The Bowen Approach to Admissions--Soft Factors Help Make Hard Decisions.

I'm often questioned about the importance of the so-called “soft factors” in the Bowen admissions process. For those of you who are not familiar with the jargon, soft factors are the non-quantitative aspects of your application file—e.g. personal statement, letters of rec, life experiences, etc. As the title of this post suggests, soft factors play significant roles in the assessment of Bowen applicants.

We read personal statements very closely, and as I’ve stated before, they can make the difference between admission and denial. (For guidance about writing strong personal statements, see my “Ten Personal Statement Blunders” featured on this blog.)

At Bowen, we do not require letters of recommendation; but if you submit them, we will review them. The strongest letters tend to come from persons who can assess your critical reasoning skills, reading comprehension skills, writing abilities, and overall chances of success in law school. Specific examples of how the recommender has witnessed you exhibit these skills are particularly effective. For recent college grads (5 years or less), professors are often the best recommenders. For those of you who have been out of school longer, letters from supervisors, professional colleagues, and others with whom you have worked closely are generally best. For the record, the family friend letter (“I’ve known Johnny since he was a baby…”) is rarely effective. Avoid it.

At Bowen, we value diversity on many levels—ethnic, age, background, geographic, etc. And the soft factors give us glimpses into the uniqueness of our applicants and the things that make them…THEM! So don’t neglect the soft factors because along with the “hard” ones (LSAT/GPA), they play a major role in helping us choose our entering classes.