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Admission & Application Survey |
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The admissions process is fairly standard in the law school realm. Like
all of the other law schools in the country, the school is caught in a
catch-22 with the U.S. News rankings. It says publicly that it doesn't
like them, but it is just as obsessed as everyone else with ensuring
they at least maintain their ranking. This means that for students,
LSAT scores and GPA's are the key. If you are a minority, particularly
an African American, a small population in the school, then you will be
given strong plus factors in the admissions process. The school is
making an effort to broaden its geographic base, so it seeks to attract
students from further and further away from Minnesota roots. If you are
from New York or California, expect the school to want you just a
little bit more. The school sees this as a way of ensuring that the
school will be seen as a national law school, as they expect that a lot
of people from those areas will go back after graduation. If the
benefit in admission alone is negligible, expect a better shot at
scholarship money.
The essay is a standard one - just cut and paste Minnesota into your
boilerplate. Interviews are not part of the process.
Like every school, the rising tide of applications has really increased
the numbers from incoming classes. Add to that the fact that applicants
read the U.S. News as well. Minnesota is a top twenty school. Students
with high numbers are coming here, and students that might have been
accepted in past years are being passed over. Unless you have some
significant plus factors, such as incredible professional experience,
or minority status, don't think you will get in with low numbers.
Remember that the U.S. News doesn't factor in that professional
experience. You could have been head of the United Nations and that
doesn't show up in the U.S. News. You might still get in with that kind
of qualification with low numbers, but cool experience alone is rarely
going to cut it. Study for the LSAT, and keep your GPA up.
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University of Minnesota Law School Admission & Application Surveys
