Reminder about Law School Admissions and Letters of Recommendation
Filed under Academics
Posted by , November 13, 2008
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In the past few years, there have been a small but steady number of Simmons seniors and alumnae applying to law schools. This year alone, I have had about 30 inquiries about law school from first year through juniors and have already talked to 10 seniors who are planning to apply for Fall 2005. Students from numerous academic majors and minors have been successful in their goal of attending law school. Simmons alumnae are attending, or have recently graduated from the following law schools: American University, Boston College, UCONN, Tulane, Temple, Cardozo, Northeastern, Franklin Pierce, Suffolk, and New England School of Law. In the past few years we have also placed students at Harvard, Syracuse, University of Pennsylvania, University of Wisconsin, University of Arizona, University of Kansas, and University of Miami.
In the next few months, students who are applying for admission to law school for next fall may approach you for letters of recommendation. In this time of highly competitive law school admissions, I thought it might be useful to remind faculty of the importance of these letters in the law admissions process.
We need to make sure that the applications of our students are as strong as possible. This involves finding a mechanism to address questions about the students that may arise in the minds of law school admissions officers. One way to do so is through letters of recommendation. While numerical indicators initially (and heavily) guide admission to law school, letters of recommendation can be the decisive factor in several instances.
There are three types of applicants at Simmons who gain an advantage from special attention in a letter of recommendation: the student with strong GPA and LSAT numbers who will be competing with students from more competitive colleges (law schools systematically discriminate among GPAs from different schools depending on the admissions committee’s perception of the school’s academic selectivity and rigor), the student who has a “mixed” set of GPA and LSAT indicators (usually high grades and low test scores), and the student whose GPA has significantly improved over time. For some of these students, a strong and thoughtful letter may have the effect of producing a “wait list” decision at a program otherwise thought to be a “long shot.”
The following comments should be of assistance to those of you who will be preparing letters of recommendation for admission to law school.
- Part of our task in recommending a student to law school should be to relay information about Simmons, its strengths and traditions. When asked what sort of “relevant information law schools wish to know about an undergraduate institution,” many law admission officers have mentioned things like “numbers of National Merit Scholars in the freshman class.” One promising line to take might be to suggest that Simmons, in its own admissions process, tries to identify not only those women who are academically strong by conventional standards, but also those with a potential for leadership that may have escaped the more traditional sifting mechanisms.
I have suggested to potential applicants that they provide you with a resume, which describes their academic program as well as campus and work experiences. It is not necessarily the case that this information will be of particular use, but you may gain a better sense of the student’s background from this material.
Your letters should be as specific as possible, thereby enabling reviewers to distinguish among candidates who may appear on the surface quantitatively akin. A letter of recommendation that contains only generalities benefits neither the law school reviewer nor the student. When possible, draw comparisons with your students as a whole. If you have taught at other schools, compare the student with a wider pool. Obviously, it may not be accurate to suggest that a student is “distinguished,” but it may be fair to say that she is “distinctive.” Statements concerning a particular piece of work or difficulty of curriculum are especially helpful. Law schools prefer students who have taken a “rigorous liberal arts curriculum.” If you can refer to experience based on an extracurricular or work activity, do so. If you have recommended other applicants to the law school at hand, discuss how the present student compares to those students. While law schools are primarily concerned with academic assessments (ability to read and write clearly, analytical skill, intellectual curiosity), they benefit from comments that touch upon the candidate’s speaking ability, as well as from your estimation of her character, personal motivation, and work ethic.
I have indicated to prospective applicants that some admissions committees are more skeptical of recommendations when a student has not waived her right of access. You may wish to discuss this with your students.
Finally, I have suggested that students check with you after three or so weeks have passed to confirm that you have completed the recommendations. For programs with rolling admissions, it is obviously desirable to have completed the application process as early as possible. In general, early application gives the student an edge.
If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact me at x2581, or by e-mail at leanne.doherty@simmons.edu.
