Aspiring Law Student Entering Freshman Year At Community College, And Very Inquisitive.?
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I’m currently 18 years old, and want to become a high-profile lawyer. I’m entering my first year of community college, and have a very ambitious-packed agenda for both my fall and spring semester. The reason why i’m attending community college is because i figured i could save a couple grand by not going straight to the university level. I’m trying to get to one of the top ten law schools, and i hope my first two years of below par schooling will have no bearing on my admissions resume for law school. I’m determined to compensate for that disadvantage by studying hard for the LSAT. Do you think it is a good idea for me to begin so early for the LSAT. Here is some more background info: I’m planning on majoring in philosophy, and getting internships during the summer, also am doing some volunteer work to spruce up my portfolio. Does anybody have suggestions on how i can readily prepare myself longterm for the LSAT, and other ideas to make my resume attractive law schools?
2 Comments
October 14th, 2009 at 4:36 pm
Two factors impact your ability to get into a good law school. 1) the quality of your undergraduate education and your GPA there and 2) your LSAT. Try to get into the best college or university possible when you transfer. This is important. You have a better chance going to a good school, even a good state school, than if you go to eastern central state polytechnic commuter campus. Shoot for at least a 3.5 GPA. I would not start studying for the LSAT until your junior year. At that time you can try the Princeton Review study guide for the LSAT. Take logic courses which help with the LSAT and get a good grounding in government, political science, and philosophy. Also find out if you would actually like practicing law. Most high profile lawyers work a lot of hours. New graduates in corporate law make $100K starting out but work 60-80 hours a week. Is this the life you want.
Again, study hard, transfer to a good college, then start studying for the LSAT. Good luck.
October 14th, 2009 at 4:39 pm
I am also an aspiring law student, but also a Peer Career Counsellor at my University
At law schools here in Canada, many schools calculate your GPA with your last 2 years of post-secondary studies. Although admissions decisions weigh heavily on the GPA and the LSAT, they also take other factors into account like your experience and leadership skills – basically they want to know that you would contribute to the overall law school experience. I think it’s a great idea if you could find internships for the summer, especially if they are law-related and/or show your leadership, motivation, etc. Also, try and participate in experiences that you could use to give yourself an edge. A special volunteer project, a semester studying abroad, etc. All these will help give you an edge when you are writing your personal statement.
As for the LSAT, there are a lot of good books out there that could help you prepare. Books like those from Kaplan teach you some tricks and also give you some hints about taking the test. You can also purchase old LSAT tests from the LSAT website to practice with. There are also many LSAT prep classes that are available. They are really expensive, but if you can afford to attend I hear they make a big difference… and some of them even host a ‘mock’ LSAT test so you can get used to the demanding atmosphere of the test.
Good luck!