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Advising Notes Law School Preparation at Penn State Each year about 750 Penn State students and alumni apply to American Bar Association-approved law schools. If you plan to be among them, here is some information to consider:
Law schools accept people from all majors. No specific courses are prerequisites for a law school education. Accepting and meeting the demands of any challenging major will strengthen your application. Still, there are some essential skills you should develop during your undergraduate career. Strong written and verbal communication skills are indispensable in the legal profession, as is a facility with analytical reasoning. Many majors may allow development of these skills, even if they don't have a specific application to law. If your major does not, you may wish to elect courses that will help you develop these skills. Such courses may be identified in consultation with your academic adviser. Your extracurricular activities, part-time employment, study abroad, internships, or research opportunities as an undergraduate are also important. If you have taken a leadership role in any one of them or can demonstrate the ability to accept and meet challenges outside the classroom, you will be a more attractive candidate. Frequently, Penn Staters are in large classes throughout their undergraduate career and may never get to know any of their professors. Since letters of recommendation are required for law school applicants, you should make a point of getting to know your professors. Perhaps you can do special projects for them, work in their office, or do research. Getting to know your professors better—and helping them to get to know you—will increase the chance that they will be able to write a good letter of recommendation for you. While the above-mentioned factors are important to your law school application, the two main factors are still your undergraduate grade-point average and your LSAT (Law School Admission Test) score. To maximize your law school options, you should keep your GPA high and do your best on the LSAT. Prepare for the LSAT and plan to take it only once. The Law School Data Assembly Service (LSDAS) reports multiple LSAT scores to each law school where you apply, so taking the LSAT unprepared can hurt your chances for admission. Plan to take the LSAT between your junior and senior year or in the fall of your senior year. Registration booklets are available in Grange Building, University Park, or by writing to Law School Admission Council, Box 2000, Newtown, PA 18940, and requesting an LSAT/LSDAS Registration and Information Book. You can also register online at www.lsat.org. Most ABA-approved law schools require you to subscribe to the Law School Data Assembly Service (LSDAS). This service provides a report of your transcript, LSAT score, and your letters of recommendation to each law school where you apply. Subscription to this service should be completed prior to the application process. A critical component of your application is your personal statement. With this statement you have the opportunity to present yourself to the admissions committee and demonstrate your unique potential and the contributions you would bring to the law school class if admitted. Most law schools begin their academic year during the fall semester. Most law schools have rolling admissions. Those who take the LSAT prior to their senior year should plan to submit their applications by the end of September one year before they wish to start law school. Those taking the LSAT in October of their senior year should have law school applications submitted by Thanksgiving of their senior year—a little less than one year before they wish to start law school. For a calendar of events, general information about law school and the law school admission process, and information about how to contact the pre-law adviser, look at the Law School Resources Web site. Advising Notes is a compilation of special topics publications for students and academic advisers. Privacy and Legal Statements | Copyright | © The Pennsylvania State University. All rights reserved. Last revised February 13, 2008. |