With more than 130 law schools to choose from, how will law school hopefuls successfully determine which law schools fit their needs and their interests? You must first answer the most important life and career question: What do you want to do with your life? The law schools you choose to apply to and then finally choose to attend should help you achieve your professional mission and goals.

Even though you will consult with your family, your friends, your professors, and your advisors about which law program is right for you, you must make the decision yourself. You should not rely on anyone else to make your decision for you. You will be the one amassing substantial debt, attending that school, and living in that school’s library. You will always—throughout your professional career—be associated with that law program. You must make the time to research and visit individual schools. You must take the responsibility for choosing the right program for your goals and interests. The next section, Succeeding in Law School, offers advice on how to be successful in law school.

If you can determine your intended role as a lawyer, then you will be able to make well-reasoned choices of which law schools to apply to. If you are interested in a particular area of law, then you can assess if the law schools you are considering offer courses, have dedicated faculty, have a journal, or run a clinic in that area of law.

For each law program you are considering, answer the following questions:

• What are the strengths of the law school and the law program?
• How will the particular law program give you a competitive advantage in the legal profession?
• Will it give you enough of a competitive advantage in your intended profession to outweigh its costs?
• How important is the law school’s reputation for you to fulfill your career goals?

If you are like most prospective law students and have an interest in many areas of law that you intend to explore in law school, then you must consider many additional factors during the application and selection process.

While first year law school curriculum remains generally the same across law schools, the atmosphere, the specialties, and the opportunities differ across law campuses. Choosing the appropriate law school depends upon many individual factors, not just the law school’s ranking in US News & World Report. It means choosing the right law school program for your interests and goals.

As you are choosing law schools to apply to and then selecting the specific law school you want to attend, you should consider and weigh the following factors:

• Plans: Your professional plans will dictate how strongly you rely on statistical information like the US News & World Report rankings.
• Geographical Considerations: Many students choose law schools based on where they want to live and practice, where they feel comfortable, and where they have a supportive network. If you want to live in a specific part of the country, seriously consider attending law school there.
• Your Job Search: Choosing a more rural or a more urban area for your law school will affect the number of job opportunities available during the school year. Many students work during their second year and third year at paid jobs, in externships, or in clinical programs. By choosing your law school, you are also choosing employment possibilities.
• Areas of Specialization, Clinical Programs, and Externships:  Clinical programs enable law students to act as representatives for clients, and allow law students to gain actual, hands-on experience interviewing clients, presenting their case in court, and writing briefs for the court. Also, find out what externship opportunities are available through the law school. Externships enable law students to gain credit for work in government agencies, the judiciary, non-profit organizations, and law firms.
• School’s Reputation: Consider the school’s placement rates and reputation, as that may translate into more or less successful placement rates, professional contacts, or professional recognition. You need to ask yourself if the program is worth the cost. Most prospective law students aspire to attend the most academically competitive schools within their range of possibilities based on their LSAT scores and GPA; however, the final choice of a law school has to be based on a list of criteria including your professional plan, your finances, scholarships received, and the specific law schools’ programs.
• Part-Time vs. Full-Time Programs: Full-time programs offer students the opportunity to take part in clinical programs and most importantly to pursue summer employment at law firms that can lead to full-time jobs. Part-time programs, which are only one year longer than full-time programs, enable students to maintain their work and financial lives while pursuing a professional degree. Part-time students must be able to multitask well and balance their job responsibilities as well as their familial responsibilities. If you are interested in a part-time program, you must consult each law school individually because not every law school offers a part-time option.
• Joint Degree Programs: If you are considering another degree, combining the degrees in a joint degree program will generally save you one year of time and tuition. Additionally, you may be considered for research positions or teaching assistantships as a member of the graduate program. Before applying you should be certain why you need the additional degree and how it will further your professional goals. Applying for a joint degree program will not help you in your efforts to gain entrance to law school. You must apply separately to each program—to the law school and to the masters program—and be admitted to each program individually.
• School’s Size & the Student Body: Law school is a distinct school on the campus, and there is not much interaction between law students and other students on campus. However, you might like the atmosphere and amenities the larger university offers. A law school’s distinction as a large or a small law school depends on several hundred students, not several thousand like the distinction between colleges. The feel of the school and the number of electives available are two notable differences.
• Placement Statistics, Bar Passage Rates, and Career Services Office Resources: When students are admitted to law school, many law students experience a sense of entitlement and do not realize that they are responsible for creating their own career opportunities. Career Services Offices do not replace a student’s efforts. The legal professional is extremely competitive, and you must be proactive and assertive in your job search. When you visit a law school, plan to visit the Career Services Office and talk to Career Services professionals.
• Cost of Tuition, Finances, & Financial Aid: When you are selecting a law school to attend, you must acknowledge what your professional goals are and also what the average pay per lawyer is. You need to plan according to the average pay per lawyer, not based on the highest pay per lawyer. You must find out if the prospective law school you want to attend has a Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP). These programs provide law graduates with assistance repaying loans if the graduate is working in a public interest law position. Not all law schools offer a LRAP, so contact each law school you are considering.
• Library and Facilities: When you are considering law schools, you need to do something radical: You MUST visit the law library, and imagine spending most of your time there. You will spend more time in the library than anywhere else during your law school career. Ask a librarian for a tour of the facility. Find out what resources are available.
• Student Organizations & Extracurricular Activities: Many law school organizations are action-oriented groups whose membership is based on interests in promoting and exploring different areas of law. Get involved early in activities and organizations at your law school so you can meet students in different years and different sections. You will feel happier and more connected to why you went to law school in the first place if you become a member of a legal organization you are interested in.
• Faculty: When you are comparing law schools, look at the ratio of students to faculty and the number of students in each class. When you are comparing the faculty at different schools, look for the legal specialties you’re interested in. Also, when you are visiting the schools, ask current students about the faculty. Attend the law schools’ Open Houses and their Admitted Student Nights so you can meet faculty.
• Your Impression of the School: Each law school has a different feel, a different emphasis, a different atmosphere. At Villanova University, the mission of the university stresses pursuing excellence in teaching by developing working relationships with students that value .. the importance of working with students, of pursuing excellence in teaching, and in developing relationships with students is stressed. You need to visit each school that you are seriously considering to ascertain if it is a good fit for you.