The July LSAT is over! Whether you’re applying to law school this fall or in future years, here are your next steps.
- Consider LSAT retake options. This is the only LSAT administration that will allow you to see your score, cancel it, and sign up for a free retake. For a full consideration of ALL upcoming LSAT options–including timing for this fall’s applicants–revisit this post. Even though you don’t yet have results, now is a good time to consider your retake options so that you are ready to register as soon as scores are released.
- September registration will be closed when you receive your results.
- October is your next LSAT retake option and registration is already open here.
- You’ll also want to start re-prepping with digital LSAT resources like these, since every LSAT after July will be on a tablet.
- Get your letters of recommendation lined up. Have you already contacted your LOR writers and asked them to submit a letter for you? If not, do that now, because giving your writer all summer to write the letter is smart. Recent grads: Go ahead and approach your professors now, even if you don’t plan to apply for another year or two…having them submit their letter while they still remember you (and work here) is smart. Don’t wait until a super busy time for them–or come back to find that they’re retired, on medical leave, etc.–to ask. Here are some tips on getting great recommendations.
- Register for the Credential Assembly Service if you haven’t already. This is the account where your recommenders will send your letter–and they can’t write your letter until you set this up. Click here for more information.
- Order your transcript(s) now if you aren’t taking summer classes. If you are taking summer classes, put a reminder on your calendar to order your transcript after August 12 (or Aug. 27 if you are a summer 2019 graduate). Note: You will need to order a transcript from every undergraduate institution where you took courses–even summer courses–so now is a good time to reach out to the registrar of any community colleges or schools from which you transferred. Here is where you order your UIUC transcript.
- Research law schools. The very first thing to consider is: What are your top 3 priorities in a legal education? (Location, employment, affordability, and admissibility are common priorities.) You’ll want to develop a list of 8-10 law schools that meet those priorities. You can find LSAT/GPA data, employment information, tuition, and more by using a resource like the American Bar Association’s Required Disclosure reports. On this website you will find these reports:
- 509 Required Disclosures = Previous year’s incoming class data such as GPA, LSAT, ethnicity, number of applicants + admits, etc., plus you can find tuition, number and amount of scholarships awarded, and transfer data.
- Employment Outcomes = Law schools are required to report the employment status of graduates 10 months after graduation. Here you will see how many of the law schools’s most recent grads are employed, and in what sectors.
- Bar Passage Outcomes = Law schools must report bar passage data about a year out. This report will show which state bar exam this school’s grads take, how many pass, and comparisons to the general state pass rate.
If you’re finished with the LSAT (not retaking it), then now is a good time to work on drafting a personal statement. We’ll post more about that in a future blog, or you can take a look at our Pre-Law Handbook (click on the Applying to Law School tab, then Personal Statements) for details.
