While test scores and grade point average are commonly believed to be the most important components of a law school application, a recent survey suggests recommendations can make or break an application.
Earlier this month, Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions reported that 87 percent of 145 law school admissions officers across the country said they received a negative letter or recommendation — and 15 percent called it the biggest application killer.
Associate Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid at the Penn Law School Renee Post confirmed in an e-mail that while no aspect of a law application can be dubbed the most significant, “recommendations are extraordinarily important.”
Last year only 14 percent of Penn Law’s 6,000 applicants were admitted.
As to whether a bad recommendation will “kill” an application — as the Kaplan study said — Post wrote, “A poor or weak letter will raise important questions; the Admissions Committee respects these evaluations, and the content and tone contained therein are positively or negatively persuasive.”
Among other factors, the recent economy has influenced more students to apply to law schools nationwide, according to Jeff Thomas, Kaplan’s director of pre-law programs. Law school, which requires no previous experience or expertise in law, gives students more time before finding a job, Thomas said.
As the competition steepens for law school acceptance, applicants look for ways to stand out.
Senior Adviser at College Confidential Sally Rubenstone explained that recommendations are more important in law school admissions than they are in undergraduate admissions.
While undergraduate admissions offices are fairly forgiving when letters of recommendation are generic, this is not true of law schools, Rubenstone said. High school counselors might not know their students well, and teachers with whom students have closer relationships may not have experience writing strong recommendations.
“The top contenders for the law world should be putting themselves in a position where, A — their professors know them, and B — they can discern between professors or other adults who can write them strong recommendations and those who may be less likely to,” Rubenstone said.
Law school admissions offices know that these are skills applicants will need in their career field, she added.
However, someone who knows an applicant well and can comment on specific qualities of character and performance is the best person to request a recommendation from, college consultant Gerald Bradshaw said.
“Some people assume the bigger the name, the better the recommender. This is not true,” Post agreed in an e-mail.
Zac Byer, who graduated from the College last year and began at Penn Law this fall, said he received recomendations from professors who he had worked with more than once so they had a better sense of his character.
“They knew more than what kind of paper-writer I was, and they knew about me as an individual,” Byer said. “They knew why I wanted to go to law school and why I’d be a good addition to a law school class.”
The Daily Pennsylvanian is an independent, student-run newspaper. Please consider making a donation to support the coverage that shapes the University. Your generosity ensures a future of strong journalism at Penn.
DonatePlease note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.
