{"id":11780,"date":"2022-04-26T08:00:22","date_gmt":"2022-04-26T12:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dev.stratusadmissionscounseling.com\/?p=11780"},"modified":"2023-04-20T13:04:01","modified_gmt":"2023-04-20T17:04:01","slug":"five-questions-to-ask-yourself-when-applying-to-law-school","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.stratusadmissionscounseling.com\/blog\/five-questions-to-ask-yourself-when-applying-to-law-school\/","title":{"rendered":"Five Questions to Ask Yourself When Applying to Law School"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Since elementary school, maybe people have told you that you would make a great lawyer. Or maybe you are in your senior year of college and are considering a career in law for the first time. No matter when you started thinking about going to law school, now is the time for some critical self-reflection.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although applying to law school can be stressful, remaining focused on your goals can help demystify the experience. It is important to remember the reasons you decided to apply in the first place. To that end, ask yourself the following five questions to help reflect upon your path to law school and shape the components of your application. (In addition, check out these other articles from Stratus on\u00a0<\/span>writing a strong law school personal statement<\/b><\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>avoiding clich\u00e9s<\/b><\/a>.)<\/span>
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Do I really want to be a lawyer?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This is a threshold question when applying to law school. A personal statement that doesn\u2019t reveal a clear intention to become a practicing attorney will not be well received by admissions committees. More importantly, taking three years out of your life, plus potentially incurring tens of thousands of dollars in debt, warrants deep consideration.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you don\u2019t already have some legal experience, whether professional or personal, get in touch with some lawyers who are at different stages of their careers and who practice in different sectors (e.g., law firms, government, in house, public interest). If you are particularly interested in an area of the law, seek out a lawyer practicing in that area. Ask them what they love about practicing law and what they find challenging. Find out what they do each day, and then assess whether or not you find those tasks appealing. Your university\u2019s career services office can often connect you with alumni who have become lawyers. You can also reach out to your local bar association or find connections to the organization on social media.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

With some experience and introspection, you can make an informed decision about your choice to pursue a legal education. Additionally, your personal statement will present a clear and specific desire to work as a lawyer, even if you are pursuing a joint degree or have other academic and professional interests outside the law<\/span>.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Why does the world need a lawyer like me?<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Make sure your application isn\u2019t overly focused on what a law career can do for you without articulating why the legal profession would benefit from your work. For example,<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n