Deciding to Attend Law School

The first question you should consider as you think about attending law school is what kind of outcome are you seeking? Is being able to develop a specialty or have access to certain kinds of elective courses important to you (e.g., environmental law, entertainment law)? Is being a lawyer your goal or do you intend to use your degree for other purposes (e.g., a career in government or public policy)? What qualities are you looking for in a program? Competitive or cooperative? High-ranking? Urban or rural? What locations have you targeted? Consider the state in which you will want to take the bar and eventually practice law.

Consider your level of competitiveness as an applicant and apply to schools in three tiers: "dream schools," realistic schools and safe schools. Most students apply to 5-10 schools. To help you decide how competitive you will be as a Grinnell College graduate, consult with Kathleen Powell.