Columbia Law School requires applicants to submit a personal statement or essay describing any significant factor that might help the admission committee in evaluating applicants' backgrounds. The personal statement or essay should not exceed two pages. Typically, the admission committee favorably views applicants who have overcome some type of adversity.
Similarly, if a life experience motivated you to consider a legal career, you also can write on such a topic. Since strong writing skills are important for success in law school, applicants who demonstrate through their personal statements or essays that they are good writers stand a better chance of setting themselves apart from other applicants.
You must provide a professional resume demonstrating both your academic and professional credentials. Your resume must be up-to-date. Although no specific background is required to attend law school, the admission committee views applicants with a stable work experience favorably, since this can be indicative of your work ethic.
You must have an accredited 4-year degree before you can attend Columbia Law. You do not need to specialize in any particular major. However, the admission committee considers both the rigor and quality of your undergraduate education/degree. Given the number of applicants vying for a spot in Columbia Law, the completion of undergraduate education is not enough. You must have a high GPA. In fact, the average GPA for students admitted into Columbia Law is 3.7.
As is the case with all schools accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA), you must take and pass the Law School Admission Test (LSAT). The LSAT measures the likelihood of a student's success in law school by evaluating skills that law schools believe are crucial. Some of these skills include analytical reasoning, logical reasoning and reading comprehension.
The test is comprised of five 35-minute sections in these areas. The Law School Admission Council (LSAC) administers the LSAT four times a year, typically around the months of June, October, December and February.
To increase your chances of admission into Columbia Law, you must score highly on the LSAT. The score ranges from 120 to 180. The median LSAT score for students admitted into Columbia Law is 172. Therefore, if you would like to compete strongly with other applicants, your LSAT score must be around 172 or higher.
Columbia Law requires applicants to submit a fee with their applications. This fee tends to vary from one year to another. As of May 2010, the fee is $80.
Another requirement used by the admission committee at Columbia Law is letters of recommendation. The school requires you to submit two letters of recommendation from individuals who know you well. In fact, the school prefers letters of recommendation from your previous professors who can attest to your academic performance. If you currently are employed, you also have the option of having your supervisors write the recommendation letters.
Columbia Law requires you to complete both a Biographical Information Sheet and a Personal Profile Sheet. These forms provide the admission committee with adequate information about your background, as well as the skills you possess. Therefore, completing these forms as thoroughly and as carefully as possible is critical for the application process. You can download these forms by visiting the "Downloadable/Writable PDF Files" page of the Columbia Law School website.