Selecting an ideal law school is one of the most vital decisions pre-law students face. Schools vary greatly in terms of curriculum offerings, location, culture and housing options as well as alumni networks.
At its core, law schools should help their students pass the bar exam and secure employment upon graduation. Selecting your ideal law schools requires having a clear idea of your personal and professional goals as well as priorities.
1. What kind of law do you want to practice?
Once you’ve narrowed down your law school options using factors such as curriculum and rankings, it is also important to think about which area of law interests you most. Although many students wait until graduation to decide their specialty area of law practice, gaining valuable experience as a law student will help determine which types of legal work suit them best.
As part of your decision process when choosing what area of law to practice, take into account your LSAT scores, college grades and involvement with clubs/organizations which develop your research and public speaking abilities. Also be mindful of which specialties of law are offered within your state of choice.
Other considerations include availability of activities and programs in your field of interest, your stated or unstated ideologies and class diversity. Enjuris provides an interactive tool that helps users locate ABA-approved law schools that best match their criteria.
2. Are you ready for the LSAT?
The LSAT is an intense exam; skills-based and timed, meaning you must operate at full throttle at all times. That pressure can take its toll, especially for students already feeling the strain; pushing too hard can lead to burnout and result in lower scores overall.
As a general guideline, a good indication that you’re ready to take the test is when your five most recent PrepTest scores have averaged two points above target; this extra cushion gives you safety if test day nerves get in the way.
At each school you’re considering, it is also crucial that you check their applicant profile grids found in LSAC’s Official Guide to ABA-Approved Law Schools. These grids will show you what range of LSAT scores and UGPAs have been accepted previously.
3. Are you ready for the challenges of law school?
Law school is very different from undergraduate studies; you need to carefully consider everything from career prospects and intellectual rigor, internship opportunities, student groups that could influence your future, location considerations (big cities can provide more legal resources as well as government offices), student activities that could enhance your experience at each institution, and more! When creating your list of prospective schools for law school studies, keep this all in mind; otherwise it could prove both distracting and overwhelming!
Your studies and exam preparation can also be extremely stressful, particularly if you’re an imperfect test-taker. Furthermore, certain courses will likely bore you and you must persevere to be able to succeed on exams; while law schools tend to offer more competitive environments where students vie for top grades as well as internships or positions in student groups – ranking lists can provide insights as to the opportunities that exist in law school.
4. Are you ready for the life of a lawyer?
After graduating law school and passing the bar exam, your life will likely become very busy. Lawyers typically work around 80 hours per week and employ others to assist with their workload; though the work itself may pay well. But while it pays well financially, this profession takes hard work. Therefore it is imperative that you are passionate about this career choice as this will likely become your livelihood for years.
Choose a law school that will enable you to study the area of law that interests you by narrowing your school selection based on location and looking for courses, clinics, externships and other opportunities that pertain to what you hope to pursue once graduation arrives. Ameer is an experienced freelance writer specializing in college admissions and career development issues.