Tips and advice on applying---in real English---from Assistant Dean Perez
Far too much attention is given to
strategies in applying for admission to law school. The admissions
committee doesn't care about strategic ploys; all the committee really
wants is to get to know the candidate in the process of reviewing the
application. Unfortunately most schools, like New York Law School, receive
too many applications to be able to conduct personal interviews as part of
the evaluation process. I've found that it's helpful for applicants to
understand how the admissions committee utilizes the various parts of the
application so that they can put forward a strong application.
It's important that you answer each question. Knowing how the
admissions committee uses them in its reviews should help you in giving us
the information that we need to make a good decision on your
application.
I'm writing this to walk through the application, section-by-section and question-by-question, with my explanation of why we're asking for the information and providing you any advice and cautionary tips.
APPLICATION SECTION | APPLICATION QUESTION | EXPLANATION
AND ADVICE |
Application Program
& Status | Top of First Page | You must select one, and only one, from
each column. |
Program | You must
pick just one. First-Year
J.D.: The overwhelming majority of applicants fall into
this category because they've never been to law school.If you've been to
law school but were academically disqualified, or your law school was not
ABA-approved, this is the box you should check. Also, if you started law
study more than four years ago it is likely that you're going to have to
start over, so check this
box. Transfer
J.D.: If you are a student at another ABA-approved law
school and you want to finish here and get your J.D. from New York Law
School, check this
box. J.D./M.B.A.:
If you plan to seek admission to Baruch College's M.B.A.
degree and take advantage of this time-saving option, check this box.The
program is designed for full-time students to complete both degrees in
four years. A separate application must be made to Baruch College for
admission to the M.B.A. meeting all of their requirements. There is no
guarantee of admission to either program, even if one offers you
admission. | |
Division | You must
pick just one. There is a myth that
it's "easier" to be admitted as a part-time student. It's just
not true. If you're looking at a guide book with admission statistics you
will notice a very slight difference in LSAT and GPA for part-time
students; this does not mean it's "easier," it means that we
also value the qualitative aspects of the resume. Most part-time students
have been in the work force for a number of years and have a fuller and
stronger resume that someone in college or just a year or two out of
college. So, forget the "strategy" of applying to part-time if
your LSAT or GPA (or both) are lower unless you are working full-time and
need or want to keep the job while in law
school. More applications are submitted for full-time, but there are many more seats in the full-time program. Our admission decision will be the same whether you apply full-time or part-time, so apply to the program you truly want. The only time your division choice would make a difference is if you are placed on the wait list. In that case, it's best to be as flexible as possible. Our wait list permits you to be open to an offer in either or both programs. If you don't check any of the boxes, I'll check full-time day for you. Yes, I know, you left it blank to prove your willingness to accept an offer to any division. Full-Time Day is the traditional three-year program. Classes meet Monday through Friday and are spread throughout the day. As a full-time student, the ABA and NYLS restrict your ability to work to 20 hours per week while classes are in session. Part-Time Evening is a four-year program that entails the same required courses and credit totals as full-time, but has no restrictions on working. Classes generally meet Monday through Thursday from 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm. We cannot accomomodate part time students in the Day program. | |
Entering
Term | If you're not transferring from
another ABA-approved law school you must check FALL, period. If you checked
Transfer J.D. in the first column, you may check any of the three.
Remember, transfers must have completed one year elsewhere. | |
Biographical Information | 1 – 10 | These are basic and self-explanatory, but a few
need some extra explanation, below. Having this
information allows us to maintain contact with you and permits us to
verify and match documents and records to your application. |
4a | We regard your Social Security Number as
confidential. It permits us to verify
LSDAS and/or LSAT. Because NYLS does
not use a separate financial aid application---just the FAFSA---the SSN is
the only way that we can access your Student Aid Report and know that you
are applying for financial aid. NYLS students are given an anonymous student number. Canadian citizens, your Social Insurance Number please. If you don't have SSN or SIN, give us your LSAC
Account # and we'll take it from there. | |
5 | The admissions committee doesn't care about your
age, this is used to verify documents and records. Sometimes surveys
or prospective students want to know about the average age or age range of
our students; the only way we know is to ask. | |
7 & 8 | Provide us with a final date to use your Current
Mailing Address. Please keep us updated with changes to your mailing address before they happen. You usually know that you're moving on or about a particular date; tell us as soon as you know. Keep your e-mail address up-to-date. Please enter only one email address in each spot and not two addresses with punctuation in-between. | |
9 | Students who are
not U.S. citizens or resident aliens of the U.S. usually require visas to
study here. This helps us identify who those students are. | |
10 | Decisions are not based on this. This
question is totally optional. We embrace diversity of all kinds and believe it to be important to legal education, but we don't base decisions on what's checked here. Many entities, from governments to the ABA to those seeking to profit from publishing arbitrary "rankings" under the guise of expertise, seek this information. We can only collect it voluntarily and only report it anonymously. The admissions committee fully complies with Supreme Court decisions on the use of race and ethnicity in admission decisions. Beginning with 2010 we are using a three-part question as required by the US Department of Education. | |
Family Information | 11 | You're an adult (even if you don't always act like
one) and we respect your privacy. You're the applicant; you're the only one
we're going to deal with. However, the committee finds it helpful to have
some insight into your background by knowing a few things about your
parents. You'll notice we don't use
designations of "mother" and "father" to cover the
myriad range of families today. We
do not use the response to this question for financial aid
purposes. Ever. Period. |
12 | Immediate
family usually refers to parents, siblings, children, or grandparents.
Sometimes it can be an aunt or an uncle. It never means your third cousin
seven times removed who you met only once. | |
Education
& Testing Information | 13 | Yes, we're really asking for this information. The committee finds it useful to know your
educational history back to secondary school. The only way we can know this
is to ask you on the application. |
14 – 16 | These are basic and self-explanatory. | |
| 17 | Fluency in more than one language enhances diversity of our
student body. Knowing if English is not your first language can aid
us in making good judgments about your academic performance thus far. | |
18 | I can't stress enough how important it is for you
to take time now to check to see if you were ever subject to
academic discipline before you answer this question. You want to be a
lawyer and a lawyer needs to be careful and thorough and get the facts
right. We do receive a copy of your transcript with your CAS report,
so we'll find out if you don't report it. I can guarantee a referral to
the LSAC Subcommittee on Misconduct and Irregularities in the Admission
Process for an erroneous response. | |
19 | We don't use a
Dean's Certification but expect you to be forthcoming in your response to
this question. If you don't
disclose it on your admission application, you will have to disclose it on
your bar application and have a bigger problem for not disclosing it to
us. | |
20 | Interruptions to education are not a bad thing; the
committee wants you to account for those breaks so we can understand why
you have gaps in your enrollment | |
21 | If you check
"yes," be sure to answer the second part of this question and
comply with the third part. | |
22 | Even if this is on your resume, the committee
would like you to indicate it here as well. Please don't write "see
resume" or "see attachment." | |
Employment &
Community Service | 23 | The committee
wants a resume or curriculum vitae. Every year several applicants contact us to say
that they've never worked and they're not involved in activities thus they
don&'t have a resume and won't submit one. Now that's a good
strategy for success in applying to law school---don't do anything and be
belligerent about it! |
Law School Interest | 24 -- 27 | These
questions are all straight forward and help the committee to know why
you're interested in New York Law School. |
Personal Statement
& Recommendations | 28 | The most
frequently asked question I am asked (after "what is your median
LSAT?") is "what does the admissions committee want me to write
about---exactly?" Gee, if I could answer that question, I'd know all
about you and there'd be no need for you to write a personal statement. My
point is that the committee wants to understand you and your motivation for
seeking law study. Don't strategize; don't agonize. Just write what's true
for you and do it using good English. Have it be your writing and
don't use templates (from the Internet or guide books) because others are
doing that and we know when we've read it before. So, it doesn't help us
or you. Part A asks that you address your interest in studying law. Part B asks that you discuss why New York Law School is a good place - or the right place - for you to study law. Try not to regurgitate what we have written on our website and in our viewbook. I wrote much of it and don't want to read it again, especially without attribution. |
29 | This statement
is optional. If the purpose of this
statement does not apply to you, don't write one or submit one. | |
30 | We require at least one letter of recommendation
and ask you to limit them to three. Can you submit four? Yes. Will it help? Hard to say. Your application will go to the committee with only one letter if everything else is received; even if you have told us that you're going to have three letters submitted. Having information about your prelaw advisor, expecially if you consulted that person, aids us in easily getting information about you or your school. | |
Character
& Fitness | 31 | Lawyers are expected to be of good character. Past indiscretions will not necessary
exclude you from admission to law school or the bar. The important part of this question is the first part, which asks if any of these legal issues have happened. You must answer "yes" and disclose them regardless of the outcome. Period. The written statement explaining what happened must come from you. Do not submit something from your attorney, the judge, the police department, or the court. Do not submit copies of citations, court documents, or cancelled checks proving you've paid a fine. All that we want is your complete statement about the matter. If you're wondering if you need to disclose something, stop wondering and disclose it. An apology isn't required or necessary. |
32 | If you didn't
serve in the military, the answer is "no" and not a blank
response. | |
33 | This does not
refer to being laid off or fired, unless you were fired for an ethical
breach or violation of stated professional standards or
licensure. We are seeking information about professional board disciplinary action that is not part of the judicial process. | |
Certification | End of
form | Don't forget to sign and date
the application if filing a paper copy. If filing electronically, you will use electronic signature and payment through LSAC. |
Admissions
T: (212) 431-2888
toll-free (877) YES-NYLS [937-6957]
E: admissions@nyls.edu
Financial Aid
T: (212) 431-2828
E: financialaid@nyls.edu