Application Materials Guidelines

What is a Letter of Recommendation?

• It is a signed letter on a letterhead that talks about who you are as a unique individual.
• It should focus on the quality of your work and your intellectual and interpersonal skills necessary for success in law school and the legal profession (e.g., analytical reasoning, written and oral communication, research, work ethic, commitment, leadership, reliability, community work, organizational skills, and collaboration abilities).
• It is submitted directly to LSAC by your recommender and is uploaded to the Credential Assembly Service (CAS).
• Most law schools require 2-3 letters of recommendation. Carefully review the application instructions from each school for specific details.
• It is preferred over an evaluation, which is a questionnaire completed online by an individual to rate you on non-cognitive attributes and skills related to success in law school and the legal profession.

How to Select a Recommendation Writer?

• If you are a current undergraduate student, you should obtain two letters from faculty members, and possibly one work supervisor only if you have had a significant and meaningful professional experience.
• If you are an alumnus/a, you should obtain one or two letters from work supervisors, and possibly one faculty member if you are a recent graduate.
• For academic letters, professors and instructors are preferred over teaching assistants or recitation leaders. However, letters from teaching assistants and recitation leaders are acceptable if they are substantive and meaningful.
• Get to know faculty by participating in class (lecture and recitation), visiting office hours, and performing well.

Things to Consider

• Secure writers at least six weeks in advance of the time the letters should be sent out.
• Schedule an appointment to speak with prospective writers, and bring the following to the meeting: resume, transcript, personal statement (if completed), copies of graded papers and exams, LSAC Letter of Recommendation Form, and stamped envelopes (if being submitted in hard copy and not electronically).
• Follow up with a thank you note or email approximately 1-2 weeks later.
• Letters of recommendation, once uploaded to LSAC, are stored there for five years. Keep in mind, however, when you plan to apply because you may not want an outdated letter that does not speak to your most recent work.
• It is preferable to select a writer who knows you well and can speak about you personally, rather than selecting one based on his or her status.

Additional Resources

• Use online resources through various websites, such as LSAC and NYU Prelaw.
• The NYU Preprofessional Advising Center can help you to choose appropriate recommendation writers.

Why Do Law Schools Want to See Your Résumé?

The primary purpose of the law school résumé is to demonstrate your capabilities outside of the classroom. The résumé is your chance to give the admissions council a sense of who are and what you've done in the last 2-3 years, as well as show how you stand out from the rest of the applicant pool. The résumé will allow law schools to learn more about:

• Your work ethic
• Your skillset and motivations for law school
• Your engagement with your immediate communities
• How you manage your time
• Your commitment to serving others 
• Your leadership and initiative you demonstrate 
• How you put your undergraduate performance in context 

Sections of Your Résumé

Education

Include post-high school institutions attended for one or more semesters, expected/actual graduation date and degree, major(s)/certificates, cumulative GPA, thesis/capstone, and academic honors/awards. You may alternatively include separate sections for honors/awards or research.

Work Experiences

Include post-high school employment and internships whether paid or unpaid—your titles, dates of employment, a brief summary, with and detailed information concerning responsibilities and accomplishments at each job. Describe your experiences by taking a close look at how those experiences match the skills required for law school. Start with a verb. If you’ve had several legal and non-legal experiences, consider splitting the section between Legal/Non-legal experiences.

Volunteer & Extracurricular Experiences

Include all involvement with student organizations, athletics, volunteering other than an unpaid internship, and other activities to which you devote significant time. If you have few activities, consider including them in the education section instead. Beware of passive memberships/activities. Focus on the results of your efforts and work.

Skills and Interests

This section allows you to highlight language skills, travel, and unique interests that may not fit elsewhere in your resume.

Other Information (If Applicable)

Honors/Awards:

Include any recognition for academic or non-academic achievement or leadership—honor society membership, merit-based scholarships, etc. If you have only one or two honors and/or awards (e.g., dean’s List), then it would be better to include the item(s) in the education section.

Research:

If you have one or more items of research to highlight, it may be appropriate to include a separate section for research. Include substantive writings such as a thesis or capstone, significant work product for a directed study, and publications with or without a professor/TA as co-author, etc.

What is the Diversity Statement?

• It is an optional essay submitted in the application. Be sure to carefully review the application instructions from each school, as they may have differing writing prompts.
• Interpreted broadly, “diversity” includes all aspects of human differences (including, but not limited to, race, sexual orientation, gender identity, socio-economic status, ethnicity, etc.) that gives an applicant a unique perspective different from that of the general application pool1 . The diversity statement seeks to illuminate how an applicant’s experience, as a member of a diverse community, has impacted their upbringing and shaped their understanding of the word.
• It should be about one to three paragraphs in length (no more than a page), double-spaced, 12-point font, no less than 1-inch margins. Carefully review the application instructions from each school for specific details.
• Like the personal statement, it is a writing sample. Lawyers write professionally, so you must demonstrate exceptional writing abilities throughout your application.

Things to Consider

• Think about both your upbringing and current experiences to determine any and all aspects of diversity.
• It is not just for underrepresented minorities.
• It is not just about race or ethnicity.
• It is not an adversity statement.
• Consider your background, place in the family, or culture in which you were raised, and how that has contributed to the diverse perspective you embrace today.
• You may discuss the environment in which you grew up, if you did not fit in with the mainstream culture, the ways in which culture has impacted your life and what you learned about yourself and others as a result, or any social identities with which you identify (e.g., race, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, gender, socioeconomic status, religion, health status, ability, family status).

Additional Resources

• Use online resources through various websites, such as NYU Prelaw.
• Have others review and edit your drafts, such as friends, instructors, and lawyers.
• The NYU Writing Center reviews drafts for graduate and professional school admissions. Schedule an appointment.

What is an Addendum?

• It is an optional essay as part of the application. Be sure to carefully review the application instructions from each school, as they may have differing writing prompts.
• It discusses legitimate reasons for any weaknesses in an application, not excuses.
• It should be about one to three paragraphs in length (no more than a page), double-spaced, 12-point font, no less than 1-inch margins. Carefully review the application instructions from each school for specific details.
• Like the personal statement, it is a writing sample. Lawyers write professionally, so you must demonstrate exceptional writing abilities throughout your application.

Some Reasons to Write an Addendum

• A long gap in your college attendance or resume.
• Academic misconduct, disciplinary action in college, or a criminal record.
• An LSAT score that does not accurately reflect your law school potential (only if you are able to demonstrate prior academic excellence despite low standardized test scores). For example, if you scored a 1000 on your SAT, but were able to graduate with a GPA of 3.9, the SAT was obviously a poor predictor of your college performance, and there would be reason to believe that the LSAT might be a poor predictor of your law school performance. In such a case, you should include an official copy of your SAT or ACT score, along with an addendum, discussing prior poor standardized test scores and excellent academic performance.
• An exceptionally poor grade or withdrawal in a particular course, or a markedly poor semester of grades on an otherwise solid transcript, or an overall GPA that is not indicative of your true abilities. This could be due to a particular semester or year in which your grades were much lower than usual. Also, if you believe that your overall GPA was not as high as it could have been due to financial circumstances, such as the necessity of your full-time employment throughout your college career, an addendum could be useful.

Things to Consider

• If you think an admissions committee will review your application and come away from it with questions in mind, an addendum is necessary to proactively answer those questions.
• Weaknesses should be portrayed as obstacles that were overcome and helped to pave a path towards growth and experience. Always mention what you learned from the experience.
• Focus on the facts, not on emotions, arguments, or excuses.
• Do not write an addendum if there is no glaring weakness in your application.
• Clearly label it ADDENDUM and include your full name and LSAC number.

Additional Resources

• Use online resources through various websites, such as NYU Prelaw.
• The NYU Preprofessional Advising Center can help you to decide whether an addendum is warranted.
• The NYU Writing Center reviews drafts for graduate and professional school admissions. Schedule an appointment!