The Benefit of Visiting a Law School Before Committing
Many law school applicants rely on US News and World Report rankings and overall prestige when deciding where to attend law school. However, relying on rankings to choose doesn't always lead to someone being in the program that's best for them. Success in law school comes more easily when students find the school that is the best fit for them. The best way to learn about that fit is to visit law schools where you apply to check out the campus community, learn more about the broader community and city where the school is located, and the extent to which a campus provides a general feeling of "home."
For marginalized students, taking the time to learn about a campus community is particularly important. It can help you understand if you feel safe, what affinity groups and organizations are on campus, and ensure that you will find a community that will understand and support you.
Below we take a closer look at the benefits of visiting a law school to help you decide between law schools or decide whether you want to accept an offer to enroll.
Evaluating the Campus Community
Visiting a law school before committing allows you to check out the climate on campus. When you attend law school, you become part of the campus community, so you need to ensure that you fit into the community. The "right" campus culture is different for each person. Ultimately, you want to find out if the law school you attend aligns with your values and offers the kind of support you need to succeed. During your visit, take the time to talk to current students. You can approach them informally or contact them more formally through campus organizations.
Some of the things that can help you decide if a campus culture is right for you are the accessibility of faculty, staff, and administration. On a similar note, the willingness of faculty to engage with students and help them is just as important to know. As you know from your undergrad, professors can be unapproachable. Use your visit to evaluate the overall vibe of campus as it relates to approachability and student-faculty relations. If you feel welcome and you feel like you will be able the engage with the community, the campus will feel like home.
Finally, learning about student organizations during your visit is another way to evaluate the campus community. Specific law-related groups you'll find on many campuses include the school's law review or journal and the student bar association. However, depending on the school, you'll find various other organizations based on areas of law, ethnic background, and more. If you are interested in a specific practice area, it makes sense that the law school you attend should have a large organization in that practice area.
Evaluating Student Support Services
Learning about a law school's student support services is another good reason to visit before committing to enroll. Student support services is a catch-all for all the services a student might need during their time in law school. Here are some of the biggies and some elements to evaluate during your visit.
Healthcare
Most law schools are part of a larger university that offers healthcare to enrolled students—the same thing you probably had during undergrad. If you have any chronic medical conditions that require frequent doctor visits, having expansive medical services might be a big deal. However, even a simple walk-in clinic that also provides emergency care can be enough for many students.
Mental Health Services
Even if you don't currently have any mental health challenges, you never know what life might throw your way. Additionally, law school can be stressful and overwhelming and some students struggle with the pressure. Access to mental health services is an important support service that sometimes gets overlooked. If you find yourself struggling during law school, individual therapy, group therapy, and support groups can help you through rough times. You can learn more about mental health support on campus in law school in this video.
Academic Support
Every law school offers academic services related to class registration, grades, bar certifications, etc. However, some students might find schools that offer additional support helpful. Some schools offer workshops and seminars for students to learn about how to deal with different aspects of law school. You might also find tutoring services if you struggle with a class or two during your time in law school.
Career Services
If you're worried about employment after graduation, you must ask ample questions about career services during a visit. For some students, career services are more important than any other type of student support. How can the law school you attend help secure your future once you leave? This includes providing opportunities for internships, clerkships, bar preparation, mock interviews, clinics, and more.
Evaluating Your Law School's Town or City
Although you will spend a lot of time on campus, you will spend time in the surrounding city or town when you attend law school. As a law student, there's a good chance you'll be working in a legal aid clinic or participating in an internship or some other school-related activity that is off campus. If you take the bar exam in the state where you go to law school, you will likely end up practicing in that city or state, as well. Visiting gives you a chance to see what the area has to offer. Of course, this refers to your preferences in terms of neighborhoods, shopping, parks, housing, etc. However, if you are moving with a family, you will also want to check out the schools and potential job opportunities for your partner. You want the town or city where you live to feel like home as much as you want the campus to feel like home, giving you the best chances for success as you proceed through law school.
What To Do If You Can’t Visit
There are a few options if you feel like visiting law schools is unattainable for you due to financial constraints.
Your first step should be reaching out to admissions and letting them know! A lot of times, school shave travel stipends set aside for students to help you be able to visit the school. Don’t be afraid to ask admissions, or even a professor that you’ve connected with, for help.
If you need a place to stay, you can reach out to students to see if you can stay in their dorm or apartment rather than booking a hotel. Start by looking at student organizations, like the BLSA, to see if they’d be able to host you.
While we will always suggest visiting law schools to help make an informed decision, for some people this simply isn’t an option due to money constraints, your work or school schedule, or other factors. It is okay if you are not able to visit!
Instead, refer back to our section on evaluating campus community. Admissions officers, student organizations, and professors are available virtually. You can reach out to an organization through Instagram or email a professor to ask about a virtual informational interview. Admissions may be able to give you a virtual tour or provide you with a link where you can watch one. You can also read blog posts, watch videos on YouTube, or scour social media posts from members of the law school community to learn more about the overall campus community. Research goes far here! Don’t feel limited just because you aren’t able to visit one or more law schools.
The team at S. Montgomery Admissions Consulting is here to support you through this law school application cycle! Whether it's through personalized one-on-one counseling, our Essay Editing Combo Plans, or just downloading our free Essential Guide to Applying to Law School, there is definitely something we can do for you to help make this process a little bit easier.
As always, feel free to reach out to us at hello@smontgomeryconsulting.com with any of your questions! You can also submit a question to be answered on our weekly Break Into Law School® Podcast, streaming wherever your favorite podcast service is.