You want to go to law school? We will help with what you need to know.
The pandemic has forced us to rethink much of what we do. If you’re serious about your education, you’ll be looking for ways to learn from adversity, and we have had our full share of that. In our conversations about supporting pre-law students, we have decided to try a few new things, including the creation of a Pre-Law Advising Network and the launch of a monthly newsletter. This newsletter is an effort to support students interested in law school. Please be sure to read closely, and if you have not already done so, sign up to receive it monthly.
For our first issue, I’d like to share a couple of key strategies to improve your journey to law school.
Incorporate the practice of keeping a journal about your plans. Keeping a journal provides several important support points. First, you should have already found that the process of applying to law school is complex, and often every question you answer comes with two or three new ones. It is a wise approach to keep that information in one place so you don’t have to try and recall anything you’ve learned so far.
Keeping a journal, whether it’s a physical notebook, online journal, or just a folder on your desktop, allows you some space to reflect on what you’re learning. If you don’t stop after meeting with a law school representative to reflect on what you learned, you lessen your chance of retaining important information – and seeing patterns in what you come across. A journal is also a very good way to keep track of professional and personal connections you’ve made during this journey.
Finally, as a student in law, your writing skills are critical. Practice writing in various formats as often as possible. For recommendations about reflective writing, visit the Writing Center.
Make a dedicated effort to build a relationship (or two) with faculty. Reference letters can make the difference in admission. The most important element of a reference letter is the clarity with which the author demonstrates knowledge of the applicant. This means you need to get to know someone, and it is entirely up to you to make that happen. Good relationships don’t have to come from your major, either. Look people up on the university site and examine their research areas. See if you find something interesting and approach them about it. See where that leads, but be diligent about it. This isn’t just a reference letter you’re after. You may be building one of the most important professional relationships of your life.