Preparing for Law School

As a High School Student: If you are now in high school, there are a few skills you already should be working on to prepare for law school. First, you should be reading as much as possible on your own. Read books and magazines that stretch your vocabulary and your general knowledge about the world, and think critically about what you are reading. It is not necessary that all of your reading relate to the law, but you should be getting a good handle on the U.S. political system, world events, and the place that law holds in our society.

Take classes that require you to write papers and have them critiqued by your teachers. Writing is a very important skill in college, in law school, and in almost every profession. Learn good study habits now: you will want to hit the ground running in college and have a good GPA freshman year that you simply need to maintain, not a low GPA that you need to work to improve. Your college record will be one of the most important parts of your law school application.

Participating in debate, mock trial, moot court, student government or any other organization that gives you the opportunity for public speaking is also good preparation for law school, but if that does not appeal to you, it is not essential.

When choosing a college, make sure that your school does send a number of graduates into law school and has a good reputation with the law schools in your area.

As a College Student: If you are already in college and are now thinking about law school, do not worry if you have selected a major that is not usually thought of in connection with law. Law schools accept students from a wide range of undergraduate backgrounds. You should choose a major in which you personally are interested, not one that someone else has suggested as being the best major for law school. If you choose a major that really interests you, then you are more likely to perform well in your classes and have a better college GPA, which will be an important part of your law school application. Also, if you decide later not to attend law school, you want to have selected a college major that can lead to other careers options that appeal to you.

Take classes that require you to write papers and have them critiqued by your teachers. Writing is a very important skill in college, in law school, and in almost every profession. You also may want to take at least one course on Logic, which is a major part of the Law School Admission Test (LSAT).

After you have selected your major and are advancing in your course work, start thinking about which faculty members you would like to have write letters of recommendation for you. These will be required or strongly preferred by almost every law school to which you may apply. The best letters of recommendation come from faculty who have had you in one or more classes, who are familiar with your written work, and who can write about your performance as a student and your preparation for law school. You should make an effort to get to know at least one faculty member each semester after freshman year so that you will have several faculty whom you can ask to write letters on your behalf.

When you are in your junior year, start planning when you will take the LSAT. There is a great deal of information about the LSAT on the web site for the Law School Admission Council (www.lsac.org). You should plan to take the test after you have been able to allocate time over several months to prepare. The earliest you should take the LSAT is the summer between your junior and senior years. Never take the LSAT unprepared: your score is valid for up to 5 years and may be averaged with your score on any retakes of the LSAT. See the FAQ section of this web site for more advice on preparing for the LSAT.

As a returning student: If you have been out of the classroom environment for two or more years, law school may be a major adjustment for you and, if applicable, your family. Be sure that you have prepared those in your life for the changes that will take place. Having a supportive family is important foranyone returning to law school who is married and/or has children. Be sure that your family has planned adequately for you to be a full-time student for at least the first year of law school. UK Law offers a full-time program only. First-year students are not permitted to work, and our second and third year students may only work part-time up to 15-20 hours per week.

Law school will require a great deal of reading and writing. If you have not been in the habit of reading for relaxation, try to find some time to fit that into your schedule. If you have not been involved in a career that requires a lot of writing, you may want to start getting back into the habit by keeping a journal, writing summaries of your reading, etc.

It is not unusual for the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) to present a major obstacle for someone who has not been in classes or taken a standardized test for some time. Timing can be more of a factor on the test for returning students. Plan on preparing for the test for a minimum of three months, preferably six months or longer, before taking the actual LSAT. In practicing for the test, take several actual LSATs (they can be purchased at www.LSAC.org) under timed conditions. Never take the LSAT unprepared: your score is valid for up to 5 years and may be averaged with your score on any retakes of the LSAT. See the FAQ section of this web site for more advice on preparing for the LSAT.