Academic Preparation for Law School
At the University of Texas at Dallas, there is no prescribed pre-law curriculum "Pre-law" simply denotes a student's intention to pursue admission to law school following completion of the baccalaureate degree. Because the careers of those trained in law are widely varied and therefore call for widely differing skills, law schools do not generally recommend any particular major. However, the Newsletter of the Pre-law Advisors National Council stated while no one major is preferred by law schools, "there is a common consensus that a broad based academic experience well grounded in the liberal arts provides the best preparation for law school."
Pre-law students should approach their curriculum as developing a set of useful skills, transferable to the law school setting. One should keep in mind that the spoken and written word are the principal tools of the legal profession. Those who intend to study law must develop an excellent knowledge and grasp of the English language as well as a clear and concise style of expression. Students should seek out courses which require substantial research and writing assignments, and provide critiques of those skills.
Courses in literature, foreign language, speech, composition, philosophy and logic can develop the analytical skills necessary for success in law school and the legal profession. Furthermore, the study of history, political science, economics and statistics helps students to understand the structure of society and the problems of social ordering with which the law is concerned. The examination of human behavior in sociology and psychology will aid a prospective law student in understanding the human behavior with which law is involved. The systematic ordering of abstractions and ideas acquired by studying logic, mathematics and the sciences contributes to a student's capacity to analyze and rationally organize his or her thoughts.
In choosing a major, students should concentrate in a discipline which holds genuine interest for them and in which they will be motivated to produce their best work. They should, however, avoid any undergraduate major that is narrowly focused on specific vocations, or those majors which will not challenge them to reach their fullest academic potential. What counts most is the intensity and depth of the undergraduate program, demonstrating a capacity to perform well at an academically rigorous level. Double or triple majoring or choosing one or more minors will make very little difference in your admissions decisions, but may enrich (or restrict) your intellectual growth and exploration.
Preparing for the LSAT
The Law School Admission Test (LSAT) is required for all law school applicants. It is designed to measure the skills law schools value in prospective students: reading comprehension, analytical reasoning and logical reasoning. There is also a non-scored writing sample portion of the exam. While one cannot memorize facts or otherwise cram for the LSAT, one can prepare for it by learning about the different types of questions in each section, and how to approach each type. While we do not recommend or endorse any particular preparation program, we strongly encourage you to give yourself at least two months preparation time for the LSAT.
The best time to take the LSAT is June between your junior and senior year. A June test date gives you the flexibility of submitting your applications very early in the admissions cycle or, in the case of an unforeseen emergency or lower-than-expected score, the chance to take the test again in October or December. You should only take the test if you are sure you are ready. LSAT scores stay on your record for at least five years and most schools average test scores. While some schools will take the higher score, they may only do so in the case of a significant score differential or a convincing explanation of why a lower score is not indicative of your potential.
Please note that in June 2006, the ABA changed their policy and now requires schools to report only the highest score of matriculated students, as opposed to the average score previously required. This will likely change law school policies regarding which score (highest vs. average) they will use in evaluating your application. Law schools will still see the scores from all of your test administrations, however, so don't take the test as a lark or unprepared unless you want to attach an addendum explaining a poor performance.