Mistake On Your Law School App? Here’s How to Fix It

You’ve just submitted your law school applications. It’s all done. Except, upon closer inspection, you notice that there are mistakes.
Daniel Waldman, a contributor at US News and consultant at Stratus Admissions Counseling, recently discussed how applicants should go about handling application mistakes.
“For most aspiring lawyers, it’s not until you start your legal writing class or start working with an attorney that you realize how important attention to detail is to the profession,” Waldman writes. “Therefore, making a couple of typos on your law school application can be horrifying; in a world where a comma in the wrong place can change the meaning of an entire paragraph, every mistake matters, and that starts as early as your application.”
Reaching Out
Time is of the essence when you run into a mistake on your application.
Waldman suggests applicants contact the admissions office as soon as they’ve found the mistake.
“Most schools will allow you to substitute a document with a newer version if you ask to do so soon enough after applying,” he writes.
If you notice a typo or error in your application, it’s important to also be conscious of how you reach out to a school’s admissions office. Waldman’s advice? Call, don’t email.
“It can be really tempting to email the school rather than calling, especially when admitting an embarrassing mistake,” Waldman writes. “But the good people sitting in the admissions office are usually extremely friendly and sympathetic and will likely try and help you out the best as they can. After all, they hear from nervous and panicky applicants all day.”
Levels of Mistakes
Mistakes happen. However, some mistakes can carry heavier consequences than others.
For instance, a simple mistake of exceeding space or word limitations could hurt you in your application.
“Admissions committees will give you credit for being one of three types: The applicant who did not notice the directions, the applicant that figured the rules didn’t apply to them, or the applicant who thinks that they are so different that the rules shouldn’t apply to them,” according to Law School Numbers. “None of these labels reflect well on your application.”
Waldman says it’s important for applicants to think critically about what kinds of mistakes they’re making and how to address them.
“Not all mistakes are created equal, and therefore should be treated differently,” Waldman writes. “Law schools judge your mistakes in various ways; some are simply oversights, while others are sloppy and could call the level of your literacy into question. Think critically about the nature of your mistake, and make the personal judgment call of whether the risk of drawing attention to it is worth the value of rectifying it.”
Sources: US News, Law School Numbers