Are you thinking about applying to law school? There are many things I wish I had known before applying to law school in 2017. Although I can’t go back in time, I can pass on things I would’ve done differently. Here are five things you should know before applying to law school.

Hi, I’m Emani! I began my law school application process in 2017, started law school in 2018, graduated in May 2021, and passed the bar in 2021. During law school, I was a student ambassador and helped answer prospective law students’ questions about the admissions process/ what it looked like to be a law student. All statements in this post are my opinion and do not represent the opinion of any institution.

Here Are Five Things You Should Know Before Applying to Law School:

1. You Can Major In Anything

You don’t need a specific undergrad major to apply to law school! I thought majoring in Political Science would help me in the law school application process. However, it is more important to do well in your major. If you choose a major you genuinely enjoy, you’ll likely get better grades. That said, disregard this advice if you want to go into a specialized area of law that requires a technical background.

2. Don’t get over involved in undergraduate extracurriculars

Less is more. It is better to have two activities you can explain in-depth versus ten activities you can barely discuss. Taking leadership roles in those respective groups gives you something to highlight during the application process. Also, getting involved in several activities to say you’re in many activities could spread you thin and distract from your school work.

3. Get your application materials ready early

The earlier you get your materials together, the better! Law school applications typically consist of: recommendations, a personal statement, transcripts, an LSAT/GRE score, and other applicable materials. The earlier you compile these materials, the more time you have to apply to schools. And a lot of schools admit students on a rolling basis.

4. Know why you want to Apply To law school

I have wanted to be a lawyer for as long as I can remember. My problem during the application process was that I struggled to articulate why I wanted to go to law school/become a lawyer. You should think about the question, “Why did you decide to go to law school/become a lawyer?” You will get asked that question in most law school applications and nearly every internship/externship/summer associate interview you have throughout law school.

5. Have a plan before applying to law school

This tip goes along with tip number 3. Before applying to law school, you should consider your safety, target, and reach schools. You can learn your safety, target, and reach schools by researching your likelihood of admission with a certain GPA and LSAT score. Creating this list early on can allow you to keep track of deadlines rather than apply in a frenzy at the end of the application cycle.

I hope you found this advice helpful! Feel free to comment if you have any questions.

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Keep an eye out for a future post in this series where I compile answers from my friends about what advice they would give prospective and first-year law students.