If you’re just starting out on your law school application journey, all the lingo thrown around online can be quite confusing. Here’s a big list of all the most important terms:
Addendum
An addendum is a (very) short essay you attach to your application to explain something that isn’t otherwise obvious. Academic, GPA, or transcript addenda explain the circumstances behind lower grades or breaks in your studies. LSAT addenda explain the circumstances behind having multiple takes, cancellations, or large changes in scores between tests. Character and Fitness addenda are often required to explain the circumstances behind any criminal or academic conduct violations on your record.
By the way, addendum is singular and addenda is plural.
AOs
Admissions Officers. These are the lovely people who will be reading your applications. Many will have law degrees, many won’t. You shouldn’t assume that your admissions readers will be experts on a particular field of law you’re interested in pursuing. But they might be.
CAS
The Credential Assembly Service. The tool the Law School Admissions Council uses to send your transcripts, letters of recommendation, and LSAT scores to law schools. Unless you have a fee waiver, you will need to pay for this service as part of your application.
C&F/CNF
Character and Fitness. This is the part of every law school application that asks if you’ve been convicted of any crimes or misdemeanors or if you were written up for anything in college. Each school asks their C&F questions differently, so read each with care and decide if you need to write an addendum.
Diversity Statement or Statement of Perspective
An essay that reflects on some aspect of your background, whether hardships you’ve overcome or unique experiences you’ve had. “Diversity statement” is the traditional term for this kind of essay, though most schools now call these essays something else, like an “Experience Statement” or “Statement of Perspective.” Some schools require that everyone writes a DS, others don’t accept this kind of essay at all. Most schools, however, will give you the option of submitting one.
Early Decision/ED
Most law schools give you the option to apply “early decision,” which means that you’re signing a binding contract to attend that school if admitted. In general, you can only apply to one school through an early decision process. Early decision deadlines are—you guessed it— earlier (typically in November) and the response times are quicker. Some schools will view applying ED as a positive and may give you extra consideration. Other schools use ED only to grab great candidates early. You should consider applying ED carefully, as it will limit your options and may decrease your ability to negotiate for scholarships.
ED2
The second round of early decision. Sometimes, if you apply early decision to one school, you may get an answer soon enough to apply ED to a second school in the case that you are not accepted to the first. Typically, to apply ED2, you must wait for your first ED application to be denied, and not every school has a deadline that allows for an ED2 option.
GRE
The Graduate Record Examination. In recent years, more schools have started to accept the GRE in lieu of the LSAT, though only when you do not already have an LSAT score on file. In general, you’ll have more predictable results when applying with the LSAT—though nontraditional students who already have a current GRE on file may find using that score to be a more convenient option.
Interviews
Not every law school interviews applicants, and not every law school that offers interviews will interview every candidate they accept. If you are offered an interview after you submit your application, you should in most cases accept. Not accepting an interview can indicate lack of interest. Check out our free lesson on law school interviews for tips and real school-by-school interview questions.
JD-Next
JD-Next is a new admissions option that involves an eight-week digital course on legal concepts, followed by an exam. It is meant to replace the LSAT or GRE, though relatively few schools accept it. Under limited circumstances, JD-Next may be an attractive option—for instance, for students applying to a single school with exceptional softs and a high GPA who aren’t concerned about scholarships.
KJD
“Kindergarten through J.D.” A euphemism for someone who goes to law school directly from undergrad without any breaks.
Letters of Recommendation/LORs
Letters of recommendation are letters submitted to law schools on your behalf. You will definitely need one, and probably at least two. Except under rare circumstances, at least one recommendation should be an academic recommendation—which means it should come from either a college professor or another college instructor. Schools also accept professional recommendations from jobs and internships, though academic letters are typically more valued. Personal references from friends or family, or letters from people you have paid for services (e.g. the lawyer who handled your divorce) are typically not accepted.
LSAC
The Law School Admissions Council. This is the organization that administers the LSAT and runs the Credential Assembly Service you’ll use to send both your transcript and letters of recommendation. If you are applying for law school and do not yet have an LSAC account, you should probably sign up for one.
LSAC Number
This is the number LSAC uses to identify you. It should be in the header of most of your application documents. Here's more advice on formatting your admissions materials.
LSAT
The Law School Admissions Test. If you’re applying to law school, you will likely need to take this. It is only offered on specific dates and you must register well in advance. Succeeding on the LSAT requires dedicated study—and there’s no better way to study than with 7Sage.
Medians
A calculation of the GPA and LSAT score of the applicant in the exact middle of the group of all admitted students at a particular school. If a school’s medians are 170/3.8, that means that 50% of students will have scores at or above each of those marks, and 50% of admitted students will have scores at or below them. Schools also calculated their 25% and 75% medians—scores three-quarters of the admitted class are either above or below, respectively.
Personal Statement
Every law school will ask you for your personal statement, though some may refer to it under a different name, like “Statement of Purpose.” Most schools want a personal statement that is about two pages long, double-spaced and that both introduces you as a person and explains why you are motivated to apply to law school.
Résumé
Every law school wants to see a résumé. Law school résumés are a little different from standard professional résumés. Your education section should be detailed, even if it’s been a while, and most schools will let you go onto a second page if you need to.
Softs
Short for “soft skills,” this means all the parts of your application that can’t be easily quantified: the experiences on your résumé, your essays, and your letters of recommendation. If someone tells you that you have “good softs,” that’s a compliment.
Supplemental Essay
A catch-all term for an extra essay a school invites you to write. Some of them are fun, like Georgetown’s “Top 10 List.” Some of them are challenging tests of your persuasive powers, like the famous Yale 250. Others are more routine, like Why Xs.
Why X
An essay you write to explain why you want to go to a particular school: Why Duke, Why Berkeley, Why UF. Why Xs are typically a page in length. Not every school asks for a Why X, so check the requirements carefully.
URM
An under-represented minority. This term is often used in admissions to refer to a member of an ethnic, racial, or other minority group that is historically under-represented at a given law school. Students for Fair Admissions vs. Harvard (2023) limits a school’s ability to give particular consideration to students from URM groups.
USNWR
US News & World Report. This is the organization that ranks law schools, though many law schools are no longer sending their data directly to USNWR and have withdrawn from the rankings. So far, USNWR is still ranking these schools based on publicly available data.
That’s all for now! As our series progresses, we’ll be adding more entries and linking posts that go into each item in more detail.