Applying to Law School

Applying to law schools need not be a long and stressful process. Below is a timeline suggesting the appropriate actions throughout your time at MIT. This guide was written with the assumption that you plan on going straight from MIT to law school. In reality, a very large percentage of applicants wait until at least one year after graduation before deciding to apply.

Freshman Year

You're a little ahead of the game.

Sophomore Year

It's about time to consider if you want to go to law school. If you're at this site, you've probably already done that.

Junior Year

By the end of Junior year, you should be pretty sure about whether or not you want to go to law school. Toward the middle to the end of the second semester, you should begin to look for LSAT prep courses to take over the summer. If you do not want to take a course, you should consider purchasing a book of past LSATs to take on your own. This summer will be an ideal time to prepare for the LSAT. Shoot for taking the early October LSAT (in your senior year). If you need, you can cancel this score and retake the exam in December.

Senior Year

It is extremely important to take the LSAT as early as possible. In late October, it is advised to look at the essay topics and get started writing. Some schools, like Michigan, Penn and Yale, have essays unique to their schools. By November, you should start to fill out your applications. By Christmas, you should have completed the entire application process. You should ask your recommenders early on in the process for a recommendation. Many are extremely busy and may not be able to get them out as quickly as you would like.

Most law schools accept students on a rolling basis, so it is in your best interest to get your application out as soon as possible. You will need to do several things in order to complete your application. First, you must register online with the LSAC for the LSDAS. This stands for the Law School Data Assembly Service. The LSDAS costs roughly $120, but it is required if you plan to apply anywhere. Furthermore, you must pay for each LSDAS report (one for each school to which you plan to apply). This report contains information about your LSAT score and your undergraduate GPA. They have their own formular about how to calculate a GPA, but will require that MIT send them an official transcript. MEng students should note that undergraduate GPA, according to the LSDAS, constitutes all grades prior to your first graduation. If both graduations occur at the same time, your UGPA will contain all of your grades.

You must also find out which schools require a Dean's certification. This is simply a letter sent by the registrar stating that you have or have not ever been in trouble. To obtain Dean's certiication, go to room 5-119 with a list of all the schools and their addresses.

For help with the online LSAC applications, click here