PRELAW for Juniors and Seniors - Suggestions and Timetable

Aug 30, 2026

Guidance for undergraduate juniors and seniors preparing for law school applications, emphasizing early planning across the final two academic years. The schedule outlines steps for strengthening transcripts, selecting rigorous coursework, and building writing and speaking experience. It details how to approach LSAT preparation during junior fall, including reviewing past academic records, taking timed practice exams, and evaluating four study pathways: self-study, commercial courses, or local preparatory options, with cautions about GPA trends and the risks of weak preparation.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages8

Reading Time20 min

AccessFree to download

Junior Year, Fall Semester

Review academic record and strengthen credentials

Plan LSAT approach and practice exams

Choose one of four LSAT preparation options

Conclusion: begin early if selecting an option

PRELAW AT UNCG Suggestions and Timetable for Juniors and Seniors By the beginning of your Junior year, you are about halfway done with your undergraduate education, and it is time to get serious about preparing for what’s ahead. If you want to apply to law schools, you should have learned lots about law schools and their curricula and understand lots about the law as a profession. You should be committed to the law as a career for you. The last two years as an undergraduate should be carefully planned. Each of the years has its own challenges. Your Junior year is your last opportunity to improve your academic record and to strengthen your community service record or to become involved in other significant outside activities. In addition, if you have not already done so, this is your final opportunity to build relationships with faculty who you might want writing recommendations for you. Your Senior year focuses on completing application forms and then anxiously waiting for the mail to bring acceptances or rejections. You should plan your objectives for the last two years semester-by-semester. If you prepare properly, you will improve your chances of being accepted by the law school of your choice. NOTE: You may decide to delay applying to law school until you have worked for a year or several years. There is nothing wrong with this approach. In fact, some leading law schools actually prefer applicants who have work experience and are more mature. At least one law school admits virtually no applicants directly from undergraduate training. You may want to consider this option, particularly if you are not completely sure that law school is for you. However, if you decide to go directly to law school, the following schedule may be useful as you make your plans. ******** JUNIOR YEAR, FALL SEMESTER I. Review your academic record before classes start. Have you neglected to take certain courses which might strengthen your transcript? Have you taken demanding courses in your major? Are there some courses which might aid your law school preparation? Are you computer literate? Have you taken your writing and speaking intensive classes (do not wait until next year to do so)? This is your last year to improve your academic credentials, since applications to law school usually include only the first three years as an undergraduate. NOTE: Avoid a weak Junior year. A weakening or declining grade point average will bea negative when your credentials are evaluated. II. Decide early in the semester how you plan to approach preparation for the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT). Before making a decision, the Prelaw Advisory Committee recommends that you take at least one, but preferably several, practice LSAT exams. Score the exam you take (be sure to time yourself) . How well you do may determine how you decide to prepare. Practice LSAT publications can be found at Jackson Library or can be checked out from the Chair of the Prelaw Advisory Committee. In addition, LSAT publications and disks can be purchased from the Law School Admission Council (LSAC – website listed below) or from most major bookstores, such as Barnes and Noble or Amazon. In preparing to take the LSAT, you have at least four options: A. Do not prepare systematically. You may consider this option, but only if you are very confident that your reading speed, reading comprehension, and test-taking skills will allow you to perform well on the exam. NOTE: The Law School Admission Council (LSAC) which prepares, administers, and grades the exam, claims that the best preparation, according to their studies, is a demanding course load which develops reading and analytic skills over your many years as a student. B. Develop your own self-study program. Obtain old exams and familiarize yourself with the exam. The LSAC offers a study book, as do many other publications. NOTE: As a minimum effort, you should study old tests to become familiar with the exam’s

FAQs

What should juniors focus on before their junior-year classes begin?

Review the academic record, identify neglected courses that could strengthen the transcript, take demanding major coursework, confirm writing and speaking intensive classes, and address overall academic credentials since law school applications typically use the first three undergraduate years.

How does the Prelaw Advisory Committee recommend approaching LSAT preparation?

Decide early in the semester, then take at least one practice LSAT exam (preferably several), score it with proper timing, and use results to choose an appropriate preparation strategy.

What are the four LSAT preparation options described, and what key caution is given?

Options include unsystematic preparation, self-study with old exams, commercial courses (e.g., Kaplan/Princeton Review), or local preparatory courses. The document cautions against weakening academic performance and highlights that the LSAT is timed, making speed and reading comprehension critical.

Aug 30, 2026

Uploaded by Emma Wilson