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Applying to law school is not- and should not be- an easy decision to make.  Granted, some of you may have grown up on Law and Order or have parents who are attorneys, so have always felt the drive to enter law school.  But for many of you, this may be a fork in the road that you are nervous about, wondering whether you are making the right decision.  Sure, law school is only 3 years, but it is 3 intense years (well, at least 2 intense years, with the last one thrown in for kicks).  You will be sacrificing a great deal of your time and money in those years, so you want to do your best to investigate whether law school is the correct path for you.

Our goal is not to determine whether law school is right for you.  That is a decision that you will need make yourself after careful consideration of your interests, career goals, financial situation, and personal circumstances.  Our goal is to help you make an informed decision.  In keeping with this goal, we outline a "three phase" approach in thinking about applying to law school.  While we provide a large amount of information, you will need to do your own research about specific schools, programs, and career opportunities. 

Once you have decided that law school is right for you and that you want to apply, peruse through our very useful "How to" Guides on topics ranging from how to write a personal statement to how to prepare for the LSATs.  These guides have been prepared by law students who have been through the arduous process of applying to law schools- and made it!  The guides a great place to start when thinking about your application- the requirements, the strategy, and the decisionmaking. 

Best of luck in your law school endeavors!

1.  Build the Right Skills

•  If you are an undergraduate student, there are some things you can do from academic standpoint that will prepare you for the heavy workloads associated with a law school curriculum.  First, take challenging courses that fit your interests.  You do not need to take "legal" courses to prepare for law school- you will learn "the law" once you get to law school.  Focus on courses in subjects that you find appealing because it will both allow you to do well and inspire you to undertake a more thoughtful approach to the work.  Second, do research.  Research builds skills such as attention to detail, organization, broad-based and nuanced analysis, and critical evaluation.  Law school admissions committees tend to look favorably upon independent research on interesting topics. 
• If you find yourself not being comfortable speaking in public, it’s not the end of the world.  But for law school it’s a must, so try and get ahead by practicing your public speaking in the University environment.  For example, join an organization and take an active role.  You can become a Director of Communications or Outreach which will significantly help you improve your interpersonal and speaking skills. 
• These approaches to school are useful not just for law schools but for a wide variety of careers.  Developing these skills will help you in careers ranging from law to medicine to business. 

2.  Learn what Law School has to Offer

• Talk to current law students.  Talking to several law students will give you a diversity of perspectives in terms of what motivated people to go to law school, how they view that decision, what law school has to offer, and what career opportunities are available.  Ask students both general and specific questions regarding how they view their law school, academic programs, extracurricular and social activities, and the intellecutal/academic/social environment.  Finally, ask about their experiences applying to law school.  Did they make any mistakes?  Did they do something really well? 

• Meet with your career counselor or a career development officer.  These are professionals who have years of experience dealing with students who are exploring post-graduation opportunities.  You and your counselor can work through your interests, short- and long-term career goals, and other issues.  You might end up concluding that a legal education can best further your goals and match your interests- or you might not! 

• Explore materials that describe the law school experience and provides a realistic assessment of the career opportunities available post-graduation.  If you are going to law school in search of a $160,000 a year job, you might be in for significant disappointment.  Visit the Law School Admissions Council (LSAC) website to get a sense of the law school admissions process, placement statistics, and other important information.  Visit individual law school websites to see how the law schools you are interested in stack up in terms of admissions, career placement, and academic programs. 

• Law school can be an amazing three years of intense intellectual development and personal growth.  But, it can also be a miserable place if you enter oblivious to the actual benefits of a legal education and without having done due diligence about your own goals and interests. 

3.   Try Out a Legal or Legal-related Internship

• Spending some time at a law firm as a paralegal, legal research assistant, or legal intern can give you the inside view of the workings of a law firm.  While your experience may not be reflective of the work that the lawyers are actually doing, you can gain important legal research and writing skills as well as gain exposure to the day-to-day life of lawyers. 
  
• A legal experience will also allow you to network with lawyers.  This experience can allow to ask honest questions about how attorneys made their journeys into the law, how they enjoyed their law school experiences, and what advice they have to offer you.  Asking questions to real attorneys is probably one of the most useful things you can do to learn about the legal profession in practice.
  

1.   Courses

2.   The L-word: The "LSAT" (scroll down to the bottom to download the "How to Take the LSAT" guide)

• Your score is likely the single best predictor of whether you will get into the law school of your choice.  For whatever it's worth, most law schools place a heavy emphasis on your LSAT score. 
• The score ranges from 120-180, with five multiple choice sections (of which four count towards your final score) and a writing section (which does not count towards your final score but should be completed to the best of your ability).  
• The definition of a "good" score depends upon the set of schools you are applying to.  While the national median is somewhere around a 151, to be competitive in the top 20 schools you will need closer to a 165.  Target scores for the top two or three schools are typically in the 170-175 (25th-75th percentile) ranges. 
• This is an exam where consistent and diligent preparation is key.  Unless you have done a couple practice exams where you get a 170 or above, you must prepare for this exam.
• Multiple exam scores are averaged. Make sure to check with individual law schools – some schools take the higher score.
• Prep courses are highly recommended by most law students and lawyers, and there is no shortage of these.  Kaplan and Princeton Review are the most popular. Also consider Power Score and Test Masters. HOWEVER, if you’re a self motivator – you might not need to drop $$ on these courses. It’s a personal choice.
• Practice. And practice again. And practice again. Did we mention practice?  
• Use www.lsac.org to register for the exam.  Register early and finalize a test center as soon as possible – popular ones fill up quickly. You do NOT want to be driving somewhere to do this test.
• Make a lot of dua’a; get family and friends to form dua’a circles – preferably meeting around the time of your test. 
• Remember: Your LSAT score is by no means a measure of your intelligence. It’s a test that tests how you do a test.

3.   Applying to the Right Schools

• General rule of thumb - try to get into the best school (i.e., highest rank) you can possibly get into. A very rare exception would be if you know of a school that has a specialty that you know you’re interested. For example, OSU has highly reputed faculty that specialize in Alternative Dispute Resolution and International Law, American University’s Washington College of Law has well known Human Rights programs. However, don’t pigeon hole yourself too early.
• Compare your  LSAT score and GPA to the ranges at various law schools.  Pick schools in your range, but don’t be afraid to try for higher ranked schools. Some schools are trying to increase their diversity (ethnicity, backgrounds, experiences, viewpoints, etc.) and you may get in even with a score slightly below their range. 
• Location - Location - Location – if you’re not trying to for a top 20 school, go to school where you would ideally like to practice. Opportunities will arise for you to network with local practitioners and do internships. Also, pick a location that you will be happy in. First year is hard enough without having to go through the misery of living in a place you don’t like.
• Apply only to schools that you would want to attend.  Don't bother applying to the entire top 20 list if you know that you would never attend half of those schools- even if you got in. 
• People are important. Find out what law students are like in the school you want to go to. Talk to current law students (more about this when you’re in Phase III: I’m in! – but it may even be helpful in figuring out where to apply)
• If you can - visit the schools before you accept/apply. Sit in on classes Know where you're going and make sure you’re going to be happy going there.

4.   The Application

• Applications can be very expensive, especially because you are applying to several schools.  Look into getting fee waivers from schools directly; some schools will waive the fee if you ask.  When registering for LSAC, you will be prompted to ask if they can release your scores to schools. If they do so, and you’re in a certain range – schools will send you fee waivers. If you choose to identify with a minority group, that might translate into fee waivers as well.
• Get your applications in ASAP.  Law schools get tons of applications, and tend to admit on a rolling basis. Logically, there are more available spots open at the beginning of the cycle than at the end; the later you get your application in - the more the competition; hence, the more stellar you have to be.
• While focusing on application trends is not the smartest move (since they shift a lot), a basic way of understanding trends is that the number of law school applicants tend to correlate with the general state of the economy.  During economic recessions and downturns, the number of students applying to law schools tend to rise.  But, focus on your application- and not the ones of the other 82,000 or so applicants. 
• The earlier you get in your application, the earlier you find out - the wait can feel unbearable.  Once you've submitted your applications, try to focus on other activities like hanging out with friends or engaging in a hobby to de-stress and relax.  
• Even if your scores aren’t in - pretend like your best score in the practice tests (perhaps the last one?) is your score. If you do better, you can always drop more applications later. Plus, LSAT reports don’t go in until the schools request them – so you have about a week buffer after your application is in. If your scores aren't officially in - LSAC will automatically send them in when they’re released as long as they've been requested. 

5.   The Personal Statement 

• The personal statement is your opportunity to tell the admissions committee what you have to offer and what your goals are.
• Do not take this part of your application lightly.  If you are on the "borderline" in terms of LSAT and GPA, then a compelling, well-written personal statement might push you into the "Admit" column. 
• Spend a lot of time brainstorming, outlining, and planning.  For the first two or three sessions, don't begin writing a draft- think through your ideas and plan a coherent and well-structured outline.  Law schools are looking for more than content- they are also paying attention to organization, clarity, and style. 
• Write – rewrite – edit – and rewrite again.
• Your friends and family know you best so use them as critics.

• Ask a law student that is willing to help to look it over for you. Your best bet is if you have friends in law school, or know people at the local school. Also, consider talking to a pre-law counselor or one of your professors and have them edit your essay. 

• If you have a unique background (i.e. part of a minority group), you may choose to emphasize this in your statement.  But, this is a personal call and you must remember that the essay must "flow" and every detail has to be relevant. 

• Visiting a school may also give you a better perspective on why you want to go there, which can be incorporated into your personal statement. 

1.  Choosing the Right School

• Talk to former and current law students at the schools you are looking at.  Ask about how they made their decisions to attend, how there experiences have been, how the classes are, how the students/faculty are, what the career opportunities are, and do they feel they made the right decision.  Talking to folks directly will reveal things about a school, especially its "culture," that cannot be gleaned from a website or brochure. 
• Set up a meeting with a faculty member.  Email the admissions office and try to set up a meeting over coffee or lunch with a faculty member.  This may be difficult to do depending on timing and other issues, but talking with a professor in a field you are interested in can be very helpful.  If you cannot visit the school, at least try to exchange emails with a faculty contact or set up a phone meeting.
• Research a school's offerings: look through course catalogs, clinic offerings, journals, extracurricular opportunities, and events happening at the school.  Look at a school's graduation requirements.  What courses are required?  Will you have any flexibility in crafting your own curriculum?  You want to look for the ideal mix of a vibrant intellectual, social, and cultural environment.  Keep these things in mind when considering among your choices.
• VIsit your finalized list of schools.  Once you've narrowed down your choices to two or three places, VISIT.  While this won't give you the full picture, it will let you get a "feel for the place."  If a school is in an urban environment and you hate the big city feel, then maybe this is not the place you want to spend the next three years.  Visiting also allows you to meet faculty, students, and staff.  Finally, most schools have orientation sessions or "Admit Weekends" where many potential matriculants visit.  This can allow to meet and engage with your future potential classmates. 

2.  After Enrollment

• Once you've committed to a school, use the summer to take care of logistical issues: send in enrollment deposits, purchase school-sponsored health plan, organize your immunization forms, read over student guides and other summer "mailers"- and ENJOY THE SUMMER.  This is likely the last summer you will have where you can spend significant amount of time with friends and family.  This is a good time to travel or do another activity that you've always wanted to do.
• Move-in early.  Get settled and "create some personal space."  This will be important because things can hectic at the start of the year. 
• While there are law school "prep" courses to get you ready for the transition into law schools, these have received very mixed reviews and cost a good amount of money.  Instead, a better approach to ease any apprehension maybe to read some books on the subject.  A few suggestions are:
  • Acing Your First Year of Law School: The Ten Steps to Success You Won't Learn in Class, by Shana Connell Noyes & Henry S. Noyes
  • The Law School Trip (the insider's guide to law school), by Andrew J. McClurg 
  • Law School Confidential: A Complete Guide to the Law School Experience, Robert Miller

• Look over your financial aid award.  Hopefully, you have met all financial aid deadlines and have received your letter on time.  You have either received a package consisting of all loans or a mix of grants, loans, and other scholarships.  Financing law school is a huge responsibility. If you are forced to take loans, try to limit yourself to Stafford Loans, which are either subsidized or unsubsidized.  The interest rates on unsubsidized loans are lower than for private loans. 
• If you have religious concerns about loans, you may want to speak with a representative at an Islamic Bank in the U.S. or a commercial bank that provides Islamic loan options.  They may be able to work out loan arrangements that comply with religious requirements. 
• Remember that the best ways to avoid loans (at least all interest bearing ones) are to: 1) save for school early; 2) work for a few years before applying to law school; 3) serve as a Teaching Assistant while in law school; 4) ask for parental contribution (maybe promising to pay them back once you start earning); 5) apply for financial aid and scholarships; and 6) spend and budget wisely. 
• Regardless of your views on loans, you will need to maintain a strict budget in law school.  Create a budget that incorporates rent, food expenses, travel costs, and personal expenses.  There is no need to be draconian about this- make sure you budget in some money for eating out, going to movies, etc.   Just be responsible. 
• Look out for student scholarship opportunities.  Some firms offer diversity scholarships if you work with them for a summer.  Also, the ABA has a scholarship that may be helpful.  Finally, ask your school's financial aid office about scholarship opportunities.
• You may want to seek out summer opportunities that pay.  While it is tough to get firm jobs for your 1L summer, it's worth a try if that is something you're interested in.  Or, you can apply for public interest fellowships/scholarships that will pay you to do a public interest internship.   

1.  "How to Write a Personal Statement" 

2.  "How to Prepare for the LSATs"  (pdf), (doc)