Preparing for law school as an ICU student is stressful.
We do not have a lot of law-school-aspiring students around, and the law professors sometimes know less than you might. But you still got to go to law school. So, how do you prepare yourself? Who do you talk to? What schedule do you follow? Well, do not worry. I went through the same dilemma and researched for you!
(some of the suggestions only apply to law schools in America)
Make a list of law schools you want to go to
If you are a second or third-year undergraduate student, start looking into potential law schools in which you might be interested. Make a list of every law school’s requirements: GPA, LSAT score, recommendation letter, etc. You might think planning so far ahead is pointless, but factors like your GPA or LSAT scores need to be worked on through the years of undergraduate school instead of only the fourth year. Keeping in mind that your undergraduate major may not be law, you must still familiarize yourself with heavy readings and load work. So, having a checklist for each university may help build a schedule that prioritizes law school requirements.
Keep yourself motivated
Something about law school preparations is that it seems long. You will find yourself thinking you have been preparing for decades! Especially when it comes to keeping the GPA high and the constant LSAT preparation. But the key is consistency. To motivate yourself,
- Talk to other law school students.
- Make a vision board with your favorite law school logos, lawyers, and firms, and hang it near your study table.
- Include time off from working so hard
- Visit the campus, if you can
These are just a few things you can do to keep yourself motivated. Staying on top of your school work, practicing for the LSATs, and getting in extra experience can be stressful, but adding fun activities and breaks between your hustle hours will surely help you.
Sign-up with Khan Academy
One thing that I was most worried about getting into law school preparations was getting the right resources for the LSAT. I reached out to a couple of my seniors back in America, who were applying for law schools then, and asked them their best practice methods. And almost all of them recommended Khan Academy. Khan Academy builds a personalized path, sets goals, gives feedback, and lets you know how far along you are until you reach your goal score. There is also one free LSAT test you can take through the website. Since I started using Khan Academy and other academic resources, it has been much easier to get into practice problems. I was assured that the issues at Khan Academy are up to date with the current LSAT method.
Keep changing the routine.
Just like how you can not eat the same meal every day, following the same routine for almost a year is impossible. And, quite frankly, inefficient. One thing that is a must is that you must practice your LSAT problems and keep doing well in school. But that does not mean you lock yourself in your room and keep working with your nose in the books. For example, I work best at cafes. So, every month, I find a new restaurant I want to explore and go there two or three times a week to study and get some reading done. This helps me concentrate on my work, but it is also exciting because I get to try a place and get familiar with a new part of town! I highly recommend you try to change your routine or even the environment you study in (perhaps even rearranging your room) to find new motivation.
Make a progress map
Every step of this process is a big win. The day you start your preparations, every time you raise a grade point, or even when you encounter a challenging problem, all of them are a step closer to the primary goal. Because the process of working on the same over a long period gets monotonous, celebrating each win will help you stay motivated and keep track of how much more work you need to put in. I follow Banter with Babs’ YouTube channel to find new ways to mark my progress and tips on improving LSAT scores.
Reach out to professors
Your last, and honestly the most important, stop will be to reach out to your law or most familiar professors. Since law school is a choice that anyone can take at any time of their life, having good recommendation letters and a diverse background can set you aside from the other candidates. Usually, in graduate schools, you have students coming directly from undergraduate schools. But in law school, you may share the room with a retired professor, a nurse, or even a fashion designer (as we have all seen in Legally Blonde)! Getting good recommendation letters from your professors, who know you well enough or have supported you in writing your senior thesis, will allow the law schools to understand what type of a student you are and decide if you will be an ideal law student at the particular university.
Law school preparations can be intimidating, of course. But you are for sure not the only one! I wish you all the best for those following this path soon, and maybe say “hi!” if you see me on campus!