Although we love meeting students and alumni, we know that these meetings would be more useful and productive for all of you if potential applicants and aspiring lawyers would take the time to review the great information in our PLAS Pre-Law Handbook. The user-friendly formatted Handbook covers a wide range of issues of interest to pre-law students. You should take a look at all of them. This post will highlight 5 really popular topics.
1. Exploring Your Interest in Law – This is for everyone new to pre-law, whether you are a freshman, sophomore, junior, senior or alum! This section helps you evaluate your interest in the law and whether it might be a good fit. Some of the areas covered/links provided include: What is a JD? What do lawyers do? What are some good online resources on the law? We have also included links to podcasts on these topics. Click here and then select the “Exploring Your Interest in Law” tab for more info. You should also check out our “Pre-Law Student/Applicant Checklist” tab for a list of “to-dos” that will help you get a general picture of what being pre-law entails. Note-the first suggestion in this section is that you attend a Pre-Law 101 session.
2. Preparing for Law School – So you’ve decided that you are interested in pursuing law school and a legal career. This section helps you decide what you need to do now to prepare for law school. Some of the topics covered/links provided include: How do I select a major? What skills do the law schools value? What kind of extracurricular activities should you consider? How do law schools consider grade replacement, credit/no credit, or withdrawals? Click here and then select the “Preparing for Law School” tab for more info.
3. Financing Law School – Law school is expensive! In fact, the cost of attendance/COA (tuition plus other expenses) at three well-known law schools recently topped $100,000 per year! How do you plan to pay for it? How do you put yourself in the best position to receive scholarships from law schools? Click here and then select the “Financing Law School” tab for more info.
4. Understanding Admissions Criteria – So what exactly are law school admissions people looking for in a candidate? To be sure, a strong GPA coupled with a good LSAT score is important. But what about: volunteer experiences; internships that expose applicants to the practice of law; letters of recommendation? These are just some of the topics covered in this section of the handbook. Click here and then select the “Understanding Admissions Criteria” tab for more info.
5. Applying to Law School – This section covers all topics related to the process of and requirements for applying to law school. Some of the topics covered/links provided include: What is “rolling admissions”? What is the LSAT and how do I study for it? What do the law schools require that applicants submit with their applications? How do I put together a law school resume? Click here and then select the “Applying to Law School” tab for more info. Note: this particular section of the handbook has a LOT of “sub” tabs within the section addressing all aspects of the application process. Aspiring law school applicants should review all of them!
The point is – the PLAS Pre-Law Handbook is an excellent resource. It is intended to be a comprehensive overview of what it means to be “pre-law.” It is also interactive, easy to use, and constantly updated. As such, it is always a very good place to begin to find answers to your pre-law questions.
