Attending law school

    Going to a law school is challenging and competitive, but it is still a good choice for some students.

    "Law schools take people of all majors," said Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice Stacy Parker, who got her law school degree from the University of Cincinnati prior to becoming a prosecutor. "They want a variety of people but to go to a certain types of law, you actually have to have a specific background. If someone wants to be a patent lawyer, for example, you have to have a degree in engineering."

    Students pursuing a law degree are encouraged to research which field or which type of lawyer they want to be. But, as Parker noted, students of all majors are welcome to attend.

    "There is a Law School Admission's Test that students have to take, it's called the LSAT," said Parker. "GPA and LSAT score are the two most important things that law schools are looking for when deciding whom to admit."

    The Law School Admission Test (LSAT) is a half day, standardized test administered four times each year at designated testing centers throughout the world. The exam has six total sections: four scored multiple choice sections, an unscored experimental section, and an unscored writing section.

    "Not having an excellent LSAT score doesn't necessarily keep you from getting into a law school, if you have an excellent GPA that can be a balance, they both are so important that one being really high can make up for one being a little low," said Parker.

    After students take the LSAT they will need to apply to law school through the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) online.

    Students are recommended to take the LSAT the summer after their junior year or in the fall of their senior year.

    "The fall before you would want to go to a law school you should start to apply, so this fall people should be applying for admission next fall," said Parker.

    Besides GPA and LSAT score, personal statements and recommendation letters are always required by most law schools and graduate schools, according to Jackie Vascura, the Director of Career Services.

    "When you go to apply for law school or any kind of professional school you want to be very organized, and very detail oriented and follow all the guidelines they are requesting," said Vascura.

    Law schools also look at students' extracurricular activities and social service involvement on and off campus.

    "I worked in a law office for a year, and had shadowed previous to that, to see if that is the field that I definitely wanted to go in," said sophomore Kelley Allen, who wants to go to a law school after graduating from Muskingum. "I have done a lot of service, been studying hard and getting involved on campus. I want to do things that will make my resume stand out."

    People expect law school students to have strong writing skills, as well as excellent written and verbal communication skills.

    "Being able to write well is something that started to really be featured and expected when I went to law school," said Parker.

    It takes most students at least three years to get a law school degree.

    "I think students need to be really serious to get a law school degree, they need to be very much willing to commit their time and be dedicated to the law field," said Vascura.