Law School Preparation
Building Your Skills
At Kent State, a pre-law education is not a major, though a pre-law minor is part of the Department of Political Science's curriculum. Students entering Kent State also have an exciting opportunity to participate in the Pre-Law Program's Service, Citizenship and Justice Living Learning Community with like-minded peers in a residential dorm. Also, the Political Science Department lets students save time and costs by participating in a "3 plus 3 Bachelors/Law Accelerated Degree" partnership with Cleveland Marshall's College of Law, a program that permits students to take undergraduate and law school courses simultaneously.
Law schools value students who have a wide range of skills, including the ones listed below, and they accept students from all majors. As a general rule of thumb, you should declare major that fits your interests and coursework that you excel in. Your major, as well, should bolster the types of critical thinking, problem-solving, written and oral skills that are used by attorneys and judges.
- critical analysis
- logical reasoning
- reading comprehension
- written skills, including basic grammar, spelling and citation proficiencies
- oral communication, advocacy, and public speaking
- ethical-based reasoning
- public service
The American Bar Association offers similar pre-law advice that is helpful to prepare for law school and legal or a law-related profession.
In addition to learning about government and politics as a cornerstone of securing a legal education, problem solving and logical reasoning skills are helpful as well, and they can be obtained in math, science, and philosophy courses that use and apply logical thinking. You should discuss the coursework needed to develop law-related skills with your pr-law and/or college advisor early in your undergraduate career.
Admission to law school is also very competitive, so always strive to work diligently and conscientiously in all of your courses in order to achieve the best grades you can at every stage of your undergraduate education. Do not fear failure and learn from it should you not succeed in courses at first. Take advantage of all of Kent State's academic help resources, such as the Academic Success Center and the Writing Commons, in order to learn from tutors or academic coaches, engage with or learn from supplemental resources, and, in general, continuously refine your written, analytical and oral academic skill-set. If you are struggling in school, or have questions about your major or pre-law minor, you should not hesitate to visit with a pre-law or academic advisor as early as possible in your undergraduate career.
Keeping Your "Eye on the Prize" and About What Lies Ahead
Aspiring lawyers must approach the task of preparing for law school with a seriousness of purpose and a keen focus on what is needed to be admitted into law school and become a licensed legal professional (or work in a law-related field that values, but does not require, a law license). Students must work from a mindset that is capable of making the requisite time investment to gather and evaluate all relevant information about the law school admission process and what it takes to be successful and happy after law school and/or bar passage. Critical decisions that affect a lifetime should only be made completely understanding the pros and cons of applying to law school and becoming a legal professional. An important first step is to do an early but careful evaluation of your academic work plan and take courses from professors who you believe will challenge you to think and learn on your own as an independent scholar. Always work to establish academic relationships with your professors, both in and out of class, especially by showing you are prepared for class, have thought about the assigned class material ahead of time and are willing to contribute actively through class participation, and by visiting with them during office meetings or campus events. Some of those professors will be sources of letters of recommendation; but others will also be extremely valuable to learn from in a host of other ways that inherently assists you in learning about the law, if not life.
Begin to Establish a Professional Identity
Undergraduate law-related coursework, plus an active engagement in campus or off-campus community organizations and experiences, will help you cultivate an awareness that being in the law means that you are part of a profession. At its core, it is never too early to learn about the ethical and civic obligations about how to become a responsible citizen in a political community that is governed under law and general norms of civility. Learning professional competence is essential because lawyers are routinely asked to make difficult choices about how to give objective, and emotionally detached, advice to clients who are often in a crisis mode and cannot think too clearly about the situation at hand. A wise rule of thumb is to develop a college mind-set that prepares you for the types of advising and leadership roles you are likely to assume in a legal setting. Pre-law students should develop a curriculum that is based on ethical principles that will be applied in school, legal practice and public affairs; to become effective listeners, communicators, investigators, advocates, problem solvers, and advisers; and, to become proficient in using relevant and rapidly evolving technologies. Constantly reading books about the law, courts and legal profession, and taking part in legal or community internships or public service projects, and being diligent about participating in informal activities that expose you to the experiences legal professionals and law school alumni have in the law and the legal profession will help foster the creation of a professional identity that will guide all of your decisions in law school and after graduation.
Act Like a Mature and Responsible Adult
Everyone makes mistakes. But learn from them and act accordingly in the present and future. Work to make mature and responsible decisions in school and outside of school. Learn how to manage your personal finances competently. Avoid any brushes with the law or academic disciplinary entities. Be aware that criminal or disciplinary violations of any magnitude have to be disclosed and explained on law school applications. More serious violations, such as having a felony conviction or and several misdemeanors, are likely to be discovered and may prevent you from being accepted into law school and/or sitting for the bar exam. In short, act and behave like a mature and responsible adult in order to avoid any of these sorts of difficulties that will probably short-circuit your law school ambitions and/or torpedo your post-law school career plans.
Learn How to Register, Prepare and Succeed in Taking the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT)
The Law School Admission Council (LSAC) website is filled with information on how to register, prepare, and succeed in taking the LSAT. At the LSAC's homepage, hover over and link to the resources in "The LSAT" tab to learn more about how to create an LSAC account, register for the LSAT, when the LSAT is administered, fees (and fee waivers), the LSAT testing format, and how to prepare for it using LSAC-sponsored (free and paid) practice tests (like the Khan Academy and LawHub), and the like.