Fordham Law Admissions Advice: Stephen Brown on Applications, Personal Statements, Waitlists, and More

^{Last Updated: September 2026}

Applying to law school involves much more than submitting an LSAT score and undergraduate GPA. Admissions officers evaluate applicants as people, considering their writing, experiences, judgment, accomplishments, goals, and potential contributions to a law school community.

Stephen Brown, who served as Associate Dean of Admissions at Fordham University School of Law when this interview was originally conducted, offered Top-Law-Schools.com an inside look at how admissions professionals evaluate law school candidates and what applicants can do to present stronger applications.

Although some Fordham-specific policies and statistics discussed in the original interview reflected the admissions environment at that time, Brown's broader advice about personal statements, application strategy, recommendations, waitlists, transfers, and choosing a law school remains useful to prospective law students.

Editor's Note: This interview was originally conducted in 2009. Fordham Law's admissions requirements, deadlines, application policies, tuition, financial aid, employment outcomes, class profiles, and other statistics may have changed. Applicants should consult Fordham University School of Law directly for current information. This updated version focuses on the broader admissions lessons contained in Brown's interview.

What Do Law School Admissions Officers Look for in an Application?

One of the strongest themes in Brown's admissions philosophy is that an applicant should not be reduced to a collection of numbers.

LSAT scores and undergraduate grades are important components of a law school application, but admissions committees also want to understand the individual behind those numbers.

That makes the personal statement, résumé, academic record, recommendations when submitted, and other application materials valuable opportunities to demonstrate qualities that standardized statistics cannot fully capture.

Admissions committees may consider characteristics such as:

Maturity and judgment
Professional and life experience
Leadership
Community involvement
Intellectual curiosity
Communication skills
Resilience
Unusual accomplishments or perspectives
Evidence that the applicant has seriously considered attending law school

Brown emphasized that candidates with professional experience, military service, public service, creative accomplishments, technical backgrounds, and other meaningful experiences can add something distinctive to a law school class.

The larger lesson for applicants is simple: do not assume your application begins and ends with your GPA and LSAT score.

Your numbers establish part of your academic profile. The rest of the application explains who you are.

Applicants researching schools can also review the Fordham Law School profile on Top-Law-Schools.com for additional background about the school.

Why the Law School Personal Statement Matters

Brown placed substantial importance on the personal statement because it allows applicants to introduce themselves in a way that transcripts and test scores cannot.

A strong personal statement should help an admissions committee understand something meaningful about you.

That does not mean trying to sound extraordinary at all costs. In fact, forcing an impressive-sounding story can make an essay less convincing.

Instead, focus on authenticity and specificity.

Your statement might explore:

An experience that changed the way you think
A challenge that shaped your goals
An unusual academic or professional interest
Work or volunteer experience
Leadership responsibilities
A meaningful accomplishment
A personal experience that reveals important qualities
An intellectual interest connected to your future goals

The goal is to give the admissions committee information it could not obtain simply by reviewing your transcript and résumé.

Applicants looking for additional guidance can explore the Top-Law-Schools.com Personal Statement Guide.

Avoid Arrogance in Your Personal Statement

One of Brown's most memorable pieces of application advice concerns tone.

Confidence is useful. Arrogance is not.

Admissions professionals are evaluating more than academic potential. They are also considering whether applicants are likely to become constructive members of the law school community.

An essay that communicates entitlement, contempt for others, excessive self-importance, or an assumption that admission is deserved can undermine an otherwise strong application.

A better approach is to demonstrate accomplishments through evidence.

Instead of announcing that you are an exceptional leader, describe an experience in which you successfully led others.

Instead of saying that you possess extraordinary resilience, tell a story demonstrating how you responded to a difficult situation.

Let the reader reach positive conclusions about your qualities.

Proofread Every Part of Your Law School Application

Attention to detail matters in both law school and legal practice.

An application containing the wrong school's name, obvious spelling mistakes, incomplete sentences, careless formatting, or inconsistent information can suggest that the applicant rushed through the process.

Before submitting an application:

Check the school's name throughout every document.
Proofread your personal statement several times.
Review your résumé for dates and formatting inconsistencies.
Follow page and word limits.
Confirm that required attachments have been included.
Make sure optional essays actually answer the requested question.
Have another person review important materials.

A polished application will not guarantee admission, but avoidable mistakes can unnecessarily weaken an applicant's presentation.

Should You Apply to Law School Early?

Brown encouraged candidates to complete their applications early when applying to schools that use rolling admissions.

The exact significance of application timing varies by law school and admissions cycle, so applicants should always review each school's current admissions policies and deadlines.

Nevertheless, applying earlier can provide practical advantages.

It gives applicants time to resolve missing documents, correct application problems, prepare financial-aid materials, and respond to communications from admissions offices.

However, early should not mean rushed.

Submitting a poorly prepared application weeks earlier is generally less useful than taking the necessary time to submit a thoughtful, accurate, polished application.

Applicants should balance timing with quality.

How Important Are LSAT Scores and GPA?

LSAT scores and undergraduate GPA remain highly visible components of the law school admissions process, but Brown emphasized that an application is reviewed as a whole.

Admissions committees may consider factors that provide context for an applicant's academic record, including:

An upward grade trend
The rigor of coursework
Undergraduate major
Work responsibilities during college
Significant personal circumstances
Graduate education
Professional accomplishments
Military experience
Leadership or public service

An applicant whose first year of college was difficult but whose grades improved substantially over the remaining years may present a different academic story than someone whose grades steadily declined.

Context does not erase academic performance, but it can help admissions officers understand it.

Do Undergraduate School Prestige and Major Matter?

Applicants sometimes worry that attending a less prestigious undergraduate institution will automatically put them at a disadvantage.

Brown's comments suggested a broader approach: what an applicant did with the educational opportunities available can matter more than simply possessing a famous school name.

The same principle applies to undergraduate majors.

Law schools admit students from many academic disciplines, including:

Political science
History
Economics
Engineering
Mathematics
Science
Music
Business
English and humanities
Technology-related disciplines

There is no single undergraduate major required for law school.

Applicants should focus on obtaining a strong education, developing analytical and writing abilities, and pursuing subjects that genuinely interest them.

Do Graduate Degrees Help With Law School Admission?

Graduate education can provide additional evidence of intellectual maturity and academic commitment.

It can also introduce experiences and expertise that distinguish an applicant from others in the pool.

However, applicants should not assume that earning a graduate degree automatically compensates for every weakness elsewhere in an application.

Instead, graduate study becomes another part of the overall story admissions committees evaluate.

Candidates with graduate education should explain how their advanced study, research, professional development, or specialized knowledge has prepared them for legal education when that connection is relevant.

When Should You Write an LSAT or GPA Addendum?

An application addendum can be helpful when there is significant context that admissions officers would otherwise be unable to understand.

Examples might include:

A serious illness during a semester
Significant family responsibilities
An unusual interruption in education
A substantial difference between multiple test scores
Documented circumstances affecting academic performance
Another unusual element of the academic record requiring explanation

Brown's advice was to keep an addendum direct.

An addendum generally works best when it:

Identifies the relevant issue.
Provides necessary factual context.
Explains the situation concisely.
Describes improvement or resolution when relevant.
Avoids excuses or unnecessary emotional language.

An addendum is not another personal statement. Its primary purpose is clarification.

How Should Applicants Choose Law School Recommendations?

The usefulness of a recommendation generally depends much more on how well the recommender knows the applicant than on the recommender's title.

A detailed recommendation from a professor who taught you, evaluated your work, and can describe your intellectual abilities may be more informative than a generic letter from a prominent person who barely knows you.

Depending on a school's current requirements, useful recommenders might include:

Professors
Academic advisers
Research supervisors
Employers
Internship supervisors
Professional mentors

When asking for a recommendation, applicants should determine whether the individual can write a strong and supportive letter.

Provide recommenders with adequate preparation time as well as useful background information, such as your résumé, academic interests, accomplishments, and future goals.

Most importantly, carefully review each law school's current instructions regarding the number and type of recommendations it requires or accepts.

Can a Recommendation Letter Hurt an Applicant?

Yes.

Brown noted that admissions offices occasionally encounter recommendation letters that are surprisingly negative.

That is why applicants should not simply ask:

"Can you write me a recommendation?"

A better question is whether the person feels comfortable writing a strong, positive recommendation.

That distinction gives a reluctant recommender an opportunity to decline rather than submitting an unenthusiastic or damaging letter.

Strong recommendations are usually specific. They describe concrete examples of an applicant's intellectual ability, reliability, maturity, leadership, communication skills, work ethic, or potential.

Generic praise provides much less information.

What Should You Do If You Are Waitlisted?

A law school waitlist can be frustrating because movement depends on factors outside the applicant's control, including how many admitted students ultimately enroll.

Brown encouraged waitlisted applicants to communicate genuine interest without overwhelming the admissions office.

Appropriate follow-up might include:

A concise letter of continued interest
Meaningful academic updates
A significant professional accomplishment
A new LSAT score
An updated résumé
An additional semester of strong grades
A relevant award or achievement

If a school remains your preferred choice, say so sincerely when appropriate.

Applicants should avoid excessive phone calls, repeated messages without new information, demands for explanations, or comparisons with other applicants.

Professionalism still matters when you are on a waitlist.

For additional discussion, see the TLS forum resource on Letters of Continued Interest (LOCI) and samples.

What Makes a Strong Transfer Applicant?

Students considering a transfer after their first year of law school enter a different admissions environment.

First-year law school performance typically becomes a major factor because admissions committees now have direct evidence of how the student performs in legal education.

However, Brown emphasized that admissions officers can still consider the applicant beyond grades alone.

Leadership, extracurricular participation, community service, employment, professional experience, and other accomplishments can provide additional context.

Transfer applicants should be prepared to explain:

Why they want to transfer
Why the destination school fits their goals
What they have accomplished during their first year
How transferring advances their academic or professional plans

A transfer application should present a convincing reason for making the change rather than relying solely on the prestige of the destination school.

How Should Applicants Choose Between Law Schools?

Brown strongly encouraged applicants to research schools personally rather than basing their decisions entirely on rankings.

Rankings can provide one source of information, but applicants should consider a much wider set of factors.

These include:

Employment outcomes
Geographic placement
Tuition and expected debt
Scholarship terms
Academic programs
Clinical opportunities
Faculty
Alumni network
Student culture
Career services
Class size
Practice-area opportunities
Bar passage information
Quality of life

Whenever practical, visiting a school can provide information that statistics cannot.

Talk to current students. Attend an admitted-student program. Explore the surrounding area. Ask questions about career services and academic opportunities.

You are not simply choosing a ranking. You are choosing where you may spend several important years of your life and potentially establishing the professional network that will influence your early legal career.

Consider Geography When Choosing a Law School

Geography deserves particular attention.

Law schools often have especially strong relationships with employers and alumni in their surrounding markets. Applicants should therefore consider where they may ultimately want to practice.

Fordham's location in New York City has historically been an important component of its identity and professional network.

However, applicants comparing Fordham with other schools should review current employment data rather than relying on historical placement statistics.

Ask:

Where do recent graduates actually work?
Which employers regularly recruit from the school?
How large is the alumni network in my preferred region?
Does the school offer programs related to my intended practice area?
Will the expected debt make sense given likely career outcomes?

Location should be evaluated alongside cost, employment possibilities, and personal goals.

Think About Your Legal Career Before Choosing a School

Law school is both an educational decision and a major career investment.

Prospective students should begin thinking about professional goals before enrollment rather than waiting until graduation.

You do not need to know exactly what kind of lawyer you want to become. Many students change direction after exposure to different courses and practice areas.

But asking basic career questions early can improve your decision-making.

Consider:

Which legal practice areas interest you?
Would you prefer a law firm, government, public-interest, judicial, business, or alternative legal career?
Are you interested in a particular geographic market?
How much debt are you comfortable assuming?
What employment outcomes would make the investment worthwhile?

For career planning resources, LawCrossing's Law Student's Guide to Building a Competitive Career Profile explains how students can combine academics, legal experience, professional skills, and networking to prepare for employment.

Students who are still exploring their direction may also find Building Career Clarity: A Practical Guide for Law Students useful.

Build a Law School Application That Tells a Consistent Story

Perhaps the most useful lesson from Brown's interview is that a strong application should help admissions officers understand the person behind it.

Think about your entire application as a single presentation.

Your transcript provides evidence of your academic history.

Your LSAT provides one standardized measure of academic skills.

Your résumé demonstrates experiences and accomplishments.

Your personal statement provides your voice.

Recommendations offer outside perspectives.

Addenda provide necessary context.

Optional essays demonstrate additional interests or fit.

These components should complement one another rather than repeat exactly the same information.

An admissions committee should finish reviewing your application with a clear sense of your background, your strengths, what motivates you, and what you could contribute to the law school community.

Stephen Brown's Key Advice for Law School Applicants

Brown's broader admissions advice can be distilled into several enduring principles:

Take the application process seriously.
Give your personal statement substantial attention.
Present yourself confidently without sounding entitled.
Proofread everything.
Explain meaningful weaknesses directly when an addendum is appropriate.
Choose recommenders who genuinely know your work.
Consider your entire academic trajectory rather than focusing on one number.
Research schools carefully.
Apply early when doing so makes sense under a school's current admissions process.
Communicate professionally if you are waitlisted.
Visit schools when possible.
Think carefully about whether law school aligns with your goals.
Evaluate schools based on much more than rankings.

Admissions decisions involve numbers, but they are ultimately decisions about people.

Applicants who approach the process thoughtfully, professionally, and authentically give admissions committees a much clearer picture of what they could contribute as law students and future members of the legal profession.

Related Top-Law-Schools.com Resources

Related LawCrossing Career Resources

Relevant Top-Law-Schools.com Forum Discussions

Top-Law-Schools.com originally interviewed Stephen Brown while he was serving as Associate Dean of Admissions at Fordham University School of Law. The interview has been reorganized and updated for evergreen readability while preserving its core admissions insights. Applicants should verify all current Fordham Law admissions policies, requirements, deadlines, tuition, financial aid, and outcomes directly with the law school.