CHECKLIST AND TIMETABLES
First of all, there are lots of hoops. Get used to it. Law school itself is hoop-heavy, and so is just about anything concerned with law!
Below are some notes which give you an overview of the application process at Loyola College. Download a COMPREHENSIVE CHECKLIST.
The process for students applying to law school from Loyola has changed. Because law schools seem now to favor individual letters of recommendation over committee letters, the Loyola process has been changed so that there is no longer a pre-law committee or a “committee letter.” Instead, seniors who are contemplating applying to law school should work with the prelaw advisor as follows:
- Stick closely to the schedule suggested on the Timetables so that your applications will be considered in a timely fashion by the law schools to which you are applying
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- SUBMIT ELECTRONIC FORMS TO PRELAW ADVISOR
- Submit an Information Form to the Pre-law Advisor.
- Submit a Law School Selection Form to the Prelaw Advisor. On this form you are asked to identify the law schools in which you are interested and to supply some numbers related to those schools. Don’t submit this form until you have done some research about the law schools you are interested in applying to. Once you have submitted this form, you should schedule a meeting with the Pre-Law Advisor.
- Use the Boston College On-Line Locator to see how your data matches to various schools
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- SUBMIT TRANSCRIPT TO PRELAW ADVISOR
- Submit an unofficial transcript or a WebAdvisor printout to the Pre-law Advisor.
- PERSONAL STATEMENT
- See the workshop presentation on writing personal statements. Click Here to see Personal Statement Notes. Do not do the following steps until you have gone through the Personal Statement Notes.
- Next, you should work with a faculty member who is willing to read your personal statement and advise you on it. Do the following:
- Identify a faculty member whom you would like to advise you about your personal statement.
- Coordinate with that faculty member his or her reading and advising you about your personal statement. Do not ask the faculty member to read a first draft or anything short of a polished statement.
- When you give that faculty member a draft of your statement, also give the faculty member the “Information Sheet concerning Personal Statement for Law School Applicants”
- After you have finished with the faculty member and have revised your statement (if revisions are needed), email the statement to the Prelaw Advisor and set up an appointment with him to go over the statement.
- Once all that is done, send the personal statement to LSDAS.
- LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION
- Decide which two faculty members you will ask to write your letters of recommendation. These should be faculty members who have taught you and can write strong letters for you. Law schools generally do not want an employer’s letter in lieu of a faculty members’ letter though such a letter might serve a third letter. Go to Letters of Recommendation Page for additional discussion of letters. Give each of your letter writers the following:
- the bar coded LSDAS Letter of Recommendation Form [on line at the LSAC site]which you have fully executed
- your resume
- a transcript or WebAdvisor printout
- copies of written work (with the professor’s comments) that you have done in the classes you have had from the writer
- and a stamped envelope, addressed to LSDAS.
- If the writer asks you what should be included in the letter, refer to the material on http://www.accepted.com/law/letter_rec.htm
- Dean’s Letters
- Some law schools require you to submit what are known as “Dean’s Letters.” These are basically letters which testify that you are in good academic standing, etc. At Loyola, Hailey Nicholas, Student Life Office Manager, handles these letters. Give her the following:
- the form (on which you have entered all the required information and have signed) from the law school and
- a stamped envelope, addressed to the law school, not to LSDAS.
- FINALLY
Once all of this is done and you have met with the pre-law advisor, you should submit your applications. You should use the computerized system available through LSAC.
If you have any questions about the process, contact the Pre-law Advisor.
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