A Sampling of Criteria to Consider in Selecting a Law School

Application/Admissions

• How does the school weigh acceptance criteria (LSAT/GPA/ Personal essay)?
• How many letters of recommendation are needed?
• How does the school deal with multiple LSAT scores?
• When will you know if you are accepted?
• Is a deposit required to hold your seat until you decide whether to go?
• Does the school use rolling admissions?
• Does the school offer an early admissions decision?
  If so, what are the dates and is it binding decision?

Academics

• What areas does the law school specialize in?
• What kinds of journals are published by the school?
• What is the criteria for acceptance to Law Review?
• What kinds of moot court programs are offered?
• How easy is it to get the classes that you want?
• How much flexibility is there in selecting your courses?
• How many elective courses are offered in your area(s) of interest?
• Does your school offer certificates in areas of specialization, LLM or joint degrees?
• Are there academic support services such as tutors, T. A.’s, infant care, etc?
• What are the teaching methods ie. Socratic? what is the grading system?

Employment

• What is offered through the career services office?
• What kinds of clinical internships are available?
• How many students take the BAR exam?
• What is the first time July Bar passage rate?
• If the school is out of state and you want to return to California,
  what is their California Bar passage rate?
• What sector do the majority of law students enter after graduation?
  (Public, private, government)

Financing

• What kind of financial aid is available?
• Does the school have loan forgiveness?
• What is the cost, both for in-state and out-of-state residents?
• What kinds of scholarships are available and are there any for 1st year students?

Student Life/Community

• What is the student atmosphere (competitiveness, friendliness) like?
• How is the housing situation in the area?
• What is the community/city/region like (urban v. rural, will you need a car, etc)?
• What type of extracurricular student activities (organized sports, clubs etc.)
  are there and how active are they?
• What is the cost of living like?
• How diverse is the student population?

General

• What is the professor to student ratio?
• What is the size of the school?
• What is the size of the entering class?
• Is the law school associated with an undergraduate university?
• How diverse is the faculty/staff?
• What are the library resources like?

Again, these are just sample questions. The questions you ask depends on your individual needs and preferences. Determine what factors are important to you and then ask questions about them.