Question of the Week - November

November 28, 2007

What does Lewis & Clark Law School offer to incoming students in terms of scholarship and how can I apply for them?

A: You will want to look into scholarship opportunities at each law school you apply to as the application process, amounts awarded, and qualifications are unique to each law school.

Applying for scholarships at Lewis & Clark is easy because essentially, your application to the law school is your scholarship application. On your law school application form, make sure to check the appropriate boxes indicating your interest in being considered for scholarships. Scholarships are awarded based on the merit that one brings to the school and the amounts vary. Merit can mean many things. In this case, most of the emphasis is placed on your previous academic performance and your LSAT score. Other factors that are considered include writing ability, work or activities, diversity, and other significant accomplishments.

Applicants also have the option of submitting a scholarship statement with their application. This statement is used to provide additional information that one wishes the admissions committee to especially consider when determining scholarship awards. Typically, the statement highlights one’s merit and perhaps describes financial need. While these awards are not need-based, financial hardship may be considered during review for scholarships as long as significant merit is also there. Your FAFSA will not be reviewed for scholarship consideration.

The other scholarship we have for incoming students is for Native American law school applicants provided by the confederated tribes of the Quinault Indian Allottees Assocation. All self-identified Native students will receive information about this scholarship in the mail. If you have been admitted and have not heard about this, but are interested, please contact us and we will send you an application.

November 21, 2007

Q: How long should my personal statement be?

Generally, personal statements/essays should be between 2-3 double-spaced pages using 11 or 12 pt. font (stay away from fancy, cursive style fonts as they are more difficult to read). Some schools will be very specific about word or page limits and font sizes; others, like Lewis & Clark Law School, will not give any restrictions. Even if a school does not set any page requirements, it is important to be clear and concise enough to get your point across. You do not want to include unnecessary information, ramble, or be repetitive.

November 15, 2007

Q: This is a two part question: What should my personal statement say and what should my personal statement NOT say?

Every law school is going to have certain instructions with regard to the personal statement/essay so you will want to pay attention to what they are asking you to write about. Some schools have very specific questions Other schools will have very general instructions. If there is a specific question, then make sure your essay answers it. At Lewis & Clark, our essay “question” is very general. We ask you to share how your background, abilities, interests, and/or experiences make you a good candidate for Lewis & Clark Law School. Past essays have covered topics such as a memory of an influential person, an important discussion with a parent, a significant life experience, a special accomplishment, a unique talent, a strong interest in something – you get the idea.

First and foremost, admissions committees are going to be evaluating your writing ability. Your essay should be polished; that is to say it should be well-written, be without grammatical or spelling errors, flow well, be clear, and show correct word usage. You will want to proofread your essay multiple times, with and without spell check. You may also want someone you know who writes well take a look at your essay and give you feedback on (not rewrite) your essay.

Secondly, it is nice if your statement is interesting. What often makes for an interesting personal statement is that it is personal and genuine. We want to know how you think, feel, and/or live and you should be true to yourself. This is your opportunity to tell us who you are in your own words.

Lastly, have fun with it, because it can be an enjoyable exercise and you can even learn some things about yourself by doing it!

Here are some personal statement don’ts.

Don’t go over your whole work history or resume in your personal statement. If you want to elaborate on something particular on your resume that is fine, but we already have your resume and we do not need it in again written in prose.

Don’t use personal essay space to write about why your grades are low in your freshman year, why your LSAT isn’t an indicator of your potential, or why you switched schools three times. You should use an addendum to explain these things and save your personal essay for telling us about who you are.

Don’t send an essay to University X that says how excited you are about the possibility of attending University Y. Again, proofread.

Don’t write about how interesting the health law program is when that school does not have many health law offerings. In that same vein, don’t say you’re interested in health law (if you aren’t) just because a school has a great health law program and you think that’s what they want to hear.

Don’t start off your essay with a famous quote if you can help it. Admissions committees have all read numerous quotes by Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Jr., Aristotle, Thomas Wolfe, John F. Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, Margaret Thatcher, William Shakespeare, Winston Churchill, Barbara Bush, H.W. Beecher, etc. Starting your essay this way is not original.

Don’t try to write like a lawyer. Some people will use a lot of legalese or espouse what they know about the law. Your professors will teach you how to write for the legal field once you are in law school. Furthermore, if you attempt to show us what you know about the law, you risk really showing us what you don’t know.

Along the same lines, don’t tell us what the law does or will do. We know that already. This type of essay does not tell us about YOU which is something we don’t know and are hoping to learn more about.

Hopefully, this will help guide you in writing a stellar essay and avoid some of the pitfalls that applicants encounter with this piece of the application. This could be the most difficult and also fun part of the application process - try to attack it in a positive way!

November 7, 2007

Q: Does the Admissions committee prefer letters of recommendation to be sent directly to law schools or to LSDAS?

At most law schools, your letters can be sent in whichever way is most convenient to you and the people writing the letters. Usually the easiest is the LSDAS because everything is sent to one central location and letters can then be directed to schools from there. Also, LSDAS will keep letters on file for 5 years so they'll be there in the future in case you end up reapplying or applying later than you anticipated. While it is okay for your recommenders to send their letters directly to Lewis & Clark Law School, some other schools may require that they be sent through LSDAS.