This event was co-run by MCS and a House Pre-Law Tutor. They shared tips for students who are considering applying for law school, which have been combined into these main takeaways!
- Resources: Connect with MCS and your House Pre-law Tutors! There are also a variety of pre-law student groups on campus that people can join, but there is no expectation from law schools that you do this.
- Register for LSAC: It is important that you create a Law School Administration Council (LSAC) account to apply to law school. You will also need to register for the Credential Assembly Service (CAS) through LSAC (the only exception for this is Harvard JDP).
- Application timeline: Most regular J.D. applications are rolling so submit early if you can. Thanksgiving can be a good benchmark for when to try to submit. There are two early deferral programs (meaning you would apply at the end of your Junior year of college and defer matriculation for a couple of years. These programs are the Junior Deferral Program (JDP) at Harvard and the LEAD program at Columbia.
- Law school components: Exams, statements and essays, resume, transcript, and letters of recommendation.
a. Exams: LSAT or GRE
i. LSAT: Consists of four 35-minute sections (3 of which are scored) of multiple choice questions. These sections are composed of reading comprehension and logical reasoning. There is also an unscored argumentative writing section that is sent to law schools you apply to. The LSAT is offered 9 times a year. A general recommendation for studying for the LSAT is 3-6 months and consistency is key! It can be helpful to take a diagnostic exam to see where you are at and build your stamina with practice exams.
ii. GRE: The GRE is accepted by over 100 law schools and is offered 365 days a year. The GRE has three sections, which consists of a verbal reasoning section, a quantitative reasoning section, and an analytical writing section. Both the GRE and LSAT are good for 5 years. It could be helpful to take the the exams while you’re in school, and still in study mode.
b. Personal Statements and Optional Essays: Make them about you! Law schools want to hear about who you are as an applicant outside of your resume. It can be helpful to get feedback from your House Pre-law Tutors. These essays are typically pretty short, around 2 – 2 ½ pages. Some schools may have optional statements. For these, think quality over quantity!
c. Resume: MCS can help look over resumes!
d. Transcript: Order a copy of your transcript from the Registrar’s office to be sent to LSAC.
e. Letters of recommendation: Most schools look for two academic letters of recommendation with an option to submit a third letter (usually professional). If you are planning on applying to law school at a later date, you can keep your letters of recommendation on file at your House.
By Sydney Bloch ’25, MCS PAF