Low tuition

Great for students with kids

Classmates are great

Great alumni base

Mormon perfectionist culture

Lots of students focused on young families with little time for socializing

Know the culture you're getting into and be okay with that. Even though a lot of your classmates will be married, it seems the single students get to know each other even better and build strong, professional relationships. Building relationships with classmates is the most important thing in law school. There is a good alumni base that will look at for you, Mormon or not.

Yes

A few classes employ traditional Socratic method. Most use a modified (softened) version. There are ample opportunities to learn practical legal skills through an excellent externship program and co-curricular programs.

Cost of living is relatively low, library is excellent. The moot courtroom is great. and the school is building a new trial courtroom. Some locals don't like us involved in politics, but there are still opportunities to get involved. Violent crime is virtually non-existent, but there are occasionally thefts when students leave valuables unattended. There is plenty to do if one wants a temporary escape from law.

Application is through LSAC and is similar to other schools. The major difference is that a student must obtain a recommendation from a religious leader unless the student has no religious affiliation.

Excellent classes with rigorous study required in most. More theoretical than practical study on the whole, but the practical study that is available is very worthwhile, including the Interviewing and Counseling class which is very likely one of the best. It includes theory, deliberative practice, reflective analysis, and great resources to learn interviewing and counseling skills. Class sizes vary from small to large. The focus on natural resources and environmental law are improving. The foreign internship program is exceptional, and the national one is very good too.

Cost of living is moderately cheap. Campus facilities are excellent. The library is lovely. All students have personal laptops. Moot court room is large and has beautiful grained wood and suits its purpose admirably. The neighborhoods, both that in which the law school is located, and those in which the students live, are friendly and good.

Standard: application, personal statement that distinguishes you from the other applicants, good LSAT score and grades, financial aid and scholarships available.

Classes are generally theory heavy and the socratic method is used in nearly every class. You're grilled in class on knowing the readings inside and out, then tested on how well you know the principles that you could've picked up more easily in a commercial outline. Academic advising is minimal and there is very little direction given for organizing your schedule, although they are very courteous. Classes are generally 25 - 75 students. It is extremely competitive. Many students choose to come here who could have gone to higher ranked law schools due to the Mormon connection. Also, most of the students are Mormon and Mormon's tend to have rather disciplined study habits and don't spend a lot of time "partying." All of this adds to the competitiveness. There are a lot of unique religious academic programs (Mormon history type classes and religious freedom, etc.). Grading is all curved. Nearly every class has the format of heavy reading throughout the semester, no assignments or quizzes, then your entire grade is based on a single final exam. Some teachers do essay exams, some do multiple choice, most do a combination of the two. BYU Law School has very bright faculty, again perhaps because of the Mormon connections. One of the best things about BYU Law School is its great networking and connections throughout the country and world. The matched externship program is very good.

If you're LDS, you can't beat BYU's tuition of $10,000/year. If you're not LDS, it's still not bad at about $20,000. Cost of living is quite low relative to larger cities. Pretty low violence/crime area. Every room in the law school has wireless internet. There is a large moot court room and a smaller trial room. The library staff is very helpful. There are plenty of study rooms.

Like most application processes.

2L

Once accepted a student and practicing attorney both called me.

The classes, for the most part, have been great. So far, I have been very impressed with the professors. I think our research training was extremely practical, but I can't really speak to anything else at this point. The externship program is wonderful. I have been particularly impressed with Professors Smith, Augustine-Adams, Fee, Ged****s, and Moore. I enjoyed the Professors Baradaran as well, but I don't think it's fair to compare them to the more experienced professors. My peers seem to work very hard; in that respect, BYU is living up to its reputation for being competitive. At the same time, however, everyone is very friendly, which takes off some of the edge. The workload was fine first semester but a little overwhelming the second semester.

Cost of living is great. Campus facilities are nice (though shaving is a problem). The library and study rooms have been very good. Provo seems very safe. We enjoy the outdoor life that Utah has to offer, as well as the small town feel of Provo.

The admissions process seemed about the same as anywhere else. I was more prone to put my church callings on my resume for BYU though.

1L

the professors are all first in their class, with exceptional teaching skills. they make extra efforts to understand the students and make sense of their arguments and the majority of the time, they reword the students' thoughts coherently and correctly. the workload is a lot but the students are very disciplined and determined. there are various study abroad programs and opportunities. I am currently in DC with a second externship lined up in 5 weeks in SF. there are many research opportunities as well with professors and with law review.

very affordable and safe neighborhoods around. i pay a fraction of what i pay in DC, LA, and SF.

Admissions required a letter from a bishop, 2 page presonal statement, 166 was the average LSAT score with a 3.7 average GPA. however, scholarships were only based on scores and not on a need basis. financial aid is mostly available through loans.

2L

BYU has several outstanding professors with a few sup-par teachers peppered among them. Generally speaking, I find the faculty to be as competent as those I met at the top 14 schools I toured.

Quality of life very much depends on what scene you want to be a part of. If you are clean living family oriented person (LDS or not), BYU is a great place. If you want to party (more than bowling and going out for dinner and a movie), then BYU is not for you. No drinking, tobacco, coffee, or sex outside of marriage are allowed by the honor code. The Law school is a lot more liberal about the beard rule than the general university, but they do remind you of your agreement to shave if you let it get out of control.

2L

The teachers are pretty good. They use the socratic method but aren't usually demeaning when they do it. Class sizes are pretty big for what I am used to (I went to small schools for undergrad), but ther are pretty good. Teachers are pretty good at answering any questions you have about a topic. My class si super competitive and everyone is fighting for the top. This school has an excellent externship/internship placement program, it is a big thing they emphasize.

Most of the students ar married and able to be with their families. It depends on how much you are concerned about being the top on how much time you spend with your family.

The process was pretty typical. I took the LSAT and applied. I was able to talk to the dean of admissions before I applied and asked him what he was looking for in a personal statement. From that conversation I had a little bit more direction on what to include in my personal statement.

2L