Application Process

Most law school applications ask for routine information. 虽然填写申请表不是特别费力，但在填写时你应该小心.

招生人员不可避免地会注意到一份难以辨认的申请, contains errors, or is incomplete. 因此，一定要在正确的位置以正确的方式提供所需的信息.

附上一张支付给法学院申请费的支票，以确保你的申请会被处理. If you are unable to pay the application fee, 按照给定的法学院申请材料中列出的说明来获得学费减免. Fee waivers are granted in circumstances of demonstrated need.

Almost every law school application asks for an essay. A majority of law schools ask for a personal statement; a few, however, ask a specific question to be answered in an essay of specified length. 准备个人陈述是申请过程中最长的部分，可能需要几个月的时间和多次修改.

写个人陈述的关键因素是你说什么以及你怎么说. 作为一名大四学生或毕业生，大家都认为你有熟练的写作能力. 如果做不到这一点，你被录取的机会就会降低，所以校对是至关重要的.

在“中间路线”的案例中，一篇好的文章是帮助委员会产生积极影响的一个因素.“个人陈述是招生委员会了解你个人的唯一机会. You should use this opportunity to the fullest advantage! Make yourself come alive; let the committee know something that it could not learn from reading the other parts of the application. Since very few law schools grant personal interviews, 个人陈述是一个向选拔委员会书面介绍自己的机会.

Essay Dos and Don’ts

Do:

• Express yourself honestly and authentically
• 写一个能说明你的动机、成熟度和性格的活动或经历
• Be as specific and detailed as you can
• Communicate a fresh, original idea in a clear and logical manner

Don’t:

• Apologize for weak spots in your application
• 写一篇文章，比如“为什么我一直想成为一名律师”或“为什么我相信你们是最好的法学院”。
• Use generalizations or cliches

你可以写任何你想写的话题，只要它能表达关于你自己的信息. If you have a weak spot or two in your application for a valid reason, 在你的推荐信中或在你的补充声明中解释它们. 你的个人陈述文章应该展现出你最好的一面，并以积极的态度来描绘你.

Length

Some law schools do not indicate a specific word or page limit for the essay; others do. As a general rule, your essay should fit on one page, single-spaced with one-inch margins all around on two pages, double-spaced.

Resources

You do not have to prepare the personal statement on your own. The Writing Center can help with grammar, clarity, and overall structure. After that, you should share your essay with members of the Prelaw Advisory Committee, who can offer suggestions for improvements.

Law schools typically require three letters of recommendation. 法律预科咨询委员会建议其中两份建议来自熟悉你的教员. The third letter of recommendation may come from another professor, an internship supervisor, an employer, or someone who is familiar with your academic or job-related skills.

LSDAS

The Law School Data Assembly Service (LSDAS), the same organization which reports LSAT scores to law schools, has recently started a letter of recommendation service.

• You should have your recommenders send their letters directly to LSDAS.
• 推荐人应在推荐信中附上LSADS推荐表格.
• 如果推荐信只针对某一所法学院, 然后他们应该直接把信寄给那个法学院，但也应该给LSDAS寄一封普通的信.
• 一些法学院在收到至少两到三封来自LSDAS推荐信服务的信之前不会审查申请人的文件.

Obtaining your recommendations

When obtaining your recommendations, 你应该问那些不仅熟悉你的工作，而且对你的学术能力印象深刻的导师.

Your recommenders should address:

• Intellectual and analytical abilities
• Writing aptitude
• Research skills
• Ethical integrity and maturity
• Commitment to the study of the law
• Leadership qualities

推荐人需要详细说明这些信息，尽可能举出例子.

Sometimes faculty members are away on sabbatical, so don’t wait to obtain your letters of recommendation. 职业事务处设有推荐信档案服务, 这样你就可以在博彩平台推荐的四年里向老师要信了. 最好是在教授对你的学术工作还记忆犹新的时候获得它们.

推荐信是适当的论坛，以解决您的申请中的任何缺点. 你的推荐人应该解释导致学业成绩下降的任何情况. By doing so, law schools may overlook these weak spots. Your personal statement essay is not the place to bring up shortcomings, 所以，如果你想解决这些问题，一定要和你的推荐人分享相关信息.

Giving your recommenders time

你应该给你的推荐人至少一个月的时间来完成他们的信件. These are some basic guidelines regarding timing:

• If possible, 在你大三的春末找老师——这会给他们整个夏天的时间来写你的信.
• Alternatively, 在你大四的时候尽早申请信件，这样你的申请就可以在12月份准备好了.
• 提供你需要推荐信的日期，特别是如果你申请得早.

一些学校有一种特殊的表格，称为“院长证明表格”或“学院问卷”.” The purpose of this form is to verify your status in college. 它会要求一位或多位院长提供你的纪律记录信息，以及对班级排名或百分位排名的估计. Please note: Clark does not rank its students.

而法学院主要关心的是你在博彩平台推荐期间是否受到过纪律处分, 大多数表格还会邀请院长添加任何额外的评论，作为补充推荐信. 申请人应将所有院长信请求发送给法律预科咨询委员会. 委员会将把这些请求转交给相应的院长，征求他们的意见.