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Timeline

Earning a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree requires unrelenting academic effort and intense dedication. The following suggested timeline outlines the major steps involved in applying to law school through the ASU pre-law office. Pre-law advisors are available to provide guidance and answer questions.

Freshman-Sophomore Years

The first two years of college should be a time when all students, and particularly pre-law students, adjust to their new academic environment. In addition to the obvious, such as adjustment to a new, larger institution, to a student body composed of adults rather than adolescents, and perhaps to the new experience of being away from home for an extended period for the first time, first semester pre-law students should also begin their quest for admission to a desired law school.

During the freshman and sophomore years, pre-law students should initiate the following simple, yet critically important processes:

  • The student must determine an optimum distribution of time among academic activities (going to class and studying), social activities (recreation, dating, etc.), and life-essential activities (sleeping, eating, etc.). Poor time management can cause academic, physical, and psychological problems for the student.
  • Students who have come to college with a declared intent to major in a specific discipline should take the initial courses in that discipline in order to verify that the intended major is, in fact, the right one for them.
  • Students who have come to college knowing only that they desire to attend law school should take a variety of courses from a number of disciplines. This will allow the student to determine an interest secondary to law, and will lead to an undergraduate major.
  • The student should begin the process of establishing faculty ties for future requests for letters of recommendation.

By the end of the sophomore year, the pre-law student has (ideally) embarked on the pursuit of a major to his/her liking, established a highly competitive grade point average, begun networking with professors and completed courses that will aid in obtaining the maximum possible score on the LSAT.

Junior Year

For the pre-law student, the third year of college is dominated by the preparation for the Law School Admission Test (LSAT). Whether the LSAT is taken in June, at the end of that third year, or in September/October as the senior year begins, the junior year must be considered as the prime preparation period for the LSAT. Whereas the first two years of college have involved relatively long-range planning and preparation, the third year is the time for immediate and direct preparation. The following should be accomplished in the junior year:

  • Become familiar with the LSAT format, including self-testing with sample and previously administered LSAT.
  • Take one or more mock LSAT given by pre-law organizations.
  • Obtain the LSAT/Law School Data Assembly Service (LSDAS) Registration Book (free) from your pre-law advisor and apply for the (June) LSAT.
  • Decide whether to avail yourself of any of the various preparation materials offered at a price.

Your decision to use any or all of these aids depends not only on the amount of time and money available to you, but also on your perception of your need for assistance. ASU pre-law advisors do not recommend or endorse any of the commercial courses available.

As a final note, throughout the junior year, as in the years preceding, pre-law students must make every attempt to maintain or improve their GPA.

Senior Year

The final year of college, for the pre-law student, is characterized by the receipt of Law School Admission Test (LSAT) scores, a realistic evaluation of acceptance possibilities based on LSAT and GPA, and the submission of applications to selected law schools. By the end of the fall semester of the senior year, the preparation period has essentially ended, and it is time to reap the benefits of that preparation.

Regardless of whether the LSAT is taken in June, September/October, or December of the year prior to desired law school entry, applications should be submitted in the November-December time frame and should be complete in every respect (with the exception of December LSAT scores) by January 1 of the year of desired admission. While most law schools have a deadline date around the first of March, every effort should be made to beat that deadline by approximately 60 days. With January 1 as the target date, adequate time remains before the deadline to react successfully to unexpected complications.

Having spent three years building up a competitive GPA, the pre-law student will want to continue that habit during the final year of college. If ASU transcripts have been provided to the Law School Data Assembly Service (LSDAS) during the fall semester, they will not reflect fall grades. Currently, once LSDAS receives a transcript that includes fall semester grades, an updated report is submitted to the student's prospective law school(s) that have indicated they will accept such updates. In addition to providing LSDAS with a new official transcript, make sure to send unofficial transcripts containing the fall semester grades to every law school to which you apply. The grades from the first semester of your senior year will verify your continued high-caliber academic performance. For the pre-law student who has followed this advice, the final semester of the senior year should be one of relative relaxation, involving, in addition to the now-routine studies, only graduation preparation and tentative decision-making as law school acceptances arrive.