In order to set yourself up for success, start planning for professional school early. Law student are expected to carry and hone several valuable skills.
Preparing for Law School
Start Building Your "Resume"
Students are encouraged to reach out to their academic advisors early into their undergraduate program. Advisors can provide guidance toward selecting recommended classes, exam preparation, and school selection.
Is law school right for you? By preparing for law school, students should evaluate and focus on these key areas:
- Analytical thinking and Problem solving
- Leadership and Management skills
- Written and Verbal communication
- Research and Reading comprehension
- Debate skills
- Time management
Law school is highly competitive. It is important for law students to be well rounded inside and outside of school. Extracurricular activities are a great way to show off your skills in time management, leadership, and teamwork building. These activities include, but are not limited to:
- Volunteer work/Community service
- Student Government
- Student Clubs and Organizations
Remember: Extracurriculars are about balance and should not affect your GPA! If you need support balancing life and school, IU East provides Student Success Coaches to help.
Internships provide experience and are beneficial for law school applications and resumes! For more information on internships visit Career Services.
Law School Programs
- Indiana University Maurer School of Law
- Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law
- Notre Dame
- Valparaiso University School of Law
IU East Majors to Consider
There are no specific undergraduate degrees required for law school. You may choose any major you wish! However, there are several majors that complement the ideal skills for law school:
- B.A. Communication Studies
- B.S. Communication Studies
- B.A. History
- B.A. International Studies
- B.S. Criminal Justice
- B.S. Psychology
- B.S. Political Science
- B.S. Sociology
IU East Alumni Insight
Cassidy Clouse, IU East Alum, 2018
JD Candidate IU Robert H. McKinney School of Law, 2022
"Contrary to the movies and televisions, a minority of lawyers regularly go before a jury. Trial lawyers are only a subset of litigation lawyers, and even trial lawyers don't always go to court. Many attorneys work for a private firm in corporate roles, work for the government in any of its three branches and at any of its hierarchical levels, work for a business or non-profit as in-house counsel, or even work in a non-law "JD advantage" role like as an executive of a company."
"If you want to get an idea of what is happening in a certain career field, subscribe to trade newsletters and publications. For example, Monitor on Psychology is the main publication for the APA if you are interested in psychology. For lawyers the ABA Journal is the official publication, but the Indiana Lawyer would offer news relevant to a lawyer in Indiana. Are you excited to learn more or are your eyes glazing over? Are the issues raised by the articles ones you would be interested in addressing, or would you prefer different ones? The authors of trade articles are practitioners, not journalists--could you picture yourself doing what they describe?"
Application Process
The Law School Admissions Test is one of the most vital components of your law school application. The LSAT is a three and a half-hour, two-part exam that evaluated the skills of potential law students in these areas:
- Reading Comprehension
- Analytical Reasoning
- Logical Reasoning
- Writing
When should I take the LSAT?
The LSAT is offered several times a year and dates vary. Ideally you should consider taking the LSAT a year before you would begin law school- no later than November. Be aware that the top-ranked law schools fill up fast, so taking the LSAT in January can put you at a disadvantage! Ultimately, it is important to take the test ween you are ready to! Be sure to prepare early!
Preparation Resources
The Credential Assembly Service (CAS), provided by LSAC, streamlines your application process. CAS compiles all necessary information into a CAS report for law school applications. The CAS report will contain:
- Undergraduate Transcripts
- LSAT Score
- LSAT Written Portion
- Letters of Recommendation
Note: The CAS has a subscription fee and a fee for each Law School Report.
See LSAC's website for additional information and current pricing.
Begin researching law schools early! Admission requirements differ from school to school, so it is crucial to explore multiple programs. Make a list of your preferred schools, and always include a backup school or two!
Factors to consider:
- Location
- Tuition Costs
- GPA and LSAT Requirements
- Grade Averages
- Opportunities
- Class Size
- Bar Passage Statistics