Requesting letters of recom- mendation for law school, Exams of Law

Download Requesting letters of recom- mendation for law school and more Exams Law in PDF only on Docsity! What is the goal of a letter of recommendation? One of the aims of the law school admissions process is to identify those individuals who have the intellectual and personal characteristics necessary to succeed in the law school classroom. To determine capacity to succeed, law schools rely on a variety of proxies including undergraduate GPA, LSAT score, and letters of recommendation. In short, law schools want to know how you will perform in the law school classroom, and letters of recommendation from academic sources can inform law schools how you performed in the undergraduate classroom. Because law schools believe that your performance in the college classroom is a potential indicator of your ability to handle the rigors of law school coursework, they prefer letters from academic sources, including professors and TAs. The academic title of the person writing the letter matters less than the substance of what they have to say about you. If the TA in a course can better speak to your abilities in the classroom, then you should request a letter from the TA rather than the professor. In some cases, it may be appropriate to request one or more letters of recommendation from professionals who have supervised you in the workplace. Letters from academic sources are always preferable, but law schools understand that individuals who have been in the workplace for some time may not be able to secure letters of recommendation from former instructors. Similarly, some applicants may wish to supplement their academic letters of recommendation with a professional letter highlighting intellectual or other characteristics demonstrated during a job or internship. Requesting letters of recom- mendation for law school Center for Pre-Law Advising Guide Number 6 of 9 When determining whom to approach for a letter of recommendation, you should identify individuals who have observed and can enthusiastically speak to characteristics that indicate your capacity to succeed in law school, including for example: 1. Intellectual Capacity: Analytical thinking, critical thinking, critical reading, reasoning skills, problem-solving skills, intellectual curiosity, capacity for abstract thought, etc. 2. Ability to Communicate: Strong writing and/or verbal skills, persuasiveness, articulateness, participation in class discussions, etc. 3. Other Characteristics: Motivation, diligence, maturity, organization, responsibility, attention to detail, professionalism, self- discipline, character integrity, leadership, etc. Letters of recommendation are an important component of the law school admissions process. Most law schools require 1–2 letters, but as a general rule, it is ideal to submit 2–3 strong letters. This handout provides an overview of the process of requesting letters of recommendation. Requesting a Letter of Recommendation for law school Letters of recommendation turn on relationships. To receive a strong letter of recommendation, you need to have devoted time to developing a strong relationship with the recommender. Be respectful of that relationship when you request letters of recommendation, and consider the following advice: 1. Request your letters of recommendation in person if at all possible (face-to-face or by telephone). Don’t use e-mail unless your purpose is to set up a meeting or telephone conversation. A personal conversation gives you an additional opportunity to impress the recommender and helps ensure that the recommender has sufficient information about you to include in the letter. 2. Don’t wait until the last minute to request your letters. Give your recommenders sufficient time to prepare their letters (ideally 6–8 weeks), and set deadlines at least 2–4 weeks before any application deadline. Recommenders may not write as strong of a letter or may miss their deadline if not given sufficient time to prepare the letter. 3. Provide your recommenders with a packet of information on which they can rely when drafting the letter. Include a résumé and work product from the course or a summary of work from the job/internship. If the recommender has not written a letter of recommendation for law school before, include a copy of the handout Writing a Letter of Recommendation. Letters of recommenda- tion continued Center for Pre-Law Advising Guide Number 6 of 9 Submitting a Letter of Recommendation for law school Most law schools require applicants to have their recommenders submit letters of recommendation directly to LSAC. In order to do so, you should first add your recommenders in your LSAC account by following the steps indicated in the adjacent text block (How to Add a Recommender in Your LSAC Account). You may then elect to have your recommenders use one of the following two procedures to submit their letters: Electronic Process After adding your recommenders to your LSAC account, you can initiate the electronic submission process by clicking the E-mail button to the right of the recommenders’ names on the Letters of Recommendation and Evaluations page in your LSAC account. LSAC will then e-mail your recommenders directly with information concerning the process for submitting a letter electronically. Be sure to personally contact your recommenders first in order to determine their willingness to provide a letter. U.S. Mail Process For recommenders who may not be comfortable using the electronic process, there is a paper option. To initiate this process, print your recommender’s form by clicking the Print button to the right of the recommender’s name on the Letters of Recommendation and Evaluations page in your LSAC account. Next, provide that form to the recommender for inclusion with the letter of recommendation. Be sure to provide a stamped envelope for the recommender’s convenience. “Professors notice your actions, both good and bad. While texting, missing class, and sleeping obviously won’t...