Get ready for the law school hunger games

Getting into law schools could be tougher as applications rise. 

And you thought the LSAT was tough.

Getting into law school may now be harder than in years past because economic headwinds and increased interest in the field have more people applying.

As of mid-March, law school applications were up 20% from a year earlier, figures from the Law School Admission Council show. More than 200 law programs in the US and Canada make up the nonprofit’s membership.

Law school admissions sometimes move on a pendulum — up one year, down the next, said Mike Spivey, CEO of the Spivey Consulting Group, which offers services to help people through the application process.

Yet there have been two years in a row of sharp increases in applications. He credits sluggish corporate hiring, a presidential election — candidates are often lawyers — and the daily prominence of legal fights in US politics.

“This is what I would call three atmospheric pressures on steroids,” Spivey told B-17

The back-to-back increases in applications are rare, he said. It happened after the 9/11 terrorist attacks and after the Great Recession of 2007 to 2009, Spivey said.

To get through what could be a tougher admissions process, here are some key things to remember, admissions experts told B-17.

Stay positive

Spivey said it’s important that people stay “ebullient” if they can — and not give up too soon — because the application process can be drawn out. He said it’s fair to let a program know when it’s your dream school and that, if admitted, you would attend without hesitation.

That type of messaging during a long, slow summer “really tends to pay off,” Spivey said.

He said it’s more sensible than giving up too early and planning to apply the following year because it’s not certain applications will drop. At his firm, inquiries are already up 20% from a year earlier, Spivey said.

Be patient

Kyle McEntee, senior director of prelaw engagement at the Law School Admission Council, told B-17 that because applications are up, admissions teams are busy. Many are also trying to ensure they get the right balance and avoid enrolling too many students. That can slow the process, he said.

If you’ve applied and are looking for ways to strengthen your application, McEntee said one step could be to contact your undergraduate prelaw advisor, even if you’ve already graduated.

That advisor might be able to contact the admissions department on your behalf to ask for advice on how someone might bolster their application.

Keep communications professional

McEntee said that communications with law schools should always be professional.

That doesn’t mean using big words, however. Instead, it means responding promptly and giving thorough answers to questions you might get, he said.

Applicants “need to look at every communication as an opportunity to impress,” McEntee said.

Stay in contact with admissions

Spivey said it’s reasonable to ping the admissions office every six weeks to reiterate your interest.

“Schools love hearing that,” he said.

What’s not good, Spivey said, is to contact a school to calm your nerves.

Instead, you’d ideally want to reach out if something has changed that could make you look more attractive to admissions departments. That might be a bump up in your GPA, a higher LSAT score, or landing a solid summer job.

“Anything that makes your résumé stronger are great ways to organically get in touch with the law school,” he said.

However, McEntee said applicants should avoid pushing too hard or overdoing it.

“You don’t want to stand out for the wrong reasons,” he said.

McEntee said that because every school has different procedures, constraints, and expectations, it’s smart to ask them what they might want.

“No law school wants to be just inundated with unsolicited materials,” he said.

Keep trying

Spivey said nearly every school tends to have one or two enrolled students who don’t show up for orientation. That could be a last-minute route in, he said.

So, if you have a higher score and it’s on track with the program’s median levels, and you’ve been in contact with the program periodically during the summer in an upbeat way, the school may say yes, Spivey said. In part, that’s to avoid the lost tuition revenue.

He said aspiring law students can also retake the LSAT to try to improve their scores. There is a test in June, for example.

“It’s never too late to get a higher score,” Spivey said.