Timelines and schedules for pre-law undergraduates

Freshman and sophomore years

• Work on your general education requirements
• Take courses that interest you
• Get involved in the Pre-Law Club
• Introduce yourself to the pre-law advisors on campus
• Focus on courses that help you write, think, and analyze
• Think about the major decision
• Begin to develop relationships with professors who might ultimately serve as recommendations

Junior year

• Make sure you are working with your pre-law advisors regarding your law school plans and LSAT preparation
• Think about getting a law-related internship or other practical legal experience
• Work toward a leadership role in the Pre-Law Club or take on some other significant extracurricular activity
• Think about non-major courses that might enrich your skills and knowledge base for law school
• If you are thinking about law school immediately following law school, register for the LSAT for the June test or the test the following October
• Begin preparing for the LSAT 2-3 months before the test

Senior year (if you are going straight on to law school)

• Subscribe to LSDAS and submit official transcripts
• In the period from September to November, you need to do a number of things:  securing application materials, arranging for the necessary letters of recommendations, attending a law forum, and formulating a list of possible schools
• Be sure to work with your law school advisors as you decide on schools and complete the application process
• If you are taking the LSAT in October, be sure to register by late August
• By October, you should have a good draft of a personal statement
• Finish your applications and aim for submitting them to law schools by Thanksgiving
• In January, send transcripts of your fall grades to law schools
• File financial aid applications in January
• In the spring, try to visit schools to which you have been admitted
• Be sure to update the schools to which you applied of significant honors you received or other meaningful activities that might enhance your application
• Send a deposit to the school you ultimately decide to attend. Remember to notify other schools that accepted you that you will not be attending there.