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What Courses Should You Take To Prepare For Law School?

This topic is for freshmen and sophomores who may not have decided what to major in or what courses should you take that will help prepare for law school. As you may already know, there is no specific major that is better than the other or will give you an advantage when applying to law school. As I said previously in an earlier post, find something you like and excel. However, you should choose a major that will enhance your public speaking, research, writing, critical thinking, and critical analysis abilities--as these are some of the essential skills you will need in order to be successful in law school.

DO NOT TAKE JUST THE EASY COURSES *Warning*
I know everyone wants the 4.0 GPA, but it would look a lot better on your transcript if you took challenging courses than several easy courses. Do not get discourage, the difficult courses are the ones that will prepare you most for law school---law school will not be easy, so don't get in the habit of taking the easy road. Law schools want to see that you performed well at a rigorous level. That said, next semester, challenge yourself.

What courses are you taking? Thus far, most of my courses consist of a lot of public speaking exercises and projects. I also have a lot of reading every night (tons!). I am taking a Constitutional Law course this semester, and believe me when I say it is difficult. We are constantly writing briefs for Supreme Court cases and discussing the ambiguities of each case. Taking these cases apart and analyzing them is not an easy task--but I am learning. My point here is that I am challenging myself now in order to be better prepared for law school. I could have easily dropped the course and registered for an easier course, but I decided not to take the easier route--and I hope you will do the same.

Just A Suggestion: Have Many Questions--No Answers.Join Law School Discussion Group

*Just A Reminder* Do Not Take Information For Face Value. Always Do Research!*--This discussion group is not a substitution for research.

I was browsing the web today when I came across a website that caters to Pre-law students, current law students, and law school graduates. I found this website very interesting because it consists of several message boards with discussions on topics that many pre-law students may have. There are so many topics to read that I could not possible read them all in one day. Membership sign up is quick and free. I encourage everyone to join and start meeting other students going through law school preparation and also seek advice from students who have experienced it.

There are discussions for tips on how to study for the LSAT and tips on specific sections of the exam, how many schools you should apply to, writing personal statements, getting recommendations, and finding fee waivers. And these are just a few of the many topics discussed. There is a section for high school students thinking of becoming a pre-law students and there is a section for soon-to-be first year law students. In addition to those, there are message boards for minority students and non-traditional students. I found this website very helpful, interesting, and worth joining.

That said, I really enjoyed browsing the website and I hope everyone who visits can also benefit from participating. Let me know what you think of the website :)

http://www.lawschooldiscussion.org/

Important Dates: LSAT Exam 2008-2009

Here are important dates for LSAT Exam for 2008-2009. If you are planning to take the LSAT this academic year, please take note of the deadlines and prepare at least 4-6 weeks before the exam. You can find practice exams on websites such as princetonreview.com, kaplan.com, or lsat.org. If you know of anymore websites, please feel more than welcome to share. Below are the exam dates for the LSAT.

October 2008
Saturday October 4, 2008 8:30am
Monday October 6, 2008 (Saturday Sabbath Observers) 8:30am

December 2008
Saturday December 6, 2008 8:30am
Monday December 8, 2008 (Saturday Sabbath Observers) 8:30am

February 2009
Saturday February 7, 2008 8:30am
Saturday February 9, 2008 (Saturday Sabbath Observers) 8:30am

June 2009
Monday June 8, 2008 12:30pm

September 2009
Saturday September 26, 2009 8:30am
Saturday 28, 2009 (Saturday Sabbath Observers) 8:30am

December 2009
Saturday December 5, 2009 8:30am
Saturday December 7, 2009 (Saturday Sabbath Observers) 8:30am

To find more information on LSAT dates, visit www.lsac.org

Starting Off To A Busy Year: Prioritize And Follow A Timeline

This year is already becoming stressful and hectic as I try to balance my academics, a part-time job, and extracurricular activities. I missed an appointment with a tutor this morning, so I have been really depressed because I totally forgot. Usually I am on top of my schedule, but this week is going to be very busy. Anyway, I know many pre-law students may be facing the same situation--guess what? We will definitely get through this :) One of the most important things I must do is PRIORITIZE! Pretty simple, right? Not actually. The first step I need to take is writing a list of all the things I must complete this week, then arrange in the order of importance.Writing everything done is very helpful which makes my life much easier. Here is the hardest part, putting my plan into action and sticking with it. I guess this is one more thing I must learn to do.

Reward Time: When my schedules becomes hectic, I reward myself for completing assignments.
One thing I am definitely doing routinely is rewarding myself for hard work. Every time I complete an assignment, I treat myself to either a trip to the mall, dessert, a night out with friends---these have really helped to decrease stress.

*I highly recommend rewarding yourself for hard work especially if you have a busy schedule.*

Is anyone else having a very busy year? How are you coping with it and what are you doing to stay calm? What extracurricular activities are you involved in and how do you balance your schedule?

I found this timeline on About.com for students preparing for law school and I thought it would be helpful to follow. I hope this timeline helps! Remember to keep up-to-date on deadlines for law school's admissions and LSAT Exams.

Junior Year:

September

• View different catalogs and directories on Law schools (in print and online), such as The Official Guide to U.S. Law Schools.
• Start establishing rapport with faculty.
• Prepare for the June LSAT.
• Gain experience in the field.

March

• Register for the June LSAT.
• Discuss your plans with a pre-law advisor.
• Create a list of faculty, who you wish to write letters of reference for you and start a file for letters of recommendation.

June

• Take the LSAT exam.
• Prepare a draft of your personal statement and have it reviewed by a pre-law advisor.
• Prepare a draft of your resume.
• Create a list of Law schools that you plan on applying to.

July-August

• Register with the Law School Data Assembly Service (LSDAS).
• Have your higher education transcripts sent to LSDAS.
• Request information packets from Law schools.
• Visit Law schools.
• If necessary, register and prepare for the October LSAT.

Senior Year:

September

• Order the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) catalog and application or complete an electronic version.
• Finish writing your personal statement.
• Update your resume.
• Ask faculty for letters of recommendation.
• Ask a professional acquaintance or employer for a reference. Provide employers with a sample reference.
• Request financial aid information.
• Continue to visit Law schools.

October

• If needed, take the October LSAT.
• Finalize your personal statement.
• Finalize your letters of recommendation.
• Complete the LSDAS report.
• Make sure all law school applications have been completed before mailed.

November

• Send completed applications to Law schools.
• Obtain applications for financial aid (federal, institutional, private), e.g. Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

December

• Contact law schools to confirm the completion of your application.
• Relax and enjoy the holidays.

January

• Have an updated transcript (which includes your fall term) sent to law schools and LSDAS.
• Submit completed financial aid forms.
• Prepare for Interviews.

February - April

• Evaluate offers of acceptance.
• Evaluate financial aid offers.
• Submit an acceptance letter to the Law School of your choice.
• Submit rejection letters to the schools that you will not attend

http://gradschool.about.com/od/lawschool/a/lawtimeline.htm

Will A Law School's Rank Play An Important Factor In Your Decision?

How Important Is A Law School's Ranking? On your list of ideal schools, does the rank of the school matter? Whenever I browse websites such as encarta.com or princetonreview.com, I always run into "The toughest schools to get into," "Best classroom experience," or "Best starting salaries." How credible are rankings? Although, it is the responsibility of the student to do the research and find a school that is best for him or her. However, I find that students want to go to the top laws--who wouldn't? Not only do students look at rankings to decide where to attend law school; in addition, employers also recruit potential employees from the top law schools, which make getting into the best laws even more competitive.

The competitiveness to get accepted into a top law is ridiculous with some schools accepting less than 10% of overall applications submitted. I find it tempting to research a school and then look at where it ranks according to; for example, U.S. News & World Report. Every year I look at the rankings and there is not much change especially in the top schools. Every year Princeton, Harvard, New York University, University of Pennsylvania, Berkeley, Stanford, Chicago University, and Northwestern University are examples of schools that always rank in the top 10-15%. How many people are planning to apply to any of these schools? Why? What are the reasons you chose these schools? Did the rank of the school play a major part?

Nancy Rapoport, former dean of University of Houston Law Center, resigned in 2006 when her school dropped five places. Previously the school rank 59th in 2004, 65th in 2005, then fell to 70th in 2006. She says that her resignation is not entirely a result of the ranking, but also internal problems. However, the fact that her school dropped to the 70th place, left her with no choice but to resign from her position.

Depending on where a school ranks can either make or break a law school's credibility. Therefore, law schools must struggle to raise their rank in order to gain credibility while appealing to prospective law students.

On Law.com there is an article about two law students who chose to attend schools that do not hold the highest rank. Both students did research beyond just looking at a school's rank. They researched the following areas: strong faculty, better clerkship placement, and better national-firm placement.

I advise everyone planning to apply to law school to definitely do some research on a law school beyond looking at a ranking system such as campus visits, talking with a current student, sitting in on a class, meeting a faculty member, finding out the student to faculty ratio, what percentage of students pass the bar examination--these are just a few suggestions. The purpose of me writing this article is to stress the importance of doing research before making a decision.

http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1146560723820

How Helpful Are Prep Courses?

Okay, so now that I decided I am taking the LSAT at the end of spring semester, I am debating whether I should or should not take a prep course. If I decide to take a prep course, I am definitely taking a challenging and rigorous course--which means more money.The cost of prep courses can range anywhere from $500 to roughly $3000. So please plan early if you are thinking of taking a prep course, so that you won't end up like me, trying to decide at the last minute.I think I will definitely take the course because my LSAT will help determine which law school I will attend so I will take the course even if it means spending thousands of dollars.

Earlier I was browsing Kaplan.com and princetonreview.com for a list of prep courses they offer. These are two websites I recommend because they have a several different courses that fit different learning styles. A few students at my school have taken prep courses by Kaplan and they said it was very helpful. Both Kaplan and Princeton offer the following courses: online courses, private tutoring, and classroom courses. In addition, Kaplan offers a summer intensive course, a classroom advanced course, and a classroom extreme course.On the websites, they both provide a brief description of each course. Kaplan has a box in the corner that allows a representative to call you and it definitely works because a representative called me 5 minutes later. I recommend taking one of their free events before deciding to take a course; both offer courses with free practice tests and strategies along with other areas you may need assistance with such as writing a personal statement and deciding which law school is good for you. I plan to take a practice course later this month and will post an update. If you have taken a prep course, which one? Did you find it helpful? On a scale of 1-10, how would you rank the course? How important do you think it is for prospective law students to take the exam?

All Grown Up...Now What? What am I going to do after college?

I am a junior Political Science major at a small liberal arts college in Pennsylvania. Now that I am finally a junior, its time for me to really focus on not just my grades, but also preparing for the LSAT and researching law schools. Sounds exciting, right?! How did I decide that law school is for me? How did you decide? Well for me, I knew I wanted to attend law school in the 12th grade when I took a social science course that focused on the American government system and the legal system. I found the course very insightful and interesting. In fact, it actually helped me choose my major when I entered college.I knew right away that I wanted to study political science and then attend law school. I decided not to take a break after graduating from college for fear of getting lazy and not wanting to return to school.

I know for many prospective law students, they did not choose to major in Political Science. Some majored in English, History, or Philosophy. It's important to know that there is no specific major that you must study to attend law school as students enter law schools with various majors and specializations. Even students who majored in Biology attend law school--how's that? Anyway, if you are thinking of attending law school, don't stress too much when deciding a major. Just pick one that you find very interesting and for me its Political Science.

If you are only a freshmen or sophomore, it is never too early to start researching law schools and finding prep courses to prepare for the LSAT. Make sure you are on top of your grades because just like when you were in high school and you had to build a transcript for prospective colleges, well you are beginning that process all over again.

Thinking about interning? There is nothing more crucial than building an excellent resume for potential law schools. Research internships that will provide you with experience in a legal profession because (1) it looks great on a resume and (2) it will help you decide if a legal profession in that particular field is right for you. I actually completed an internship for Philadelphia's City Hall. I worked in the court's system, I learned a lot and it was a great learning experience; however, I know that is not where I see myself working. I hope to get an internship in Lynn Abraham's office, she is the District Attorney in Philadelphia. I will have my fingers crossed when I finally apply in the Spring semester.

Anyway, that's my story regarding how I chose law school--what's yours?