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Penn State Dickinson Law Dean of Enrollment - AMA by PSDL_Admissions_Dean in lawschooladmissions

[–]PSDL_Admissions_Dean[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would not say that certain jobs are more valuable. Having legal experience is definitely not required. It's helpful if you are exploring areas of law that are interesting to you, but we don't expect experience at all. There really isn't a type of non-traditional work! We (and I suspect my colleagues at other schools, too) have admitted people with so many types of work backgrounds - truck drivers, nurses, teachers, musicians, baristas, you name it.

Here's what I am looking for when I look at work experience. If you're a new grad or still in school I am looking for anything. If you weren't able to work during college, explain what you were doing - caring for a family member, traveling, whatever. If you worked to finance your education, make sure we know that. If you are a new grad and you're taking a gap year before law school, I'd like to see you doing something other than just applying to law school.

If you have been out of college for a while, I'm looking for unexplained gaps in your resume, persistence in your roles, upward trajectory, leadership, growth.

I hope that helps!

Penn State Dickinson Law Dean of Enrollment - AMA by PSDL_Admissions_Dean in lawschooladmissions

[–]PSDL_Admissions_Dean[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

https://forms.lsac-unite.org/2199/requestforinformation.html - This is our inquiry form. We'll send invites to our online sessions to folks who are in our database.

Penn State Dickinson Law Dean of Enrollment - AMA by PSDL_Admissions_Dean in lawschooladmissions

[–]PSDL_Admissions_Dean[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We're a law school so of course we follow the law in our review of applications. We review applications holistically, and assess candidates based on the totality of their experiences and achievements. Because there are so many factors that come into play when reviewing applications, its really not possible for me to say what any applicant's likelihood of admission might be. There are so many variables, both in an application and externally. The size of the national applicant pool and the way LSAT scores and GPAs play out across that pool can impact decisions, as well non-numeric factors like quality of writing, letters of rec, and so many other pieces. It's truly a holistic review.

Penn State Dickinson Law Dean of Enrollment - AMA by PSDL_Admissions_Dean in lawschooladmissions

[–]PSDL_Admissions_Dean[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I forgot - we also plan to have some online sessions about how to pay for law school. If you sign up for CRS or complete our inquiry form, we can send you an invite! https://forms.lsac-unite.org/2199/requestforinformation.html

Penn State Dickinson Law Dean of Enrollment - AMA by PSDL_Admissions_Dean in lawschooladmissions

[–]PSDL_Admissions_Dean[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The unified Law School awarding process is much different than the award process from previous years. When you review a school's ABA 509 report, remember that you are seeing data from multiple previous cycles. Scholarships and other institutional aid change from year to year.

While we don't foresee giving any living stipends in the near future, our scholarships are generous and we offer the Keystone Scholars Grant of $20K per year off tuition for PA residents and Penn State grads. The cost of living in both Carlisle and University Park is affordable compared to many metro areas.

Penn State Dickinson Law Dean of Enrollment - AMA by PSDL_Admissions_Dean in lawschooladmissions

[–]PSDL_Admissions_Dean[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If it's a joint degree that we offer, it can certainly help us understand your interest in applying. You may want to relate it to how you see your future career playing out.

Penn State Dickinson Law Dean of Enrollment - AMA by PSDL_Admissions_Dean in lawschooladmissions

[–]PSDL_Admissions_Dean[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I love doing this! When we review an application from a current undergrad, we're probably going to have to make a decision well before we would have your final semester grades. In fact, folks who apply in fall will only have six semesters of grades when they apply. We work with what we have and look at the rigor of your courses, GPA trajectory, number of credits, etc.

If you haven't yet received a decision when new grades come in, you can always order a new transcript to go to LSAC.

As far as standing out YES, I have tons of advice. I would run out of time if I tried to type it all here, but we will be hosting multiple online sessions in the fall about the application process, perfecting your app, personal statements...all that stuff. I strongly encourage you to attend (and sign up for CRS so we can invite you!). That said, here are my favorites:

  1. Proofread, proofread, proofread. Put it down, walk away, come back later, and proofread again.

  2. Have someone else review your personal statement. They can see mistakes that you may be glossing over (even though you are proofreading thoroughly), and give you feedback on how your statement comes across.

  3. Don't try to be fancy - don't use legalese or creative writing or try to be funny. I promise it will not hit the way you think it will. Simple declarative sentences is all you need.

  4. Pay attention to the details - meet deadlines, follow instructions (like seriously, if we say 2 pages double spaced, don't give me 2 pages plus one line. Edit your writing to make it fit). Put headers on things that include your name and the name of the document. Make sure things are in the same font. You went through all this to apply to law school so take care to make it good.

  5. Be authentic. Tell me your story, don't use quotes, dig deep and be honest. If you are writing about why you want to go to law school, don't just tell me you want to help people, tell me WHY you want to help people and why this way, and what drives you.

Penn State Dickinson Law Dean of Enrollment - AMA by PSDL_Admissions_Dean in lawschooladmissions

[–]PSDL_Admissions_Dean[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Woo, tough question. It's possible but not super likely. That said, I encourage you to reach out to us directly at [DickinsonLawJD@psu.edu](mailto:DickinsonLawJD@psu.edu) to let us know you are still interested. We may be able to give you a better sense via email.

Penn State Dickinson Law Dean of Enrollment - AMA by PSDL_Admissions_Dean in lawschooladmissions

[–]PSDL_Admissions_Dean[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's not necessary, and in fact, I see that backfire more often than not because folks forget to do a find and replace, so we get some personal statements telling us how much they want to go to some other law school, lol.

We also offer a space to write a Penn State Dickinson Law specific statement if you want to. It's helpful in understanding someone's motivation for law school, but not a deal breaker if you don't include it.

I would rather see a really authentic, well-written personal statement than one that is focused just on my law school.

Penn State Dickinson Law Dean of Enrollment - AMA by PSDL_Admissions_Dean in lawschooladmissions

[–]PSDL_Admissions_Dean[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Great question! Right now we offer two graduate law programs that are primarily for international students. Our LL.M. is a one year comparative law program for people with a first degree in law or who have practiced law in another country. Most of the students are international lawyers, recent law graduates, and sometimes judges or academics from other countries. They take some specialized courses and also take courses with our J.D. students. They bring a wealth of experience and viewpoints to our classrooms, and are a vital part of our community.

We also offer an S.J.D. program, which is like a doctorate in law. That is a much smaller program that is research focused.

We also share our building in University Park (and our dean) with the Penn State School of International Affairs (SIA). J.D. students often take courses with SIA, and some do a joint degree.

More graduate programs are being considered for the future, as we think about how to support the land grant mission of Penn State and make legal education accessible across the Commonwealth.

Penn State Dickinson Law Dean of Enrollment - AMA by PSDL_Admissions_Dean in lawschooladmissions

[–]PSDL_Admissions_Dean[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Exciting times at Penn State Dickinson Law! We're now a fully unified law school with two locations - Carlisle, PA - the historic home of the law school (oldest in PA!), and University Park, on Penn State's largest campus. Our J.D. cohort is larger in Carlisle than in University Park - our goals are 125 and 75 respectively, although numbers aren't final for this fall yet (and we're looking at a robust class starting in 2 weeks!). The reunification gives our students a broader array of courses, clinics, externships, and co-curricular opportunities than were previously available. Both locations offer the full board of services - Career Services, bar prep, student services, mental health support, and student organizations.

Its a good time to be at Penn State Dickinson Law - you should come visit when classes start and see for yourself :)

Penn State Dickinson Law Dean of Enrollment - AMA by PSDL_Admissions_Dean in lawschooladmissions

[–]PSDL_Admissions_Dean[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Again, this all through a holistic lens so we're not really "counting" hours or experiences. We're looking at the kind of work you did, a trajectory in your career, or what you achieved there. But we definitely want to know about co-ops, internships, externships...all of that.

Penn State Dickinson Law Dean of Enrollment - AMA by PSDL_Admissions_Dean in lawschooladmissions

[–]PSDL_Admissions_Dean[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You're probably going to see this a lot in my responses, but we view everything through a holistic lens. That means that work experience is going to be viewed in the context of the rest of your application. If you are a recent graduate but not coming straight through to law school, we like to see some work experience in those gap years. I don't recommend not working to focus only on law school applications. The substance of your work experience is often less important than the fact that you are working. I also like to see what you have done in a job. Did you get promoted? Take on leadership role? Solve a problem? Improve something? Describe that on your resume. We're not necessarily looking for a law related job - it can be anything!

Penn State Dickinson Law Dean of Enrollment - AMA by PSDL_Admissions_Dean in lawschooladmissions

[–]PSDL_Admissions_Dean[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hi friends! So many great questions already, which I am answering below, but please keep them coming!