How I Got Into UCLA Law School

My name is Madelyn, and I’m a first-generation law student currently in my second year at UCLA School of Law. Here’s how I got here.

I was born and raised in San Jose, California. I attended UC Santa Barbara for undergrad, where I earned a B.A. in Communication with minors in Professional Writing and Technology Management. My major was broad because I didn’t know what I wanted to do. My minors were specific because I wanted to try different things. My goal was to explore.

My Journey to UCLA Law School

Discovering My Interest in Law

During my second year at UCSB, I joined the Mock Trial team. As a former soccer player and speech-and-debater, I missed a team environment. But, when competition judges would ask which of us wanted to attend law school, I’d sit there with my arms folded across my chest. I swore I was only there for fun.

I did have fun in Mock Trial. But, I quickly realized that was because I actually enjoyed the legal aspects of the activity. I loved studying the rules of evidence in trial. I loved thinking about what order of questions on cross-examination would most persuade a jury. I loved tearing down an opponent’s case in my closing argument.

Tackling the LSAT and Choosing to Take a Gap Year

So, the summer after my junior year of college I signed up for Blueprint’s Live Online class. After a couple months of studying, I got COVID two days before my first LSAT. After another month, I got the flu the week before my second LSAT (I know…I still can’t believe my luck. Take a look at my previous blog post for more details).

After those two test administrations, I decided I needed a break from the test. I ended up enrolling in another Blueprint Live Online class the next summer and taking a gap year to work on my law school applications. When I scored a 172 on my third test, I felt ready to start crafting the rest of my application.

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Choosing UCLA Law

Before I jumped into essay-writing, I needed to figure out where I was going to apply. I had three goals for choosing a law school: an academically rigorous school, in California, with a good trial advocacy program. After initial research, those priorities pointed to a clear choice: UCLA Law School. The Trial Team is ranked #1 in the nation. It’s one of the top law schools. And, it’s in the state I know I want to practice in. I still applied to other schools that were either good schools (generally) or had a robust trial advocacy program. However, no other law school had the “whole package” like UCLA.

Yet, I still wanted to learn more. I felt that in order to write authentically about why I wanted to go to law school, I needed to know what it was actually like to be a law student. I didn’t have anyone in my family to ask, so I reached out to UCLA’s Director of Trial Advocacy. He told me about his experience as a law student and as a UCLA professor. He also connected me with current students and recent alumni so I could ask them about their experiences.

I was so surprised that every student shared the exact same sentiment about UCLA Law: it’s a place where you are challenged in the classroom, yet still supported by your classmates. That was invaluable. Law school is inherently competitive, but I didn’t want it to feel that way every day. As a current law student at UCLA now, I can confidently say this rings true beyond the advertising.

Crafting a Cohesive Law School Application

With my specific schools in mind, I turned to essay-writing. First, my personal statement. I picked my personal statement topic by writing a bunch of journal entries. It sounds silly, but it’s true. I would look up different prompts, write stories from my life, and find similar themes across the entries. After about three weeks of writing a new story every day, I settled on my topic.

I wrote about developing rheumatoid arthritis while in middle school. As a soccer player, the game I loved became one that hurt me. I had to dramatically change my routine in order to keep playing. In doing so, I learned resilience and flexibility that I was able to rely on through subsequent life changes.

While my personal statement embodied my character, I wanted my other materials to illustrate my interest in the law. I wrote program-specific essays at UCLA and other schools with good trial advocacy programs. I think it’s important to find that balance. You don’t need to have extensive legal experience to apply to law school. But, you do need to show that

You have a genuine interest in a legal career.
You are the type of person who would thrive in law school.

I found it best when different parts of my application spoke to these two goals. It made my application seem cohesive rather than repetitive.

I got a call from the Dean of UCLA School of Law on an otherwise slow morning in January after the holidays. I was in! While I saw the rest of the application cycle through, I knew where I was likely to end up. I am so happy I chose UCLA Law School.

Advice to Law School Applicants

In going through law school applications myself, learning from those who did so before me, and talking to those applying after me, I have seen time and time again that there is no “right” way to apply to law school. There’s no “right” activity to do in college. There is no “right” job to have before law school. There’s no “right” undergraduate major to choose. It’s all about authenticity.

If you genuinely want to go to law school, carve out the time to figure out why. Conveying that in an application will make it your best shot. Even if that interest was merely competing in collegiate Mock Trial. When you stay true to yourself, the right law school comes to you.

No matter what law school you choose to attend, applying with a competitive LSAT score will give your application a competitive edge. Blueprint LSAT students increase their LSAT score by 15 points on average. Whether you want the flexibility of a Self-Paced Course, prefer to navigate the LSAT with instructors in a Live Course or 170+ Course, or even private LSAT tutoring, we have the study method that fits your learning style.

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