PRELAW HANDBOOK - Hispanics/Chicanos and Prelaw

HISPANICS/CHICANOS PRELAW
TOPICS

The underrepresentation of Hispanics/Chicanos in the legal profession has been a longstanding and serious problem in this country. For this reason, law schools are actively recruiting Hispanic/Chicano applicants and have established policies to assure that qualified candidates are given the opportunity for a legal education.
                       New York University Prelaw (Slightly modified)

Hispanic/Chicano prelaw students should not only read the standard prelaw material but also should read the material directly relevant to Hispanic/Chicano prelaw students.

TOPICS

COMMENTS

HISPANIC/CHICANO PRELAW LINKS
MINORITY PRELAW LINKS

DIVERSITY STATEMENT

MINORITY PRELAW BOOKS

THE LAW SCHOOLS WITH THE HIGHEST PERCENTAGE OF MEXICAN-AMERICAN ENROLLMENT

THE LAW SCHOOLS WITH THE HIGHEST PERCENTAGE OF HISPANIC ENROLLMENT

PRELAW AND MINORITIES
COMMENTS

      If you are a Hispanic/Chicano student, it is wise to be well informed of the opportunities available. You should make certain to identify yourself as a member of a minority group at the time you register for the LSAT and with the LSDAS. This will enable interested law schools to contact you through the Candidate Referral Service.
      Thereafter, you might wish to contact Hispanic/Chicano student organizations at the law schools you are considering. It will be to your advantage to discuss your interests and application with members of these organizations since in some instances they will track your application and may have a part in the admissions decision. These students can also inform you of any special problems or special advantages for Hispanic/Chicano students at their particular school.
                      New York University Prelaw (slightly modified)

HISPANICS/CHICANOS PRELAW
FINANCIAL AID

The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) has a SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM. Deadline is circa October 1.

HISPANIC/CHICANO PRELAW
LINKS

The TOP TEN LAW SCHOOLS FOR HISPANICS, at least according to the September, 2005, issue of Hispanic Business is given. For each of these ten law schools, information that is relevant and useful is provided.  _.  _.
CHICANOS IN LAW has some Pre Law Links. _.

PRELAW AND MINORITIES
LINKS

See a list of law schools with relatively large MINORITY ENROLLMENTS.
The LSAC Support Centers answers some FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS BY MINORITY APPLICANTS.    _.
CHICANOS IN LAW provides interesting and useful prelaw links.      _.
COUNCIL OF LEGAL EDUCATION OPPORTUNITY (CLEO) was founded in 1968 as a non-profit project of the American Bar Association Fund for Justice and Education to expand opportunities for minorities and low-income students to attend law school and become members of the legal profession by providing pre-law recruitment, counseling, placement assistance and training. Three programs CLEO has are the:
          COLLEGE SCHOLARS PRELAW SEMINARS,
          SOPHOMORE SUMMER INSTITUTE,
and
          COLLEGE SCHOLARS.  _.
The Law School Admission Council (LSAC) gives MINORITY PERSPECTIVES. Also mentioned here is information about The Minorities Interested in Legal Education (MILE) project. According to the ABA, this project is an effort to address the underrepresentation of minorities in the legal profession by providing minority students with reliable information about preparation for law school. Primarily designed for college freshmen and sophomores, MILE offers information that can help enhance your academic preparation for law school." _. _.

PRELAW SCHOOL PREPARATORY PROGRAMS SPECIFICALLY FOR MINORITIES._. _.

PRELAW HANDBOOK
DIVERSITY STATEMENT

Georgetown University Career Education Center states that "If your ethnicity, family, religion, socioeconomic background, or any similar factor may motivate you to succeed in law school, be sure to highlight it. This can be done in the personal statement itself or in a separate diversity statement. If you are writing a personal statement and a diversity statement, make sure the two essays address different topics."

If the deiversity statement is to be separate from the personal statement, the diversity statement should be a separate sheet labeled DIVERSITY STATEMENT and attached to your application. A diversity statement should   be articulate, brief, clear, concise, persuasive, and sincere.

FOR FUTURE BLACK LAW STUDENTS presents the following information: "Law school admissions committees recognize the value of having diverse law student bodies. They realize that students can learn a great deal from one another and that having students from a variety of racial, cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds, with different thoughts, political ideologies, ideals, perspectives and goals can add a deeper dimension to the educational learning experience of all students.
     Many institutions believe diversity is extremely valuable. In an increasing diverse America and globally interdependent world, it is critical to have an understanding of and tolerance for various viewpoints, cultures, ideas, etc. Therefore, many schools invite applicants to submit diversity statements.
     In such a statement, you have the opportunity to explain how you can add something in terms of diversity to the student body. Understand that stating that you are an African American [or other minority] is not enough. Many people argue that simple membership in a minority group does not mean that you can contribute anything unique to discussion. Therefore, you must explain this. Additionally, think of all of the experiences you have had that may or may not be linked to your ethnicity that may bring insight that traditional students may not be able to bring to the table.
     View the diversity statement as an opportunity to express what is special about you. Take time, thought and consideration in preparing it. Remember that even if submitting it is optional, you want to make the very best case for your admission as possible. You should submit a diversity statement to every school you apply to whether it is requested or not."

Obtain additional information about the DIVERSITY STATEMENT .

PRELAW AND MINORITIES
BOOKS

How to Make It Through Law School: A Guide for Minority and Disadvantaged Students by James P. Davis. See if your prelaw office or library has this book. _.

MINORITY ENROLLMENT AT LAW SCHOOLS
THE LAW SCHOOLS WITH
THE HIGHEST PERCENTAGE OF
MEXICAN-AMERICAN ENROLLMENT
___________________________________

Percent

Percent

African-

Mexican-

Percent

University

Location

American

American

Hispanic

U New Mexico

Albuquerque

3.5

22.8

0.0

Texas Southern

Houston

48.9

20.5

2.9

St. Mary's U

San Antonio

2.2

18.7

3.3

U Texas

Austin

4.8

11.7

3.9

Texas Tech

Lubbock

2.5

11.6

0.0

Stanford U

California

8.6

11.3

0.8

Arizona State U

Tempe

4.0

8.9

3.2

U California

Davis

2.7

8.7

2.5

Northern Illinois U

DeKalb

11.1

8.6

0.0

U Southern California

Los Angeles

8.7

7.9

3.3

Northwestern U

Chicago

6.7

7.2

0.0

U California

Los Angeles

4.5

7.2

0.5

U California

Berkeley

5.2

6.9

4.4

Southwestern U

Los Angeles

4.8

6.6

3.3

Loyola

Los Angeles

4.6

6.4

4.0

Texas Wesleyan

Fort Worth

6.7

6.3

1.6

U Arizona

Tucson

4.7

6.0

5.2

U Denver

Colorado

5.7

5.5

0.0

California Western

San Diego

2.0

5.5

2.4

Whittier

California

6.2

5.3

7.1

U Iowa

Iowa City

4.5

5.3

0.0

U Wisconsin

Madison

8.5

5.2

1.9

Thomas Jefferson

San Diego

2.0

5.0

1.9

MINORITY ENROLLMENT AT LAW SCHOOLS
THE LAW SCHOOLS WITH
THE HIGHEST PERCENTAGE
OF HISPANIC ENROLLMENT
___________________________________

Percent

Percent

African-

Mexican-

Percent

University

Location

American

American

Hispanic

Florida International U

Miami

10.6

0.0

42.3

St. Thomas U

Florida

7.5

1.5

26.4

Nova Southeastern U

Ft Lauderdale

7.1

0.7

17.4

Florida A&M

Orlando

37.7

0.0

12.8

U Miami

Florida

6.7

0.0

11.7

Barry U

Florida

5.9

0.0

9.9

U Florida

Gainesville

7.5

0.0

9.7

Santa Clara U

California

4.9

0.0

9.7

George Washington U

DC

9.1

0.0

8.7

Stetson U

Florida

6.8

1.1

8.6

Florida SU

Tallahassee

6.7

0.0

8.4

U Kansas

Lawrence

4.2

0.0

8.0

U Illinois

Champaign

7.5

0.0

7.4

Whittier

California

6.2

5.3

7.1

CUNY

New York C

11.4

1.1

6.9

DePaul

Chicago

5.9

0.0

6.8

Northeastern

Boston

7.3

0.0

6.6

U District of Columbia

DC

32.3

0.0

6.4

U Michigan

Ann Arbor

6.1

0.0

6.3

U Pennsylvania

Philadelphia

7.3

0.8

6.1

Fordham

New York C

5.9

0.4

6.1

American U

DC

7.3

1.8

6.0

Touro College

New York

9.9

0.0

5.8

Hofstra

New York

6.0

0.0

5.6

Ave Maria

Michigan

2.6

1.0

5.6

SMU

Dallas

5.0

1.0

5.5

Wake Forest U

N Carolina

6.3

0.0

5.4

U Chicago

Illinois

6.9

2.7

5.4

Emory U

Atlanta

8.6

0.0

5.3

U Connecticut

Hartford

5.8

0.7

5.2

U Arizona

Tucson

4.7

6.0

5.2

Cardozo-Yeshiva

New York C

4.1

0.0

5.1

Yale U

Connecticutt

8.4

3.3

5.0

Brigham Young U

Utah

1.4

2.3

5.0