This month’s AdmissionsDean interview is with Greg Canada, the Assistant Dean of Admissions at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. Canada shares his perspective on the admissions process and on Hastings in particular, especially dispelling its cutthroat reputation. He notes that the Admissions Office is aware of this reputation, and even tries not to admit extremely competitive people.
Canada urges all applicants to come see the school for themselves, since “it goes beyond thinking about law school as a place where you plan to spend the next three years. You need to look at law school as the beginning of your legal career.”
He elaborates on making the difficult decision to attend law school: “I think the most important thing one can do to protect one’s investment is to anchor one’s decision to attend law school to authentic, well-considered reasons. I think applicants must do some serious soul searching before making this commitment. If you have thought through all of your career options and keep coming back to the law, if you have worked at an attorney’s office and despite what you’ve seen you still want to be an attorney, then I think you will definitely get a good return on your investment by attending law school. You not only see your legal education as a means to make a living, but as preparation for a certain way of life.”
Regarding that hefty investment, Canada points out that the “sticker price can be misleading.” He claims that students rarely pay full admission, and last year about 75% received an institutional grant, and over 20% received considerable scholarships. He advises those who want to attend Hastings to apply regardless of the price, since they will only find out their financial requirement once they’re accepted. Plus, Hastings offers a generous loan forgiveness program for those working in public interest.
Canada also highlights a unique program at Hastings, the Legal Education Opportunity Program, which gives “individuals who have overcome significantly adverse backgrounds and life experiences an opportunity to receive a top-notch public legal education.” Canada continues, “About 20% of our incoming class is comprised of students who have entered Hasting through LEOP. Once they are here they participate in a supplementary educational support program designed to ensure their success at Hastings and on the bar.”
When it comes to the application process, Canada likens the application to an applicant’s first legal case, with the personal statement representing her opening and closing argument. She must make sure to follow directions and communicate effectively, possessing “the proper mix of confidence and humility that self-knowledge teaches.” Canada also stresses the difference between a personal statement and a statement of purpose. He does not want to read an essay full of future-oriented goals, but instead one that is “primarily retrospective, tracing the unalterable path that has brought you to this moment in your life. While this path may be similar to others’, it is uniquely yours, especially when it is described in your own voice, and it usually provides me with much more compelling, interesting information about you as an applicant than all the benevolent things you plan to do once you get your law degree.”
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Read the full article: Words of Wisdom from the Assistant Dean of Admissions at UC Hastings Law
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