Plan and Prepare for Law School
This is the suggested timeline for students planning to attend law school directly after graduation. More than 75% of incoming law students do not take this path. Whenever you plan to apply, keep in mind that law schools value academic excellence, a commitment to activities, and growth over time.
Timeline for Pre-Law Preparation
Freshman and Sophomore Years
During the freshman and sophomore years, students should be focused on ensuring they are in the right academic major and begin committing to interests outside the classroom. This period is for building an academic foundation.
- Select a major that fits your interests, skills, and abilities and begin to excel academically. Students who are interested in law school often major in Sustainability Studies or Science, Technology, and Society and receive supportive faculty advising through those programs.
- Attend a prelaw event or workshop.
- Visit the American Bar Association page for prelaw students and review the section on “Core Skills, Values, Knowledge, and Experience.”
- Start meeting with faculty, your advisors and the HASS Pre-Law advisors to discuss your interests and plans for law school
- Focus on excelling academically. Attend your professor’s office hours and consider forming study groups to gain the best understanding of each subject. If you find yourself struggling, consider visiting ALAC for learning assistance.
- If classes are going well, consider joining a campus club or organization. The RPI Club Directory is a database of the more than 200 registered student organizations & clubs and is a good place to start.
- Think about how to use your Arch Away semester as an opportunity to build your resume: study abroad, internships, research, service projects, and self-designed projects are all valuable experiences to include in your application.
- Talk with the CCPD, your advisor, or the pre-law advisor about opportunities that may help prepare you for law school.
Junior Year / Year prior to Applying
Up to a year prior to submitting an application, students should start preparing application materials and begin learning about and studying for the Law School Admission Test (LSAT). The LSAT is offered multiple times per year and the testing year starts in June. Winter break is an optimal time to start taking practice exams and outline a study schedule.
- Attend CCPD Career Fairs & Webinars
- Take challenging courses; focus on upper-division coursework.
- Take a practice LSAT:
- Learn about the structure and strategy for the exam.
- Develop an LSAT study strategy which may include self-study, online coursework, an in-person course, or even tutoring.
- Determine when they will sit for the LSAT (summer or fall of senior year are most common).
- Attend a workshop about applying to law school.
- Begin requesting letters of recommendation from professors, employers, or other people who can attest to your academic work.
- Meet with a prelaw advisor to discuss your interest in law school and to answer questions about the application process.
Summer before Senior Year / Application Year
The summer before senior year is a great time to gather credentials and begin preparing the application materials.
- Register and sit for the LSAT.
- Subscribe to LSAC’s Credential Assembly Service, which is required and has a fee.
- Order an official transcript from the Registrar’s Office and send it to LSAC.
- Prepare or update resume for law school applications.
- Begin writing a personal statement (prelaw advising can review a draft).
- Research law schools and develop a strategy for completing applications.
- Consider creating an excel file with information pertaining to each school to keep track of each schools’ information, requirements, and deadlines.
Senior Year / Application Year: Fall
Students should plan to submit their applications in late August or early September when the application period typically opens.
- Check your LSAC account to ensure transcripts and letters of recommendation were received and follow up on any that are outstanding.
- Take or retake the LSAT.
- Prepare your law school applications, including essays.
- Most schools review applications on a rolling basis, so students should apply as soon as their application is ready.
- All law school application materials are accessed and submitted through the student's LSAC account.
- Meet with a prelaw advisor to discuss law schools and application strategy, have your personal statement reviewed, and have any additional questions answered.
- Obtain a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), available in October, and complete it as soon as possible.
Senior Year / Application Year: Spring
Schools vary on when they notify applicants of acceptance decisions; some schools contact students within days and others provide decisions months later. Students still waiting on decisions in January should update their transcripts in LSAC.
Spring of the student's senior year is when students should review offers, visit schools, make their decision and submit a deposit to the law school they plan to attend in the fall.
- Plan to attend a dedicated Admitted Students Day, offered by many schools, to get a feel for the school and see if it will be a good fit and to meet fellow admitted students.
- Review scholarship, grant, and financial aid packages.
- Some schools will reconsider aid offers; students may check with each individual school to determine their process.
- Pay attention to deposit deadlines!
- If a nonrefundable deposit deadline is approaching for one school yet a response is still forthcoming from another, ask about the possibility of extending the deadline.
- Provide a letter expressing continued interest in remaining on a school's waitlist (only if the school accepts these).
- Send a final, official transcript to the law school you have selected, or to any school for which you are still waitlisted.
- Send “Thank You” notes to your recommendation letter-writers
- If you decide to attend, let us know where you go!