Pre-Law FAQs & Resources

The best major for a prospective law student is the major in which the student will find the greatest enjoyment and earn the strongest grades. Law schools will teach their students everything they need them to know, so no preference is given to students based on their undergraduate major. 

While there is no preferred major or set of required classes that pre-Law students need to take, it is important to focus on strengthening the reading, writing, and analytical skills that will help students to successfully apply for and complete law school. Because of this, it is helpful for students to take courses that will give them opportunities to grow these skills, both within their major and in general education and elective coursework.

This is going to depend on where you are in your undergraduate career. Every student has a unique academic journey, but here is some general guidance based on a 4-year undergraduate career (view a more streamlined 4-year plan graphic):

Freshman Year

• Keep a balanced schedule that will allow you to remain academically successful as you transition from high school to college. 
• Revisit your study habits and make adjustments. Students who never had to study in high school will need to work on building these habits from scratch. There are resources to help with this.
• Familiarize yourself with and make use of campus resources such as the library, the Writing Center, and tutoring services. 
• Start doing some research on legal careers to get a sense of whether this is really something that will be a good fit for you.

Sophomore Year

• Start building your resume through involvement in extracurricular activities. Remember that it is better to have significant and meaningful involvement with one organization than to be an inactive member of five different organizations, so pick something that really interests you.
• Focus on building relationships with at least a couple of faculty members whom you may want to ask for letters of recommendation when you are applying to law schools. The best way to do this is to participate actively in class, bring good questions to office hours, and take multiple classes with the same instructors, if possible.
• Take classes that will help you to strengthen your writing and analytical skills - this will help you on the LSAT and in law school. 
• Begin looking at law schools on Law School Transparency. It may seem a bit early, but this will allow you to get a sense of where your GPA stands in relation to the GPAs of admitted students at different institutions while you still have most of your undergraduate career ahead of you. If you need to make more adjustments to your study and time management habits, make use of tutoring services, or get support from CAPS, this is a good time to do that!

Junior Year

• If you plan to go to law school right after you graduate, prepare for and take the LSAT. There are free and low cost resources available to help with this. If you think you might qualify for a test fee waiver, submit your documentation as soon as possible. A fee waiver through LSAC includes free access to even more LSAT prep materials. While you can wait until fall of your senior year to take the LSAT, it is good to give yourself enough time to retake it if your first score is not where you need it to be. To get a sense of where your scores stand relative to previously admitted students, take a look at the admissions statistics for schools in which you are interested on Law School Transparency. 
• If you have not yet done so, get involved in at least one extracurricular activity. Remember to focus on having strong involvement in fewer organizations rather than being an uninvolved member of many organizations. Pick something about which you are really passionate!
• Continue to strengthen your relationships with faculty whom you plan to ask for letters of recommendation. Be an involved participant in your classes, make good use of office hours, and start having one-on-one conversations with faculty members about your plan to attend law school. If you plan to get your applications in right at the beginning of your senior year, you may want to ask for your letters of recommendation before the end of junior year so that faculty have the entire summer in which to write them. 

Senior Year

• If you have not already done so, take the LSAT as soon as possible in the fall semester! If you have taken the LSAT and want to improve your score make sure to give yourself time to study before you retake the LSAT. If you do not do additional preparation you will probably not perform much better. 
• Write your personal statement, resume, and answers to any additional questions that are required by the law schools to which you are applying. Be sure to proofread all of these items very carefully and to make use of campus resources, like the Writing Center and the Mitchell Business Communication Lab.
• If possible, submit your applications before the start of the new year. Different law schools have different deadlines, but applying early gives an applicant the best opportunity to receive full consideration for both admission and scholarships.
• Complete your FAFSA for the next academic year.

A typical law school application will include the following:

• A personal statement
• A resume
• LSAT scores
• 2-3 letters of recommendation
• Addenda to address any issues related to academic performance, character and fitness, or gaps in education

You can read more about these items in the Applying to Law School page. 

Our pre-law advising team consists of both staff and faculty advisors!

Staff advisor:

Charlotte Brisbois - call 313-593-5293 to schedule an appointment

Faculty advisors:

Kathleen Darcy

Nehal Patel