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If you’re thinking about going to law school, you’re not alone. The number of people applying to law schools across the country . The same is true at the �������ֳ�’s Sturm College of Law, where applications are up 18%.

Iain Davis, assistant dean of admissions and student financial management at Sturm, says law schools typically see a bump in applications after an election year.��

“When election results come out in the beginning of November, people who may have already taken the LSAT with the intention of going to school the following year might be motivated to fast forward their plans,” he says.

The value of a law degree in today’s world, Davis says, is about more than going on to practice law in a traditional sense.

“People go to law school because they want to solve problems,” he says. “If you have a finance background, and then you go to law school, the knowledge you’ll bring to the conversation in that boardroom is invaluable. You might not be practicing law, but you’re using the practical knowledge that you gained in law school.”

With the number of law school applicants on the rise, prospective students may be feeling the pressure to put together a standout application. But Davis says there’s no such thing as a perfect law school application.

“We are looking for a such a broad and diverse group of applicants; there is no ideal applicant,” he says. “What we're trying to do is populate the classroom with individuals who can bring different perspectives to the conversation.”

Preparing to apply to law school is different from preparing for other professional degree programs, like medical school, says May Peterson, director of JD admissions at Sturm. Applicants aren’t required to have studied any one particular thing; there are no specific prerequisites.��

“Law school doesn't do that,” Peterson says. “We find value in varied perspectives in the classroom. Someone who has a STEM background, someone from a business or finance background, or someone who has more of an arts and humanities background—they all fit in law school.”

Davis says there’s a false narrative that prospective law students need to have a background in English or political science or history.��

“In the first-year curriculum, everybody has to take exactly the same classes—the biologists and the political science majors and the sociology majors are all in the Constitutional law class. They bring very different perspectives to the conversation.”

So, what can law school hopefuls do to make their applications stand out from the crowd?

Peterson says reaching out to the schools where you’re applying can make a big difference.

“I think one of the best things that someone can do is come and talk to us,” she says. “We are right here. It's not a dumb thing to ask about things like, what is the value of a law degree? What can I expect? How do I prepare my application? Don’t be afraid to ask—we’re really not as scary as we seem.”

The other thing to consider, Peterson emphasizes, is planning and preparedness during the application process.��

“It’s about making sure that they take the LSAT and have all of their application materials set and ready to go,” she says. “Each law school may have different dates or deadlines, but predominantly, applying in the fall will give them the most bandwidth and the most offers to decide from.”

Davis agrees. “The biggest message is to be well prepared; take your LSAT in the summer and aim to have your application complete by Thanksgiving.”

For more information about admissions at the �������ֳ�’s Sturm College of Law,��.