Written by Ryan Bess ’20 | VMI Career Ambassador Team

After attending the Law School Fair, you may be thinking, “Can I even get into a law school?” For a lot of people, law school seems like a long shot. In reality, the climate has never been better to apply. The number of people applying to law school has dropped drastically in recent years. From 2008 to 2016, the number of applicants fell around 50 percent. Admissions standards have even begun to change. On average, those admitted to law school have around a 3.5 GPA and a 150 LSAT score (on a scale of 120-180). However, the number of people who are being accepted to law schools with GPA’s and LSAT scores that are considered below average have been on the rise. If you’re interested in where you stand in a certain school’s applicant pool, VAULT may help. VAULT has a number of resources and lists that can show you admissions statistics and averages, as well as national rankings of law schools.

Even though it is a great time to apply, you may not see yourself as being ready to enter law school right after leaving VMI, and that’s okay! The average age of first year law students is around 26.  A few years of professional experience may make your application that much better.  If you are interested in serving as a lawyer in the military (JAG officer), there are programs available with application deadlines from your last year of college to your last year of law school in all branches. If you have questions or would like to begin the process of applying, go talk to LTC Holston, holstonrr@vmi.edu, the pre-law advisor.