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"I'm often asked how many applications someone should submit to
law schools," says Senior Consultant Heike Spahn. "Last year, the number of
schools my clients applied to ranged from 1 to 27. For most applicants, I think
the ideal number falls somewhere in the middle of that range.
"Many law school applicants' choices are limited by location. For example, many
non-traditional applicants are already established within their community and
are unable to move to attend law school. In that case, I typically recommend
they apply to the schools in their area where they would be competitive, plus a
reach and a safety, if possible. In many locations, that might only mean
applying to one or two schools – but, fortunately, it only takes one admit
letter to attend law school.
"For applicants who are willing to move, I recommend they think about where they
want to live upon graduation. Since most law school graduates stay and work
within the region of their law school, I think it is important to consider your
career prospects and goals when considering a law school.
"Applicants who apply to a variety of geographic regions end up applying to the
most law schools. I recommend these applicants target each of the regions
separately. For example, if you are considering Ohio, Chicago and Texas, you
should identify, research and consider a wide range of schools in each one of
those areas. I recommend applying to a spectrum of schools – from reach schools
to safeties – in each region. That way you will have some options in the spring.
"One mistake that a lot of people make is to apply to every law school in a
given city or area, hoping that they will get into one of them. I can't tell you
how many times that leads to applicants applying to schools that they would
never consider attending. Rather than applying to every school in a city, I
recommend researching all of the schools you are considering. A campus visit is
a great way to determine if you would like to attend a particular school.
Visiting and researching schools online are also great ways to eliminate
possible schools from your application list."
– Heike is formerly Associate Director of Admissions and Assistant Dean of Financial Aid at the University of Chicago Law School.
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