Take the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT)
The Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) is required for admission to all American Bar Association-approved law schools. The test is administered four times per year by the Law School Admissions Council (LSAC), which provides detailed test information–dates, sites, registration forms, fees, and deadlines–and registration information.
Be aware that test sites can fill quickly, especially in or around major cities. It is advisable to register several months in advance of a test date so you can take the test in a convenient location and at a convenient time in relation to your plans for applying. The optimal time to take the exam is June of the year you apply, but taking the test in October will still allow you to see your LSAT score before applying in November. Scores from the December administration will also reach law schools in time to complete application deadlines at all schools. If you take the December test, plan to submit your applications around the time of the test administration. You may, however, decide to wait to see your score before submitting your applications.
The LSAT provides law school admissions committees with a common measure of applicants' aptitude for legal study. The test consists of five multiple choice sections, each 35 minutes in length:
- One reading comprehension section
- One analytical reasoning section
- Two logical reasoning sections
- One experimental test question section (not scored)
- A 35-minute writing sample at the end of the test (not scored; copies are sent to schools to which you apply)
Your score is computed on a scale of 120 to 180, based on the number of questions you answer correctly. There is no deduction or penalty for incorrect answers, so it is advantageous to guess if you do not have time to answer a question.
The Credential Assembly Service (CAS)
To centralize and standardize objective application information – GPAs and LSAT scores – ABA-approved law schools require applicants to subscribe to the Credential Assembly Service (CAS). The service organizes and analyzes applicant information in a way that allows law schools to compare academic records from undergraduate schools that use different grading systems. Register for the CAS, then send or take transcript request forms to each college or university from which you have earned academic credit.
If you are enrolled in a study abroad program sponsored by another U.S. college or university, in addition to your Harvard transcript, you must have the college or university sponsoring the study abroad program send a transcript directly to the CAS. List the institution when you register for the Credential Assembly Services under “other Institution.”
The Application
There are two options for submitting applications to law schools:
- You can apply to any ABA-approved law school through the CAS electronic application, which streamlines the process by allowing you to enter common information only once; you then complete each school’s individual application and submit your applications electronically.
- You can complete applications located on schools’ websites, or call the schools to request hard-copy applications.
Personal Statement
Personal statements are requested by most law schools and provide the opportunity to go beyond the objective aspects of the application to discuss who you are and what is important to you. This personal statement is an invitation to write a limited-length essay about yourself. It is not necessarily asking that you explain your motivation for law school; rather it is providing you an opportunity to explain to the school what distinctive experiences, personality traits, values, academic skills, and passions, etc. you would bring to a class. It can be viewed, in essence, as the interview that very few law schools grant. This personal statement should be more mature than the type of essay you may have written for undergraduate admissions. You should begin to compose a personal statement in the early fall, which you can assume will be suitable for all applications, unless schools request a specific topic or style.
Personal statements are typically two double-spaced pages, though some schools give more latitude. If schools don’t provide guidelines on length, it’s advisable to submit a statement that is approximately two pages in length. A few schools will limit the number of words permitted, and you should abide by their guidelines. House prelaw tutors and writing tutors can be a great resource for students who are preparing their statements.
Letters of Recommendation
Most law schools request that one or two letters of recommendation be submitted on behalf of applicants. If letters are not required, it is a good idea, nonetheless, to submit them. Admissions committees will be seeking information not provided elsewhere in the applications. Recommendation letters should include concrete examples of intellectual strength, judgment, motivation, and leadership, along with an appraisal of communication skills and a comparison to peers.
In early fall, you should plan your recommendation-gathering strategy, or see what recommendations are already in your House file. If you have not made yourself and your law school application plans known to your House prelaw adviser, you should do so.
Two academic letters of recommendation are the usual request in law school applications, but you should be sure to check each application for possible variations. Such letters should be requested early enough so the writer can comfortably complete the task in time for the artificial submission deadline of early November (that we recommend you set for yourself). Letters can also be requested if you think you will apply in the future but are not doing so immediately. You should also plan to keep in touch with potential recommenders.
When you approach potential recommenders for a letter, it's best not to do so on the fly. After ascertaining that they can write a favorable letter on your behalf, you might make an appointment to discuss the ways in which they know you, perhaps bringing a paper (with comments ) written in their class, or a set of class discussion topics in which you participated. They may ask for a resume and your personal statement, and even a transcript. Such documents could help provide writers with a more rounded view of you, but it's an analysis of your performance in their field of expertise that schools specifically seek.
We strongly suggest that all Harvard candidates use the LOR (Letter of Recommendation Service), a recommendation-collecting and distributing service which is part of CAS. This can be done either directly by the recommender, or by the House.
Dean’s Certifications
A dean’s certification (or letter/clearance) is required by some law schools to confirm that applicants have not been involved in academic or disciplinary transgressions. Please contact your prelaw tutor if a school you are applying to requires a letter.
How to Apply for Financial Aid
- Apply early for financial aid. Check each law school’s website to determine financial aid deadlines. Some schools have priority dates for submitting financial aid information; students who apply earlier have a better opportunity to obtain limited grant money.
- Complete your FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) as soon as possible after January 1. Completion of the FAFSA is required for all federal student loan programs. The FAFSA is also used by some law schools to collect information for their own institutional aid. Because the FAFSA requires tax information from the previous year, it cannot be completed before January 1.
- Some schools have separate applications for financial aid, while others use the law school application or the FAFSA. Schools also vary in how they distribute their own funds.
- If you have special circumstances, provide this information to the law school financial aid office. This can be critical for law students who have been working full-time in the prior year or who have unusual medical or family expenses.
- Do NOT wait to complete the FAFSA until after you are admitted to a law school. You can list up to six law schools where you want reports sent and update this list with additional schools.
- If your federal tax return won’t be ready until later in the spring, you can estimate prior year income on the FAFSA. Parental income is not considered in determining eligibility for federal loans to graduate-level students, who will be directed to skip Section III-Parental Information in the FAFSA.
Financial Aid Resources
