I was looking for a good way to start this blog post, so I read some quotes to inspire me. All of the quotes about reading were about how reading takes you to a magical place and lets you live other lives in other places. But let’s face it: not all reading is enthralling and inspiring. Some of it is boring and dry, seemingly a waste of everyone’s time. And today we are talking about the material on websites and in emails – instructions on how to apply for law schools.
I don’t think it’s any secret that universities have difficult-to-navigate and less-than-user-friendly websites. To be fair, I am sure that each of them have incredibly bright minds working towards a solution on this. In the meantime, they are mostly difficult to navigate and hard to understand. That said, I feel like being able to decipher dry application instructions on a website is good training for law school. It’s not that all legal material or law school material is dry or hard to decipher (though some of it is). It’s that (some of you may need to sit down to take in this news) you are going to school to be a part of a profession where reading the instructions is really one of the most vital things you will do.
Briefs, memos, pleadings, research all need to be drafted and submitted in a way that is acceptable to whichever court, partner, client, or game level boss you are submitting them to. And rules very from court to court, audience to audience. Simply put, you, future law students, are doing yourselves a favour by learning to understand and apply simple instructions now.
I come at this with a bit of sarcasm after years of reading applications from applicants who appear otherwise quite qualified for law school but who have sent us applications clearly meant for other schools (as in, they say “to Allard School of Law” on them) or in formats that do not resemble those that we asked for. In fact, all of the law schools get applications meant for other schools and in other formats. And it’s not that we think you aren’t applying to more than one school or that we are so egotistical we cannot look past your error. It’s that part of your competency is shown in your ability to follow the instructions for each school you apply to.
So, before you sit down to write your application(s), read the website(s), understand what the expectations are, and take some time to plan how to execute an impeccable application that meets the instructions. Do all of this FOR EACH SCHOOL you plan to apply to. Put care and time into thinking about each application. We know you have a life, and this will take some time away from your commitments (or just your fun). However, it’s an important part of the application process.
If, (only) after you have read the website and any emails you have gotten from us, you still have questions, that is when you reach out. Reach out early and talk to someone who can answer your questions if needed. I will caution, though, that you will be better off leaving no question unanswered before preparing each application.
Bonus level: carry this advice forward into your law school of choice. Read the emails you get. Note due dates in your phone’s calendar. Put instructions that are valuable to you in an important place. You will thank me for this. I promise. You’re welcome.
This whole blog is very helpful in obtaining quick insights!
Thank you!