Military Officer's Applying to Law School/LOR's
Posted: Mon Oct 08, 2012 9:11 pm
Hey everyone.
- I am currently in my junior year of undergraduate. At the end of my senior year I will commission as an officer in the United States Army. If there are any current Army officers that I could PM about what to branch into that would be great. However, there are a few things that I am concerned about.
-First, I am a little concerned about letters of recommendation. Most law schools ask for letters of recommendation from academic sources. When applying to law schools, I will be out of undergrad for about four years. I have done well throughout undergraduate, but its not as if I am going to my professor's office hours and going out for coffee with them on the weekends to discuss topics covered in class. I go to class, do my homework and do well on tests, but this is the extent to which most professors know me. I can see how undergraduate seniors could approach a professor they know relatively well and ask for a LOR, but what about for someone who is four years removed from undergraduate. I guess I still have time to build one of these bonds with my professor that continues after undergraduate, but I guess what I am basically asking is this: Are there any people currently serving in the armed forces after undergraduate who are encountering the same problem and 2) How did they address this issue?
Second, as it is my junior year, I am starting to become really involved with ROTC and am doing SMP (this is where I drill with a unit while serving in ROTC). I am currently involved in mock trial as well. Unfortunately, I am thinking of giving up mock trial so that I can spend more time to focus on Army ROTC as it has more of a direct impact on my career. I have heard that a rough guide as to how law schools evaluate applications is 40% UGPA, 40% LSAT, and 20% the rest (LOR's, personal statement, and resume). As far as extracurricular's are concerned, will law schools even care what I was involved with during undergraduate or will they look much more to what I have done in my four years in the military.
Thanks for any posts with comments and I would really appreciate any advice from people currently serving in the military applying to law schools or who were in the military and are currently in law school.
- I am currently in my junior year of undergraduate. At the end of my senior year I will commission as an officer in the United States Army. If there are any current Army officers that I could PM about what to branch into that would be great. However, there are a few things that I am concerned about.
-First, I am a little concerned about letters of recommendation. Most law schools ask for letters of recommendation from academic sources. When applying to law schools, I will be out of undergrad for about four years. I have done well throughout undergraduate, but its not as if I am going to my professor's office hours and going out for coffee with them on the weekends to discuss topics covered in class. I go to class, do my homework and do well on tests, but this is the extent to which most professors know me. I can see how undergraduate seniors could approach a professor they know relatively well and ask for a LOR, but what about for someone who is four years removed from undergraduate. I guess I still have time to build one of these bonds with my professor that continues after undergraduate, but I guess what I am basically asking is this: Are there any people currently serving in the armed forces after undergraduate who are encountering the same problem and 2) How did they address this issue?
Second, as it is my junior year, I am starting to become really involved with ROTC and am doing SMP (this is where I drill with a unit while serving in ROTC). I am currently involved in mock trial as well. Unfortunately, I am thinking of giving up mock trial so that I can spend more time to focus on Army ROTC as it has more of a direct impact on my career. I have heard that a rough guide as to how law schools evaluate applications is 40% UGPA, 40% LSAT, and 20% the rest (LOR's, personal statement, and resume). As far as extracurricular's are concerned, will law schools even care what I was involved with during undergraduate or will they look much more to what I have done in my four years in the military.
Thanks for any posts with comments and I would really appreciate any advice from people currently serving in the military applying to law schools or who were in the military and are currently in law school.