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school's website. If you are heading out of town to school, also look at cost-of-living statistics, travel to and from home, and your cost of books (which is quite expensive).

Also, ask the school's recruiter about scholarship opportunities. All law schools have a board or file with open scholarships. These are particularly helpful if you are going to a school in your home state as many scholarships are funded by alumni from certain parts of the state and used to assist students from that area. There are also numerous writing contests for law students that offer scholarship money (and resume enhancement) as prizes. Both scholarships and writing contests can help lower the financial burden of law school and too few students take advantage of the opportunities.

Finally, ask about the school's loan forgiveness program. Many schools will forgive all or a part of your student loans if you meet particular criteria. For example, a school that specializes in environmental law might have loan forgiveness for students who go to work for non-profit environmental organizations.

DETERMINE WHERE YOU WANT TO PRACTICE

If you are certain that you want to practice in Indiana, then think hard before heading off to Louisiana or Oregon, or New York, or wherever for law school. By going to law school in the state you plan to practice in, you gain several advantages.

First, schools tend to, by default, teach the law of the state they are located in. Why learn about New York state law and the New York court system, when you plan on practicing in Ohio with different state law and differently structured court system? That's just more you'll have to learn in order to pass the Ohio bar exam. New York schools will structure their curriculum where possible to help their students pass the New York bar exam. Ohio schools will do the same, and so on. In fact, you'll learn most of what you need to pass the state portion of your bar exam in your first year of law school. So going to a school in the state you plan to be admitted makes a lot of sense, if all the other factors fall in line as well.

Second, who you know doesn't quite trump what you know, but it sure doesn't hurt when looking for legal employment. By going to a school close to where you want to practice you will begin meeting your future colleagues, future employers, and the judges that will decide your future cases. There will be law school events, lectures, alumni dinners, mentorship opportunities, and local job postings scattered around

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