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SUGGESTED Pre-Law TIMELINE

Regardless of pre-professional category, creating a meaningful and robust resume throughout your undergraduate career is important. Below, goals are broken into three categories for each year: Career, Personal, and Academic.

 

While all four years of your undergraduate experience are important, your law school application journey begins during your Junior year of college. 

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FRESHMAN YEAR

Career Goals:

  • Attend career, major or pre-professional-related workshops hosted by Career Development & Exploration. Explore online information about careers in law.

  • Develop career goals: short and long term as well as alternative career goals.

  • Start to build your resume through involvement, shadowing, and volunteer work.

  • Create a resume.

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Academic Goals:

  • Meet with a pre-professional advisor to develop your educational plan for prerequisite pre-professional health courses.

  • Meet with your college advisor to begin looking at your major pathway.

  • Maintain a strong GPA.

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Personal Goals:

  • Explore service learning or other civic engagement options in Cleveland.

  • Explore student organizations.

  • Apply for scholarships: University and community sources.


SOPHOMORE YEAR:

Career Goals:

  • Explore job shadowing opportunities or other ways to get direct experience in the law field.

  • Modify career goals: short and long-term. Make sure that you are coming up with Plan B options.

  • Update your resume.

  • Begin researching different law schools and programs. Create a document that details specific admissions requirements, processes and tuition costs.

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Academic Goals:

  • Meet with your pre-professional advisor to update your plan and establish relationship with college and faculty advisor.

  • Cultivate relationships with faculty/staff/advisors that may serve as references for applications.

  • Maintain a strong GPA.

  • Take elective courses that will help you prepare for the LSAT.

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Personal Goals:

  • Get involved in student organizations at CSU.

  • Get involved in professional law student organizations.

  • Apply for scholarships: University and community sources.

  • Consider a summer internship or shadowing opportunity at a law office.


JUNIOR YEAR

Career Goals:

  • Register for a free account at LSAC.org

  • Apply for an LSAT fee waiver at LSAC.org/feewaiver (see website for qualification details).

  • Register for the Applicant Track Workshop series and attend workshops.

  • Register and gain access to free Kaplan test prep through CSU’s All Access initiative.

  • Create study timeline for the LSAT exam. ​(two-three months of prep encouraged).

  • Finalize your top Law School choices.

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Academic Goals:

  • Continue to attend pre-professional workshops to learn about various fields.

  • Meet with your college or faculty/department advisor to confirm graduation plan.

  • Maintain a strong GPA.

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Personal Goals:

  • Consider leadership positions in student organizations for Junior or Senior year.

  • Get involved in professional student organizations.

  • Apply for scholarships: University and community sources.


SENIOR YEAR:

Career Goals:

  • Complete the Federal Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and take the LSAT.

  • Finalize Application materials and apply to your selected schools.

  • Once you receive your first interview, sign up for a Mock Interview with Career Development & Exploration.

  • Update your resume.

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Academic Goals:

  • Select applicable elective coursework that will aid in your transition to professional school.

  • Meet with advisor to make sure all courses are in progress or complete by graduation.

  • Maintain a strong GPA.

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Personal Goals:

  • Accept leadership roles in student organizations.

  • Find ways to pay for your professional career by applying for scholarships and grants.

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