collageOver the past five years, an average of 12 percent of Dartmouth students from each class year who pursue degrees beyond their undergraduate education have gone on to law school.
However, the main resources available to students interested in law are student-run associations, guidance from professors with legal backgrounds and Dartmouth’s alumni network.
“I don’t really know that Dartmouth has a lot to offer right now,” said Dartmouth Minority Pre-Law Association president Olivia Lovelace ’21. “There is no designated adviser. There aren’t a lot of designated programs to really help us with preparation for law school admission or the LSAT. It’s all really student-initiated as far as I can tell.”
Selina Noor ’22, who currently shadows for a legal consulting company, said that when she asked the Center for Professional Development for internship opportunities, she was disappointed with the resources available.
“All they really said is that they can help with [law school] applications and nothing much else,” Noor said.
Max Mickenberg ’21, a member of the Mock Trial Society, echoed this concern by noting that the CPD offers few law-associated internships.
“The majority [of internships] are in finance and consulting,” Mickenberg said. “I can only remember two law firms that came up over sophomore summer recruiting [in 2019] and then a bazillion consulting firms.”
CPD interim director Monica Wilson described the resources available to pre-law students in an email to The Dartmouth.
“We meet one-on-one with students to discuss their interests and to provide information and support related to the law school application process, LSAT testing, timelines, and law school statistics,” Wilson wrote. “A student just needs to log into our system to schedule an appointment. We routinely post and promote law-related internships and paralegal opportunities [and] provide a law school guide in the resource library of our DartBoard systemThis past fall, the CPD also held a law school fair, a law school panel with the University of Chicago, the University of Michigan and the University of Texas, as well as information sessions with Harvard Law School and Yale Law School.
Mickenberg said that he participated in a graduate schools fair organized by the CPD and spoke to Harvard Law representatives, calling it a “good opportunity.”
In lieu of a dedicated pre-law adviser and other resources, students have used the CPD’s events to obtain more information about future career choices.
“For a time, I was worried about the major I was picking,” Mickenberg said. “It took me going to a career fair and talking to a Harvard Law representative for them to tell me to relax. It would be much easier if I could shoot a Dartmouth representative an email.”
Former CPD assistant director for advising and programming Zachary Vigliani, who was familiar in pre-law legal resources and organized pre-law events for students, declined to comment for the story. He left Dartmouth in fall 2019.
Lovelace said that although the CPD has been supportive, it does not have a dedicated law program like other colleges.
The kinds of resources available at other institutions include designated advisers and LSAT preparation programs. Brown University, like Dartmouth, does not have a law school. However, Brown has three designated pre-law advisers and a website that details available resources, including events and opportunities, LSAT preparation material and readily available statistics on Brown alumni who attended law school.
“There is no guidance for anyone, but especially if you are a minority and you don’t have the social capital to understand how to navigate the application process, among other things,” said DMPLA member Attiya Khan ’22. “I think there are many people who are being neglected when it comes to this career, [which is of] interest to many people who come from that sort of background.”
Some students have also turned to professors with training in the legal field, such as Ethics Institute director and government professor Sonu Bedi, who has a law degree in addition to a variety of other degrees — including a Ph.D.
“The kind of advice I give is not so much the nuts and bolts [of applying to law school],” Bedi said. “If students consider law school, I will just informally talk to them about my experience going to law school, being a lawyer for a very short period of time and why it wasn’t for me.”
What Are the Requirements For Dartmouth Law School?
Only five of the eight Ivy League universities—Yale, Harvard, Columbia, UPenn, and Cornell—have law schools. With this, neither the Dartmouth law school acceptance rate nor law degrees are available. In addition, unlike several other graduate schools, Dartmouth has no pre-law prerequisites or recommended majors.
Here’s a quick review of what Dartmouth College can offer: There are 57 majors accessible to students at Dartmouth, which comprises 40 academic departments. Students may, however, create their own majors or minors. There are five academic institutions on the campus: the undergraduate college, the Geisel School of Medicine, the Thayer School of Engineering, the Tuck School of Business, and the School of Graduate and Advanced Studies.
The concept of a researcher serves as the foundation for many of the classes. The most popular majors include political science and government, computer science, engineering science, and biology/biological sciences. Other popular majors include econometrics and quantitative economics.
Though the American Bar Association does not offer any advice regarding undergraduate majors for those planning to attend law school. Students are advised to major in the subjects they find most fascinating. Law schools welcome students from a variety of academic backgrounds.
Now, what are the requirements for Dartmouth Law School? Though Dartmouth does not have a law school or Dartmouth law school acceptance rate, these are the usual application materials required. Before a law school can decide whether to allow the applicant to secure his/her spot in the acceptance rate, these requirements must be submitted:
- Application
- Credential Assembly Service (CAS) Report (or LSAT Law School Report if the school doesn’t require CAS)
- Letters of recommendation
- Personal statement
- Application fee
- Any other requirements specific to that particular school
In addition, your undergraduate grade point average (UGPA) and LSAT score are crucial factors in determining whether you will be admitted to law school.
LSAT Score
For most law schools, your LSAT score is a crucial component of your application. Scores are determined by how many questions are correctly answered (the raw score). Raw scores are transformed into an LSAT score between 120 and 180, where 120 is the lowest possible score and 180 is the highest.
Transcripts
Most law schools carefully examine your college scores and course preferences. Your undergraduate GPA is frequently a good predictor of how well you will do in law school. Additionally, law schools encourage taking challenging or advanced undergraduate courses.
Letters of Recommendation
The best letters of recommendation come from instructors or bosses who know you well enough to describe honestly and objectively your academic, personal, or professional accomplishments. The most helpful letters are frequently those that compare you to your academic classmates. Most schools do not view generic, unqualified letters of commendation as useful.
English Proficiency Exam for International Students
Most law schools will need you to take a standardized test, such as the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System, if English is not your first language (IELTS). Each school has its own requirements for the minimum passing marks. IELTS or TOEFL score reports are accepted by LSAC.
Personal Statement
Law schools aim to hire candidates who are qualified for reasons other than test results and grades. You can tell the committee what makes you unique in the essay or personal statement. The committee will respect an essay on real experiences and past successes more than one that makes predictions about potential future successes. Any notable accomplishment or personal experience may be a suitable topic, but make sure you go beyond simply stating it. Briefly but specifically describe your experience and explain why it was important to you.
Work Experience
Law schools prefer classes that are entertaining, diverse, and reflect a range of perspectives. A law school may view an applicant who applies to law school some years after completing their bachelor’s degree and who has achieved success outside of the classroom as being more driven than someone who pursues their education continuously.
How Many Years Is A Dartmouth Law Degree?
A Juris Doctor (JD) is available in the US, Japan, Canada, Australia, and Hong Kong. In these nations, graduate-level legal studies are prioritized (after the completion of a bachelor’s degree in a different field), and students must get their JD in order to practice.
You might wonder “How many years is a Dartmouth law degree?” Though Dartmouth does not offer law degrees, normally, it takes three years to complete a JD. After receiving a JD, one may choose to pursue a one-year Master of Laws (LLM) degree in a field of specialization (such as tax law). To practice law in nations where a JD is required, foreign lawyers can also pursue an LLM.
Undergraduate law students in the US are required to take and pass the Law School Admission Test in order to be eligible for a postgraduate degree in the subject (LSAT).
While the majority of LLM and JD programs focus on preparing students for legal employment, graduate-level law degrees are also available that place a stronger emphasis on intellectual research. A Ph.D. in Law, a Doctor of Laws, or a Doctor of Juridical Science may be used to refer to these degrees (JSD). Additionally, two years of rigorous legal study or shorter or longer vocational programs are options.
How Much Does It Cost To Go To Law School At Dartmouth?
How much does it cost to go to law school at Dartmouth? While Dartmouth law school acceptance rate should be the least of your worries, you might be concerned about the price of attending law school if you are thinking about a legal career. Numerous variables, such as the location, the university, and whether you choose a public or private school, will affect the cost.
The JD program takes 3 years to finish. In-state students pay an average of $84,558 in tuition for law school at public universities and $147,936 at private institutions. Keep in mind that those fees only cover tuition; other living costs, such as those for rent, food, and transportation, can easily bring your overall cost up to at least $20,000.
Average Student Loan Debt of Law Students
The cost of attending law school, including living expenses, might exceed $100,000. Few people can cover the costs out of their own savings or income; therefore, many students choose to borrow money from private or public sources instead.
About 90% of law school graduates, according to the American Bar Association (ABA), used student loans to pay for their education. Even worse, graduates of law schools typically owe $130,000 in total education debt, including their undergraduate loans, and $108,000 for their J.D.
What Is the Acceptance Rate For Dartmouth Law School?
What is the acceptance rate for Dartmouth Law School? When applying to law school, you should consider the acceptance rates for the various schools. Yale admits just about 4.10% of applications, for example, while institutions at the bottom of the list take an astounding 80% or more of applicants.
Acceptance rates serve as a reasonable substitute for a school’s reputation among prospective law students. The more applicants a school receives, the more selective it may be in choosing which students to enroll. Because of this, the admission rate is one of the variables considered in the reputable rankings of the top law schools published by US News and World Report.
Top 15 Law Schools’ Acceptance Rates
| Rank | School | Acceptance Rate |
| 1 | Yale Law School | 4.10% |
| 2 | Stanford University Law School | 6.30% |
| 3 | Harvard Law School | 11.90% |
| 4 | Columbia University School of Law | 11.40% |
| 4 | University of Chicago Law School | 6.90% |
| 6 | New York University School of Law | 9.40% |
| 7 | University of Pennsylvania Law School | 14.50% |
| 8 | University of Virginia School of Law | 9.70% |
| 9 | Northwestern Pritzker School of Law | 13.70% |
| 10 | University of Michigan Law School | 10.60% |
| 11 | University of California Berkeley School of Law | 14.40% |
| 12 | Duke University School of Law | 15.60% |
| 13 | Cornell Law School | 13.90% |
| 14 | Georgetown University Law Center | 12.90% |
| 15 | University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Law | 15.40% |
Since the Dartmouth law school acceptance rate cannot be quantified, let’s take a look at Dartmouth’s undergraduate acceptance rate for the Class of 2026. According to a press release from the admissions office, the College admitted a total of 1,767 candidates from a pool of 28,336 applicants, yielding an acceptance percentage of 6.24%, which is somewhat higher than the record-low of 6.17% set the previous year.
How Can I Increase My Chances Of Getting Into Dartmouth Law School?
How can I increase my chances of getting into Dartmouth Law School? As mentioned earlier, the chance to become a part of the Dartmouth law school acceptance rate is out of the question. Even though Dartmouth could not provide requirements for law school, the entry requirements for law schools just differ slightly but there are some trends and general requirements that are shared by all of them. By examining these requirements, you could discern what to do to make your application stand out.
Pick An Undergraduate Major That Will Help You Succeed In Law School.
The best law schools seek applicants with training in a variety of critical academic skills. You must improve your abilities in critical thinking, argument development, and library research, among other areas. Additionally, you must be fluent in the spoken and written forms of the language you will be learning. This will be demonstrated by your academic performance, a stellar LSAT or similar exam result, and lastly a persuasive and insightful essay that is part of your application.
You will require a pertinent language qualification, such as the TOEFL or IELTS, if you are not a native speaker of the language of your university.
Demonstrate Your Readiness For A Top Law School With Excellent Grades.
Laying the groundwork for your application to a top law school begins once you’ve decided on your undergraduate degree or major. The top law schools in the world demand excellent grades from their candidates.
To be admitted to one of the top 10 law schools, you need to have a GPA of 3.59 and an LSAT score of at least 162, according to data from the Law School Admission Council (LSAC). Despite the possibility of some exceptions, it will be to your advantage to avoid taking any chances.
A 3.75 GPA and a 169 on the LSAT are required to be taken into consideration for admission to one of the top 3 universities, such as Harvard, Stanford, or Yale. Academic excellence is not sufficient in and of itself, but it might be the factor that moves the arrow on the acceptance meter from rejection to acceptance.
Show the Most Interesting Version of You.
Top law schools take pride in accepting a diverse range of applicants, so don’t let your history in a challenging but odd sector or your unconventional path to studying law deter you. Such topics are fantastic for your motivation letter.
It might be worthwhile to carefully consider how this background might give you a distinct perspective on legal concerns if you have decided to pursue law after studying Theology or Physics, for example. This is especially true if this relates to a topic of expert legal interest. Because of how diverse the topic of law is, nearly every academic discipline has legal implications. You shouldn’t just concentrate on your academic history either.
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