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Law School
Application Checklist
Junior
Year
Begin preparing for the LSAT.
Familiarize yourself with the test format and question
types. Practice questions from old LSAT's, use LSAT prep
books, or participate in a commercial test preparation course.
The following are a couple of well
known resources:
- The Official LSAT Prepkit -
Law Services - Package includes introduction to test
preparation, a book of sample questions and analysis of each
of the three question types, and a sample LSAT.
- Barron's How to Prepare for
the LSAT - Barron's Educational Series - Available
at local bookstores. Single book includes a five week
study plan, diagnostic exam, questions samples and
explanations, and several model tests.
Make preliminary investigation of
law schools. Review the Official Guide to US Law Schools to
get some general information. Consider the school's size,
location, cost, programs, reputation, and admissions statistics in
your deliberations.
Attend a Law Fair such as the one
sponsored by SMU, usually in October.
Don't forget your G.P.A. If
you plan to go directly to law school, your junior year or the
first semester of your senior year will be the last work law
schools see when determining your admission. Make it a
strong ending.
Consider which faculty members you
will ask to provide letters of recommendations. The best
recommendations come from faculty who know you and your work well.
If you have not already taken a
course taught by casebook method, you may want to do so just to
confirm your interest in legal study. A number of political
science courses can give you this exposure.
In mid-spring, pick up a Law
Services Information Book. Look over test dates and registration
deadlines and consider whether the June or October date will be
best for you. Both of these administrations offer applicants
ample time to assess their law school choices in light of their
score on the test, prepare and submit applications in a timely
fashion and, if absolutely necessary, sign up to retake the test
in December. The December administration provides test
results in time to meet most law school application
deadlines. The February test administration may place
applicants at an extreme disadvantage with law schools which have
fixed application deadlines prior to April 1. The four weeks
normally allowed to process the test does not allow the
applicant's file to be completed in time to receive full
consideration by admissions committees.
Summer
after Junior
Year
If you haven't already done so,
take the time to read and understand the naterial covered in the
Law Services Information Book. This contains a thorough
explanation of the law school admissions process.
Register for the LSAT and LSDAS
(all information included in the Law Services Information
Book). Complete your preparation for the LSAT.
Ideally, take the LSAT in June.
Senior
Year
Review your law school
possibilities. Read about them in the Official Guide to US
Law Schools. Consider schools in light of your GPA and LSAT.
Make a tentative list of those to which you would like to
apply. Include some statistical longshots, a majority of
reasonable chances and a few safe choices among your initial list
of at least eight schools.
Request catalogs, applications, and
financial aid/scholarship information from law schools. When
you receive the information, read through catalogs and
applications and make decisions about how many and to which you
plan to apply. Photocopy applications to prepare drafts
before typing on the originals.
Keep a record of all materials and
correspondence you send and receive for each school.
Photocopy all important documents before mailing.
Approach faculty about writing
recommendations. Schedule individual meetings to discuss
your goals and why you want their recommendation. It is
often useful to give the faculty member a resume and your personal
statement in order to assist them in writing a recommendation
letter.
If you have not already done so,
take the LSAT in October!
If you plan to apply for financial
aid, read law school catalogs carefully to determine which
need-analysis forms(s) you should submit.
"Personal statement" is a
general term that refers to the essays many law schools request as
part of the application. Some schools ask the specific
information while others leave the content very open to your
discretion. Typical essay content includes the following
subjects:
- Autobiographical information
- "Why I want to go to law
school?"
- Discussion of things about you
and your academic record which may be evident in the
application
- Write on a subject you feel
strongly about
If they give a specific page or
word length, stick to it closely; if not, keep your essay to two
double spaced typed pages. In any case, the personal
statement is your chance to provide admissions committees a sample
of your best writing and a sense of your personality (since most
law schools do not use admissions interviews.) Be
straight-forward and sincere.
Have transcripts from all higher
educational institutions you have attended sent to LSDAS.
Take or send transcript matching forms found in the back of the
Law Service Information Book to the registrar's office of each
institution. (Yes, you even need to do this for one summer
course at another institution which appears on your grade report.)
Deliver recommendation packets to
faculty recommenders 4-6 weeks before they are due. Packets
should include the following:
- Note from you, thanking them in
advance, reiterating your goals
- LSAT scores (if available)
- Typed resume of college
experience and activities
- Recommendation forms with
stamped envelopes addressed to law schools
Prepare final applications and send
them in early, but certainly by early January.
Allow 2-3 weeks, then check to see
that your application files are complete at each school.
Thank your recommenders in writing.
Once responses begin coming in,
assess your options and finances, if need be. Many highly
qualified applicants must choose between a generous scholarship at
a good regional school or a large debt load at a nationally
recognized school.
Accept what you consider to be your
best offer and send in a deposit to reserve your seat in the
class.
Notify other schools to which you
were accepted that you are declining their offers.
Inform your recommenders and the
pre-law advisor of your results and decision.
Don't forget to request to have
your final transcript sent to the law school.
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