CONTACT US:
CLA Career Services
135 Johnston Hall
101 Pleasant St SE
Minneapolis, MN 55455
email: cclc@umn.edu
phone: 612-624-7577
fax: 612-625-4832
hours: 8 am - 4:30 pm, M-F
CLA Career Services are offered through
the Career and Community Learning Center (CCLC)
CCLC Staff
Resource Room
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Visit Law Schools
Visiting law schools can be helpful at many stages of your decision-making process. Consider visiting one or more law schools if:
- you're not sure if law school is a good fit for you
- you're choosing which law schools to apply to
- you've been accepted but haven't seen the campus
The schools you visit will provide a formal tour. Some will also allow you to sit in on a law class and connect you to current students.
How do I set up a law school visit and
how much should I research in advance?
Do some research about the schools you're considering visiting. (See examples below). Research what you can in advance, so you can use your visit to ask questions that can only be answered in person. After you've done initial research and you're ready to visit, contact the admissions office of each law school to set up the visit.
The Law School Admission Council (LSAC) has a search tool that allows you to gather and compare school information easily.
What specific things should I research in advance?
Examples:
- Is the school public or private?
- How many students are typically accepted? If the school breaks first-year students into sections, how large are the sections?
- What is the application timeline (is it early decision, early action, or rolling)?
- What is the range of GPA and LSAT scores that accepted students often have?
- How many letters of recommendation does the school require?
- What is the school's personal statement prompt, and how long should the personal statement be?
- What is the cost of attendance (tuition, fees, books, cost of living, etc)?
- Does the application for admission also allow you to apply for scholarships, or is there a separate application for scholarships?
- What is the bar passage rate for the school? How does this compare to the state average?
- What percentage of alumni is employed within a few months of graduation? What types of employment (e.g., law firms, public interest, judicial clerkships), and where geographically?
- What additional opportunities exist (e.g., student organizations, Moot Court, law journals, legal clinics in your interest area)?
- Does the school have a specific area of law they’re known for (e.g., intellectual property, environmental law, public interest)?
- How many holdings does the library have? (This is worth knowing because you'll spend a lot of time at the library!)
- What additional resources are available? (e.g., study groups, career services, mental health services)
What should I observe or ask when I visit in person?
The list below isn't comprehensive. Think about questions you might want to ask, or things you want to observe to help you decide if the school/campus is a good fit for you. When you visit, be observant and don't be shy about asking questions.
- Observe the general atmosphere of the school. Do you like it? (You’re going to spend at least three years there. It's important to be comfortable with the environment.)
- Ask how students are selected for law journals.
- Observe flyers posted around campus. What kinds of opportunities are they advertising?
- Observe student interaction. Ask what the school's like regarding competition among students.
- Ask about the career services available. What does the school offer to help students find jobs during and after law school?
More examples of questions to ask can be found in our
Grad School Info and Advising section.
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