​​How to Get Into Duke Law

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Mark Hill, Senior Director of Admissions at Duke Law, has worked in admissions for twenty years. In this episode, he shares his thoughts on how law schools will be affected by a potential recession and the possible elimination of a test requirement. Mark explores how applicants, especially those hoping to get accepted to Duke, should handle the shifting landscape.
In this episode:
Can you give us an overview of the more distinctive elements of the Duke Law School JD program?
Is the dual degree three years or is there an additional year required?
In the second year of the dual degree program, do students go for a typical internship?
During the pandemic, we saw a surge in applications to all law schools. This year, the LSAC overall applicant volume is down about 11.3% from last year, but still up a little bit, 3.4% from two years ago. What is Duke Law experiencing?
Obviously, there's a lot of talk right now about recession. Do you believe that if a recession hits, it will affect the law school application numbers? How is law school typically affected?
Duke accepts the GRE and the LSAT, approximately what percentage of the applicant pool is applying with the GRE?
How should applicants choose which tests to take and submit?
If the ABA were to leave it up to schools whether to require a test or not, do you see Duke retaining the testing requirement, issuing waivers, or making the test entirely optional?
Can you review Duke’s regular decision and early decision options?
Do the different application rounds have different acceptance rates?
At Duke Law, is full-time work experience nice to have or really important to the admissions committee?
In terms of work experience or extracurricular experience, do you prefer to see something that's closely related to law or just something that is meaningful and makes a contribution?
Should applicants, either in the personal statement or the optional essay, address their interest in attending law school and Duke specifically?
Are there any guidelines on how long essays should be?
Does Duke law find addenda useful?
What other factors, if any, do you weigh in addition to the test score and GPA?
How do you view applications from students who've had academic infractions or perhaps have a criminal record?
Does Duke law consider update letters from applicants who have something significant to tell you after they submit their application and before hearing back from you, or perhaps if waitlisted?
What is a common mistake you see applicants making during the application process?