Extracurricular Activities to Help You Get Into Law

Law school applications are often quite competitive, with top candidates applying from all over the world. If you are trying to get into law school, you may be wondering how to draft your application to ensure you stand out against the crowd. This guide is here to give you some examples of extracurricular activities you can do to improve your chances of getting into law school. 

Extracurricular Activities to Help You Get Into Law

• Debate club: Being part of this club shows admissions officers that you have the necessary skills to present your argument and defend it against opposing views. It also shows that you have developed the skills necessary to understand the opposition's argument and creatively come up with arguments on how to counter their points and propagate your own. This is a valuable skill to have on your application as lawyers are often required to present and defend their clients against the opposition. 

   

• Model UN: Similar to debate club, participating in Model UN shows that you have the skills required to argue for your position as well as argue against an opposing point of view. You will also demonstrate strong teamwork and research skills which are important for law school when you may have to work in a team or may need to do significant research for a case you are in charge of.

   

• Student government/student council: Being a part of the student council shows your leadership skills and ability to command a crowd. If you have also successfully implemented changes in your school due to your position, you can highlight this on your application as it shows your advocacy skills and passion to make a difference in the world. 

   

• Legal internships/job shadowing: Job shadowing or any internships in the legal field can be a valuable experience to have when applying to law school. This is an important extracurricular as it shows that you have experience shadowing someone in law while they do their job. This also shows admissions committees that you have taken the time to see what a day in a lawyer's life looks like and that you are interested in entering the field. You may also get experience with the type of questions that may be asked in court. 

   

• Advocacy: If you have been part of any advocacy or outreach groups, make sure to highlight these experiences on your application. Advocacy shows your willingness to voice your opinion to see positive change in the world and uplift those who may need it. This can be helpful when applying to law school as admissions officers want to see that candidates are passionate about helping others, which is especially important in a legal setting where lawyers are supposed to represent their clients. 

   

• Research: Research experience in fields such as history, political science, sociology, psychology, etc. can be very useful when applying to law school as it shows that you have sufficient skills to research facts to strengthen your arguments. 

   

• Public speaking: If you have any significant public speaking experience, you should include it in your application. This shows admissions officers that you are not afraid to speak in front of large crowds, and can effectively manage your thought process and capture the audience's attention. These are important skills for lawyers to have when representing their clients in court. 

   

• Other hobbies: You should highlight your hobbies on your application as well. Even though these may not directly be related to law, you can use them to highlight your strengths as a person. For example, if you were a club president you could use that role to showcase your leadership skills, or if you were on a sports team you could use that role to showcase your collaboration and teamwork skills.