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Georgetown Law Admissions Advice: Dean Andy Cornblatt on Building a Strong Application

Last Updated: September 2026

 

Originally based on a Top-Law-Schools.com interview with Georgetown Law Dean of Admissions Andy Cornblatt. This article has been updated and reorganized to highlight admissions lessons that remain useful to today's applicants while distinguishing current Georgetown Law policies from historical observations.

Applying to Georgetown University Law Center requires more than assembling strong numbers and submitting an application. Georgetown describes its admissions process as holistic and individualized, with the Admissions Committee considering an applicant's academic record and test results alongside the personal statement, recommendations, extracurricular activities, graduate work, volunteer involvement, and professional experience.

That philosophy closely reflects advice Dean of Admissions Andrew "Andy" Cornblatt shared with Top-Law-Schools.com. In the original interview, Cornblatt repeatedly emphasized thoughtfulness, context, careful presentation, and the ability of an application to reveal the individual behind the statistics.

Those lessons have aged remarkably well.

For applicants considering Georgetown today, Cornblatt's observations provide a useful framework for thinking about personal statements, academic weaknesses, professional experience, school-specific interest, alternative curricula, and what makes Georgetown distinctive.

 

Who Is Andy Cornblatt?

 

Andrew Cornblatt is the Metta Grokenberger Krach Dean of Admissions at Georgetown Law and Associate Vice President of Graduate Admissions and Enrollment at Georgetown University. He has been part of the Georgetown community for decades and became Georgetown Law's Dean of Admissions in 1991.

That longevity gives his admissions advice unusual value. Cornblatt has reviewed generations of applicants and has watched the law school admissions environment evolve through changing economies, testing policies, legal markets, and applicant expectations.

Although the original Top-Law-Schools.com conversation took place in 2009, many of the principles behind his answers remain consistent with Georgetown's stated admissions philosophy today.

Applicants researching the school should also consult the Top-Law-Schools.com Georgetown Law profile for broader information about the school and the Top-Law-Schools.com Law School Admissions guide for additional application resources.

 

Georgetown Law Admissions Is More Than a Numbers Game

 

One of the clearest themes of Cornblatt's original interview was that applicants should not treat admission as an equation consisting only of undergraduate GPA and an admissions-test score.

Numbers matter. They help an admissions committee understand an applicant's academic preparation and compare candidates across a large applicant pool. But Georgetown's admissions process considers the complete application rather than relying exclusively on numerical credentials.

That means applicants should think of their application as a complete presentation rather than a collection of disconnected requirements.

A strong academic record cannot compensate for every weakness elsewhere, and a less-than-perfect academic record does not necessarily prevent an applicant from presenting a compelling candidacy. The personal statement, recommendations, employment history, extracurricular involvement, graduate work, volunteer experience, and circumstances surrounding an applicant's record can all provide meaningful context.

The practical lesson is simple: do not assume that the application becomes unimportant once your GPA and test score are known.

The written materials are where applicants demonstrate judgment, maturity, communication ability, motivation, personality, and what they might contribute to a law school community.

 

Treat Every Part of the Application Seriously

 

Cornblatt identified careless preparation as one of the most avoidable problems applicants create for themselves.

An application filled with errors, missing information, mismatched school names, rushed essays, or poorly considered answers can suggest that the applicant did not devote sufficient attention to an important professional decision.

This point is especially important for highly qualified applicants. Strong credentials can create a false sense that the rest of the application is merely administrative. It is not.

Before submitting an application, applicants should review it from the perspective of someone encountering them for the first time.

    • Does the application appear deliberate?

 

    • Are dates consistent throughout the application and résumé?

 

    • Does the résumé complement the personal statement rather than contradict it?

 

    • Have school-specific references been checked carefully?

 

    • Have unnecessary words and repetitive explanations been removed?

 

    • Does every required question have a complete and accurate answer?



A polished application communicates something beyond writing ability: it demonstrates care and professional judgment.

Applicants who accidentally submit incorrect information should generally correct the error promptly and professionally rather than hoping it will go unnoticed. Cornblatt's original comments suggest that an honest correction is preferable to allowing an obvious mistake to remain unexplained.

 

Make the Personal Statement Focused and Memorable

 

The personal statement remains one of the best opportunities for an applicant to become more than a GPA, résumé, and standardized-test score.

Cornblatt's central advice was straightforward: applicants often weaken their essays by saying too much. A focused statement that makes its point effectively is generally stronger than one that continues long after its central message has been established.

Applicants should therefore use the personal statement to help the Admissions Committee understand something meaningful about who they are.

That freedom should not be mistaken for an invitation to cover an entire life story.

A strong personal statement normally has a clear purpose. It may illuminate an experience that changed the applicant's perspective, explain a meaningful professional or academic interest, demonstrate growth, or reveal qualities that cannot be seen elsewhere in the application.

The best question to ask is not, "What sounds impressive?" but rather, "What information would help the admissions committee understand me that it cannot learn from my résumé or transcript?"

Applicants developing their essays can use the Top-Law-Schools.com Guide to Personal Statements and LawCrossing's guide to submitting law school essays for additional guidance.

 

Give Admissions Officers Context When Context Matters

 

A transcript rarely tells an applicant's complete story.

Withdrawals, unusually weak semesters, disciplinary matters, substantial changes in academic performance, family responsibilities, employment obligations, or other significant circumstances may require explanation.

Cornblatt's original comments stressed the importance of context. Rather than treating every GPA identically, an admissions committee can consider what was happening when particular grades were earned, how long ago the work occurred, and whether later performance demonstrates a different academic trajectory.

The same principle applies when an application contains something that an admissions reader is almost certain to notice.

An effective addendum should clarify rather than argue. Applicants generally benefit from:

    • Identifying the relevant issue clearly.

 

    • Explaining the circumstances concisely.

 

    • Describing any resolution or subsequent improvement when appropriate.

 

    • Keeping the explanation factual and professional.

 

    • Avoiding unnecessary repetition or defensiveness.



An addendum is usually less effective when it assigns blame to everyone else, repeats information unnecessarily, or attempts to force the reader toward a particular conclusion.

Applicants should always follow Georgetown's current application and disclosure instructions rather than relying exclusively on general advice from an older admissions interview.

 

Professional and Life Experience Can Strengthen an Application

 

Not every competitive law school applicant comes directly from college.

Applicants may arrive after working in business, government, technology, education, the military, public service, nonprofit organizations, healthcare, finance, or countless other fields. Others may have balanced full-time work with education or taken an unconventional route toward a bachelor's degree.

Cornblatt's broader point was that real-world experience can add important dimensions to an application, particularly when applicants explain what they learned from those experiences and how those experiences shaped their goals.

Applicants therefore should not merely inventory previous jobs. They should consider what their experiences demonstrate.

A meaningful professional history might show:

    • Leadership.

 

    • Discipline.

 

    • Resilience.

 

    • Intellectual curiosity.

 

    • Professional responsibility.

 

    • Exposure to legal problems.

 

    • Collaboration with people from different backgrounds.

 

    • A clearer understanding of why the applicant wants a legal education.



Context transforms experience into evidence.

 

Should You Explain Why Georgetown?

 

A school-specific explanation can be valuable when it is genuine.

In the original TLS interview, Cornblatt indicated that a sincere connection between an applicant's interests and Georgetown's offerings could strengthen the overall presentation, even though such a discussion was not automatically required.

The important word is sincere.

Generic praise about prestige, rankings, Washington, or a school's reputation is unlikely to tell an admissions committee much. An effective explanation demonstrates that the applicant has investigated Georgetown and understands why particular opportunities fit their goals.

Those connections might involve:

    • A clinic connected to the applicant's professional interests.

 

    • An academic program or specialized course of study.

 

    • A particular faculty or research interest.

 

    • Experiential-learning opportunities.

 

    • A public-interest pathway.

 

    • Georgetown's interdisciplinary curriculum.

 

    • Opportunities created by studying law in Washington, D.C.



This is also why applicants should avoid simply inserting a school's name into an otherwise generic essay. School-specific content is most persuasive when it emerges naturally from the applicant's own interests and plans.

TLS readers considering multiple schools can also review LawCrossing's comprehensive guide to choosing the right law school.

 

What Applicants Should Know About Early Decision

 

The original interview contained a particularly strong endorsement of Georgetown's Early Decision option. Because admissions policies evolve, that historical answer should not be treated as a permanent guarantee about an applicant's probability of admission.

Georgetown's Early Decision program is designed for applicants who are certain that Georgetown Law is their first choice. Because Early Decision is binding, applicants should understand the commitment before applying.

That distinction matters.

Applying Early Decision should not be treated merely as a strategy for increasing admission odds. A binding application creates an important commitment and can affect an applicant's ability to compare competing admission and financial-aid offers.

Applicants should therefore investigate Georgetown's current requirements and consider the financial consequences before selecting Early Decision.

For additional background on these application options, see the Top-Law-Schools.com Early Decision and Early Action guide, while relying on Georgetown's current application instructions for Georgetown-specific rules.

 

Georgetown's Evening Program and Nontraditional Applicants

 

The program discussed as Georgetown's "part-time" option in the original interview is now presented as the Evening Program.

The program is designed for students with full-time jobs or other substantial commitments and provides an alternative path for applicants who cannot follow the traditional full-time law school schedule.

This makes Georgetown particularly noteworthy for applicants balancing professional, family, or other responsibilities with legal education.

Applicants interested in the Evening Program should review Georgetown's current admissions requirements carefully because policies relating to testing, scheduling, and program eligibility may change between admissions cycles.

 

Curriculum B: Georgetown's Alternative First-Year Curriculum

 

One feature discussed enthusiastically in the original interview remains part of Georgetown Law today.

What Cornblatt referred to as "Section 3" is now formally described as Curriculum B (Section 3).

Rather than treating each traditional first-year subject as completely separate, Curriculum B takes an interdisciplinary approach to first-year legal study and examines law through perspectives that can include economics, philosophy, history, and other disciplines.

For certain applicants, Curriculum B can be more than an interesting academic detail. It can help answer a more important question: How do I want to learn law?

Students attracted to interdisciplinary analysis, legal theory, institutional questions, or connections among different areas of law may find the model especially appealing.

That kind of specific academic interest can also help applicants evaluate whether Georgetown is genuinely the right fit rather than choosing a law school primarily by ranking.

 

Why Georgetown's Washington, D.C. Location Matters

 

Location was one of the strongest themes of Cornblatt's original discussion, and it remains central to Georgetown's identity.

Georgetown Law is in Washington, D.C., giving students proximity to courts, federal agencies, Congress, nonprofit organizations, advocacy groups, international organizations, law firms, and other institutions involved in the creation, interpretation, and application of law.

The advantage is broader than proximity.

Washington also gives Georgetown access to practicing lawyers, judges, government officials, policymakers, and other professionals who can contribute to legal education.

For students interested in government, regulation, public policy, public interest work, administrative law, international law, or appellate advocacy, that environment can create opportunities that are difficult to reproduce elsewhere.

But applicants should still evaluate location in light of their individual goals. Someone interested primarily in another geographic market should examine Georgetown's employment outcomes, alumni network, recruiting opportunities, debt implications, and personal preferences rather than assuming that a highly regarded school is automatically the best choice.

 

Experiential Learning and Career Development

 

Cornblatt's original description of Georgetown highlighted the ability to study law while observing and participating in legal institutions operating nearby.

That principle remains relevant.

Applicants comparing law schools should investigate not only whether experiential opportunities exist but also how accessible they are, when students can participate, whether programs align with their areas of interest, and how those experiences connect with career goals.

Useful questions include:

    • What clinics are available?

 

    • What externship opportunities exist?

 

    • Can students gain practical experience in their intended practice area?

 

    • How early can students participate in experiential programs?

 

    • How do these opportunities connect with employers and career development?



A law school's curriculum should ultimately be evaluated as part of a larger career plan.

LawCrossing's Ultimate Guide to Preparing for Law School provides additional guidance on connecting law school preparation with longer-term professional objectives.

 

Scholarships and Financial Aid

 

The original interview distinguished Georgetown's admissions decision from its consideration of merit scholarships. For today's applicants, understanding the relationship between admission, scholarships, need-based aid, and total cost remains essential.

Applicants should evaluate an admission offer and a financial-aid offer as related but distinct parts of the law school decision.

Important considerations include:

    • Total cost of attendance.

 

    • Amount of scholarship support.

 

    • Conditions attached to scholarships.

 

    • Expected borrowing.

 

    • Career goals.

 

    • Likely geographic market after graduation.

 

    • Competing offers from other schools.



Prestige is only one consideration in a decision that can have significant financial consequences for years after graduation.

 

What Does a Georgetown Law Application Include?

 

Georgetown's application requirements can change from one admissions cycle to another, so applicants should always consult the school's current instructions before applying.

A law school application generally requires applicants to present several forms of information that allow the admissions committee to evaluate academic qualifications, professional background, personal qualities, and potential contribution to the law school community.

Depending on the current admissions cycle, materials may include:

    • An application form.

 

    • A résumé.

 

    • Academic transcripts.

 

    • An eligible admissions-test score where required.

 

    • Letters of recommendation.

 

    • A personal statement.

 

    • Optional statements or supplemental responses.

 

    • Required explanations or addenda when applicable.



The broader lesson from Cornblatt's admissions philosophy remains useful regardless of how individual requirements evolve: every component gives an applicant another opportunity to communicate something meaningful.

 

Does Georgetown Law Interview Applicants?

 

Georgetown has continued to use interviews as one component of the admissions experience for selected applicants.

An admissions interview can help personalize a process that otherwise relies heavily on documents, statistics, essays, and recommendations. For the applicant, it provides another opportunity to demonstrate qualities that may not be obvious from written materials.

Applicants invited to participate should approach an admissions interview thoughtfully.

Preparation should include:

    • Understanding why Georgetown is attractive to you.

 

    • Being prepared to discuss your experiences and goals comfortably.

 

    • Reviewing your own application before the interview.

 

    • Preparing thoughtful questions about Georgetown Law.

 

    • Being ready to explain important academic or professional decisions.

 

    • Avoiding overly scripted answers.



The objective is not to deliver a flawless performance. It is to help the school understand the person behind the application.

 

Frequently Asked Questions About Georgetown Law Admissions

 

Does Georgetown Law Have an LSAT or GPA Cutoff?

 

Georgetown evaluates applicants through a holistic admissions process. Academic performance and test scores are important, but the overall application can also include essays, recommendations, activities, professional experience, graduate work, and other relevant information.

 

How Long Should a Georgetown Law Personal Statement Be?

 

Applicants should follow the instructions provided for their specific admissions cycle. Regardless of the permitted length, Cornblatt's advice remains useful: a focused essay that communicates something meaningful is generally stronger than a statement that becomes unnecessarily long or repetitive.

 

What Makes a Strong Law School Recommendation?

 

A useful recommendation should come from someone capable of evaluating the applicant meaningfully. Depending on the applicant's background, that may be a professor, employer, supervisor, or another person familiar with the applicant's academic or professional capabilities.

 

Should Applicants Write About Why They Want to Attend Georgetown?

 

A sincere explanation can add value when it connects an applicant's goals and experiences to specific Georgetown opportunities. It should not become generic praise or simply repeat information available on Georgetown's website.

 

Is Georgetown Law Early Decision Binding?

 

Applicants considering Early Decision should review Georgetown's current admissions rules carefully. A binding Early Decision application represents a significant commitment and should generally be used only when the applicant is certain Georgetown is the preferred choice.

 

Does Applying Earlier Matter?

 

Applicants should review Georgetown's current application dates, deadlines, and admissions procedures when planning when to submit. Regardless of timing, applicants should avoid sacrificing application quality merely to submit a few days or weeks earlier.

 

What Admissions Tests Does Georgetown Law Accept?

 

Testing policies can change between admissions cycles. Applicants should consult Georgetown Law's official application requirements for the current list of accepted tests and any special provisions that may apply to particular programs.

 

The Enduring Lesson from Dean Cornblatt's Admissions Advice

 

Admissions policies, application numbers, hiring markets, testing rules, and law school programs change. The most useful part of Andy Cornblatt's original Top-Law-Schools.com interview is that much of his underlying advice does not depend on any of those things.

A strong applicant presents a thoughtful and carefully prepared application. The personal statement adds information rather than simply repeating a résumé. Academic weaknesses are explained when meaningful context exists. Professional and personal experiences are connected to the qualities they helped develop. Interest in a particular school is specific and sincere. And applicants recognize that admissions officers are evaluating people rather than mathematical formulas.

For prospective Georgetown students, that may be the most important insight to carry forward from the original interview: your credentials establish part of your candidacy, but the complete application explains who you are, what you have done, and what you could contribute to the Georgetown Law community.

 

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