Preparing for Law School
Freshman-Sophomore Years
The first two years of college should be a time when all students, and particularly pre-law students, find themselves academically. In addition to the obvious, such as adjustment to a new, larger institution, to a student body composed of adults rather than adolescents, and perhaps to the new experience of being away from home for an extended period for the first time, first semester pre-law students should also begin their quest for admission to a desired law school.
During the freshman and sophomore years, pre-law students should initiate the following simple, yet critically important processes:
-
The student must determine an optimum distribution of time among
academic activities (going to class and studying), social activities
(recreation, dating, etc.), and life-essential activities (sleeping,
eating, etc.). Poor time management can cause academic,
physical, and psychological problems for the student.
- Students who have come to college with a declared intent to major in a specific discipline should take the initial courses in that discipline in order to verify that the intended major is, in fact, the right one for them.
- Students who
have come to college knowing only that they desire to attend law school should
take a variety of courses from a number of disciplines. This will allow
the student to determine an interest secondary to law, and will lead to an
undergraduate major. Undeclared pre-law students should select a major
that (a) is of exceptional interest to the student and one in which he/she
receives the best possible grades and/or (b) provides an alternative career
track, should the student not be accepted to law school or lose interest in
law school (before or after entry).
- The student should begin the process of establishing
faculty ties for future requests for letters of recommendation. See Tips
on networking with professors.
By the end of the sophomore year, the pre-law student has (ideally) embarked on the pursuit of a major to his/her liking, established a highly competitive grade point average, begun networking with professors, and taken courses that will aid in obtaining the maximum possible score on the LSAT.