Law School Application Checklist
Applying and attending law school is a major investment that will likely require you 3+ years and over $150,000 in tuition. Despite wide range in school rankings and disparaging first-year associate salaries for graduates of all 200 ABA (American Bar Association), the time and money invested in any accredited law school is cause for you to spend your due diligence in researching the right law schools.
Here is a checklist of items to research and follow-up as you prepare for the LSAT and law school applications:
Before The Applications
- Prepare for the LSAT
Ideally spend at least 3-6 months preparing for the law school admissions test. Be sure to browse our guides and resources for LSAT preparation.
- Research Law Schools & Note Application Deadlines
There’s loads of tools all over the web for you to research law schools, faculty information, specialties and emphases of study, as well as first-year graduate salary information. Where you graduate from law school heavily impacts your prospects after graduation, it’s very important that you apply to a wide range of schools.
In terms of application deadlines, as referenced by Anna Ivey, law schools are more generous with their acceptances during the beginning of the cycle (September-October) as the more available slots allow for more lax on lower LSAT and GPA scores. Ideally, you should set Thanksgiving as a hard deadline for you to send all of your law school applications out.
- Identify and Prep your Letters of Recommendations Writers Early
- Take The LSAT
- Forward Your Transcripts
Structured Checklist With Time Line
In terms of timing and scheduling, the University of Notre Dame provides a very good application time line and checklist that’s applicable for many of the top law school’s application cycles:
- March-June: Prepare for LSAT
- April-May: Apply for the LSAT. Registration deadline is approximately 1-month prior to the test date.
[Research and select your test center at least 3-months prior to test date. Also look for reviews online to make sure the test center offers good rooms (big tables, lots of spacing, secluded, etc...)] - June: Take the LSAT
- July: Receive LSAT Score
- August-September: Subscribe to LSDAS (The Law School Admission Council data assembly service that holds your academic transcripts, letter of recommendations, LSAT scores, and all pertinent information for law schools)
- August-September: Send official transcripts to LSDAS (This includes any transcripts you may have with community colleges)
- August-September: Review catalogs, applications and financial aid information from law schools
- September: Check LSDAS report for accuracy. [NOTE: The LSDAS and your college may calculate your GPA differently]
- September: Talk to potential recommenders about letters of recommendations
- September-October: Write personal statement
- September-November: Meet with admissions representatives at law school forums, on campus events, workshops, etc…
- October-November: Fill out applications
- October-November: Send Applications
- November-December: Check with LSDAS and law school’s that application file is complete, including letters of recommendation
- January: File financial aid applications
- December-May: Visit law schools, contact admissions offices (in a polite manner), and write letters to show continued interests
- April-June: Ensure you pay your seat deposit on time
|
||||||||
