• What do I need to accomplish as a Pre-Law student and when?

Freshman Year

• Explore majors to find what fits your interests
• Interact with your professors
• Become involved in two or three student activities and groups
• Work hard

Sophomore Year

• Choose your major and minor
• Interact with your professors
• Maintain involvement in a narrow set of student activities
• Work hard

Junior Year

• Attend the fall meeting for Pre-Law students
• Meet with your Pre-Law advisor in the fall or spring
• Take part in a law-oriented internship program
• Plan to take the LSAT in June
• Identify two professors who could provide recommendations, as well as persons in other contexts (internships, employers, volunteer settings)
• Work hard

Senior Year

August/September

• Attend the fall meeting for Pre-Law students
• Meet with your Pre-Law advisor
• Sign up for the October LSAT, if you did not take the June test
• Obtain applications from the law schools
• Attend a LSAC Law School forum, typically in Chicago in September
• Work on your personal statement -- plan on at least four drafts
• Contact recommendation letter writers and make requests
• Subscribe to LSDAS and have your official transcript(s) sent to them by Calvin

Late September/Early October

• If taking the LSAT, follow the advice for September (above) when your test scores are in
• Mail in your law school applications by November 1

December

• Check with law schools to see that your applications are complete
• If you took the LSAT in October, mail your law school applications ASAP
• Letters from law schools with rolling/early admissions may begin arriving

January

• Fill out Federal Financial Aid forms

March/April/May

• March is the final application deadline for many law schools
• In April and May, letters from law schools without rolling admissions arrive
• In late May, secure housing in law school area

Return to Frequently Asked Questions Index Page