Getting Into Law School

Disclaimer: I am just trying to help by writing about my experience and I do not claim to be an authority on this topic, for more information, please do click the links (highlighted) provided and/or contact other people at UP Law. ;-)

Part 1. The Application for Law Aptitude Exam (UP LAE)

The LAE is one of the requirements for admission to the U.P. College of Law (pls. click to see admission requirements). To apply for the LAE, you can download the application form from the College website (I just downloaded and printed when I applied), or you can get one at Malcolm Hall at UP Diliman. Requirements (like ID pix) and details about the LAE are in the application form.

For schoolyear 2008-2009, deadline for application is November 23, 2007 (I think). The Examination will be administered on Sunday, November 25, 2007, in U.P. Diliman, U.P. Cebu, U.P. Baguio and U.P. Davao.

TIP: When you submit your application, bring paste or stapler.

Part 2. The Exam

The LAE consists of objective tests and essay designed to measure certain abilities and skills necessary to succeed in the U.P. College of Law. The test subjects include Communication Skills, Reading Comprehension and Vocabulary, Critical Thinking, Verbal and Quantitative Reasoning (this is from the Information Bulletin).

When I took the LAE, I remember each section of the exam was timed and you cannot proceed or go back to the other sections (just like in UPCAT). There were a lot of abstract reasoning problems (where I didn't see any pattern at all), many problems on logic, a few math (algebra), and there were short articles and questions for reading comprehension. For the essay question, we were asked to comment on the equality in the law.

It would help if you review for the LAE by answering practice questions like: DEVIL is to LIVED as to 6323 is to? (click here for more questions like this). You can also go to a LAE review. I went to a one-day session conducted by a sorority, in order to have an idea how the exam will go (coz nobody wrote something like this in their blogs! hehehe). It was cheaper (400 pesos) than what most tutorial centers offer (around 8,000!). By the way, the word is review, not "study". I think you should not cram new concepts into your brain, because you may become confused. The thing is, you already what you know. If you don't know stuff by now, well... hehehe

TIPS:
1) Do not forget to sleep or get rest before the exam.
2) Eat something safe and familiar.
3) Relax! As I've said-- you already know what you know. And anyway, if you don't pass, it's not the end of the world, and you can take it again if you want to. ;-)
4) Bring an extra pencil. Just in case!
5) Bring a blank scratch paper. You may need that for the math problems and/or composing your thoughts for the essay.
6) Bring a jacket. The exam room can get very cold.

Part 3. The Interview

UP LAE results will be released after a month or two. I think the top 100 are automatically qualified to enroll. For the rest of us who didn't make it to the top 100, we went through a panel interview (usually done in April). In my case, there were four professors in my panel. You may have heard of horror stories about the interview, but don't worry, the stories may have been exaggerated. hehehe

If you have been to a job interview, or final interview for an organization, just prepare for it the way you prepared for that interview.
The questions vary. They may ask about your school, your course: why did you take it up/do you think it would help you?

They can ask about your grades (esp if they see you got low grades or something).
They can ask about your work. Your strengths and weaknesses.

They can ask you about your plans. Why go to law school/why do you want to be a lawyer? Why UP Law?

They may also ask you about your stand on issues. It would be wise to prepare a topic you can talk about/ debate on.

TIPS:
1) Go to the interview at least 30 minutes before the scheduled time.
2) Wear appropriate and comfortable clothes.
3) If you are told to wait, you can walk around a bit or talk to the other candidates to relax.
4) Relax. Be open and sincere. They just want to TEST YOU, to see if you can survive law school.

5) Also, be HONEST. But I've been told to never say "to be honest, or honestly". They would tell you that you haven't been honest about other things. ;-)

6) Be respectful. If the interviewers try to annoy you, don't lose your temper and your manners.
7) You can prepare yourself by listing down your strengths, weaknesses, plans, reasons, etc.
8) You can ask your friends to hold mock interviews.


GOOD LUCK! REACH FOR YOUR DREAMS!
(Hope to see you around Malcolm, IF I'll still be around next year. hehehe)