll get cut some slack on the gpa, especially if you have a good LSAT.</p>
<p>I hope that helps--and I'm sure some folks will chime in and same I'm all wrong.Remember to that it varies a bit among law schools--Northwestern, for example, weighs work experience more heavily than most other law schools.</p>
<p>Thank you, that was very helpful!</p>
<p>Although this may be advice that "succumbs" to the "evil U.S. News Empire" I would at least skim the Ultimate Guide to Law Schools** provided by U.S. news. I bought it and found it to be quite good on providing information on soft factors. It gives you a more thorough run through of the admissions process than most of the posters on this forum can give, myself included.</p>