The evaluation process will vary from school to school. Your
application may be read by a committee of faculty members. It may
be read by one admissions dean. Some schools may even use student
readers. Regardless, the point is that you won't know how your
application will be dissected. Accordingly, it's important that
each piece be able to stand on its own.
Here's an example of how applications are commonly treated at
law schools.
Step 1: Creation of the
File
When your application form arrives at the law school, a staffer
will create a file for you. This file will likely include a
checklist of all the forms and information required for
completion. As each piece arrives, it will be checked off the
list. Normally, a school will notify you if some part of your
application is missing. However, try not to forget anything. It's
your responsibility to track your application.
Step 2: LSDAS Formalities
After creating your file, the law school will request your record
from the Law School Data Assembly Service (LSDAS). The LSDAS
organizes and categorizes a variety of statistical information on
law school applicants on a standardized form so that the data can
easily be compared to those of other applicants.
You will have already registered with the LSDAS and provided
them with the necessary information. They in turn will put the
information into a report and send it to each school to which you
apply. The report includes, among other things, your most recent
and previous LSAT scores, copies of all college transcripts, an
index number, and a copy of your writing sample from the
LSAT.
Once the law school has your LSDAS report, it waits until the
rest of the file is complete and then sends you the
self-addressed postcard, letting you know that the application is
ready for consideration.
Step 3: Preliminary
Screening
At most schools, an admissions officer will have a look at your
numbers. One of three things will happen: If your index number is
above the automatic acceptance level, he or she will glance
through the rest of the file to ensure you can write clearly and
have good recommendations. If so, an acceptance letter will be
sent.
If the index number is below the automatic rejection level,
the officer will glance through the file to determine if if
there's anything exceptional about your application and, if not,
send out a rejection letter.
Finally, if the index number is within the acceptable range,
the admissions officer will make notations on the file or perhaps
even rank you in some manner before putting you in the borderline
pool. This is where the majority of applications go.
Step 4: Second Screening
Borderline applications will receive a second reading by one of
three sources:
1. a senior admissions official.
2. the dean of admission.
3. an admissions committee, usually made up of several
professors.
The second screening consists almost entirely of narrowing
down the borderline candidates into a smaller pool of applicants.
This pool may be anywhere from 50 to 500 applicants that are so
closely matched, it's very hard to differentiate among them. At
this point, almost all schools turn final decisions over to an
admissions committee.
Step 5: Decision
Based on the strength or weakness of the details of your
application, a decision is made. If your application does not
merit acceptance straight away, but was strong enough to be
considered desirable as a potential member of the class, the
committee might decide to wait-list you.
