Though job prospects may be shrinking and the amount of students growing, candidates still planning on applying for law school should do the utmost to stand out in the admissions process. Of law school admissions officers, 64% rank LSAT scores as the most important factor when screening applications. And, to boot, 73% of those surveyed believe more financial aid is available to those with high LSAT scores. Only 23% of law admissions officers deem undergraduate grade point averages to be more important than LSAT scores.
Surveyors also mention letters of recommendation possibly ruining a student’s chances at enrollment. In fact, 15% of those surveyed find negative recommendation letters to be the most influential when throwing out a candidate. Of those surveyed, 87% say they have received negative letters, suggesting that students need to more carefully consider the judgment of those they would choose to write recommendations.