Top 5 Mistakes Made When Re-Applying to Law School
Each year, I work with people who were either unsuccessful in their attempts to apply to law school previously or were unhappy with their options at the end of the admission cycle. There are absolutely things you can to to bolster your applications, but here are some common mistakes people make when reapplying to law school:
1. Sending the same personal statement and letters of rec to the same law school that rejected you last year.
2. Thinking that simply getting an internship/paralegal position in a law firm will make all the difference in the world, even when you have a letter of rec from an attorney.
3. Attempting to “go back to undergrad” to improve your UGPA. It doesn’t work. And getting a paralegal certification isn’t going to impress anyone. But do take care to update your transcripts (see this post about reapplying to law school).
4. Not Retaking the LSAT when you didn’t prepare adequately the first time. (See this previous post for more about how the LSAT factors in when you are reapplying to law school)
5. Failing to evaluate your schools list with a candid view of your credentials.
Re-applicants get into law school all the time, but the trick is overcoming any weaknesses you may have (inadvertently) shown the school in the previous admission cycle. Here’s more about reapplying to law school.
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Ann K. Levine, Esq., former director of law school admissions for two ABA approved law schools, is a law school admission consultant and owner of Law School Expert,
Hello! I really love the blog; please keep it up.
Can a redone version of an old essay be resent, if accompanied by updated rec letters and a better LSAT score?
Also, do law schools keep old applications?
Thanks!
I am reapplying to law school and would like to use at least one of my LORs from last cycle. What is you’re recommendation on that?
Lia, it’s totally fine to re-use an LOR.
Can you explain in more detail why getting practical experience for a few years as a paralegal and getting excellent grades in a paralegal AAS degree program to bolster a less competitive undergrad GPA aren’t helpful in my application if I were to apply to law school? I understand that LSAT scores count heavily, but it’s hard to fathom that the above items aren’t at least helpful. Thanks in advance for any elaboration.
Hi Angie,
It’s not that a paralegal program is hurtful; it does show interest in law but no more so than simply working in a law-related agency or firm. And these programs can be expensive, and usually aren’t a prerequisite to getting hired for a job in a law firm. It can help if you need letters of rec, but just taking one or two extension courses would be sufficient for these purposes.