7 Tips for Getting Into Law School
Preparing for law school can be a daunting task, but if you start early enough, you will have plenty of time to get everything squared away. Applying to a law school takes commitment and focus. If you setup a timeline, you will find this application process will be smooth. Here are some tips to help you.
Choosing the right major is important, since many law schools don't have any guidelines or prerequisites to follow. Prelaw is not necessarily the route you want to go as each school has different prelaw programs. Consider other majors such as philosophy, economics or journalism. These Majors seem to have a high acceptance rate in Law School. Law school involves a lot of reading and critical thinking, so consider a major that will challenge you in those areas. Your GPA is one of the two most important factors for your law school application. Most law schools have a minimum GPA requirement of 3.42, while Yale, Harvard and Stanford law schools require a GPA of 3.85 to 3.9. Take your studies seriously from the start of your freshman year.
Extra curricular activities will make your application stand out from your peers' and also show that you are a well-rounded person. Don't wait until your Senior year to get involved. The qualityof the activity is more important than quantitywhen it comes to extra curricular activities. Choose just a few and get deeply involved with them and look for leadership postions in the organization. Keep track of numbers so you can include that on your application. For example, "I completed 50 hours of community service and helped raise $2200 for charity" reads better than "I participated in community service."
Internships can help you gain valuable knowledge that will assist you through law school. You will also make contacts that can give you advice and help you through the application process. Although an internship in a law office may seem ideal, make sure that your job duties will include more than just answering the phones and making coffee runs. Other internship fields to consider would be government, journalism or community activism. Your school should have a list of possible internships and can help you secure a great internship position.
LSAC is the group that administers the Law School Admission Test (LSAT). You can create an online account that will help keep you on track throughout the law school admission process. Through your LSAC account, you will be able to view reminders about important application and registration deadlines, learn more about the LSAT, purchase test prep materials, register for the exam and receive your tests scores early. Another feature of the LSAC account is the Credential Assembly Service (CAS). The service creates a summary report of all your undergraduate work and combines all of your documents with your LSAT score and writing sample. The CAS then sends that report to all the schools you are applying for admission.
Your LSAT score is the second of the two most important factors of your law school application. You should take the LSAT the summer after your junior year or the fall of your senior year of college. The LSAT is a half-day standardized test composed of five 35 minute sessions of multiple choice questions plus a 35 minute timed writing sample. Look into taking an LSAT preparation class and possibly getting a tutor to work with. The LSAT is a rigorous exam, so the more effort you put into studying, the better you will do. Be sure to take practice exams. Knowing what to expect will help reduce your anxiety before such an important exam. On the day of the test, be sure to bring the following items: your admission ticket with a passport size photo attached, a valid ID, several #2 pencils and a pencil sharpener.
Law school is a huge commitment of time, money and effort so choose one that best suits your career goals. Do some research online and talk to past graduates of the schools you are considering. Schools like Harvard and Yale receive thousands of applications, but only accept a few. If you plan to apply to these schools, have some fall-back options for other schools. You don't have to get into the best law school to have a great future career in law. One common recommendation for the number of schools to apply to is:
Once you have decided where to apply, its time to submit your applications. You can use your LSAC account to submit the applications. Plan to set aside several hours to focus on the task of completing your applications. Your personal statement is the third most important aspect of your application, so be sure to put some effort into it and have someone with a good eye proofread it for you. This statement, if written well, will make your application stand out among the thousand others in the stack. You will need to request your transcripts from your college several months before you submit your application. You will also want to ask for letters of recommendation from several people who can offer a positive impression of you and why you would make a good law school candidate. Take note of the deadlines and be sure to submit your applications early. Some schools have a rolling admissions process that heavily favors applicants who submit their applications as early as possible.
Once you have taken all the necessary steps to get into law school, be patient and wait for the results. It can take weeks to hear if you were accepted into law school, so try to stay calm and remember that you did your best. Use this waiting period to reflect on why you chose to apply to law school. If you don't get into law school, its not the end of the world. You can prepare to make yourself a better candidate in the future; take the LSAT again, attend graduate school or working for a couple years before re-applying. If you put your mind to it, you can achieve great things!
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1. Graduate from College with a Bachelors Degree and a high Grade Point Average (GPA)
Choosing the right major is important, since many law schools don't have any guidelines or prerequisites to follow. Prelaw is not necessarily the route you want to go as each school has different prelaw programs. Consider other majors such as philosophy, economics or journalism. These Majors seem to have a high acceptance rate in Law School. Law school involves a lot of reading and critical thinking, so consider a major that will challenge you in those areas. Your GPA is one of the two most important factors for your law school application. Most law schools have a minimum GPA requirement of 3.42, while Yale, Harvard and Stanford law schools require a GPA of 3.85 to 3.9. Take your studies seriously from the start of your freshman year.
2. Get Involved in Extra Curricular Activities
Extra curricular activities will make your application stand out from your peers' and also show that you are a well-rounded person. Don't wait until your Senior year to get involved. The qualityof the activity is more important than quantitywhen it comes to extra curricular activities. Choose just a few and get deeply involved with them and look for leadership postions in the organization. Keep track of numbers so you can include that on your application. For example, "I completed 50 hours of community service and helped raise $2200 for charity" reads better than "I participated in community service."
3. Participate in an Internship
Internships can help you gain valuable knowledge that will assist you through law school. You will also make contacts that can give you advice and help you through the application process. Although an internship in a law office may seem ideal, make sure that your job duties will include more than just answering the phones and making coffee runs. Other internship fields to consider would be government, journalism or community activism. Your school should have a list of possible internships and can help you secure a great internship position.
4. Set up a Law School Admission Council (LSAC) Account
LSAC is the group that administers the Law School Admission Test (LSAT). You can create an online account that will help keep you on track throughout the law school admission process. Through your LSAC account, you will be able to view reminders about important application and registration deadlines, learn more about the LSAT, purchase test prep materials, register for the exam and receive your tests scores early. Another feature of the LSAC account is the Credential Assembly Service (CAS). The service creates a summary report of all your undergraduate work and combines all of your documents with your LSAT score and writing sample. The CAS then sends that report to all the schools you are applying for admission.
5. Take the LSAT
Your LSAT score is the second of the two most important factors of your law school application. You should take the LSAT the summer after your junior year or the fall of your senior year of college. The LSAT is a half-day standardized test composed of five 35 minute sessions of multiple choice questions plus a 35 minute timed writing sample. Look into taking an LSAT preparation class and possibly getting a tutor to work with. The LSAT is a rigorous exam, so the more effort you put into studying, the better you will do. Be sure to take practice exams. Knowing what to expect will help reduce your anxiety before such an important exam. On the day of the test, be sure to bring the following items: your admission ticket with a passport size photo attached, a valid ID, several #2 pencils and a pencil sharpener.
6. Decide Where to Apply
Law school is a huge commitment of time, money and effort so choose one that best suits your career goals. Do some research online and talk to past graduates of the schools you are considering. Schools like Harvard and Yale receive thousands of applications, but only accept a few. If you plan to apply to these schools, have some fall-back options for other schools. You don't have to get into the best law school to have a great future career in law. One common recommendation for the number of schools to apply to is:
- two to four schools where your LSAT score is in the 25th percentile,
- three to five schools where your LSAT score is in the mid-range of accepted applicants
- two schools where your LSAT is at the 75th percentile.
7. Submit Applications Early
Once you have decided where to apply, its time to submit your applications. You can use your LSAC account to submit the applications. Plan to set aside several hours to focus on the task of completing your applications. Your personal statement is the third most important aspect of your application, so be sure to put some effort into it and have someone with a good eye proofread it for you. This statement, if written well, will make your application stand out among the thousand others in the stack. You will need to request your transcripts from your college several months before you submit your application. You will also want to ask for letters of recommendation from several people who can offer a positive impression of you and why you would make a good law school candidate. Take note of the deadlines and be sure to submit your applications early. Some schools have a rolling admissions process that heavily favors applicants who submit their applications as early as possible.
Once you have taken all the necessary steps to get into law school, be patient and wait for the results. It can take weeks to hear if you were accepted into law school, so try to stay calm and remember that you did your best. Use this waiting period to reflect on why you chose to apply to law school. If you don't get into law school, its not the end of the world. You can prepare to make yourself a better candidate in the future; take the LSAT again, attend graduate school or working for a couple years before re-applying. If you put your mind to it, you can achieve great things!
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