Guaranteed Acceptance Program
Mercer University's Walter F. George School of Law, in conjunction with Mercer's undergraduate schools and colleges, offers a guaranteed acceptance program for qualified Mercer undergraduates. A qualified student will be guaranteed acceptance to Mercer's School of Law for either of the first two academic years following her/his graduation from one of Mercer's undergraduate programs, if s/he meets the following requirements:
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Scores a combined 1800 on the SAT or graduates in the top 5% of her/his high-school class;
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Has a cumulative G.P.A. of at least 3.50 at the time s/he applies to the law school and completes a Mercer undergraduate degree with at least a 3.50 cumulative G.P.A.;
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Completes at least 60 undergraduate credit hours at Mercer University;
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Scores in the 65th percentile or higher on the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT);
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Demonstrates a commitment to public service;
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And demonstrates the character, fitness, and capability of satisfactorily completing law school and being admitted to the bar.
General Information for Pre-Law Students
There are no specific undergraduate courses and no specific academic majors recommended for students who plan to apply to law schools. However, law schools look for students with strong written and verbal communication skills, the ability to read and comprehend complex texts, the ability to think logically and critically, and the ability to perform thorough research. Every pre-law student should work to achieve a broad base of knowledge while undertaking a rigorous course of study, so pre-law students are encouraged to take classes in the humanities and arts, the social sciences, and/or the natural sciences that will encourage them to think creatively and express themselves articulately. Pre-law students should keep in mind that law schools look closely at each applicant's ability to perform well in a rigorous academic environment; thus, it is important for pre-law students to maintain good grades while also taking challenging courses.
Since lawyers work to improve the lives of individuals as well as society as a whole, it is advisable that pre-law students undertake some type of public service work to demonstrate their dedication to serving others. It is also advisable that pre-law students shadow lawyers and/or work in law offices, both to show their interest in the field of law and to make sure that law is truly the profession for them. In addition to these activities, pre-law students may be interested in joining Mercer's Pre-Law Club; for more information, contact James Fry, the club's president for the 2007-2008 academic year.
Many law schools require their applicants to take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) by the December prior to the fall the students intend to enroll in law school. However, it is a good idea to take the LSAT earlier than that, so that the test can be retaken if a student does not do as well as s/he hoped. More information on the LSAT and the upcoming dates on which it will be offered can be found at the following link: http://www.lsac.org/LSAT/about-the-lsat.asp
Applications for most law schools in the United States and Canada are handled by a centralized organization called the Law School Data Assembly Service (LSDAS). Students should familiarize themselves with the application process of each law school they are interested in and should explore the LSDAS application requirements before their final year of undergraduate study. Information on the LSDAS can be found at the following link: http://www.lsac.org/Applying/lsdas-general-information.asp.
More useful information about applying to law schools can be found on the Law School Admission Council's website (http://www.lsac.org/), as well as the American Bar Association's website (http://www.abanet.org/). Some specific portions of these sites are listed and described below:
Other useful websites for pre-law students include http://lawschooldiscussion.org/ and http://lawschoolnumbers.com/. Students may learn more about law schools in Georgia by visiting the websites of the following institutions: Emory University (http://www.law.emory.edu/cms/site/); Georgia State University (http://law.gsu.edu/); the John Marshall Law School in Atlanta (http://www.johnmarshall.edu/); Mercer University (http://www.law.mercer.edu/); and the University of Georgia (http://www.lawsch.uga.edu/).
More Information
For more information about preparing for and applying to law schools, contact the pre-professional advisor in the Office of Academic and Advising Services or Dr. Lori Johnson, the faculty advisor for pre-law students, at johnson_la@mercer.edu.