- Law School Admission Council (LSAC) Account
- Credential Assembly Service (CAS) Account
- Law School Admission Test (LSAT) or GRE for limited number of schools
- Transcript
- Personal Statement
- Resume
- Letters of Recommendation
- Dean’s Certification
Register with the Law School Admission Council
The Law School Admission Council (LSAC) is a non-profit organization with over 200 member law schools in the United States and Canada. It administers the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) and facilitates the Credential Assembly System (CAS), both of which can be accessed via the LSAC website. LSAC does not make admission assessments or decisions. You will receive an account once you register for the LSAT.
Register with the Credential Assembly Service
You must also register with the Credential Assembly Service (CAS), which is similar to a your common app for applying to law school. CAS forwards copies of your undergraduate transcripts, a standardized numerical summary of your academic records, your LSAT score(s), and letters of recommendation to each law school to which you are applying.
Be sure to check your transcripts for accuracy before having them sent to CAS. Once you are registered with CAS, please check “yes” on the application to authorize LSAC to release your information to your pre-law advisor. This will help provide accurate statistics for Tufts students who apply to law school in the future. If you checked “no” initially, you can edit your account to authorize the release of information.
Take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT)
If you are applying to an American Bar Association-accredited law school, you must take the LSAT, a standardized test. There are some schools that accept the GRE. The LSAT is given regularly throughout the calendar year, and is scored on a scale of 120-180. Your score report will be sent to you about three-four weeks after you take the test.
Many people need 4-6 months to properly study for the test, and a large percentage of people take it a second time. Allow 6-8 months of dedicated weekly studying to be adequately prepared. Note that your scores are good for 5 years, and that there are limits to how many times you may take the test.
Preparing for the LSAT
It is possible to study for the LSAT on your own by ordering old LSAT exams through LSAC. If you want the support of a structured class to help you study, there are many LSAT-prep courses offered. While Tufts does not endorse one prep course over another, Tufts students have used the following courses to prepare for the LSAT. Others have studied with one-on-one tutoring.
LSAT Prep Courses
Many test prep companies offer monthly plans that can be modified from asynchronous learning or live classes to private tutoring.
- LSAT Demon
- Blueprint
- Kaplan
- Kaplan’s Tuition Assistance Program
- Powerscore
- Princeton Review
- Test Masters
- 7sage
Free Online Practice Exams
- LSAC Test Prep / Law Hub
- Princeton Review – Free LSAT Online Demo and Practice Test
Obtain Transcripts
You are responsible for submitting your transcript to CAS. Tufts will not automatically send in your transcript for you. If you graduated in 2006 or later, you can request your transcript online through though https://students.tufts.edu/registrar/make-request/transcriptsdiplomas. If you graduated prior to 2006, visit this page for more information. Once your transcript has been received by the Credential Assembly Service, it will be submitted to the schools you wish to apply to. Transcripts can be a major hold-up and take a while to process, so request your transcript early in your law school process.
Programs Sponsored by Tufts Programs Abroad
As long as the courses you took abroad, along with your grades and credits are recorded on your official Tufts academic transcript or a separate or parallel transcript maintained by Tufts, you do NOT need to send an additional transcript to CAS.
Non-Tufts Study Abroad Programs
If you studied in a program sponsored by another US (including US territories) or Canadian college or university you must have the sponsoring college or university send a transcript directly to CAS. When you register for the Credential Assembly Service (CAS), identify the US or Canadian institution sponsoring the study abroad program under “Other Institutions.”
Other Factors That Require Additional Steps
(1) If you were directly enrolled in one or more international institutions but the total amount of work you completed is the equivalent to one year or less, do NOT list the international institution when you register for the CAS, and do not have a transcript forwarded. International work that is the equivalent of one US or Canadian academic year or less is not required for CAS purposes. You may, however, be required to list your attendance at such institutions on your application to law school.
OR
(2) If you are applying to a law school that requires the use of the CAS authentication and evaluation feature, were directly enrolled in one or more international institutions, and the total amount of work you completed at all international institutions is the equivalent of more than one US or Canadian academic year, then in addition to your home institution’s transcript, you must have a transcript forwarded to LSAC from the international institution(s). When you register for CAS, identify the international institution(s) under “International Institutions.” A transcript from a non-degree granting agency reflecting work completed through direct enrollment is not acceptable for LSAC purposes; you must have a transcript forwarded from the institution itself.
International transcripts meeting the “more than one year” criteria are required from all:
- undergraduate and graduate schools
- law/medical/professional schools
- schools attended even though a degree was never awarded
All required international transcripts must be sent directly to LSAC by the issuing institution, and will be processed through the authentication and evaluation feature of CAS as described on LSAC’s website.
Write a Personal Statement and Other Essays
Your personal statement is a critical part of your application in addition to your LSAT and GPA. The personal statement generally takes the place of an interview. It is your opportunity to have the admissions committee view you in a different and more complete light. You want to be thoughtful as you approach your law school essays and think of them collectively. It is helpful to meet with the Pre-Law Advisor as you work on these statements.
Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Start
- What inspires me?
- What makes me unique?
- What are my passions?
- What is important to me and why?
- What have I learned from my experiences?
- Which experience has shaped me most?
- What motivates me to go to law school, and why now?
Choose a specific defining moment or experience to focus on, but still keep yourself central to the essay. Generate ideas and find your voice with free writing, brainstorming and journaling.
Writing the Statement
- Plan to spend four to six weeks writing at least three drafts (after free writing).
- Make sure you understand the question and what’s required of you.
- After writing your statement, re-read the question and make sure you’ve answered it effectively.
- Keep the focus on yourself, as awkward as that may feel at first. Your goal is give the admission committee a lens into who you are.
- Stay open to revisions. Writing a personal statement is a process, and your success depends on a willingness to change.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Focusing entirely on “why I want to be a lawyer”
- Educating the reader on any topic other than YOU
- Using the personal statement to explain inconsistencies in your academic record
- Reiterating your resume
StAAR Center
The StAAR Center has writing consultants available to meet with you to provide assistance on your personal statement. It is great to work with them to refine your writing after your strategic and substantive reviews with the Pre-Law Advisor in the Career Center. Remember, alumni and students have access to both the Career Center and the StAAR Center.
Strengthen Your Resume
- A resume is used to market yourself. It describes your abilities, experiences (paid or unpaid), and education. An effective resume in a law school application should augment your overall candidacy (along with the LSAT score, transcript, letters of recommendation, and personal statement).
- Law schools carefully review your resume to understand who you are beyond the classroom. Emphasize leadership experience, community engagement, honors/awards, professional associations, and all professional experience (paid or unpaid).
- While most recent graduates typically limit their resume to one page, you have more flexibility when applying to law school. Use two pages if the information adds value to your candidacy and would not be noted elsewhere on your application. The most critical information should remain on page one. And if you go with a second page, ensure that has more than just a few lines.
- A law school resume does not need to list any courses taken, but it should include a brief “Interests” section with hobby type of information.
Secure Letters of Recommendation
Law schools look for letters of recommendation (LOR) that speak directly and specifically to your intellectual and analytical abilities, research skills, ability to write clearly and coherently, motivation for and commitment to the study of law, capacity for responsibility and collaboration, leadership, and ethical integrity. Typically, law schools ask for two to three letters. Do not exceed the number required. If you have additional recommendations, save them in case you need them for waitlist requests.
Give at least 6 weeks notice to anyone you ask to write a LOR for you!
Letters of recommendation are most useful when they:
- Are written by people who know you well such as professors in small, upper-level courses that you have taken
- Refer to specific experiences
- Say something that is not obvious in other parts of your application
- Say something relevant to your academic ability and potential success in law school
- Who NOT to ask for a Recommendation: Do not ask “important” people such as judges, senators, politicians who do not know you well. Those types of letters usually have little value to admissions representatives as they cannot address your academic or work experience.
Provide Background Information
Provide your recommenders with information that will help them draft an informed, factual letter. You might want to compile this information:
- An updated resume
- A copy of your personal statement
Tips for adding your recommenders on CAS:
When you are in your LSAC account, click “Credentials and CAS” at the top, then scroll down and click “Add Recommenders” then click “Manage Letters of Recommendation” then click “Add/edit My Recommenders” then click “Add New Recommender”
Once you input all the necessary info about your recommender (ie: email address, physical address, etc) then you can send the letter request directly to the recommender from the LSAC site. This is the best way to send it to them. Click on the “Email” button and then LSAC will contact the recommender on your behalf and request the letter and provide a link for them to upload the letter.
When you are adding the recommender, you will be asked if want to Waive Access Rights and that is typically advised because law schools will know how you responded to the question.
In the LOR description box put “all law schools” unless a LOR is only for a specific school.
Follow Up
Send a thank you note to anyone who takes the time to write you a letter of recommendation. When you receive news, be sure to share it with your recommenders.
Obtain Dean’s Certification (if applicable)
Most law schools will require you to provide information about any prior disciplinary or academic issues, whether or not the school asks for a dean’s certification. Answer such questions truthfully and disclose information pertaining to your records. If you fail to disclose this information, you could face severe consequences in the admissions process and possibly later, when you apply to be admitted to the bar. If any academic or disciplinary action is taken against you after you submit your applications, you must notify the schools to which you have applied.
Dean’s Certification forms are required by some law schools. Many schools also require a dean’s letter or certification if you are applying to transfer to that law school. Certifications are required either before, or after you have been accepted, depending on the school. Read the application carefully for the school policy or call the school’s admissions office if you need clarification.
