If you are ready to apply to law school...

6 Things You Can Do Immediately to Begin Your Law School Admissions Process

1. Register with the LSAC- The Law School Admissions Council (LSAC) is the organization that administers the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT). If you go to their website at www.lsac.org, they can tell you what you need to do to get started.
   
   
2. Begin soliciting recommendations- I can't tell you how important it is to start this process early. During my own law school application process, it took one professor almost eight months to write my recommendation. If I hadn't begun the process 12 months earlier, I might have had problems.
   
   
3. Start developing ideas for your personal statement- The personal statement for me was a very, very long process. I took the process very seriously and it showed with the finished product. Start early on so that you can produce something that you're proud of.
   
   
4. Begin preparing for the LSAT- This is probably the most important aspect of your legal admissions strategy. I thought I'd be able to prepare full-time since I took a year off before law school, but I had to contend with several distractions, namely family (because I was living at home) and tragedy (September 11th). I prepared for nine weeks, but knew I wasn't quite ready. I felt if I had had more time, I probably would have done better. Don't make the same mistake.
   
   
5. Begin looking into law schools- There are 187 ABA approved law schools in America. You should begin looking into law schools that you're interested in as soon as you decide to apply. Ideally you should narrow down your choices to 10 to 12 schools.
   
   
6. Find out what college requirements you have left- In order to even go to law school, you have to have graduated from college. In order to graduate from college, you must have completed all of the necessary college requirements. Therefore, check with your school to find out what classes you need to make sure you will be receiving your diploma in May.

If you are in college, but not ready to apply just yet...

6 Things You Can Do to Prepare for the Law School Admissions Process

1. Find a college major you like- This is probably the most important factor that can get you into the best law school you possibly can. Thus, it's important you choose a major you like because you'd probably do well in those classes, which will give you a higher GPA. While a majority of incoming law students major in political science, it's not necessary to do so. I majored in African American Studies and did excellent in most of my classes. Choose a major you love.
   
   
2. Improve your GPA- If your freshman year was forgettable -- either because you had a rough time adjusting, partied till you dropped, or took a boat load of boring requirements -- just know you have a couple of years to get that GPA up. Start taking electives that interest you. Change your study habits. Do whatever you need to do to steer the ship in the right direction. Every improvement counts in the competitive world of law admissions. Do the best you can.
   
   
3. Take a variety of classes that interest you- I didn't really understand what people were talking about when they gave me this advice. College is probably the only time that most of us can expand our minds. It's a time when you can explore your intellectual curiosities and truly pursue things that interest you. Study abroad, take that philosophy class, just explore your interests.
   
   
4. Master the art of writing- A lawyer spends most of his time writing, whether it involves writing letters to his client updating him on a case, writing a motion for a judge, or writing a memo for a law firm partner. If your writing skills are sub par, you will have a tough time in law school and in the profession. If, however, you take the time to master writing as a college student, your life as a lawyer and a law student will be much easier. So brush up.
   
   
5. Be active in your school/community- This is significant on many fronts. While your grades and test scores are most important, being involved can set you apart from someone with similar grades and test scores. Law schools want people who are involved because they are most likely to be involved at law school. Being involved also expands your network of people who could help you out in the future (especially for jobs and recommendations). I was heavily involved at my undergraduate campus and I felt that that was one of my stronger points on my application. Being involved also gives you experience in leadership and teamwork -- qualities that are needed if you wish to excel in the world. So find something you are passionate about and get involved!
   
   
6. Read, Read, Read- In addition to writing, lawyers spend a good amount of time reading, whether it involves reading state laws, cases, letters, among other things. During my first year in law school, I read about 400-600 pages per week! The more you read, the better off you will be. It will train you to read all of the boring stuff you'll read in law school and as a practicing attorney. So pick up a book every now and then.
   
   

If you are in high school preparing for college...

6 Things You Can Do to Prepare for the Law School Admissions Process

1. Do as well as possible in your classes- The better you do in high school, the more you increase your options of where you want to go for college. Don't slack off, stay on track, and stay committed to your studies.
   
   
2. Read, Read, Read- In addition to writing, lawyers spend a good amount of time reading, whether it involves reading state laws, cases, letters, among other things. During my first year, I read about 400-600 pages per week! The more you read, the better off you will be. It will train you to read all of the boring stuff you will read in law school and as a practicing attorney. So pick up a book every now and then!
   
   
3. Participate in your school/community- This is significant on many fronts. While your grades and test scores are very important, being involved can set you apart from someone with similar grades and test scores. Law schools want people who are involved because they are most likely to be involved at law school. Being involved also expands your network of people who could help you out in the future (especially for jobs and recommendations). I was heavily involved at my high school and I felt that that was one of my stronger points on my application. Being involved also gives you experience in leadership and teamwork, qualities that are needed if you wish to excel in the world. So find something you enjoy or are passionate about and get involved!
   
   
4. Prepare for the SATs thoroughly- Exams are becoming more and more dominant as a factor for accepting students. Prepare for them as much as you can and do your best.
   
   
5. Apply to as many scholarships as possible- This is very, very important to your law school education. Why? Because your goal should be to come out of college with as little debt as possible. Why? Because, unless your parents are super wealthy, you'll have to finance all or part of your legal education with loans. With law school costing $30K to $40K annually, you can come out with $90K to $150K worth of loans form law school. If you have undergraduate debt, that could make it even more crazy. Therefore, you should expend your time applying for as many scholarships as possible. Believe me, you will thank me after you leave law school.
   
   
6. Master the art of writing- A lawyer spends most of his time writing, whether it involves writing letters to his client updating him on a case, writing a motion for a judge, or writing a memo for a law firm partner. If your writing skills are sub par, you will have a tough time in law school and in the profession. If, however, you take the time to master writing as a college student, your life as a lawyer and a law student will be much easier. So brush up.