Crafting a successful law school application takes a lot of preparation. JD application materials consist of a resume, transcript, letters of recommendation, personal statement and potentially supplemental essays. That’s already a lot of information to gather.
However, many law schools offer applicants a chance to be considered for specialized programs, which often requires a separate application essay. For those willing to put in some additional legwork, applying to these programs may be worthwhile.
[Consider specialized program when deciding where to enroll for law school.]
Specialized Law School Programs
A specialized law school program offers applicants interested in a certain field or those from an underrepresented demographic to join a community of like-minded scholars. For example, the University of California–Los Angeles‘s David J. Epstein Program in Public Interest Law and Policy gives applicants committed to social justice training through specialized curriculum.
Duke University School of Law offers joint J.D.-LL.M. degrees in areas such as International and Comparative Law or Law and Entrepreneurship. Although these programs do not require any additional application materials, applicants are encouraged to articulate their interest in these fields in their personal statement.
Some specialized programs also include potential for merit-based funding. New York University School of Law offers programmatic scholarships covering a wide range of topics, including cybersecurity, business leadership and latinx rights, while the AnBryce Scholarship Program offers full tuition for first-generation graduate students.
Applicants admitted to the University of Chicago‘s Doctoroff Business Leadership Program may be considered for the Zubrow Scholars Program, which provides a full-tutition scholarship.
[Read about three steps to maximize your chances of law school financial aid.]
Programmatic Essays
Unlike a school-specific supplemental essay — which may ask applicants how they will contribute to an institution’s environment or ask why they want to attend the school — programmatic essays are not necessarily used in consideration for your admission to the law school. Rather they are used to determine whether you are a good fit for a particular specialized program.
[Discover how to tackle supplemental law school essay prompts.]
The leaders of specialized programs are looking for a demonstrated interest in these areas. That means you need to be able to express more than just an intellectual interest in cybersecurity or comparative international law or business.
You should approach your application to the program by writing a highly focused essay that provides evidence of your interest. Highlight relevant experience while providing insight into what drives your motivations. Just as when tackling a personal statement, it is important to avoid cover-letter-speak that amounts to submitting a resume in prose.
Although not strictly prohibited, don’t copy and paste sections of your personal statement into your essay for the specialized program — it can give the impression that you are lazy. Remember that admissions committees will have access to the entirety of your application, regardless of whether they have a formal policy to review specialized applications.
Instead, find a way to articulate why you are interested in a specialized program and what qualifies you to join that community. While you may have some thematic or experiential overlap with your personal statement, write from a different angle.
Maybe your personal statement focuses on your entrepreneurial experience founding your own company, while your programmatic essay explores your extracurricular leadership as the president of your school’s Undergraduate Business Society Club. You certainly want all facets of your application to complement each other — however a personal statement about sports law won’t help you apply to a public interest program.
Admission to Specialized Programs
Admission to a specialized program is competitive, particularly if funding is at stake. However, your admission to the law school is not contingent upon acceptance into the specialized program.
In fact, sometimes the admission committee does not review the programmatic application essay at all. Rather, the leaders of the specialized program determine whether you are granted a position, if you are accepted into the law school.
For example, UCLA’s Office of Admissions will review your general application materials and send your public policy application to the Epstein Program review board, a separate committee that consists of three faculty members and three students.
UCLA Law may extend you an offer to enroll, but because admission to the Epstein Program is highly competitive, you may not be offered a spot in that particular program.
Admission to UCLA Law is not contingent upon admission to the Epstein Program. In such a scenario, you would have the opportunity to apply to transfer into the Epstein Program following your first year of study.
Applying to a specialized program will not hurt your chances of admission. If anything, demonstrating an interest in a school’s particular program can give your application a boost.
Want more advice types of specialized programs? You can reach me at lawadmissionslowdown@usnews.com.
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Applying to Specialized Law School Programs originally appeared on usnews.com
