CALI's Pre-Law Blog

29 Jan, 2007

SQ: I'm in high school, how do I get into a good law school?

Posted by AustinGroothuis 13:36 | Permalink | comments (2) | Trackbacks (0) | Pre-Law Discussions, Reader Questions

Updated 1/29/2007 from an older post:

This submitted question is for those students who are currently in high school. If you're past high school and would like to add something from your experiences, feel free to add your advice in the comments. Otherwise, you can probably skip this one:

• Hi, my whole life I have deeply desired to become a lawyer... I understand that this is a long way away for me because I am in high school but I want to start preparing now. I currently have a 3.3 GPA and want to go to a good college. After that, I want to get into a good law school. My question is, what are good colleges that will help me get into a good law school?

I think it's great that you are thinking about law school as early as high school. Here is a general overview and some suggestions for those high schoolers with the goal of getting into law school:

DURING HIGH SCHOOL
Your high school GPA isn't going to be that important to getting into law school. But it will be important to getting into a good undergraduate college which makes it easier to get into a good law school. So keep your GPA as high as you can throughout high school.

Possibly just as, and in some cases more, important than grades during high school is ACT or SAT scores. Do not take these tests lightly. Take classes, get tutors, and do what you need to score high on your college admissions tests. The idea is to get into a reputable undergrad university after you graduate.

CHOICE OF UNDERGRAD SCHOOL
But where you go to get your undergrad degree is probably not as important as you may think. If you get into an elite undergrad school and excel, that is definitely a plus and will help you get into law school. But it is not as if people from good state schools are shut out from law schools. And failure at a great undergraduate school would hurt your chances of getting into law school. Just try to get into the most reputable school that you can that is both within your means and fits any other needs that you have.

DURING UNDERGRADUATE SCHOOL
Once you are in college this is where things start to really count for law school. It's real simple; you need to keep your GPA high from the start. Be prepared for the challenges of college and don't start out in the hole with bad grades during your first semester or two of undergraduate school. The less reputable your school/less challenging your major, the higher you need to keep your GPA.

PICKING AN UNDERGRADUATE MAJOR
Major in what you like. Law schools have no prerequisites other than a degree from an accredited undergrad institution. I would suggest against majoring in pre-law, justice, legal studies, etc. Law schools like diverse students and may prefer people with different undergrad backgrounds. I will note this little study, but take that for what it is worth. The bottom line, major in what you are interested in: something that you could see yourself doing in case law school does not work out for you.

THE LSAT
Towards the end of your undergrad career you'll need to take the LSAT. The LSAT is THE most important test you will take in terms of getting into law school. Do what you have to do in order to score as high as you can on the LSAT. Again, tutors, classes, studying well in advance.

A high LSAT and a high undergrad GPA will open up numerous doors for you in terms of getting into top law schools, no matter where you went in undergrad. But even a high LSAT and a mediocre GPA still might get you into some really good schools. The LSAT is that important to admission into law school.

IMPORTANT RESOURCES
If you're interested about what LSAT/Undergrad GPA will give you a chance to get into what schools, check out the Official LSAC Guide to ABA Accredited Schools. Pay attention to the bottom 25% and higher 25% numbers. You need to have a gpa and lsat score at least within these two numbers, if not higher, to have a chance at a given school.

To get an idea of where a law school stands compared to its peers check out the US News and World Report Law School Rankings (also see tier 3 and tier 4 for complete listing). Note that the US News Rankings are not without controversy. Unfortunately though, the rankings are the best quickhand method for gauging where a school is perceived to stand amongst its peers.

WHAT ABOUT NOW?
Something you can do right now is try to make contacts. If you can, do some volunteer work for people working in the realm of law you wish to work. The experience will be good for you, but most importantly it only takes one good contact to get a great job down the road. Working around lawyers increases your chances of making good contacts. Additionally, you'll better undstand the legal world which will help you make the ultimate decision to pursue a job in this field.

Again, I think it's great that you no you want to go to law school right now. That puts you ahead of probably 95% of your future law school classmates. And having that goal should keep you on track academically throughout your high school and undergrad school career.


Good luck!

----
*I am a law student. That means I don't have all the answers. I may be lacking knowledge in certain areas, namely the real world practice of law. But I have done a lot of research into the law school process as a whole and I am currently living through law school. I am also surrounded by a lot of smart and experienced people with unique insight into the law school world who either work at CALI or with whom CALI has close relationships. I hope that you seek others' opinions and insights in addition to mine in order to make an informed decision.