Juniors and Seniors who are applying for law school next year, if you weren’t able to attend our discussion last week here are some of the key points:
- LSAC’s Credential Assembly Service. Make sure you register for the credential assembly service through the CRS asap. This is a service that the LSAC provides that compiles your transcript(s), LSAT score, LOR’s and Evaluations, and personal statement and sends to each school you apply to.
- LSAT. Figure out when you want to take the LSAT and how you are going to prepare for it (if you haven’t already). June is a great time to take it if you feel like you have time to prepare during this semester because it will give you an opportunity to retake it in October. October will also give you plenty of time to apply this fall. Taking it in December may be too late for some schools (so check the schools you want to apply to see deadlines) but many will still accept it, however, you need to recognize that this is later in the application process, after all you likely won’t get your score until January, and because law schools operate on a rolling admission basis the sooner you apply the better. February of next year is still an option for a limited number of schools but do recognize that this is very late in the admission process for those schools. Also start looking into test prep companies if you plan to utilize one. We recommend 3 months of studying for the LSAT and because this is a very significant aspect of your application make sure you give yourself time to prepare for it properly!
- Letters of Recommendation. The sooner you ask Professors for an LOR the better! If you are planning on applying this fall you may want to ask this semester because you want to make sure to give them plenty of time to write it. The last thing you want to be doing is waiting for an LOR to be submitted when everything else about your application is ready to go. At least one letter should be from a professor and it needs to be someone who can speak to your abilities as a student. Make sure to look at the schools you are interested in applying to to see how many LOR’s they require/allow and whether they recommend evaluations as well. Meet with the person writing your letter in person and ask what they will want to write you a letter. Many professors will want to see transcripts, know what schools you are applying to, see a personal statement, etc. Don’t forget to include a stamped envelope if they are not submitting their LOR electronically!
- Transcripts. You need to have transcripts submitted for all undergraduate/ graduate institutions attended! This includes community colleges and international universities. The sooner you get transcripts in the better because it will be one less thing to worry about in the fall. If you are applying this fall (as opposed to early 2014) then you should have your transcripts from USC sent as soon as your Spring semester grades are available (and obviously this is the case for ALL graduating seniors).
- Personal Statement. While you still have a lot of time to write and edit your personal statement it is good to start thinking about what you want to write about now. Especially because many professors will want to see a rough draft of your personal statement. This is beneficial to you because it allows them to echo the message you are conveying with your personal statement in the LOR they write. Remember we will read your personal statement and provide you with feedback at the prelaw advising office.
Good luck and all questions can be directed to prelaw@usc.edu
uscprelaw 