Behaviors That Jeopardize Your Law School Application
It is obvious that the time that your applications are outstanding is going to be stressful. You need to maintain your composure. Avoid taking your stress out on the others around you. Your demeanor and behavior must reflect that of your top-tier law school’s culture, and certain actions can turn a potential acceptance into a flat out rejection. As you wait for law school’s to reply to your application, strongly avoid the following behaviors:
• Getting arrested. You are under an obligation to supplement your application if this happens. Putting yourself in a bad situation will not reflect well on your character, and admissions committees will notice.
• Calling to see whether your file is complete unless it has been six weeks and you still haven’t gotten receipt confirmation. This probably won’t get you rejected, but it will distract the staff from processing applications and it should be avoided. If you call too often, it will be noted in your file and probably will cost you a seat.
• Allowing arrogance or denial to get in the way of the process. If you are told that your file is incomplete, or that you failed to include something with the application, apologize and provide the needed information as fast as possible, and certainly well within the required deadline. Do not, even if you are 100% sure, tell them that it wasn’t your fault and blame it on the admissions office. They are doing you a favor by allowing you to fix the error—even if it’s theirs.
• Being rude to someone from the law school admission’s staff. If you interact with a member of the school, and they are outright rude to you, don’t respond in kind. Avoid taking any heated interactions personally, and act professionally at all times.