• Attend Senior Pre-law Meeting in early fall.
• Subscribe to prelaw-b, the pre-law listserv, to receive announcements of pre-law events, by giving your name, e-mail address and phone number to the Pre-Law Secretary or Pre-Law Adviser.
• Prepare for and take the LSAT (offered 4 times per year): June, October, December and February. Register for the LSAT at www.lsac.org.
• Make your fall appointment with the pre-law adviser and complete the pre-law questionnaire. (PDF, 79.6kb) Develop a target list of law schools and questions to discuss with the pre-law adviser.
• Set up a Credentials File for letters of recommendation in the Career Development Center (LSG-500) and/or request letters of recommendation to be sent to LSAC. LSAC accepts letters of recommendation from your CDC File, accompanied by the LSAC Letter of Recommendation form from your online file at www.lsac.org.
• Attend Law Day in the fall semester. Don't miss the panel of law school admissions officers from 3-4 p.m.
• Register for the Law School Data Assembly Service (LSDAS) and order transcripts (all colleges attended). Use transcript forms in your online file at www.lsac.org. Check YES on #19 of the form to release information to your pre-law adviser.
• Prepare your application materials, including the personal statement and résumé. Attend workshop on Personal Statements for Law School. Review of personal statements and résumés is available during Pre-law Walk-ins or Alumni Call-ins, or during the fall pre-law appointment.
• Bring or send Dean's Letter forms and stamped addressed envelopes to the pre-law adviser (LINK), about one week before you plan to submit your application to the law school. Ask the Career Development Center (CDC) to send your letters of recommendation to the pre-law adviser, if you are using CDC for your letters. Ignore instructions in the applications about enclosing a sealed dean's letter. Our policy is to send dean's letters directly to law schools; it takes us approximately two weeks to prepare and mail the dean's letter after we receive the paperwork.
• Send applications as early as possible. Many law schools now prefer electronic applications; application software is now free for LSDAS registrants at www.lsac.org. You will have an advantage in admissions if your application is complete before Thanksgiving (including a valid LSAT score).
• Monitor your online account at www.lsac.org. Double-check everything to make sure your files are ready for review. Send transcripts of your fall grades to LSDAS, and they will update the law schools.
• Complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Financial Aid) form and send financial aid information to law schools as soon as possible after January 1 for best chances of receiving financial aid. Attend the fall program at Binghamton on Financial Aid for Law School. Request financial aid information from the law schools. Develop a plan to finance your law school education.
• Most letters of notification arrive in the spring. Schedule an appointment with the pre-law adviser to discuss your choices. If possible, schedule a visit to the law schools.
• Pay the deposit to the school of your choice and notify other schools that you are declining their offer.
• Order a final transcript to be sent by the registrar to the law school you will attend.
• Please take the time to complete the e-mail survey you will receive to report the outcomes of your law school applications. We're interested in your plans.
