The law school application process is rooted in heartfelt dreams. Only a tightly held dream can carry an applicant through the gauntlet required for admission, from taking the LSAT or GRE to patiently enduring months on a waitlist.
For many applicants, the most enjoyable part of this process is identifying their dream schools. It can be fun to envision life there and learn about the opportunities they provide.
If you are applying to a wide range of law schools — I suggest at least a dozen — then it makes sense to aim high and include a handful of schools whose selectivity puts them at the edge of your reach.
It’s important to be realistic, of course. There’s no point in wasting money and time on applying to a school where your odds are slim to none. But even if your GPA and test scores put you below the medians for a school you have your heart set on, you have nothing to lose if you give it your best shot.
[Related:What Does It Take to Get Into a Top Law School?]
Once you start adding reach schools to your list, however, it can be hard to know where to draw the line between a longshot and a school that is completely out of range. Here are some factors to consider in determining which law schools are truly within reach.
Start With the Statistics
Each year, every accredited law school publicly releases the statistics for their entering class, through their 509 disclosures to the American Bar Association. These disclosures include not only the median GPA and LSAT score, but also the 25th and 75th percentiles.
It’s certainly possible to get into a law school if you are a “splitter,” with either your GPA or LSAT below median. However, if both these statistics are well below a school’s 25th percentile, then the school may be out of reach.
Remember that the applicants accepted with below-median statistics are not chosen randomly. They were accepted despite these weak points because they were competitive candidates in other ways. Or there may be circumstances that made these numbers less relevant, as in the case of older applicants many years removed from their undergraduate grades.
So, unless you can provide a compelling explanation for your low performance or have other reasons to feel confident, stick with law schools whose medians are within the ballpark of your statistics.
Consider Your Strengths
Grades and test scores are important, but they are not the only deciding factors in law admissions. Ultimately, every law school is seeking to build a diverse class that is balanced in many ways, from students’ personal and professional backgrounds to their interests and goals.
Not only are there many “soft factors” that can help you transcend your numbers, but different law schools might be looking for different kinds of candidates.
[Related:Soft Factors That Can Give Law School Applicants an Edge]
For example, some law schools explicitly prefer candidates with substantial work experience, while others care more about academic achievements.
A law school with a center on national security law or a clinic assisting service members may be especially open to applicants who are veterans.
A law school with a strong social justice mission may accept students with experience overcoming discrimination or bias, or promoting diversity and inclusivity, even if they had an uneven academic path.
Look for a Personal Connection
Writing a heartfelt plea to law school admissions officers that you have always dreamed of attending their law school is unlikely to move the needle for a reach school. Law schools seek students who are enthusiastic about attending, but there is little boon for extraordinary eagerness.
If you do plan to make an impassioned case, make sure it is grounded in an understanding of what makes a law school unique, rather than its prestige or reputation.
[Related:How to Write a ‘Why This Law School’ Essay]
It can be helpful to have a genuine personal connection to a reach law school, like ties of family or geography. Many law schools favor students from their local community or students with family members who have attended or worked at the law school.
Public law schools often have an explicit mission of serving in-state residents and may especially value applicants from neglected rural, low-income or Indigenous communities within the state. If you are religious, you might also consider a private law school with a religious mission aligned with your own.
While it can be fun to fantasize about dream schools, don’t leave your target list lopsided toward the aspirational end of the spectrum. A balanced list should include several mid-range or “Goldilocks” schools where your odds are fair, along with a few solid safety schools.
If those bases are covered, there is no harm in applying to reach schools. It would be a shame to regret never taking a chance at the school of your dreams.
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What to Look for in a Reach Law School originally appeared on usnews.com
