Letter to a UCLAW Applicant

If you are a prospective student, read this letter that went out to prospective students from our Admissions Committee Chair, Abbi:


Dear Prospective Law Student:

Greetings from sunny southern California! On behalf of OUTLaw, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) student group at the UCLA School of Law, I would like to extend a warm welcome and take this opportunity to tell you about UCLA and the OUTlaw organization.

There are many reasons LGBT law students find happiness at UCLA. First, we thrive in the vibrant and diverse student community here, providing social, academic and career support to our fellow students. Second, we benefit from a strong academic program in sexual orientation law and related fields. Third, we flourish in our larger Los Angeles community which offers many opportunities (and great weather) for taking time off from our legal studies.

Student Community
· OUTLaw at UCLA has over 50 members and four active committee groups;
· OUTLaw co-hosts speakers and roundtable discussions on queer legal theory, the benefits of gay marriage versus domestic partnership, being out in the law firm, and other topics of interest to LGBT law students;
· OUTLaw has funded students' attendance of important events like the Lavender Law Conference; and
· OUTLaw holds regular social events such as BBQs, happy hours and movie nights.

Academic Resources
· UCLA is home to the Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation Law and Policy (http://www.law.ucla.edu/williamsinstitute/home.html)—the largest think tank of its kind;
· UCLA Law offers over a dozen courses on sexual orientation law, gender identity law and related topics – including critical race studies, public interest law, disability law, and many other important topics – taught by experts in these fields, who are joined each year by one or two teaching fellows sponsored by the Williams Institute to teach classes related to LGBT issues and the law;
· The UCLA campus, which was recognized by The Advocate College Guide for LGBT Students as one of the top 20 campuses for LGBT students in 2006, has one of the largest LGBT Campus Resource Centers in the country, which offers academic counseling and other resources to students; and
· UCLA Law hosts the Dukeminier Awards Journal—the only legal journal that recognizes outstanding legal scholarship in LGBT law nationwide.




Los Angeles Community
· Los Angeles has a vibrant LGBT community and offers diverse nightlife, shopping, and community-building options;
· OUTLaw students are able to use their legal skills to benefit their local LGBT community—for example, working with the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center, the HIV & Aids Legal Services Alliance, and the Lesbian & Gay Lawyer Association of L.A.;
· OUTLaw students have the opportunity to work on national LGBT Legal issues by networking with the L.A. branches of Lambda Legal or the Department of Justice's Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; and
· Los Angeles has fantastic weather, great beaches, and fabulous people!

Finally, financial hardship is not a barrier to applying to UCLA School of Law. If you feel you are eligible for a fee waiver, please contact our Office of Admissions at (310) 825-2080 or admissions@law.ucla.edu. If you have been granted a waiver by LSAC, you will automatically receive an application fee waiver at UCLA. Furthermore, OUTLaw members are available to answer any of your questions or concerns regarding UCLA Law in general or OUTLaw in particular. For more information about UCLA Law, please visit www.law.ucla.edu. You can get also in touch with an OUTLaw member personally by sending an email to me at abbi@ucla.edu.

I hope you will consider applying to the UCLA School of Law, a top-ranked law school with much to offer LGBT students. I also hope to have the opportunity to speak to you more about UCLA Law, and OUTLaw. Regardless of where you decide to attend law school, however, I sincerely wish you the best!


Sincerely,

Abbi Coursolle
abbi@ucla.edu
Chair, Admissions Committee, OUTLaw at UCLA