Name: William Bainbridge
Major: German
Law School: George Washington University
How many
schools did you apply to? What criteria did you use in picking these schools? I applied to six schools. My main criterion was location because I
wanted to study in Washington, D.C. or Maryland.
How did
you prepare for the LSAT? Do you have any advice? Take several practice
LSATs. Get plenty of rest 2-3 days
before the test.
What
strategies did you use in networking with the professors and employers who
wrote letters of recommendation for you? Because I had a break between undergrad
and law school, I tried to get a letter of recommendation from one professor,
one employer, and one attorney. It's
important to give these people some input regarding what you'd like them to
discuss in their letter. For example, my
former professor wrote about my academic abilities, the former employer wrote
about my work experience, and the attorney wrote about my aptitude for law
school. Give your letter writers ample
time and provide them with pre-addressed envelopes with postage. Make it as easy as possible for them. Send along a thank-you note after they mail
their letters, and let them know how your applications pan out and where you
decide to attend.
How did
you go about writing your personal statement? How much did you change your
personal statement to fit each school? I gave myself nearly four months to work on my
personal statement. I tried to stick to
three main themes: my background &
experience, my education, and my desire to study law. I made sure these themes appeared throughout
my application (e.g. my letters of recommendation hit on the same issues). I changed my statement to fit each school,
particularly the concluding paragraph where I talked about my reasons for wanting
to study at "____" school.
If you had
a chance to go through the process again, is there anything you would have done
differently? Nothing.
Is law
school like you expected it would be? Why or why not? Law school has been an
incredible experience so far. The faculty
at GW is awesome, and I've made some great friends in my section.
Any
final advice? Find 2-3 main themes for
your application and stick to them. Use
your application to demonstrate what you will bring to the law school. Organization is key. Apply as early as possible and make sure you
don't miss any deadlines. Give your
personal statement 100% effort -- adcoms do read them! I recommend reading the book "How to Get Into
The Top Law Schools" by Richard Montauk, but don't waste your money on law
school application "services" Use the
U's Career Services instead! I worked
closely with Ms. Larson, the pre-law advisor, who did a great job helping me
with my personal statement and applications.
