Meet with a pre-law advisor and visit LSAC.org to learn more about the LSAT and admissions process.
Engage in self-assessment and career exploration to be sure that a career in law suits you.
Keep your grades up! Your GPA must be higher than a 3.4 for you to be competitive.
Learn about the LSAT -- all its different types of questions and start to prepare for the actual test.
Choose courses and extracurricular activities that will help to develop your writing, speaking and analytical skills and demonstrate your interest in law.
Find a summer Career Related Experience related to law or policy.
Juniors:
Progressively increase your GPA as evidence you have the ability to handle the academic rigors of law school.
Continue to prepare for the LSAT. Take 5-10 practice tests, and decide if you will take the test in June or October. Register with LSAC early to ensure you get a seat at your preferred test site.
Develop a list of prioritized law schools of interest to you. Research them thoroughly and visit them, if possible.
Talk to alumni currently attending or who recently graduated from your schools of interest.
Plan to attend LSAC Law School Forums and/or the Colgate Law School Fair in the Fall. Be certain to ask for business cards from the law school representatives with whom you communicate and ask questions.
Draft a cover letter for your first-choice school. Mention the names of law school representatives and/or the alumni with whom you’ve connected in your first paragraph. Explain your interest in and why you believe you’re an excellent candidate and fit for that school.
Register with the CAS, the credentials assembly service on the LSAC website to store your transcript and letters of recommendation.
Read the personal statement and optional essay prompts for each law school on your list and look for similarities. Start writing your personal statement and optional essays for your first-choice school and then.
Request 2 – 3 letters of recommendation from professors in the spring or in the first weeks of your senior year. Open an account on Interfolio to house your recommendations.
Seniors:
Confirm that your transcript and letters of recommendation are on file with LSAC.
Complete your personal statements and optional essays and other application materials (cover letter, resume, addendum, etc) for each school to which you are applying.
Apply early, ideally in September, if you plan to attend in the following fall.
Let your advisor and professors know about your success!
