October is here and that means recruitment events, LSATs, application drafting, and more! As the admission cycle continues in full swing, we wanted to provide some tips and reminders for this month for all our UIUC applicants!
Continue reading October Application TipsSeptember 17, 2023
Continue reading Constitution Day 2023Constitution Day is an annual celebration of the signing of the United States Constitution on September 17, 1787. Read below to learn some fun facts about the Constitution!
Welcome to our pre-application tip series. July marks an important point in pre-application preparations. By July, many applicants have either recently sat for the 1st LSAT or will be doing so in the upcoming weeks while also taking other active steps to prepare for the upcoming application cycle. To assist in your efforts, below are a few tips and recommendations for this phase of the pre-application series.
Continue reading Pre-Application Series: July Tips
In honor of our newest U.S. federal holiday, Juneteenth, we’d like to recognize some of the immeasurable contributions of African American lawyers, judges, and lawmakers.
Continue reading Celebrating Juneteenth
Unfortunately, the time between graduation and law school is often referred to as “gap years”. This term often invites an impression that this time lacks substance, is unintentional or is void of value. Perhaps, as a result, many students have an inaccurate impression that taking time prior to law school is inherently negative or a disadvantage to their ultimate goal of attending law school. The reality is that taking time to pursue opportunities prior to law school can contribute significantly to an applicant’s success, and can ultimately offer an individual tremendous benefits personally, academically, and professionally.
Whether you ultimately decide to pursue an opportunity prior to law or go “straight through”, every future applicant should consider how a timeline that includes a “gap year(s)” might enhance their application and contribute to their ultimate success as a law student!
Below is a collection of resources to assist in your decision-making!
Learn more about the many benefits of taking a gap year and possible opportunities to pursue!
PLAS welcomed a panel of UIUC pre-law alumni to share perspectives and insights about their experiences taking time to pursue opportunities prior to law school. The Gap Year Perspectives Panel was hosted on Tuesday, November 15, 2022, at 5:30 pm via Zoom. To register for this event, please click here. Learn more about our accomplished groups of panelists below!
Chandler Cathey ’16
“By taking these gap years and finding what makes me happy in life, I was able to figure out how to intertwine that with my passion for the law, (hopefully) setting me up to have a career after law school that I can be proud and happy with.”
Haydn Lambert ’19
“I wanted to get a better sense of what the world was like outside of school so that my time in law school would be more informed by experience.”
Skylar Rolle ’20
“I wanted to make sure that law school was the right choice for me. In addition, I wanted to take the chance to work in politics so that I could go into law school with some real-world experiences.”
Matthew Krauter ’22
“I wanted to have the opportunity to make a real impact with my undergraduate education and be able to navigate law school admissions better and position myself for success.”
We are reaching that point in the cycle where many applicants are moving into the final stages of preparing their applications. Whether you are looking to apply in a few weeks, or later this application cycle, below are some helpful tips based on actual applicant experiences to assist in your final preparations!
1. Follow all directions closely! When asked for their best advice, we routinely hear law admissions deans say “follow the application directions” as their #1 tip. Follow the application directions as written and provided – full stop!
2. Triple-check mentioned school names in essays to match the school you’re submitting the individual application to. If you choose/are required to individualize documents for each individual school based on their directions (see above) – be sure to confirm you have submitted the right draft to the right school. This mistake really happens…every year.
3. Choose recommenders wisely. Those with whom you have a strong relationship and will write about specific experiences and qualities will be most effective.
4. Use your resources! There are many resources to help you succeed in this process. Be sure to utilize the PLAS Office! Whether we help you directly or connect you with the necessary resources – we are here to help!
5. Explore a wide variety of schools. You may be surprised at what you find! Be sure to check out the Researching Law Schools blog post for tips on identifying schools!
6. Get Organized! Create a spreadsheet, google doc, or other means to organize your information and track your application tasks. PLAS has put together an Excel spreadsheet that you can use to get started. To see the example, click here.
7. Apply to a range of schools where you feel your LSAT/GPA are very competitive, competitive, and less competitive (some may refer to this as safety, target, and reach schools). This will open up the most opportunities for admission and potential scholarships, it will also help provide as much choice in the admission process as possible.
1. Forget to proofread all your application materials. Be sure to plan time to give every application a comprehensive and thorough review before submitting.
2. Skip directions. Yes – it’s so important we’ve included it on our list twice!
3. Submit applications to law schools that you do not see yourself attending. Every school you apply to will not necessarily satisfy your goals/wish list to equal measure as another. However, don’t waste your energy or time with options that you know you will not pursue. Instead, look for a better-fitting option that meets at least some of your most important goals and that you could see yourself attending.
4. Write optional statements/addendums that 1. don’t apply to your personal situation; or, 2. that you feel compelled to write simply to “add more” to your application. Only include addendums where required, relevant, and that add new, substantive information. Doing “more” can take away from your application if it doesn’t contribute something relevant, meaningful, or helpful!
5. Apply late without a strategy. Most law schools admit students on a rolling basis with final deadlines in the spring semester. You should balance carefully having a strong application with the submission timing of your application. Sometimes applying a bit later in the cycle can result in submitting a superior application overall, however, if you will be submitting after December you do want to take timing into account and adjust your strategy.
6. Put all your eggs in one, super competitive, basket! In other words, don’t apply only to schools where acceptance rates are low or where you are at the low end of their GPA and LSAT ranges.
7. Lose touch! You should be making connections with schools throughout the application process, both before and after you apply. This will help you gather important information and perspectives to assist you with final decisions and also in creating more opportunities for you to leave a positive impression with schools. Be sure to make time for programs, events, and visits (virtual and in-person) at the schools you are applying to!
The Pre-Law Advising Office is designed to help you achieve success in your goal of attending law school (seriously – it’s kind of the reason for our existence…). Whether you are a senior Illini or an alum planning to continue your education in law school, we are anxious to meet with you!
Schedule an appointment online to meet with an advisor or attend an upcoming workshop or event. We hope to see you soon!
It’s time to get excited for Spring courses! Each semester we receive many questions from pre-law students regarding courses helpful in preparation for law school in advance of course registration. To assist in this process, Pre-Law Advising has made a helpful chart with suggested classes pre-law students might find useful and interesting in planning and exploring a legal education.
In general, students interested in going to law school should take classes that focus on analytical and critical thinking, communication, research and writing, and when possible – legal topics of interest. The recommended course list includes classes from many different disciplines that might serve one, or more, of these goals. Take a look at the chart to find courses that are both interesting to you and will help build the necessary skills for law school.
Please keep in mind that this list should not be viewed as exhaustive as there are many beneficial courses offered each semester. This list should be used to highlight courses of particular interest and give a broad overview of options.
NEW for Spring 2023: Internship Opportunity! Law 199 – Tolerance Means Dialogue Internship | For more information, view the flyer here or visit the website here. For questions, please email Prof. Wilson (wils@illinois.edu) and CC Roxana Madani (rmadan3@illinois.edu).
Justin is currently the Class of 2023 Representative of the PLAS Advisory Council and president of UIUC Accounting Club. He shared the following perspectives on his favorite pre-law related courses…
Jack is currently a pre-law student of the Class of 2023, studying Sociology and Business & Informatics. Here are his perspectives on his list of favorite pre-law related courses…
Sruthi is currently the At-large Representative of the PLAS Advisory Council, president of Phi Alpha Delta, and president and founder of Women In Law Pre-Law Society. She shared the following perspective on her favorite pre-law related course…
Alex is currently the Class of 2023 Representative of the PLAS Advisory Council, president of Pre-Law Honors Society, and vice-president of Kappa Alpha Pi. These are her favorite pre-law related courses…
James is currently the At-large Representative of the PLAS Advisory Council studying Aerospace Engineering with a Political Science minor. He shared the following perspective on his favorite pre-law related course…
Considering a minor?Check out this informative video about the Legal Studies Minor, including Q&A with Professor Jennifer Pahre:
Visit the Legal Studies Minor website to learn more or email:
Schedule a pre-law advising meeting to discuss course options!
Whether you are planning to apply during the current application cycle or are beginning to prepare for a future year, determining what is important to you in a law school and assessing what individual law schools can offer is an important step in your admissions process.
Deciding what to look for in a potential law school requires an assessment of your goals and priorities. As you consider your choice in law school you should include the following in your list of potential goals:
Learn more about each of these goals and more at our prior blog post “Where to Apply”.
In setting your ultimate goals for your law admission process, the first step is often getting familiar with law schools to more fully understand what legal education has to offer. Every school has its own unique strengths and characteristics. Learning about different law schools is an excellent place to start in developing a list of goals that are important to you. Here are a list of resources and tips for getting started in your research.
Law fairs can provide one of the best ways to begin your exploration and research into law schools. It provides you the opportunity to gather information and insights from a large number of diverse schools, from across the country, in a short amount of time!
There are many options to attend law fairs each year in both in-person and virtual format! UIUC students can attend the Illinois Law Fair on September 28 at the Illini Union!
Not on campus? Not a problem! LSAC hosts both in-person and virtual forums each year at locations around the country. Check out the list of 2022-2023 dates online.
The LSAC Guide to ABA-Approved Law Schools is a wonderful database that allows you to search for law schools based on a number of criteria including location, your GPA/LSAT, and program. LSAC also offers a few specifically targeted resources to help students in their research:
Law schools must report data to the American Bar Association (ABA) each year which is then compiled into what are known as “509 Reports”. This data includes information regarding career placement, bar passage, admissions, scholarship and financial aid, academics, and student body profile information. These are one of the best resources for reaching schools. We encourage you to look up 509 Reports on any school you are interested in. Please note profile data for students beginning in Fall 2022 will be reported by October 5 and published publicly in the following weeks.
Access Lex provides many resources to assist aspiring law students, including Xplore JD! Xplore JD is a free, online database that allows users to search for potential law schools based on five primary factors/goals including Location, Cost, Academic and Student Experience, Diversity, and Outcomes. Your answers to questions on these five criteria will be assessed and you will be matched with potential law schools that match your goals! This is an excellent tool to discover new law schools and assess how suited certain schools are to your goals and needs.
Law School Transparency (LST) has long compiled and made available important data and information on law schools to assist law school applicants in navigating the law admissions process. Recently acquired by LSAC, LST continues to provide extremely helpful data and information to applicants. Through LST you can build a customized list of schools by providing details and information about your goals. Your personal report will provide suggestions on law schools and also allow you to do quick comparisons amongst your top choice institutions on data related to cost, job placement, bar passage and more! Please note you will be required to log-in to your LSAC account to utilize the personal search options.
Choosing a school based on ranking alone can result in a very unbalanced decision that leaves you attending a school that ultimately does not best support your individual needs and goals. However, organizations that provide such rankings do gather a large amount of information about individual schools which can be researched quickly including specialized programs, average starting salaries, and average debt for graduates. Ranking lists can be a good way to get a broad perspective on schools or quickly find more specific details about programs. Use these resources with caution and be sure to understanding the basis for the conclusions that ranking lists make – researching the details further to make your own conclusions. Always keep in mind that many schools can support your success amongst the nearly 200 ABA-approved schools in the U.S. and ranking should not lead your analysis of whether a law school is a good fit for you!
TIP: Research a few schools you know nothing about, never heard of, or that are located in a completely different region than you think you would like to be. Even if you may not ultimately apply to these school, challenging yourself to explore something different is an excellent way to discover different options and possibilities that law schools may offer!
Welcome home to ILLINOIS! Whether you are a returning student or joining campus for the very first time, we hope you are prepared for a wonderful start to the academic year! As you say good-bye to the summer and look forward to classes beginning next week, we wanted to share a few beginning of semester check-list items for a successful start to the academic year!
For returning students, this is an ideal time to review your resume and make sure it is current and ready to go for the academic year. As you review and update, be sure to include:
For individuals applying this application cycle, be sure to set up a time with the PLAS Office to have your resume reviewed. You can schedule an appointment online at any time!
For new students to campus, be sure to add your new status as an Illinois student to your resume and make room for anticipated activities and experiences this fall!
TIP! If you don’t currently have a resume or feel your resume needs improvement, the Career Center offers a number of resources and advising opportunities to help you get started!
Being proactive and setting goals is an excellent way to help you prioritize throughout the semester and bring you closer to your overall long-term goals. Pursuing a path to a legal education takes many years of preparation and development. Consider setting three goals in areas related to academic, personal, and professional development for this semester. Whether it be improving your writing through a successful grade in a writing course, creating a consistent exercise plan, or taking on a leadership role, determine a few ways in which you can enhance your skills and experiences this semester. Keep in mind that whatever goals you set, it is important to be realistic and set expectations that are proportional to the time you have to accomplish them.
The semester is always full of unexpected opportunities and experiences but creating a strong semester calendar now with important anticipated events, academic work, and obligations can be extremely helpful to your overall goals and success. Be sure to start the semester off with the following items on your semester calendar:
Join Us! If you are looking to learn more about pre-law organizations, join us on Monday, August 29 at 6 pm for our Pre-Law Student Organization Panel.
Whether you are a freshman student or senior completing your last semester of classes, the PLAS Office is here to help and has something to offer to support you on your pathway to a legal career. Don’t miss out on these exciting opportunities upcoming the Fall!
Be sure to check out the Pre-Law website to learn more about the many resources and services available for students and alumni!
One of the most helpful tools for any applicant to law school is good research. With approximately 200 law schools to choose from and a very competitive application process, it is important to have good information to help guide your efforts and choices. With the 2022-2023 Application Cycle quickly approaching, we have compiled some helpful insights from recent years to assist in your information-gathering efforts!
When to Submit? Law admissions is a rolling admissions process, meaning law schools will be extending admission offers throughout the application period. Most applications will open in September and close in mid-spring (typically March) – be sure to check specific deadlines for the schools you are most interested in! While it is not necessary to submit applications within the first few weeks of the application period, you do want to be strategic with your submission timeline. We highly recommend submitting applications during the first half of the cycle. Last year, 65% of all UIUC applications were completed and submitted prior to February 1.
Where to Apply? Determining where to apply is an important part of the application process. Any school you apply to should be a school that you would potentially attend. In determining where to apply, you should first clarify your individual admission goals and priorities – these can range from academic offerings to geographic location to cost. Once you have determined your individual preferences, you can begin looking for schools that will fit these needs and goals. UIUC applicants applied to over 150 different law schools from across the country last year alone!
Below is a list highlighting the 50 schools* where Illini students submitted the most applications during the 2021-2022 application cycle. The top ten are in bold.
| AMERICAN UNIVERSITY WASHINGTON COLLEGE OF LAW |
| ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY |
| BOSTON COLLEGE LAW SCHOOL |
| BOSTON UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW |
| CHICAGO-KENT COLLEGE OF LAW |
| COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW |
| CORNELL LAW SCHOOL |
| DEPAUL UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF LAW |
| DUKE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW |
| EMORY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW |
| FORDHAM UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW |
| GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY LAW SCHOOL |
| GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY LAW CENTER |
| HARVARD LAW SCHOOL |
| HOWARD UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW |
| INDIANA U ROBERT H. MCKINNEY SCHOOL OF LAW |
| INDIANA UNIV SCHOOL OF LAW-BLOOMINGTON |
| LOYOLA UNIVERSITY CHICAGO SCHOOL OF LAW |
| MARQUETTE UNIVERSITY LAW SCHOOL |
| MICHIGAN STATE UNIV COLLEGE OF LAW |
| NEW ENGLAND LAW- BOSTON |
| NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW |
| NORTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY |
| NORTHWESTERN PRITZKER SCHOOL OF LAW |
| NOTRE DAME LAW SCHOOL |
| SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW |
| SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIV SCHOOL OF LAW |
| STANFORD UNIVERSITY LAW SCHOOL |
| TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW |
| THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY |
| UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA |
| UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO LAW SCHOOL |
| UNIVERSITY OF IOWA COLLEGE OF LAW |
| UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN LAW SCHOOL |
| UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS SCHOOL OF LAW |
| UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA LAW SCHOOL |
| UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS CHICAGO SCHOOL OF LAW |
| UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT LOS ANGELES |
| UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY |
| UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-DAVIS |
| UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO LAW SCHOOL |
| UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA |
| UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON LAW CENTER |
| UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS COLLEGE OF LAW |
| UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI SCHOOL OF LAW |
| UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA LAW SCHOOL |
| UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA |
| UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA CAREY LAW SCHOOL |
| UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA SCHOOL OF LAW |
| UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN LAW SCHOOL |
| VANDERBILT LAW SCHOOL |
| WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW |
| YALE LAW SCHOOL |
*School names appear as reported by LSAC. Data as of April 2022.
Generally speaking, you should apply to a variety of schools to maximize your opportunities for success! Be sure to speak with a PLAS advisor or attend an upcoming workshop for more information on creating your list of schools!
A great way to explore and learn more about law schools is by attending a law school fair. UIUC is hosting an in-person law fair this fall.
Illinois Law School Fair | September 28, 2022
How will my academic program be measured? Law schools are looking for academically accomplished candidates from all majors. Ideally, your major has allowed you to explore your interests, engage in professional learning opportunities, helped you develop necessary skills for law school, solidified your interest in the legal profession, and provided an opportunity for you to excel academically. The social science majors make up the largest portion of law applicants each year, but UIUC applicants hail from a wide range of disciplines. Below is a list of some of the majors* represented amongst the 2021-2022 UIUC applicants.
*Majors are picked from pre-determined titles and may not reflect exact titles of academic majors at UIUC.
How successful are UIUC applicants? The short answer is – VERY! Each individual applying to law school should shape their application strategy and process to fit their own individual needs and goals. UIUC is consistently ranked as one of the top US feeder schools to ABA-approved law schools in the country. In addition, during the 2020-2021 admission cycle, approximately 88% of UIUC senior applicants were admitted to law school compared to approximately 68% of all applicants nationwide, with the 2020-2021 admission cycle considered one of the most competitive application cycle in the past 10 years (and possible beyond). Stay tuned for additional details regarding applicants from the 2021-2022 cycle or check out our Instagram to see our featured ILLINI beginning law school this fall!
Each year UIUC applicants present a diverse set of credentials and qualities to law schools across the country. We welcome the opportunity to support you on your individual journey to law school and hope to speak with you soon!