S. Brett Twitty on Law School Admissions: LSAT, GPA, Personal Statements, Addenda and Application Advice

^{Last Updated: September 2026}

Understanding how admissions officers evaluate law school applicants can make the application process less mysterious and help candidates present themselves more effectively. Numbers such as LSAT scores and undergraduate GPA matter, but an application also tells a broader story about an applicant's academic potential, judgment, experiences, character, accomplishments, and readiness for professional education.

S. Brett Twitty offered an unusually detailed look at that process while serving as Director of Admissions at Washington and Lee University School of Law. A graduate of both the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Washington and Lee Law, Twitty worked in legal practice before returning to W&L, first as an admissions recruiter and later in admissions leadership.

His observations provide useful lessons for applicants trying to understand how admissions officers read an application as a whole, how to deal with weaknesses or inconsistencies, how to write an effective personal statement, and how to select meaningful recommendation writers.

For applicants beginning this process, the Top Law Schools resources on law school admissions and law school personal statements can provide additional guidance.

Editor's Note: This interview was originally conducted in 2011. The admissions principles discussed below have been rewritten and organized as evergreen guidance. Statistics, admissions procedures, scholarships, curriculum details, rankings, employment outcomes, and other Washington and Lee-specific information mentioned in the original interview should be considered historical unless confirmed with the school directly.

Law School Admissions Is About More Than Numbers

One of the strongest themes in Twitty's admissions philosophy was the importance of evaluating the entire applicant rather than treating LSAT score and undergraduate GPA as the complete application.

Academic indicators matter because law schools need evidence that students can manage demanding coursework. At the same time, admissions committees may also consider experiences and characteristics that numbers cannot capture.

Among the factors that can add depth to an application are:

Leadership experience
Employment history
Volunteer and community involvement
Significant life experiences
Personal statements
Letters of recommendation
Extracurricular activities
Hobbies and interests
Evidence of character and judgment
Professional and personal accomplishments

Applicants should therefore think about their applications as connected narratives rather than unrelated documents.

A resume, personal statement, recommendation letters, addenda, academic record, and other supporting materials should collectively help an admissions reader understand who the applicant is and what that person may contribute to a law school community.

This issue continues to generate discussion among applicants. The TLS forum discussion on how resumes compare with LSAT scores, GPA, and personal statements provides additional perspectives from applicants navigating the same question.

How Important Are LSAT Scores and Undergraduate GPA?

LSAT scores and undergraduate GPA have traditionally occupied an important place in law school admissions because they provide standardized or comparative measures of academic performance.

But Twitty cautioned against assuming that numerical credentials tell admissions officers everything they need to know.

A candidate's academic record should instead be considered alongside the rest of the application. Strong numbers can demonstrate academic capability, while the other parts of the application help admissions officers understand the individual behind those statistics.

That distinction becomes particularly important for applicants whose academic record is uneven, whose LSAT scores vary significantly, or whose experiences make their application difficult to evaluate through numbers alone.

The goal should not be to convince an admissions committee that numbers never matter. It should be to provide enough context that admissions officers can evaluate those numbers intelligently.

What Law School Admissions "Soft Factors" Can Matter?

Applicants often use the phrase "soft factors" to describe characteristics other than LSAT scores and GPA.

Twitty's perspective illustrates why these factors should not automatically be dismissed as insignificant.

Work experience can show professional maturity. Leadership can demonstrate responsibility. Volunteer service may reveal sustained commitment to a cause or community. Extracurricular involvement can provide evidence that an applicant contributes actively to organizations rather than simply meeting academic requirements.

Personal experiences may also help explain the perspective a candidate would bring to classroom discussions and the broader law school community.

The key is substance.

Simply listing organizations or activities does not necessarily strengthen an application. Applicants should demonstrate what they actually did, accomplished, learned, or contributed.

When Should You Write a Law School Addendum?

A law school addendum can be useful when something in an application would naturally leave an admissions officer with an unanswered question.

Common situations can include:

An unusually weak semester
A substantial decline in undergraduate grades
A significant difference among LSAT scores
Interruptions in education
Multiple test cancellations or unusual testing circumstances
Employment or educational gaps
Other circumstances that require factual context

Twitty's broader principle is especially valuable: applicants should review their own files as a neutral admissions reader would.

Ask yourself: What would make someone reviewing this application stop and wonder what happened?

If the application creates an obvious question and you have relevant information that answers it, an addendum may be appropriate.

An effective addendum should explain rather than make excuses. It should generally be concise, factual, professional, and limited to information that genuinely helps an admissions committee interpret the record.

An ineffective addendum often does little more than insist that a GPA or LSAT score does not reflect the applicant's abilities. Without meaningful context, that type of statement is unlikely to add much value.

Applicants considering an addendum can also explore the TLS Law School Admissions Forum, where applicants regularly discuss application strategy, recommendations, academic records, and related admissions questions.

How Should Applicants Handle Multiple LSAT Scores?

Admissions policies regarding multiple LSAT scores can change, so applicants should always review the current requirements of each school.

Twitty's broader advice nevertheless remains useful: if something in a testing history appears unusual, provide context when meaningful context exists.

Applicants should not assume that an admissions reader will interpret an irregular testing history exactly as the applicant hopes. If a major score difference or testing circumstance raises an obvious question, a brief explanation may prevent speculation.

At the same time, applicants should avoid writing unnecessary explanations for every minor imperfection. An addendum is most effective when it resolves a legitimate question rather than drawing attention to something that probably would not matter.

Should You Work Before Going to Law School?

There is no single ideal time to begin law school.

Some students enroll immediately after college. Others spend several years working before applying. Still others enter law school as part of a career change.

Twitty's advice was not that applicants must accumulate professional experience. Instead, applicants should ask whether they are genuinely ready for the demands of professional school.

Work experience can add another dimension to an application because it may demonstrate maturity, responsibility, problem-solving ability, leadership, or exposure to professional environments.

However, simply spending a year employed does not automatically transform an application.

What matters more is what the applicant actually did and learned during that period.

Applicants should also think seriously about their motivation for attending law school. Law school should not function as a default choice simply because someone is uncertain about what to do after college.

Prospective students who want a broader look at preparing for legal education can review LawCrossing's Ultimate Guide to Preparing for Law School: Proven Strategies for Success.

Does Undergraduate College Prestige Matter?

Applicants sometimes worry that attending a lesser-known undergraduate institution will place them at an automatic disadvantage.

Twitty's perspective emphasized academic performance over undergraduate brand recognition.

An admissions committee may certainly notice where an applicant studied and consider the rigor of the academic environment. But undergraduate institutions, majors, grading systems, and academic opportunities vary so substantially that making simplistic comparisons can be difficult.

Applicants should therefore focus on what they can control:

Academic performance
Course selection
Intellectual development
Writing ability
Accomplishments
Recommendations
Application quality

The name on an undergraduate transcript is only one part of a much larger admissions file.

How to Write a Strong Law School Personal Statement

A personal statement gives applicants something transcripts and standardized test scores cannot: an opportunity to show the person behind the credentials.

Twitty's advice strongly favored genuinely personal writing over abstract discussions about law, justice, constitutional theory, or other topics that reveal little about the applicant.

A strong personal statement should help an admissions reader learn something important that is not obvious elsewhere in the application.

It should not simply reproduce the applicant's resume in paragraph form.

Instead, applicants might use the statement to illuminate:

A meaningful experience
A personal challenge
An intellectual interest
An important responsibility
A significant decision
A distinctive background
An experience that influenced their perspective
A quality that has shaped how they approach work or relationships

The topic itself does not need to be extraordinary. The quality of reflection, writing, and insight usually matters more than attempting to manufacture drama.

Applicants can review TLS Personal Statement Advice as well as the long-running Personal Statement Samples discussion for examples and community feedback.

LawCrossing's guide to Submitting Your Law School Essays also discusses the role the essay plays within the larger application.

Avoid Turning the Personal Statement Into a Resume

One common mistake is recounting accomplishments already obvious from the resume.

If an admissions officer can obtain essentially the same information by looking at an activities list or employment history, the personal statement is not being used to its full potential.

Instead, the essay should provide depth.

For example, rather than listing that you managed a volunteer organization, describe an experience within that role that reveals how you solve problems, deal with people, accept responsibility, or respond when something goes wrong.

The objective is not to impress the reader with as many accomplishments as possible. It is to help the reader understand you.

Do You Need to Explain Why You Want to Become a Lawyer?

Not every personal statement needs to end with a dramatic explanation of why the applicant wants to attend law school.

If a school's prompt specifically asks "Why law?" then answer it.

If it does not, applicants should not force every personal experience into a predetermined conclusion about becoming an attorney.

Admissions readers can recognize artificial connections.

A compelling personal statement about an important experience can be effective even if that experience was not the moment the applicant decided to practice law.

Always respond to the actual prompt rather than the personal statement you believe every law school wants to receive.

Should You Write a School-Specific Personal Statement?

Applicants should distinguish between a personal statement and a "Why This Law School?" essay.

If a school requests a separate statement explaining interest in the institution, applicants should use that opportunity to show meaningful research and genuine fit.

A personal statement, however, is often better spent discussing the applicant.

School-specific paragraphs can also create an embarrassing risk when candidates reuse application materials and accidentally submit another institution's name.

Before submitting any application, proofread every document specifically for:

School names
Program names
Faculty names
City names
References to clinics or journals
Header and footer information
File names

Personalization is valuable only when it is accurate.

What Makes a Strong Law School Recommendation Letter?

A prestigious recommender is not automatically a useful recommender.

Twitty emphasized something applicants sometimes overlook: the best recommendation usually comes from someone who actually knows the applicant well enough to provide specific observations.

A strong recommender may be able to discuss:

Intellectual ability
Writing and analytical skills
Classroom performance
Work ethic
Reliability
Professionalism
Judgment
Character
Leadership
Growth
Response to criticism
Ability to work with others

A famous professor or senior executive who barely knows an applicant may produce a far less useful recommendation than a less prominent professor or supervisor who can provide detailed examples.

Before requesting a letter, applicants can ask whether the person feels comfortable writing a strong recommendation.

Providing the recommender with a resume and enough lead time can also help the person prepare a more thoughtful letter.

For additional applicant perspectives, see the TLS discussion on how letters of recommendation and personal statements matter relative to LSAT and GPA.

Academic vs. Professional Recommendations

Recent college graduates often benefit from recommendations written by professors who can discuss academic abilities directly.

Applicants who have been outside an academic environment for many years may reasonably rely more heavily on professional recommendations.

The important question is not simply whether a letter is academic or professional.

It is:

Can this person provide a detailed and credible assessment of my abilities?

Two strong academic recommendations can be better than adding a weaker professional letter merely to create variety. Similarly, an experienced professional applicant may have supervisors who can provide a much more current and useful assessment than a professor who barely remembers the student.

Applicants should also review each law school's current instructions because recommendation requirements differ.

How Should Transfer Applicants Be Evaluated?

Once a student has completed substantial law school coursework, first-year law school performance can provide admissions committees with information that did not exist during the original J.D. application process.

Twitty explained that W&L historically considered an applicant's full transfer file but placed considerable importance on first-year law school performance and recommendations from law professors.

That broader principle remains logical: actual law school performance can provide direct evidence of how a student handles legal education.

Students considering transferring should nevertheless think beyond rankings.

Questions worth considering include:

What will transferring cost?
Will credits transfer?
Will scholarship aid change?
How will recruiting opportunities differ?
Can transfer students participate in journals, clinics, moot court, or other programs?
What employment market does the new school serve?
What professional network will you gain or lose?
Are you transferring for a specific opportunity or simply for perceived prestige?
Will the new school provide a better academic and personal fit?

LawCrossing examines many of these issues in Should You Transfer Law Schools? What the Data and Firms Say.

Choosing a Law School: Look Beyond Rankings

One of the most useful evergreen lessons from the Twitty interview is that applicants should evaluate law schools as educational and professional environments rather than simply numbers in a ranking.

Rankings can provide one source of information, but they cannot fully capture differences in:

Location
School culture
Faculty access
Class size
Career services
Alumni networks
Practice-area opportunities
Clinics and experiential education
Cost of attendance
Scholarships
Employment geography
Student organizations
Quality of life

A school that works well for one applicant may be a poor fit for another.

Whenever possible, candidates should investigate schools directly, speak with current students and graduates, examine employment information, compare financial outcomes, and visit campuses when practical.

The Choosing a Law School forum on TLS contains extensive discussions about rankings, tuition, employment outcomes, school culture, and individual school choices.

Small Law Schools vs. Large Law Schools

Twitty's discussion of Washington and Lee also illustrates broader considerations when comparing law school size.

A smaller school may offer:

Greater faculty access
More personal interaction
Smaller classes
A strong sense of community
Easier access to administrators and career counselors
Opportunities to become deeply involved in student organizations

But smaller schools may also have:

Fewer electives
Smaller student organizations
A more limited geographic or social environment
Fewer specialized courses in some areas

Large schools can provide greater curricular breadth, larger alumni networks, and more organizations, but some students may prefer the intimacy and accessibility of a smaller program.

Neither model is inherently better.

Applicants should decide which environment best matches how they learn, build relationships, and pursue professional opportunities.

Career Planning Should Begin During Law School

A law school application is ultimately the beginning of a professional journey, not the end of an admissions contest.

Twitty emphasized the value of career counseling, alumni relationships, networking, interview preparation, and learning how to approach a legal job search strategically.

That principle is even more important for students deciding among schools.

Before enrolling, prospective students should investigate:

Where graduates work
Which employers recruit from the school
How strong the alumni network is in target markets
What internship and externship opportunities exist
How early career counseling begins
Which clinics and practical programs are available
How students develop professional networks
Whether the school has meaningful access to desired practice areas

LawCrossing's Career-Minded Law Student: Planning Beyond Graduation explains why students benefit from aligning coursework, practical experience, networking, and job-search strategy early.

Students can also review The Law Student's Guide to Building a Competitive Career Profile for guidance on developing skills, professional experience, and a coherent career narrative.

Practical Experience Matters

One topic in the original interview was Washington and Lee's then-developing emphasis on practical training during the third year.

The specific W&L curriculum discussed in 2011 should be verified against current school information. But the underlying issue remains highly relevant.

Prospective students should investigate how schools help students move from studying legal doctrine to performing professional legal work.

Useful experiential opportunities may include:

Legal clinics
Externships
Trial advocacy
Transactional simulations
Legal research and writing
Moot court
Pro bono work
Judicial internships
Law firm internships
Government placements

LawCrossing's Career Readiness for Law Students: Preparing Early for Legal Practice provides additional guidance on building practical and professional skills before graduation.

Networking and Alumni Relationships Matter

A strong legal education includes more than classroom instruction.

Professional relationships built during law school can become important sources of mentorship, career information, referrals, introductions, and employment opportunities.

Students should consider how effectively a school helps them connect with:

Alumni
Professors
Judges
Practicing attorneys
Employers
Career counselors
Students with similar professional interests

Networking works best when it begins as genuine relationship-building rather than a last-minute request for employment.

Law students who want a structured approach can review The Law Student Career Blueprint for Long-Term Success.

Law School Fit Is More Important Than Many Applicants Realize

One of the recurring ideas throughout Twitty's interview was fit.

Students will spend years studying, networking, interviewing, and developing professionally within the environment they choose.

Applicants should therefore ask themselves questions such as:

Do I want an urban, suburban, or smaller-community environment?
Do I prefer a large or small student body?
Where do I want to practice after graduation?
What type of legal career am I considering?
How important is direct faculty access?
What will my total debt likely be?
Does the school's culture suit me?
What opportunities will I actually use?
Are graduates finding the types of jobs I want?

The decision should be based on a combination of professional outcomes, financial considerations, academic opportunity, geographic goals, and personal circumstances.

Historical Context: Washington and Lee Law at the Time of the Interview

The original 2011 interview included detailed information about W&L's admissions procedures, class size, LSAT ranges, scholarships, student demographics, transfer patterns, employment outcomes, Loan Repayment Assistance Program, curriculum, career services, and U.S. News ranking.

Those figures are valuable as historical context but should not be relied upon when making a current application decision.

Applicants interested in Washington and Lee University School of Law should confirm current information directly through the law school's official materials and current ABA disclosures.

This distinction is important for any older admissions interview. The philosophy and advice of an experienced admissions professional may remain useful for years, while institutional statistics can become outdated quickly.

Key Law School Admissions Lessons from S. Brett Twitty

Several principles from Twitty's admissions perspective remain especially useful:

Treat the application as one connected story rather than a collection of unrelated documents.
Recognize that LSAT scores and GPA matter without assuming they are the only information admissions officers consider.
Use an addendum when it provides meaningful context for something an admissions reader will reasonably question.
Explain weaknesses instead of making excuses for them.
Use the personal statement to reveal something that cannot already be learned from the resume.
Choose recommendation writers who know you well rather than choosing people merely because their titles appear impressive.
Do not assume work experience is required before law school, but make sure you are genuinely ready for professional education.
Consider law school fit, cost, location, employment outcomes, culture, and opportunities—not rankings alone.
Begin thinking about your career before you arrive on campus.
Research each school's current policies instead of relying on historical statistics.

Frequently Asked Questions About Law School Admissions

Do law schools look only at LSAT scores and GPA?

No. Academic credentials are important, but law schools may also consider personal statements, recommendations, resumes, work history, leadership, community involvement, life experience, and other information contained in the application.

Should I write an addendum for a low GPA?

An addendum can be helpful when there is meaningful information that explains an unusual academic period or inconsistency. It should provide context rather than merely argue that the GPA does not represent your abilities.

Should I explain multiple LSAT scores?

If there is a substantial difference or unusual circumstance that would reasonably prompt a question from an admissions officer, a concise factual addendum may help. Applicants should also follow each school's current instructions.

What should a law school personal statement discuss?

A strong personal statement usually reveals something significant about the applicant that cannot be learned from grades, test scores, or a resume. The best topic depends on the applicant and the school's prompt.

Who should write my law school recommendation letters?

Choose recommenders who know your academic or professional abilities well and can offer detailed, credible observations. A specific letter from someone who knows you is generally more informative than a generic letter from someone prestigious.

Does work experience improve a law school application?

Meaningful work experience can strengthen an application by demonstrating maturity, responsibility, leadership, achievement, or another useful perspective. However, applicants do not necessarily need to work before attending law school.

Does undergraduate prestige determine law school admission?

No. An undergraduate institution can provide context, but an applicant's academic performance, application materials, experiences, and overall record are also important.

What should I consider when choosing a law school?

Look beyond rankings to cost, scholarships, employment outcomes, geography, alumni networks, faculty access, clinical opportunities, career services, school culture, and your own long-term career goals.

Related Top Law Schools Forum Discussions

For additional perspectives from law school applicants and students, visit these TLS forum resources:

Final Thoughts

The most important lesson from S. Brett Twitty's admissions perspective is that applicants should make it easy for an admissions committee to understand who they are.

Strong applications do more than present credentials. They give admissions officers a coherent picture of academic ability, experiences, character, judgment, accomplishments, and readiness for legal education.

Applicants cannot control every number or every part of their history. They can control how thoughtfully they present that history, how carefully they select their supporting materials, and how thoroughly they research the schools they are considering.

Approaching the process that way can produce not only a stronger law school application but also a more informed decision about where—and why—to attend law school.