Planning ahead

My friend Angie is getting married this month. She and her fiance have been planning this wedding for the past 1-year! I know weddings are a big deal, but wow! One-year!?

My initial reaction is, "How can you wait an entire year? Especially having determined that "the one" is right there besides you?"

Nevertheless, I'll bet that Angie's wedding will be spectacular. The amount of time and energy she spent preparing for this wedding is absolutely prize worthy.

How does this relate to law school admissions? (Take a wild guess).

I discourage students who decide they want to attend law school on a fling. I know, I know....Elle Woods did it, then why can't I? Well, I suppose my counter-example would be: "Tom Cruise can fly in mid-air while riding a motorcycle and shooting guns, so why can't you?"

Law school is an extremely important step/decision/move. It's expensive, exhaustive and above all, nothing like the movies! So if you're serious about law school, you ought to plan ahead and prepare well in advance (it pays off!)

Here is some helpful advice to prepare in advance:

1) Take the LSAT before December! Given my advice about studying at least 3-months before test-date, this means studying over the summer!

2) Start thinking about your Personal Statement at least 3-months before due date. This gives you plenty of time to draft/re-write/draft and if all should go wrong, to start-over again.

3) Do all your research regarding schools well before you take your LSAT. Typically people want to wait until they have their LSAT scores to compile a list of schools. That's not planning ahead~ To plan ahead one ought to have a general idea of what their reach schools and saftey schools are even before the LSAT. If you had that elusive score, where would you apply? If you get a lower score, which schools would you not mind attending? Think through all the possible scenarios in advance....it'll save you more time and you'll stress less later.

4) Make requests for letters of recommendation in advance! Especially to college professors. They have a life of their own, and they can't put it on pause just because you're apply to law school. I would give them a generous 6-week window. So if you want to apply early, this means giving them a heads up during the summer. Also, keep in mind that the US postal service and LSAC can (together) take FOREVER to process the letters of recommendation, so plan accordingly!

5) Think about how you want to pay for your law school education. To some the answer is simple: ask my parents or take out loans! But if you make the effort to search, you'll be pleasantly surprised to find plenty of fellowships and scholarships out there. Also, it doesn't hurt to have a part-time/full-time job before law school (just a thought).