Noticed numerous people who had a lack of any significant EC’s during their UG state that publishing of a paper looked fairly good on their CV while applying to law school or grad school. Just something I noticed; so I was curious what aska’s opinion about this? ( I know aska isn’t on the admissions board or anything – but y’know; aska’s opinion’s are always insightful and valuable) Also – how can I get a paper published at U of T (Note: I’m a UTSC student)
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hey there,
i love how you referred to me in the third person throughout this whole question. makes me feel like a famous person.
anyway – yeah, as you all know, i’m no expert on this stuff. also, there is a HUGE difference between law school and grad school. the admission requirements for grad school vary widely depending on what program you’re attending, whereas law school has its own individual breed of application.
generally speaking, if an application includes any kind of personal statement or CV, then including published work is definitely beneficial – though not, typically, a requirement. especially if your grad program is an academic or research-based degree, as opposed to a professional degree, published work in academic journals or magazines can be a huge plus.
law school is a bit different. most law schools require some kind of personal statement in addition to transcripts and LSAT scores, but it differs from most grad school applications. law school statements are all about spinning a narrative about yourself.
according to uoft’s Faculty of Law, “[s]uccessful statements tend to be those that feature clear and authentic writing…There is no template to follow as the statement serves as the means for self-expression and self-description.”
you can take a look at some examples of successful personal statement for uoft law here.
so – yes. published work can only ever be a positive when it comes to applications. it’s rarely a requirement, but i’d say it counts just as much – not more or less – as extra curricular involvement.
cheerio,
aska