Admissions Interviews
The University of Chicago Law School is proud to include an interviewing program as a component of our application process. The interviewing component will complement the Law School’s holistic approach to evaluating applicants. Given our small class size, we are always seeking to build a class that will be diverse in every possible way, that will excel within our unique environment, and that will add to each students' law school experience. An interview will allow the Admissions Committee to learn more about an applicant’s background and personal story. It will also allow us to better assess an applicant’s communication skills, motivation, maturity, and contribution to the Law School as a student and as a member of our alumni community.
Interviews will be by invitation only. Although our goal is to interview as many potential members of our incoming class as possible, we will unfortunately not be able to offer interviews to all applicants.
Interview Invitation and Scheduling
- Applicants invited to interview will receive an email invitation from the Admissions Committee, which will provide instructions on scheduling the interview.
- Please check your various email folders as the invitation may be sent to a Promotions or Spam folder.
- Interview invitations will be sent after an application has received an initial review. Applicants will then have seven (7) days (or such other time as indicated by the Admissions Committee in its interview request) to schedule an interview.
- Please note, if you previously interviewed with UChicago Law or you participated in a Sidebar, you will get an error message when you try to sign up for an interview that will say "The number of interviews is limited to 1 per applicant." To remedy this you can:
- Search your own email for your initial Interview or Sidebar confirmation email from Appointment Plus and then click the link to cancel. (It won't have any effect as the initial Interview or Sidebar has already occurred.) This should allow you to schedule an interview. Or,
- Email interview@law.uchicago.edu. We know this little technology quirk is frustrating, but please know, we are excited to meet you, so we will work with you promptly to make that happen!
- Search your own email for your initial Interview or Sidebar confirmation email from Appointment Plus and then click the link to cancel. (It won't have any effect as the initial Interview or Sidebar has already occurred.) This should allow you to schedule an interview. Or,
- If an applicant has not scheduled an interview within the time indicated by the Admissions Committee in the interview invitation, the applicant's file will be returned to review and will be evaluated by the Admissions Committee without an interview.
- If an applicant chooses to interview with a member of the Admissions Committee, the applicant's file will not be further evaluated for admission until after the completion of the applicant's interview.
- You should continue to monitor the status of your application through the Online Status Checker. Your status will reflect that you have been invited to interview, that you have scheduled your interview, and that your application has been returned to review after your interview is complete.
Preparing for Your Interview
- Please be sure to read the FAQs to learn more about the Admissions Interviewing Program.
- All interviews will be conducted by members of the Admissions Committee.
- Interviews will last approximately 20 minutes. If time permits, the interviewer will leave a few minutes at the end for your questions.
- Please plan to conduct your interview in a private place without background noise (e.g., dorm room, study room in a library, etc.).
- Try to avoid having too much light behind you, as that can make the image poor.
- Make sure that your computer has enough battery life for up to 30 minutes, or is plugged into a power source.
- Make sure to exit out of any other noise-making programs on your computer.
- You will receive a Zoom link via email on the day of your interview.
- Be at your computer and logged into the Zoom Link before your scheduled interview time to confirm your audio and video feeds are working. You will be placed into a virtual waiting room prior to the interview starting.
- If you are having technical difficulties, please email interview@law.uchicago.edu.
Interview Technology
- We will conduct all interviews virtually via Zoom videoconferencing.
- A virtual interview requires:
- A webcam
- Built-in or separate microphone and speakers
- Internet Connection (preferably broadband). For basic video calling, you will need a minimum download/upload speed of 128 kbps/128kbps, although recommended download/upload speed is 300 kpbs/300 kpbs. The higher the internet speed, the better (e.g., if the option is available, it may be preferable to plug in an Ethernet cord rather than going wireless).
- We recommend using the Google Chrome web browser.
- Applicants with disabilities in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the interview should email interview@law.uchicago.edu.