Applying to law school has undoubtedly been the most stressful period of my life. I am certain of this. The LSAT, letters of recommendation, personal statements, and resumes make it seem like the process never ends. I am not even in law school yet, but I already have reasons to dislike it. This is somewhat depressing.
I have found that applying to law school, or any graduate school for that matter, is much more stressful and time consuming than applying to college. Competition is much more intense and cut-throat to get into graduate school. There are more factors at play. It is no longer just about your gpa and SAT score. Graduate schools weigh many more factors, such as work experience, in making admissions decisions.
Still, the LSAT has been the most stressful part of the entire process. I find it absurd that schools measure a candidate’s level of intelligence with one test. How can this be proper measurement? How can one sitting to take a test be the most important determinant of what law school someone will get into.
I realize that the LSAT is a good test, but it has its share of problems. It measures important abilities, such as logical reasoning and reading comprehension, that are essential to lawyers. However, this does not seem to be the best predictor of what kind of law school student an individual will be. There are many factors that could influence a candidate’s performance unrelated to his or her intelligence and potential. Stress, nerves, or a bad night of sleep all could prevent an applicant from performing his or her best on the LSAT.
Therefore, I believe that other factors, such as grade point average are better indicators of an applicant’s future potential. Grade point average actually demonstrates what kind of student someone is because it represents the work of four years as an undergraduate. Grade point average allows for individuals to make up for possible factors, like stress, because it is more long term. Even if an applicant did badly on an exam or essay due to nerves, four years of work allows him or her to make up for it. Thus, gpa is a more consistent and effective method of measuring candidates for admission.
Like grade point average, letters of recommendation also better predict the potential of a candidate than the LSAT does. This is because letters of recommendation actually discuss what a person is really like. People who truly know a candidate for admission give their honest opinion of these individuals in letters of recommendation. These are therefore more reflective of what an individual will be like in law school.
Regardless of the many who feel the same way as me about the LSAT, law schools continue to use it as the most important factor in admissions decisions. It does not seem like this will change any time soon. For now, candidates will have to continue to play the admissions game and pray that they will perform well on the LSAT.
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