Strong relationships between students and professors are essential for any healthy educational experience. According to Gallup, studies reveal that such relationships can result in better student outcomes. However, students who intend to apply for law school may have more tangible reasons for creating such relationships.
Progress in nearly every academic field depends upon a student’s ability to obtain a series of letters of recommendation or a set of references. So, undergraduate students who plan to continue their studies or intend to apply to law school need to invest time in building good relationships with their professors.
Admittedly, there are strong arguments that letters of recommendation are a holdover from a bygone era and should be jettisoned, notes The Chronicle of Higher Education. These arguments, while well-intentioned, don’t help students who must operate within the existing academic application process. I feel that it is my responsibility as a professor to help my students succeed within the existing – even if flawed – academic system.
Letters of Recommendation Are Useful for Aspiring Students Applying to Law School
The law school admissions process is a complex process. As a result, decisions regarding admissions are based on various factors, including:
- Grades
- Test scores
- Professional experience
- Personal essays
- Letters of recommendation
- A professional resume
Letters of recommendation or a list of references remain an essential, albeit overlooked, part of the admission process for law school and other graduate programs.
Typically, law schools require the submission of multiple letters of recommendation in support of a candidate, with at least one of those letters coming from an academic. While working adults and non-traditional students may have references from their place of employment and professional networks, a reference from an academic who can properly assess a student’s academic abilities and that student’s potential success at law school strengthens an application.
The best letters of recommendation and references are the products of strong relationships between students and professors. A strong student-faculty relationship that moves beyond the grading process provides a law school referee with a broader range of information that they can draw upon in deciding to admit a law student to their law school.
Aspiring law students – or other types of students – should make a concerted effort over several years to form the type of relationships that professors will need to craft the strongest possible letters on behalf of a student’s application. Students can accomplish this goal by joining student organizations and forging relationships with their professors that move beyond the classroom.
Related link: The COVID-19 Pandemic’s Mixed Impact on US Law Schools
The Best Reference Documents Come from Faculty Members Who Know Their Students Well
I use the terms “letter of recommendation” and “reference letter” interchangeably in this blog article. However, both terms refer to a document requested by a school’s admissions department that asks for a candidate’s listed references to appraise a candidate’s strengths and weaknesses honestly.
Also, while I focus on the law school admissions process based on my background and experience, good student-to-professor relationships are essential in the creation of any academic reference. So, the tips that I’ve provided in this article are applicable not just to law school applicants, but to students applying to graduate programs of all types.
Students interested in attending law school often focus on their grades and standardized test scores, and this focus is time well spent. However, law school applicants shouldn’t discount the importance of the letters of support required in the law school application process. They provide law school admissions staff with a fuller picture of the candidate’s motivations for attending law school, interpersonal skills and potential academic success in law school from a third party’s perspective.
Professors can only craft a compelling letter that addresses the attributes law schools are trying to assess via letters of recommendation and reference letters. But to create a compelling letter, a professor must not only be familiar with a student’s grades and test scores, but also the student’s strengths, weaknesses, motivations, and future potential.
Also, a faculty member must understand a student’s work history and background, including areas where the student needs room for improvement. This way, the faculty member can speak honestly regarding the law school candidate.
An unfavorable letter of recommendation or a lukewarm recommendation written by a professor who doesn’t truly know the candidate can undermine an application by raising many red flags to admissions departments.
Related link: Creating the Strongest Possible Law School Application
Joining Student Organizations Is An Opportunity to Create Relationships with Professors
As the school’s pre-law school advisor, my students often ask me about how long it takes to complete a law school application. Often, I surprise students when I advise them that the admissions process is a multi-year process for several reasons, including the procurement of reference letters.
Effective letters of reference are the product of a series of interactions between the faculty member serving as a reference and the law school candidate. Over the past years, I have served as one of the faculty co-advisors for several student organizations, including the Model United Nations Club and Phi Alpha Delta, a pre-law fraternity.
Acting as a faculty advisor for these two student organizations has provided me with the opportunity to interact with students outside of the classroom. It has also given me valuable information that I have incorporated into letters of recommendation and reference letters for students who asked me to support their applications for graduate programs and law schools.
Fortunately for our students, our University has a robust array of over 70 student organizations. Many instructors are deeply involved in these groups, providing students with ample opportunities to develop relationships with professors and peers who share their interests.
Most importantly, the student organizations at our University provide students with access to opportunities at little or no cost, and they are built around the schedules of working adults. The low cost of participation and the flexible schedules address the systemic barriers that non-traditional students have faced in the past or at other schools.
Admittedly, some students have difficulty getting involved in extracurricular activities. As an instructor at an online university, I know my students juggle work, school and family responsibilities.
Unfortunately, certain barriers prevent students from accessing networking opportunities. For example, some people may have to work to support their families; others may have other family or personal obligations that completely fill their schedule.
More than one student has told me that while they would love to participate in student organizations, they don’t have enough time for additional commitments. These concerns are valid.
However, getting involved in a student organization doesn’t require much time and dedication, and student organizations at online universities often have flexible schedules especially built to accommodate working adults. Participation in such groups often incorporate virtual components, allowing busy adults to participate when they have the time.
While many schools have part-time J.D. programs, even a part-time academic program requires students to invest a tremendous amount of time studying law and participating in a student organization while juggling other tasks and responsibilities. Genuine involvement in extracurricular activities serves as tangible evidence to law school admissions professionals and other referees that an aspiring student can successfully manage a busy schedule and has taken advantage of the extracurricular opportunities available at an undergraduate institution.
Also, evidence of extracurricular activities by a candidate reflects positively on the applicant’s undergraduate institution. For instance, it reflects an institution’s commitment to student growth and creating a varied learning environment.
But as I noted, not all students are able to participate in student organizations or other extracurricular activities for a host of legitimate reasons. However, students who have not participated in extracurricular activities should not despair. Non-participation in other activities may be compensated for by other positive factors in the candidate’s application, such as good grades, high test scores and a good letter of recommendation.
Forging Relationships Takes Time, But There Are Plenty of Other Ways to Create Relationships
Admittedly, creating a relationship with a professor takes work, and some students are reluctant to approach faculty members for help or advice. While it is dangerous to make assumptions about all professors, most instructors enter the field because they love to share their knowledge.
But if a student does not receive a positive response from a faculty member, that is a clear sign that that person likely isn’t the right individual to write a future letter of recommendation, a time-intensive process.
But there are other options available to create relationships with instructors. First, law school applicants can take multiple courses with the same professor. Taking several courses with the same professor provides the instructor with insight into the student’s academic abilities, peer interaction and interpersonal skills.
Second, students who want to go to law school should ask their professors for different kinds of information, ranging from subject matter advice to guidance on the law school application process. These discussions can provide teachers with valuable information about a student’s interest in the industry and interpersonal skills.
I often conduct office hours via Zoom and have optional question-and-answer sessions in some of my classes. Many instructors conduct similar meetings. Students who attend these educational sessions can use the opportunity to develop a rapport with their instructors outside of the classroom.
Third, students can volunteer to work on research projects with a professor or conduct an independent study with a faculty member. That way, an aspiring student can demonstrate both initiative and a genuine interest in an industry.
Online Universities Have Leveled the Playing Field for Students Who Intend to Apply to Law School or Continue their Education
Students at online universities come from diverse backgrounds; many are non-traditional, first-generation and minority students. In the past, these students didn’t have access to the social networks and networking possibilities normally available to some of their brick-and-mortar peers, which limited their options.
Online education, however, has leveled the playing field and provided students with more access to networking opportunities that were not available in the past. As a result, students who seek to continue their education have plenty of chances to create the types of educator/student relationships necessary for professors to draft the strongest possible letters of recommendation and letters of reference.
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