Interviewing For Law School Admission

Preparing For Law School Interviews

In a professional setting, you need to interview to get nearly anything of value. Law school is no different. If they haven’t already, many applicants will soon receive invitations to participate in law school admissions interviews. Some are hardcore interviews with painful questions where you’re being measured against your competition. Others are simply schools taking the opportunity to pump up their schools before they admit you. Regardless, it is the candidate’s opportunity to put a face and story to the application packet.
Above the Law had a particularly helpful piece about law school admissions interviews from Ann Levine, a law school admissions consultant. There are three types of interviews: the alumni interview, the invited interview, and the interview that is not really an interview.
The alumni interview is pretty self-explanatory—you meet with an alumnus, usually in a coffee shop or someplace casual.The next type of interview is the invited interview. This is usually done via Skype and can include the group interview. This creates the potential situation when applicants interview with each other and the inevitable “no-one-says-anything” and then “everyone-says-everthing-all-at-once” dichotomy.
Finally, and perhaps the best, is the interview that is not really an interview. This is when the school uses the opportunity to pump themselves up and make sure you are not socially inept or weird before admitting you.
Regardless of the type of interview, Levine offers some very helpful tips. First, if you do happen to be invited to the feared group interview, look for a balance between being a control freak and taking over the interview and sitting like an awkward wallflower who never contributes to group projects. The best way to do this is present clear, calm, and well-reasoned answers and thoughts.
Another tip Levine offers is to prepare an elevator speech about why you should go to their law school. To do this it helps to research the school. Know it and why it is the school that aligns with your specific goals. Know why you want to go to that school specifically. This should include everything from geographical reasons to which clubs you want to join. Finally, have some questions that show you know what you are talking about and have a plan when you get on campus.
Source: Above The Law
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