The Summer Before Law School

Morgan Smith, 2L USC Gould School of Law

Are you starting law school this fall?  First of all, CONGRATULATIONS.  You worked very hard to get to this moment, and you should be proud of yourself.  If you are wondering what to do during the summer before you start law school, here are some tips:

Necessities

1. A computer: Law school exams are almost exclusively administered on laptops.  The exam software, called SofTest, works with both PCs and Macs.  It is important to make sure your computer will be under warranty for at least three years.  It’s even better if you can get a warranty that will cover you until you take the bar exam, which will happen the July after you graduate.  That way, if you suffer a “technology tragedy” during law school or during bar prep, your warranty will cover you.  Many schools have a “Laptop Loan” that allows students to borrow additional money to pay for a laptop.  This loan is only available once during the three years of law school and amounts will vary by school.  Check your school’s policy for details.

I’ve Been Accepted: Law School Rankings and Reputation

Jacob Griffith, 3L USC Gould School of Law

Those of you pre-law students who applied in the 2011-2012 law school admissions cycle have started to receive some decisions, hopefully including some acceptances. Many law schools have sent out the majority of their decisions by now, so you may be looking at a wait list decision if you haven’t heard yet. Last post, we discussed the seriousness of choosing a law school to attend. Remember that it is at least 3 years of your life and costs as much as a home, so treat it like an investment.

For many pre-law students, the most important consideration in deciding where to attend is the law school’s ranking and reputation. Generally, as in many graduate schools, students look at the rankings compiled by U.S. News & World Report. The USN&WR rankings are listed online, but to gain details about the school’s scores in various categories requires a paid subscription. The categories include several based on student quality, such as LSAT and GPA. The rankings also include factors such as students employed after graduation and the selectivity of the school, measured through acceptance rate(lower is better). One large consideration is the bar passage rate for the school’s biggest legal market. Finally, one of the biggest categories is the school’s reputation assessed by practitioners and judges.