MENU OF OPTIONS

• Career Exploration
• Application Process
• LSAT
• LSDAS
• Fee Waiver
• Admissions Process
• Choosing a School
• Summary
• Resources

Click Here to View PowerPoint Presentation

• Are you prepared to commit an intense amount of time & energy to developing the skills and education required to become a member of the law profession? (4 yrs undergraduate and 2 – 3 years of law school)
• Do you like to read and study? Do you like to perform detailed work and research facts?
• Are you articulate? A good writer? An orator?
• Do you enjoy working with people?
• Are you empathetic towards other’s plight? Do you like to advocate for others?
• Have you talked with a practicing lawyer or experienced “a day in the life of a lawyer”?
• Have you talked with a law student to get a realistic idea of being a law school student?
• Have you chosen a major that will hold your interest, while teaching skills in critical analysis, logical reasoning, and written and oral expression?

• Upon deciding on a career in law, consult your school’s pre-law advisor ASAP.
• During the spring of junior year, collect a Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) application packet from the pre-law advisor.
  • You may also obtain a packet directly from the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) by mail. Registration is also available by phone or online.

• After taking the LSAT, begin to request admissions catalogs/applications from those schools you are interested in. Applications can be obtained from:

  • The law schools themselves *best method

  • Internet

  • The LSACD on the Web (contact http://www.lsac.org for more info)
     

• Most application packets contain:

  • The application proper

  • LSAT score

  • Form for applicant’s personal statement

  • Letters of recommendation

  • Undergraduate transcript

• Review (and modify, if needed) law school choices upon receipt of LSAT score.
• Schedule a meeting with your pre-law advisor to review your selection of schools.
• Request letters of recommendation.
• Try to have all applications completed by December 1.

***According to Peterson’s.com, students should apply to at least 12 law schools.

The LSAT is considered a predictor of a student’s performance during the 1st year of law school.
It provides a standard measure of acquired reading and verbal reasoning skills that admissions councils use to assess applicants.

• According to the LSAC Official Guide, the LSAT measures skills that are essential to law school success, such as:
  • Reading and comprehension of texts with accuracy and insight;
  • Organization and management of information and the ability to draw reasonable conclusions from it;
  • Critical thinking;
  • And analysis and evaluation of the reasoning and arguments of others.

• The LSAT is typically given annually in June, October, December, and February.
• Students are often advised to register for the June test date because:
  • Your LSAT scores will be back before having to select which schools you’ll apply to.
  • If you need to retake the test, you can reschedule for the October date.
  • The June date doesn’t interfere with class work obligations from the spring semester.

• The fee for taking the LSAT is $112.00 per registration (according to LSAC).
• Late registration incurs an additional fee of $56.00.

• LSAT scores range from 120 (low) to 180 (high). A percentile ranking compares individual performance with that of test takers over the previous three years.
  Avg. score: 150

• Schools vary in the amount of weight they give to the student’s GPA vs. the student’s LSAT score. Most schools give the LSAT significantly more weight than the undergraduate GPA.

• Prepare for the LSAT by taking a sample test, enrolling in a preparatory course, or purchasing previously administered tests for practice.
  • A free online sample LSAT is provided online at www.princetonreview.com.
  • Download a sample copy of the LSAT from the LSAC at www.lsac.org .

• Upon registering for the LSAT, you are eligible for registration with the LSDAS (Law School Data Assembly Service). LSDAS assembles a report for each law school you apply to. The report includes:
  • Undergraduate academic summary
  • Copies of transcripts
  • LSAT scores and copies of writing sample
    **Letters of recommendation may also be included if they have been processed by LSDAS.
     
• All ABA-approved schools require applicants to register with LSDAS.
  Registration can be completed via:
  • Website: http://www.lsac.org 
  • Mail
  • Automated Telephone system.
     
• If you choose not to register with LSDAS when registering for the LSAT, you can register later at least 6 weeks before you begin to complete law school applications.

The cost for the LSDAS service is $99.00, and includes reporting to 1 law school and up to 3 letters of recommendation (as of 2002- 2003 test registration period). Each additional school report is $10.00 each, if it is ordered during the initial registration period. Additional school reports ordered after the initial registration period cost $12.00/report.
 

• To request a fee waiver, contact:
  • LSAC, http://www.lsac.org
  • Law school admission office, or
  • A pre-law advisor

• Upon receipt of your application, the Admissions Council will review it.
• Primary factors contributing to acceptance include:
  • LSAT score
  • Undergraduate course of study
  • GPA
  • Other factors include: Academic honors/awards, letters of recommendation, personal statement, motivation.

• The Index is composed of your GPA and the LSAT score.
  There are 3 categories of Index score:
  • Accepted
  • Rejected
  • Maybe (also called HOLDS)

• After receiving your acceptance letters:
  • Pay seat deposits, if applicable. This initial acceptance fee is used to monitor enrollment in the incoming class.
  • Upon registration, it can be applied to tuition. If you don’t register, it is usually refunded (in part) or forfeited.
     
• Select your school by assessing:
  • Financial assistance provided
  • Academic support available
  • Other factors (i.e. social support, career placement, and graduate bar passage record).
     
• Upon accepting a school’s offer:
  Notify other schools of your enrollment intentions, so that an applicant from their waiting list can assume your spot.

• “Preparation is key.” To insure that you perform your best on the LSAT, prepare for the LSAT by taking a course, studying past tests, etc.
  • The Office of Graduate & Professional Opportunities offers the Princeton Review test prep courses in conjunction with the TSU Testing Center.
  • The cost of the LSAT test prep course is $500.00.
• If you have a financial hardship, don’t give up on law school.
  Consider applying for a fee waiver.
• The application fee submitted with your application varies from school to school.
  Consider this cost when selecting the number of schools to submit an application to.
• Pay close attention to the admissions requirements at your school of choice.
• MEET ALL DEADLINES.
• Consult with your pre-law advisor regularly, throughout the application/admissions process.

• Frequently Asked Questions About the LSAT.
  Date retrieved: May 14, 2003.
  www.gradschools.com/info/review/lsat/faq.html.
   
• Law School Admission Council. Thinking About Law School: A Minority Guide.
  The Law School Admission Council, Inc., 1996
  .
• Law School Admissions Council (2002).
  Official Guide to ABA-Approved Law Schools. Date retrieved: May 15, 2003.
  www.officialguide.lsac.org/ref/cgi-bin/ref.asp?Topic=Getting&Section=1.
   
• Law School Admissions Council. (2003).
  Getting Started. Date retrieved: May 15, 2003.
  www.lsac.org/LSAC.asp?url=lsac/getting-started.asp
   
• The LSAT Homepage – Peterson’s Test Preparation. Date retrieved: May 15, 2003.
  www.petersons.com/testprepchannel/lsat_index.asp.
   
• The Princeton Review. (n.d). The Admissions Index. Date retrieved: May 22, 2003.
  www.princetonreview.com/law/apply/articles/admission/admissionindex.asp
   
• Weaver, Dr. W (2000).The Absolute Basics. Law Schools: A Comprehensive Guide to 181 Accredited U. S. Law Schools. Thompson’s Learning, 2000.
   
• Weaver, Dr. W. (n.d). Timetable for Law School Application Process. Peterson’s Graduate School. Date retrieved: May 14, 2003. www.petersons.com/GradChannel/articles/timetable.asp .