Law school admissions are evolving in the United States. In June 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that law schools can no longer consider an applicant’s race and ethnicity during the admissions process. Meanwhile, alternatives to the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) continue to proliferate.
Most recently, the Law School Admissions Council (LSAC) announced that it has begun developing a new “environmental context” metric aimed at helping law schools better understand the advantages or hurdles their applicants have encountered.
What is the Law School Admission Council?
The Law School Admission Council (LSAC) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to facilitating the law school admission process for applicants and law schools. All 197 ABA-accredited law schools are LSAC members.
Headquartered in Newtown, Pennsylvania, LSAC plays a pivotal role in streamlining the law school application process by providing essential products and services, including administering the LSAT.
Since its founding in 1947, LSAC has expanded its services to encompass processing academic credentials, offering software and information for admission offices, and conducting research and outreach programs related to law school admissions.
What is the new environmental context metric created by LSAC?
In response to the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that law schools can no longer consider an applicant’s race and ethnicity, LSAC began developing a new “environmental context” metric designed to provide law schools with a better understanding of “what a student has obtained in the context of the advantages and barriers they have experienced along the way.”
The environmental context metric focuses on several key areas, including educational preparation and attainment, opportunities to demonstrate non-academic factors, and the social support systems available to students. By considering these factors, law schools can evaluate applicants holistically, beyond just grades and test scores. This approach ensures that the unique challenges and achievements of students from diverse backgrounds are acknowledged, helping to promote a more equitable and inclusive admission process.
“There are thousands of law school applicants each year who have journeyed through barriers, and in spite of it all, have made it through. The big question is: How do we capture this context?”
LSAC Research Director Elizabeth Bodamer
To test the impact of the new metric, LSAC is using 2023 applications that have already been considered by law school admissions offices. Schools are re-evaluating those applications with the new metric provided to see if it would change their decisions.
How will the new metric change the law school application process?
Even before LSAC announced the environmental context metric, many law schools began revising their application processes. Some schools updated essay prompts and other components to gain deeper insights into applicants' personal histories and the challenges they have faced. This shift is part of a broader effort to create a more equitable and inclusive admissions process that recognizes the diverse experiences of all applicants.
Historically, applicants could predict their chances of admission based largely on their GPA and LSAT scores. However, with the introduction of the environmental context metric as well as other changes made by law schools, this predictability may change. As law schools continue to refine their admissions strategies, they aim to select candidates who not only demonstrate academic excellence but also resilience, leadership, and the ability to overcome adversity.
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