Susan Lee on Gonzaga Law Admissions: Personal Statements, GPA, LSAT, Scholarships, and Law School Fit

^{Last Updated: September 2026}

Susan Lee, former Director of Admissions at Gonzaga University School of Law, spoke with Top-Law-Schools.com about what admissions officers look for in prospective law students and how applicants can present a stronger, more authentic application.

Although individual law school requirements, deadlines, scholarship programs, and admissions practices change over time, many of Lee's observations remain useful for applicants thinking about the larger strategy behind a law school application. Her advice touches on academic performance, personal statements, LSAT scores, graduate education, extracurricular involvement, application timing, financial aid, transfers, and perhaps most importantly, choosing a law school that is genuinely a good fit.

Applicants who are preparing their materials may also benefit from the TLS guide to law school personal statements and the broader law school admissions resources. The personal statement, in particular, remains one of the primary opportunities for applicants to communicate information that may not be obvious from grades, test scores, and a résumé.

What Does a Strong Gonzaga Law Applicant Look Like?

When asked to describe an ideal candidate for Gonzaga Law, Lee emphasized both academic ability and the likelihood that the student would contribute meaningfully to the school community.

She explained that the admissions team looked for academically inclined applicants and, among well-qualified candidates, tried to identify people who were likely to flourish at Gonzaga. Participation in extracurricular activities and service were among the qualities the school considered.

But Lee also stressed something less measurable: authenticity.

Admissions officers wanted to understand whether applicants were presenting an accurate picture of themselves and what they might contribute to their classmates, the law school, and the surrounding community. That principle remains useful beyond Gonzaga. A strong application should not simply attempt to predict what an admissions committee wants to hear. It should give the reader a coherent and credible understanding of the applicant.

For a broader look at the factors admissions committees may consider, see LawCrossing's guide to how law schools determine whom to admit.

How Does Holistic Law School Admissions Work?

Lee described Gonzaga's process at the time of the interview as holistic. Rather than evaluating candidates exclusively by numbers, the admissions office considered the application as a whole.

The evaluation included:

The personal statement
Undergraduate academic performance
LSAT results
The applicant's résumé
Letters of recommendation

This approach highlights an important distinction for law school applicants. GPA and admissions-test performance can be important components of an application, but they do not necessarily communicate an applicant's motivations, character, experiences, writing ability, leadership, or potential contribution to a law school community.

LawCrossing's law school admissions process guide similarly discusses academic credentials alongside writing skills, recommendations, professional experience, community activities, motivation, accomplishments, and other factors.

How Important Is the Law School Personal Statement?

One of the strongest themes in Lee's interview is the importance of the personal statement.

She explained that the statement gave Gonzaga's admissions team an opportunity to understand an applicant's personal values and reasons for pursuing law school rather than evaluating the candidate only through numerical indicators.

That makes the personal statement an important opportunity to answer questions that a transcript cannot:

Why does the applicant want a legal education?
What experiences have shaped that decision?
What matters to the applicant?
What has the applicant learned from previous experiences?
What might the applicant contribute to a law school community?
Is the applicant's story consistent with the rest of the application?

Applicants should avoid simply transforming their résumé into paragraphs. A more effective essay generally reveals something meaningful that would otherwise be difficult for an admissions committee to learn.

For examples, writing strategies, common mistakes, and step-by-step guidance, review the TLS Law School Personal Statements: Guides, Examples & Writing Tips. The resource explains that a personal statement can help admissions readers understand an applicant beyond GPA, test scores, résumé, and other application materials.

LawCrossing also offers a broader guide to preparing for law school, including advice on building an application, writing personal statements, obtaining recommendations, and preparing other materials.

Does Undergraduate School Prestige Matter?

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

Lee explained that Gonzaga considered the institution an applicant attended, but academic achievement ultimately mattered more than undergraduate prestige.

That is a useful distinction. The name of an undergraduate institution may provide context, but applicants should concentrate on the parts of their academic record they can explain and present effectively: grades, course selection, improvement over time, accomplishments, academic challenges, and the overall story reflected by the transcript.

How Do Law Schools View Grade Deflation and Difficult Majors?

Not all GPAs are earned under identical circumstances.

Lee said that Gonzaga considered grade deflation and recognized that some academic programs could be more rigorous than others. However, those considerations were evaluated as part of the larger application.

The underlying lesson is that an applicant should not assume that a GPA will always be interpreted in isolation. Academic context may matter.

Where a transcript contains a significant issue that requires explanation, a concise application addendum can sometimes provide useful context. The goal should generally be to explain the circumstances clearly rather than argue with the transcript or avoid responsibility.

Can Graduate School Help Offset a Lower Undergraduate GPA?

Lee indicated that graduate degrees could be viewed favorably, particularly when an applicant's undergraduate record was weaker.

Strong graduate performance can provide additional evidence that an applicant has developed academically, become more disciplined, or is capable of succeeding in demanding coursework.

At the same time, graduate grades do not erase an undergraduate record. Applicants should treat later academic success as additional evidence of development rather than as a substitute for explaining an important weakness in the earlier record.

LawCrossing's guide on gaining acceptance to the law school of your choice discusses factors including undergraduate GPA, admissions-test performance, graduate education, extracurricular activities, personal statements, recommendations, professional accomplishments, and other application components.

When Should You Write a Law School Addendum?

Lee recommended that applicants whose undergraduate performance was affected by significant circumstances consider providing an addendum explaining what happened.

She also emphasized responsibility.

That distinction is important. A useful addendum should generally provide information rather than excuses. If illness, family circumstances, employment responsibilities, a disruption in education, or another significant event materially affected an applicant's performance, an addendum can help the admissions committee understand the record.

An effective addendum should usually:

Identify the relevant issue clearly.
Explain the circumstances briefly.
Avoid unnecessary drama or defensiveness.
Take responsibility where appropriate.
Describe subsequent improvement when relevant.
Allow the reader to return quickly to the rest of the application.

Not every lower grade, difficult semester, or disappointing test result needs an addendum. Applicants should use one when the additional context genuinely helps the reader evaluate the record.

How Important Are Service and Community Involvement?

Gonzaga's Jesuit tradition was an important part of Lee's discussion of the school's identity.

She described a law school culture influenced by service, leadership, and using legal education to contribute to others. Applicants with meaningful volunteer, community, extracurricular, or public-service experience could therefore demonstrate qualities consistent with that institutional mission.

This points to a broader application strategy: research what a particular law school values.

Instead of sending essentially the same application to every school, applicants should understand each institution's programs, culture, location, teaching philosophy, career outcomes, and community. That research can also make supplemental essays and school-specific statements more persuasive.

Should You Apply to Law School Early?

Lee encouraged applicants to apply relatively early during the admissions cycle in effect when the original interview was conducted.

Because application dates, admissions procedures, and deadlines change, applicants should not rely on historical dates from an older interview. They should verify the current deadline and application process directly with every law school to which they intend to apply.

The broader lesson, however, remains useful: applicants should begin preparing well before the deadline.

Starting early provides additional time to:

Review application instructions.
Request transcripts.
Obtain recommendations.
Draft and revise personal statements.
Prepare supplemental essays.
Correct résumé errors.
Research scholarship requirements.
Resolve Credential Assembly Service or application issues.
Review each application carefully before submission.

LawCrossing's guide to developing a strategy for law school applications discusses the importance of the overall impression created by application materials and the attention to detail reflected in them.

What Should Applicants Know About Law School Scholarships?

Scholarship policies are among the parts of an admissions interview most likely to become outdated.

At the time of Lee's original interview, she discussed Gonzaga's scholarship program and the role of academic achievement and LSAT performance. Those historical figures should not be interpreted as current scholarship guarantees or policies.

Prospective students should instead verify current scholarship information directly with the school and compare:

Total tuition
Amount of scholarship assistance
Whether an award is renewable
Renewal conditions
Required academic standing
Cost of living
Expected borrowing
Fees and other expenses
Employment and bar-passage outcomes

A scholarship can substantially change the economics of attending a particular school, so applicants should evaluate the complete financial package rather than the scholarship headline alone.

For additional background, see LawCrossing's guide to law school scholarships and grants and its discussion of law school tuition, financial aid, and scholarships.

What Should Transfer Applicants Consider?

Lee explained that Gonzaga historically treated transfer applications in many respects like applications from first-year students, although the school had relatively few transfer places available at the time.

Transfer admissions policies vary significantly by school and year, so students considering a transfer should verify the current requirements directly with the institution.

Important considerations may include:

First-year law school grades
Class rank
Reasons for transferring
Recommendation letters
Personal statement
Current school's academic record
Available seats
Transfer-credit policies
Scholarship implications
Career opportunities
Law review and extracurricular eligibility
Recruiting timelines

The TLS forum's Advice for Transferring to Another Law School discussion provides additional perspectives on the transfer process, although forum posts should be treated as peer discussion rather than official school policy.

How Much Should Law School Rankings Matter?

Lee cautioned against allowing rankings to control decisions that should be based on broader educational considerations.

Rankings may provide one source of information, but they cannot tell an applicant everything about cost, location, career goals, academic programs, teaching environment, student culture, or personal fit.

TLS's Law School Rankings guide similarly encourages applicants to look beyond a single ranking system and consider which law school is the best fit for their individual goals and circumstances.

When comparing schools, applicants may want to consider:

Employment outcomes
Bar-passage data
Geographic placement
Tuition and expected debt
Scholarship conditions
Practice-area opportunities
Clinical programs
Faculty accessibility
Class size
Alumni network
Student culture
Career services
Where graduates actually work

Rankings can be one part of the analysis, but they should not substitute for that research.

Choosing a Law School Based on Fit

Lee's final advice may be the most durable point from the entire interview: choose a law school based on fit.

Applicants are making a decision that can affect their education, finances, professional network, geographic mobility, career opportunities, and quality of life for years afterward.

A school that is attractive on paper may not necessarily be the right choice for every student.

Whenever possible, applicants should investigate the school closely. Visiting can be useful, but students who cannot visit in person can still speak with current students and alumni, attend virtual events, explore course offerings, examine employment disclosures, research faculty and clinics, and study the school's surrounding legal market.

The goal is to answer a broader question than simply, "Can I get admitted?"

Will this law school help me build the type of legal career I actually want at a financial cost I can reasonably manage?

That is a much more useful framework for making the final decision.

Key Takeaways from Susan Lee's Law School Admissions Advice

Susan Lee's interview offers several lessons that remain valuable even as specific admissions policies change:

A law school application should tell a coherent story about the applicant rather than relying exclusively on numbers.
Authenticity matters when presenting experiences, goals, and motivations.
A personal statement can help admissions officers understand information that a transcript and test score cannot communicate.
Academic context may matter when evaluating GPA, course rigor, graduate work, or unusual circumstances.
An addendum can help explain meaningful weaknesses when it is concise, factual, and responsible.
Service, extracurricular involvement, and community contribution may help demonstrate what an applicant would bring to a law school.
Applicants should prepare early and carefully review every school's current requirements.
Financial aid should be evaluated as part of the overall cost of attendance.
Rankings are only one factor in choosing a law school.
Personal, professional, geographic, and financial fit should play a major role in the final decision.

Specific Gonzaga Law requirements and policies have changed since Susan Lee's original interview, so applicants should always confirm current admissions, application, scholarship, and transfer information with the law school itself. The enduring value of Lee's advice lies in the larger principles behind a strong law school application: know your story, present it authentically, understand the institution, and choose the school that best supports your goals.