Law School App Checklist: 3 Things To Do in the Summer After Your Sophomore Year

Note: This checklist is for rising juniors who plan to attend law school straight out of college. If you're planning on taking a gap year, see our checklist for rising sophomores.

You're halfway there! As you finish your time as an underclassman and start thinking about the last two years of college and beyond, you'll have to start taking some concrete steps to make your post-grad goals a reality. Here are the 3 things you must do in the summer before your second to last year of college to start getting ready to submit next year's law school applications:

1. Start studying for the LSAT. You have no idea how many rising juniors we speak to who were told by their pre-law advisors to start studying for the LSAT in the second semester of their junior year and take it in the summer before applications open. This is terrible advice. 20% of students could probably get by with this approach, but for most people, this can only lead to unnecessary stress and a high probability of having to apply with a score you are less than happy with. You could start studying in January and take the test in June, but what happens if you get overwhelmed with schoolwork and have to pause your studies for a month? Suddenly, you're having to push your test date to August and being forced to put together your personal statement, get your recommendations, and study for the LSAT all at the same time to get your application in by September/October. When you take into account the fact that a large number of applicants have to retake the LSAT, it becomes clear that starting studying in January puts you at a major disadvantage as an applicant. This is the only summer you'll have to study for the LSAT - take advantage of it and start studying now.

2. Start thinking about recommendation letters. Most law schools expect at least two letters of recommendation from professors. The best recommendations will come from professors who know you well - those who've seen you at your best, either in class or outside it. If you have any existing relationships with professors, make sure you're continuing to foster those relationships. While this should always be the case, make sure you're putting your best foot forward academically in your classes this coming year - chances are at least one of your recommendation letters will come from a professor of one of these classes.

3. Create a timeline. The main characteristics that set apart successful and unsuccessful applicants are organization and planning. The most time-consuming parts of your application are the LSAT and your personal statement. Create a timeline for each - set a "start date" and an "end date" when you want to have each done. The earlier you can have these done and out of the way, the better. As mentioned above, you don't want to find yourself scrambling to put together your application at the last minute. If you need help with creating your plan, you can schedule a strategy call with one of our coaches - they're free!
   

If you follow this checklist, you'll be in great shape come next fall. While this can all seem very daunting, you'll be surprised at how manageable it all becomes when you start early and take it step by step. Happy studying!

If you need any help coming up with your own plan, please don’t hesitate to schedule a free strategy call below!