Pre-Law Timeline

Freshman Year

  • Build rapport with your professors and supervisors for future recommendation letters. Build rapport with people with whom you share common interests or strengths; “big” names are only impressive if they really know you.
  • Explore majors that interest you; there is not a “pre-law” major. Students with fine arts, drama, engineering, and nursing backgrounds are as qualified to go to law school as political science and English majors.
  • Take advantage of everything UConn has to offer. Go to lectures, symposia, and events that broaden your worldview.
  • Think about why you want to become a lawyer. Lawyers work long hours, often in high-stress situations. Very few lawyers make a lot money. Explore other options that may bring you closer to your goals, such as the Peace Corps orAmeriCorps, or graduate work in business (M.B.A.), public policy (M.P.A.), social work (M.S.W.), education, or diplomacy.

Sophomore Year

  • If you haven’t done so during freshman year, select a major that interests you. There are no pre-law required courses or majors. Take classes outside of your major; expand your worldview.
  • Pursue courses in logic (offered by the philosophy and math departments), analytical thinking and writing, and game theory (generally offered by math or economics departments), which can help develop skills necessary for the LSAT(Law School Admissions Test).
  • Take advantage of everything UConn has to offer. Go to lectures, symposia, and events that broaden your worldview.
  • Explore the legal field: Conduct informational interviews, volunteer/intern in legal settings, talk to lawyers, contact Career Services or Alumni Affairs to set up informational interviews with alumni who practice law.
  • Continue to build rapport with professors and supervisors for future recommendation letters.

Junior Year

  • Study for the LSATs. You can’t cram for the LSATs; the test requires months of study and practice. To do your personal best on the LSAT, you need to take 12 to 15 full, timed LSATs. Untimed practice questions alone do not improve performance. You can only take the LSAT three times over two years, and some schools average your LSAT score (although most take your highest score).
  • Learn about current legal issues. Continue to explore the legal field through informational interviews and internships.
  • Take the LSAT in June.
  • Review the Official Guide to ABA-Approved Law Schools book.  Research and, if possible, visit law schools.
  • Review the law school range locator after you receive your LSAT score.
  • Speak to 2 or 3 academics about writing a letter of recommendation for you to law school. You should plan on giving each recommender roughly 2 months to prepare, write, and send your rec’s to the Law School Credential Assembly Service. Choose people who can speak to your strengths and who really know you. Law schools are less impressed with big names that write generic recommendations than detailed, positive recommendations by people who know you well.

Summer Before Your Senior Year

  • Obtain school applications online or write/call the admissions office for paper applications.
  • Begin writing your personal statement/essay. Plan to have it reviewed by several people that you trust. Do not be sensitive; a tough critique is more likely to produce a strong essay.
  • Complete your essay(s) by the end of the summer. Prepare any supplemental essays explaining irregularities in your transcript.

Senior Year

  • Take the LSAT, if you have not done so already. The LSAT is offered in September, December, February, and June. The December administration is often that last one accepted by law school for that admission year.
  • Obtain school applications online or write/call the admissions office for paper applications.
  • Register with the Law School Credential Assembly Service. LSDAS is required for most ABA-accredited law schools.
  • Have recommendation letters sent to the LSDAS. Most law school require recommendations to be sent through LSDAS.  It is best NOT to request access to your recommendations; many law schools will disregard recommendations when applicants request access to the recommendation.
  • Have personal statement/essay critiqued and completed.
  • Research and visit law schools, develop your application strategy.
  • Send in applications mid-late fall (Most schools are on a rolling admissions process, but you should confirm deadlines with each school). Often, students have better luck if they submit their applications early in the admissions process.