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How To Get The Most Out Of An LSAC Forum

LSAC forums are great opportunities for law schools to recruit applicants, but they can also be great opportunities for law school applicants to get a jump up on the competition.

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‘Tis the season for LSAC Recruitment Forums and on-campus law school fairs. These are great opportunities for law schools to recruit applicants, but they can also be great opportunities for law school applicants to get a jump up on the competition. Here are some tips for things you can do when interacting with law schools at recruiting events:

    1. Do your research ahead of time. Know which schools you hope to target and have specific questions ready. Great questions include how to arrange a campus visit, how many students specialize in an area that you are interested in (some interest/faculty support is good, too much competition is not so good), the attrition rate (how many people transfer versus stay at the school after the first year), and other information that you may not be able to find so easily on the school website. Stay away from things that should be obvious from the website like median LSAT scores, etc.
    2. Be prepared to express your interest, reason for your strong interest, and introduce yourself with confidence. Be prepared to give a 10-second (NOT 10 minute) elevator speech about your background. Keep it strong – this is not the place to discuss testing anxiety or your minor in possession of alcohol ticket. If you wouldn’t tell a prospective employer at a job fair, don’t tell a law school at the forum. Save disclosures for the application. Right now, create a good impression.
    3. Use the opportunity to learn about some schools you would not have considered otherwise. In order not to get overwhelmed, stick with locations of interest. It’s perfectly fine to say, “Actually, I’m not familiar with your law school, but I am interested in learning more.”
    4. It’s perfectly appropriate to ask for a fee waiver for your application. You don’t need to provide a sob story to back it up – just ask politely.
    5. Take note of the person you are meeting and follow up with a professional email thanking him or her for their time and reminding them who you are: think about the fact that the recruiter is meeting hundreds of people per week (or sometimes a day at a forum event) and is not going to automatically remember you. After you apply, you can email this person and let him or her know you applied. If you have questions about your application processing, this person can also point you in the right direction. Just don’t annoy your recruiter: this person can make black marks by your name, or put a star by it. You want the star – trust me.
    6. Be polite and professional, but don’t stalk the recruiter. Do not reach out on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. Do not email weekly as a check-in or to comment on something he or she posted on the law school’s blog. A little of this shows initiative and is charming, but too much is always too much. Use the “new relationship” test: if you did this to someone you were dating, would they be turned off? Not all communication is good communication.

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    7. Don’t take everything they tell you at face value. Use your own judgment. Sometimes the person behind the table will be a recent grad who really doesn’t know anything about admissions. Likewise with a financial aid officer or junior admissions office employee. Their job is to get as many applicants as possible and drum up enthusiasm for their school. A common refrain is, “Oh, absolutely apply before you take the LSAT so we can evaluate your application the minute your score comes in.” This advice really just serves the law school because they know you may choose not to apply once you have your LSAT score and see that you either have no chance of getting in, or that you would no longer be interested in the school upon receiving a higher score than is necessary for admission to that school. Use your judgment and do what is best for you.

See also my article on Proper Decorum for an LSAC Forum.

Ann K. Levine is a law school admission consultant and owner of LawSchoolExpert.com. She is the author of The Law School Admission Game: Play Like an Expert (affiliate link) and The Law School Decision Game: A Playbook for Prospective Lawyers (affiliate link).

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