Letters of Recommendation

Approaching the right person

It is your responsibility as a law school applicant to seek out faculty who will write good letters of recommendation. It is not necessary that the faculty member is in your major department. Faculty from any Penn State location, a faculty member who taught a General Education class, or someone with whom you did research or who supervised an internship/co-op/study abroad are all appropriate. You should build these relationships early in your academic career in order to provide the strongest letters of recommendation to the law school of your choice.

Ask yourself the following questions before making the contact:

• Will this person write a good letter of recommendation?

• Does this person know me well enough to write the letter without any reservations?

Make an appointment with the recommender

Discuss your expectations with the recommender. This will give you an opportunity to assess whether or not he or she is comfortable writing a letter of recommendation for you.

Provide the following information to the recommender:

• A copy of your personal statement.

• A current unofficial transcript.

• Your résumé.

• A list of relevant course work.

• A reasonable deadline date for completion of the letter.

• LSDAS letter of recommendation form from LSAT and LSDAS Registration Information Book. Complete student portion of the form and sign the waiver.

Tips for meeting with your recommender

• Indicate to the recommender which issues you hope his or her letter will address (potential for academic achievement, personal qualities, job performance, etc.).

• Remind the recommender that you will not have an opportunity for an interview with the law school.

• Remind the recommender of your academic achievements in his or her class and, if possible, bring copies of exams and papers.

LSDS submission procedures:

The Law School Admission Council (LSAC) offers a letter of recommendation service as a convenience to LSDAS subscribers, recommendation letter writers, and the LSDAS-participating law schools. Refer to Section I-9 of the LSAT and LSDAS Registration Information Book for additional information or to their Web site at www.lsac.org. You are not required to use this service. Letters may be sent through the service or directly to the school. CONSULT LAW SCHOOL APPLICATION MATERIALS REGARDING LETTER INSTRUCTIONS.

Law School Resources: Table of Contents