Law School Admissions Glossary of Common Terms & Acronyms

A comprehensive vocabulary list of acronyms, abbreviations, and terminology used in law school admissions, based on the Spivey Consulting Group glossary.

0L

A prospective law student.

1L

A first year law student.

2L

A second year law student.

3L

A third year law student, representing the final year of a traditional full-time JD program.

$

Approximately $\frac{1}{4}$ tuition scholarship or lower.

$$

Approximately half tuition scholarship.

$$$

Approximately $\frac{3}{4}$ tuition scholarship.

$$$$

Full tuition scholarship or higher.

ABA

The American Bar Association.

Adcomm / Adcom

; refers to an admissions officer; Short for ’admissions committee’

ASD

Admitted Students Day.

ASW

Admitted Students Weekend.

Bar

(1) A professional membership organization required to practice law; (2) the test required for admission to that organization; (3) a location to purchase alcoholic beverages.

Bibles

PowerScore LSAT study guides.

Biglaw

Large law firms employing $250+$ attorneys that follow a market standard compensation model, with 2024 starting salaries for first-year associates at $225,000$.

CAS

LSAC’s Credential Assembly Service, which generates transcript summary reports, calculates standardized cumulative GPA, and organizes letters of recommendation.

CCN

Columbia, Chicago, NYU.

Cycle

The admission period or calendar year (e.g., $2023-2024$ cycle) in which applications are submitted and decisions are rendered.

Ding

A denial from a law school.

DS

Diversity statement, or similar essays focusing on perspective, background, and identity.

ED

Early decision, which is typically binding.

Experimental Section

The unscored section of the LSAT used by LSAC for data purposes, which test-takers cannot identify during the exam.

GRE

The Graduate Record Examination; an alternate test to the LSAT accepted by an increasing number of law schools.

HTE

‘Hold tight’ email.

HYS

Harvard, Yale, Stanford.

IP

Intellectual property law.

JD

Juris Doctor (law degree).

KJD

An applicant who goes from ‘kindergarten to law school’ without a break for full-time work experience.

Law Review

A competitive, student-produced publication featuring law-related articles and research; membership is based on grades, writing competitions, or both.

Law Revue

A comedy musical production performed by law students each spring.

LG

Logic Games (Analytical Reasoning) section of the LSAT, scheduled for removal in August $2024$.

LOCI

Letter of continued interest, typically sent after being waitlisted.

LOR

Letter of recommendation.

LR

The Logical Reasoning section of the LSAT.

LSAC

The Law School Admissions Council.

LSAT

The Law School Admissions Test.

LSD

Law School Data, a repository of admissions data and results.

LST

Law School Transparency, an LSAC-owned website providing school information including employment data.

Medians

A school’s median uGPA and median LSAT score.

OCI

On-campus interviews, typically for Biglaw positions.

Non-Traditional / Non-Trad

An applicant who has been out of undergraduate studies for several years or has made significant career strides before applying.

PI

Public interest law.

PS

Personal statement.

PT

LSAT practice test.

RC

Reading Comprehension section of the LSAT.

Reverse Splitter

An applicant with a GPA above a school’s median but an LSAT score below the median.

Softs

Factors in a law school application other than LSAT scores and uGPA.

Splitter

An applicant with an LSAT score above a school’s median but a GPA below the median.

Stats

The combination of an applicant's LSAT score and uGPA.

T1

Tier one law schools, ranked $1-50$ by U.S. News and World Report.

T2

Tier $2$ law schools, ranked $50-100$.

T3

Tier $3$ law schools, ranked $100-150$.

T4

Tier $4$ law schools, ranked below $150$.

T6

The top $6$ law schools.

T14

Top $14$ law schools, traditionally referring to the schools that most frequently occupy the top $14$ spots.

Target Medians

The LSAT and uGPA goals a school aims to achieve during the current cycle. Even if a school’s LSAT median for the previous class was 168, you may still be below their target median with a 168 if they are aiming for a 169 in the current year

TTT

A derogatory reference to $3rd$ and $4th$ tier law schools.

UG

Undergrad / undergraduate studies.

uGPA

Undergraduate grade point average.

Unicorn

An applicant with exceptionally outstanding ‘soft’ factors, such as being a Rhodes scholar or Olympic athlete.

URM

Underrepresented minority applicant.

USNWR

U.S. News and World Report, the most prominent publisher of law school rankings.

V10 / V100

The top $10$ or $100$ law firms in the United States as ranked by Vault.

Why Statement / Why X

A one-page essay explaining why an applicant wants to attend a specific school.

WL

Waitlist.

YP

Yield protection; the practice where admissions offices waitlist or deny highly qualified applicants under the belief they would likely not attend if admitted.