Q-1.How many applications do you receive and how many students enroll?
A-1. In recent years we have received 1500-2100+ applications for 210 spaces in our incoming JD class.
Q-2.Do you have “rolling admissions”?
A-2. Yes, in the following sense: we begin to review complete applications in mid-November and begin announcing decisions in mid-December. We announce decisions as they are made, although decisions are not necessarily made in the order in which applicants apply.
Q-3.What is your application deadline?
A-3. We don’t have a strict deadline, but strongly encourage applications before April 1, and even earlier if possible. We begin to announce admission decisions as early as December 15th, and we continue making decisions throughout the spring and even the summer if the class isn’t filled yet. So “late” applications can still be considered, but it’s not an optimal situation. Students who are interested in scholarships and other financial aid are especially encouraged to apply early.
Q-4.How do I submit an application?
A-4.We require that applicants use the electronic applicationservice offered by theLaw School Admission Council.
Q-5.Do you offer deferred admission?
A-5. We offer deferred admission on an individual basis.
Q-6.What is the amount of your application fee?
A-6. $60. The fee is waived for JD applicants who apply via the LSAC by December 31. If LSAC has waived its fees, your application fee for Tulane will be waived automatically when you apply electronically.
Q-7.What advice can you give me about my application? What should I send along with my application?
A-7. FOLLOW DIRECTIONS. Don’t forget toinclude (or attach electronically)all of the things you are supposed to include, and don’t forget to sign the application (or certify electronically). Answer all questions.
Recommendations aren’t required, but they help--if they are written by professors or employers who know your work well.We strongly encourage use of the Law School Admission Council letter of recommendation service.
Explain any irregularities, don’t leave anything about your record unanswered, but don’t include term papers, senior theses, videotapes and the like. Feel free to include attachments that fully explain your record and your experiences.
Q-8.Do you take into account grade trends, major field, the undergraduate school, other circ*mstances surrounding a particular GPA?
A-8. Yes, these factors are all important. Indeed, there is virtually nothing that is not taken into account. But be aware that these more subjective factors tend to carry more weight if the candidate is in the range from which we normally accept applicants. That range has more applicants in it than we can accept, so it’s for these applicants that these other factors will really matter.
Please review our FACTS guide (above) for additional information.
Q-9.My grades will improve this semester. What should I do about making sure you see those grades?
A-9. Send us your fall grades as soon as they become available by arranging for a new transcript to be sent to CAS. Candidates who send fall grades in the month of January can be assured that they will be considered.
Q-10.What are you looking for in students?
A-10. Our objectives are to enroll a high-quality class and a diverse class along a variety of criteria.
We are looking for solid students with good GPAs and LSAT scores, students who have demonstrated a commitment to excellence and to hard work. It is emphaticallynotnecessary that you know exactly why you want to go to law school or exactly what you want to do after law school. We look at grade trends over your undergraduate career, so if you started out poorly and improved steadily, we are impressed. We look carefully at the personal statement required by the application to see what is important toyou. We are far more impressed by activities undertaken because you were interested in them than in long lists of clubs joined solely for the purpose of enhancing a law school application. Your personal statement should be more than a chronology -- it should tell us something about you.
If your GPA and LSAT are at the highest levels, you are likely to be accepted. Similarly, if your scores and GPA are at the low end of the range from which we normally accept, you must convey to us something truly exceptional about yourself, something compelling enough to make us overlook the “objective” credentials.
If your credentials place you in the middle group, your personal statement becomes more important--you must convey to us that Tulane Law School will be less good a place without you. Your extra-curricular activities and work experience will become more important, and letters of recommendation can play an important role. We want to hear about your characteristics that may set you apart from other applicants—your background, barriers you may have overcome, your interests, your plans for the future.
Q-11.Do you take into account extra-curricular activities?
A-11. Yes. Remember, though, that we are impressed when we see that a student has become particularly interested in an area and has devoted significant time and energy to that area, whether it be a hobby like photography or horseback riding or an activity such as some type of volunteer work in the community.
A student who has been employed (and therefore hasn’t had the opportunity to engage in typical extra-curricular activities) willnotbe penalized. These students should consider their work experience a “plus.”
Q-12.How are the LSAT score and GPA weighed?
A-12. We look at the LSAT score and undergraduate GPA in combination. A strong GPA can compensate for a low LSAT score, and vice-versa. The students in whom we are most interested, of course, present high GPAsandhigh LSATs.
In addition, however, we look closely at other aspects of a candidate’s record: letters of recommendation, if any; grade trends; difficulty of courses taken; uniqueness of the applicant; leadership characteristics; evidence of integrity.
Q-13.How are the “subjective” factors weighed?
A-13. For some applicants, the personal statement required by our application (see the last question on the form) can carry the day. The personal statement is the student’s opportunity to provide us information that will cause us to choose him or her over other similar candidates.
For others, something in a letter of recommendation may do it, or evidence of commitment to a particular endeavor. The point is that it’s an individual process, and for different applicants, different factors may tip the scale.
Again, remember that the candidate needs to be “in the range” in order for the subjective factors to be given substantial weight.
