After graduating from Northeastern this spring, I will be attending law school in the fall. My journey toward law school officially began during my sophomore year, though I had casually considered it for years prior, since my family is full of a borderline alarming number of attorneys. When it came time to search for co-ops, I didn’t feel a strong pull in any particular direction and decided that law would scratch a long-standing itch of curiosity. I had seen my family members’ work firsthand, and I admired how they helped others in tangible ways by being assertive and forming well-thought-out arguments. As the youngest daughter of four, arguing was already my specialty.
Luckily, these family connections also meant that I had witnessed two of my brothers navigate the law school admissions process from start to finish, which gave me a clear understanding of what to expect when I later went down the same road. Without that knowledge, I’m not sure if I would have ever made it this far. When I attended Columbia Law School’s Admitted Students Day in the spring and found myself surrounded by fellow future lawyers, the journey that brought me there was not lost on me. So, for my final Her Campus article, I want to pass along what I’ve learned to anyone considering jumping into the daunting world of law school admissions.
Let’s start with the LSAT. Oof. I spent about a year studying for it before I received a score that I was satisfied with, and there is no sugarcoating how brutal this introduction to the admissions process can be. However, a high score can earn you six-figure merit scholarships later on. It’s an unkind barrier that will leave you questioning your intelligence as, for the 50th time, you wonder, Why in God’s name would that be the answer to this logical reasoning question? It seems difficult because the questions are unnatural and weird, but the (only) great thing about it is that it’s learnable. Repeatedly take timed practice tests and work on practice questions in your free time. Thoroughly review every question you get wrong until you fully understand why. If you do this, I promise you will succeed.
Secondly, give yourself plenty of time to learn the test. Don’t register for an exam date three months from when you first decide to take it; you are required to report every score to law schools, even if you retest, and each attempt costs roughly $200. Technically, you can cancel your score, but admissions committees will see that and may want an explanation. Wait until you are consistently scoring within your ideal range on practice tests before sitting for the real thing. Subscription services like Lawhub and 7sage were invaluable to me, and I highly recommend them. Toward the end, I also worked with an extremely helpful tutor from Cambridge Coaching, though this is a very expensive endeavor. Some amazing free resources include the practice tests on LSAC and Khan Academy. I won’t harp on the LSAT any longer since you can find countless online guides that break down the test’s content; frankly, it is super boring. Instead, I will leave you with this simple piece of advice: study hard and study for a long time. It is difficult, but thankfully, doable.
Let’s fast forward. You’ve taken the LSAT and have your final GPA (or an idea of it). Now, you will reach out to your professors and past supervisors for letters of recommendation and prepare to write an absurd number of admissions essays, depending on where you plan to apply. If you are still in your undergraduate years, my advice is to form a connection with at least two professors. You don’t need to be their favorite student or interact with them every single class, but if you participate and attend office hours regularly, they will remember you well enough to want to advocate for you. Remember, it is part of their job, and they want you to succeed! Strong letters of recommendation are a great way to set yourself apart from other applicants. If you have already graduated, don’t be afraid to contact past professors, even if you weren’t close. Chances are, they will be happy to help you.
When it comes to your essays, start by brainstorming what you want to showcase about yourself and the meaningful stories that reflect those qualities. Going in, I felt lost, as though I had nothing interesting to share. However, when I started thinking, I found several anecdotes to include. Your essays do not have to be related to law; the goal is to humanize yourself and highlight what makes you stand out. My final piece of advice is also my biggest: APPLY EARLY!!!!! Like, as soon as possible. It makes a huge difference because law schools operate on rolling admissions. Applications typically open sometime around Sept. 1, so aiming to apply as early as possible allows you to account for any unforeseen delays and still submit everything in a timely manner. I ended up applying in late October after following this timeline.
After you apply, take time to breathe and be proud of yourself. Try to avoid the law school admissions Reddit page. Hearing about where everyone else has been accepted and what schools they’ve heard back from will only drive you crazy. You will end up exactly where you are supposed to be. If you have any further questions, feel free to contact me @georgiaboyyd on Instagram.