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LOR not Required for my 1st Choice School - Should I Bother?
Jaymee_cee
Member
Hi 7sagers,
I feel like I'm in a bit of pickle. My first choice for law school is the University of San Diego and they do not require any LOR's. I've been out of under grad for 5 years now so I'm wondering if I should even bother with getting a LOR at all? I have a GPA within the acceptance range and I'm shooting to score slightly higher than their average on the LSAT. Not sure if my GPA + LSAT score will be enough to get in if I can manage that above average score. Any suggestions? Also, I'm not exactly sharing with my employer the law school plans (since it would mean having to tell them that I would quit to start school - and if I don't get in I wouldn't want to hurt any chances of a raise or promotion in the meantime).
Comments
hi there!! I would say always try to get lor's. I know that it's not required for your school, but they can only help (provided they're personal and not ultra-generic). I completely understand where you're at with your employer, so I ask, do you volunteer anywhere? Do any of your college profs remember you enough to write a letter? Imho, it would be best to get one. if anything, you can always opt not assign it to that USD's app!
If your GPA is within the acceptance range, I'm going to assume that means it isn't wildly above their median (>25 <75 is my assumption, which is important for the rest of what I'll say).
If that assumption is true, you're going to want to get a leg up on as many of the other applicants as possible. If your dream school is SD, you're going to want to get as close to a full ride as possible. With that being said, getting LoR's will definitely not hurt your application, and the only thing they will do is show Adcom's that you really want to go there and that you put in the extra effort. I 100% think you should get LoR's.
Reach out to old professors via email - remind them who you are, send them copies of your notable assignments, and ask if they'd help you out. I presume you have someone at work who isn't going to turn around and fire you because of you wanting to go to law school? Maybe a close acquaintance that isn't a direct superior, but someone who you work with closely? That'd be better than nothing.
For me, this entirely depends on how good a LOR you'd expect to receive if you asked your UG professors for one. If you think they'd remember you and be able to give one that's 'good' or better, I'd ask for one anyway. If you think they're unlikely to remember you, and that the LOR is likely to be generic, or even just vague, I'd err on the side of not submitting one. If they don't ask for a LOR I can only assume that no-LOR is better than a bad, or an unhelpful LOR.
@Going2lawlschool Thanks for the advice! I actually am really involved with a couple non-profits and I was thinking of asking them for a LOR. I'll definitely do that to to start with.
You're not planning on applying anywhere else? I figure if so, you might as well get them just to have in your LSAC file.
@Mellow_Z I think Thanks for the reply, very helpful. I have a co-worker who could write a great LOR.
I have another question about something you said about shooting to get a full-ride. This aspect of the admission process is very new to me. Is it pretty common for law schools to offer full rides to applicants? And what is the main criteria for relieving a scholarship with acceptance? I've heard of getting scholarships after the first year if you meet a GPA threshold.
@"Alex Divine" I want to stay in SD so I feel like my options are limited. USD is really the school I'd prefer to attend but I will apply to a couple other schools that aren't nearly as competitive. So I suppose I should do everything I can to get into SD!