CHAPTER 3: PUTTING YOUR BEST FOOT FORWARD

KNOW YOUR COMPETITION

Competitive applicants to the top law schools are all smart and accomplished in their own ways, but many are still undergraduates or have been out of school for only a couple of years. Few will possess the leadership experience you have. As a non-traditional applicant, you have an advantage as law schools seek out a diverse student body possessing a wide range of backgrounds.

But in order for your record to give you a leg up, you need to show how your particular experiences and perspective relate to your future study of the law and make you an asset to the legal community. A commendable service record alone won't get you admitted to a top school– through your application you need to convince admissions committees that your record of service translates into you becoming an exemplary student.

STANDING OUT FROM YOUR PEERS

It is not enough to simply have been a good Soldier, Sailor, Airman, Coastguard or Marine. Particularly if you aspire to attend a T14 school, you will have to show that you were among the best of your military peers. So how can you prove that you were a top performer? Your two best tools for this will be your resume and your letters of recommendation.

On your resume, you can make yourself stand out by noting any special jobs, accelerated promotions, fitness report rankings, awards, etc. For instance, if you were ranked #1 out of 10 peers by your commanding officer, this would be a valuable thing to put front and center on your resume. If you were promoted to a position earlier than is typical for that job, this too should be noted. Even if you were not ranked highly or promoted quickly, there are other ways to stand out. Did you publish articles in professional service journals, or attend special training courses, or take on challenging collateral duties? You can also list the awards you received (schools typically do not know what each award means or how difficult they are to get, so you may want to explain noteworthy ones- i.e. combat awards).

In Chapter 9, we will go much further in depth on how to get a glowing recommendation letter. But for now, you need to understand that what matters most is the enthusiasm and praise the recommender has for you. If you are choosing between several people, choose the person that is most likely to say you were his/her best subordinate. This is infinitely more important than the qualifications of the person– a glowing recommendation from a Captain is better than a lukewarm recommendation from a Lieutenant Colonel.

In addition to your resume, letters of recommendation and GPA/LSAT scores, expressing clear interest in, and a thorough knowledge of your goal schools can improve your application. Reaching out to veterans affinity groups at goal schools can help you acquire an understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of each school. Moreover, many veterans affinity groups offer resume and essay editing advice which is particularly beneficial if you are writing a “Why X” essay for a school. Several schools within the T14 including Harvard and Penn offer veterans visit days or specific events for veterans which will provide you with the opportunity to meet both admissions officers and current student veterans in a more intimate, personalized setting than standard admissions information sessions.

STEREOTYPES OF MILITARY APPLICANTS

Whether fair or not, military applicants are sometimes stereotyped, which can work both for and against you. By virtue of your background, admissions committee members will assume that you have extensive leadership and teamwork training, and that you know how to make tough decisions in trying circumstances. This is a strong reason why law school programs have such an affinity for military applicants, and your task in crafting your application is to confirm and build upon these positive stereotypes.

On the other hand, military applicants are sometimes assumed to also have certain weaknesses: an inability to operate without clear guidance or a chain of command; poor communication ability, both written and oral; and a lack of creativity and intellectual curiosity. You should be mindful of these stereotypes, as they will be part of an admissions officer's initial impression of you. But this does not mean you need to devote an entire essay to why you actually do have a lot of creativity. Instead, consider how you can more subtly rebut these stereotypes by highlighting certain aspects of your life, personality, and skill-set in your resume, personal statement, and letters of recommendation.

YOUR “NARRATIVE”

Law schools want you to engage in self-reflection about your life and work experience. What matters most to you both in your personal life and career, and how are your past, present, and future connected? Is there a common theme or motivation behind your decision to serve and your decision to attend law school? You'll want to demonstrate that you’ve also given plenty of thought to what comes after law school, and that you’re not just aimlessly wandering into your post-military life.

As a military veteran, you already stand out from civilian candidates in the admissions process and benefit from the positive stereotypes mentioned above. But you are also competing for admission against other veterans, who may possess experiences very similar to yours. So you need to think about what makes you an individual and develop an engaging personal voice.

This brings us to your application “narrative.” While law school applications may seem lengthy when you are writing them, the fact is that you do not have that much space to convince a school that they should want you as a student and future alumnus. To set yourself up for success, you should develop a “narrative” theme or self-marketing handle that encapsulates your greatest strengths and most meaningful experiences in 1-2 sentences and will stand out in the minds of the admissions officers. This exercise will help you focus your application and allow you to present a coherent and compelling picture of yourself as a candidate.

An example of a good summary theme could be the following: “I am an Army Infantry Officer who writes poetry in his free time and volunteers at the Wounded Warrior Games. I want to use my military experience to work within the international law field to update the Law of Armed Conflict for the 21st century.”

Why does this theme work? As an Army Infantry Officer, the candidate obviously possesses strong leadership and management ability. But the poetry hobby and volunteer work add depth to his profile. And he draws a clear connection between his past military service and his desire to attend law school and work on Law of Armed Conflict issues.

The time and energy spent developing your narrative is crucial. This should drive how you approach each component in your application, from developing your personal statement topic, to selecting your recommenders, to choosing what to highlight in your resume. It will also help you when it comes time for interviews later in the process. Ultimately, your goal is to provide the admissions committee with a clear sense of who you are, what drives you, and what your vision for your life is.