You’re waiting for your LSAT score. You can’t sleep, can’t eat, and can only think about your score. Don’t let all this drive you crazy! Besides, studies have shown that pulling out your hair makes you look frumpy. Don’t do it! Instead, here’s the smart thing to be doing with your time: put the final touches on your law school applications! Essentially, you should be able to click the “Submit” button the moment you receive your LSAT score.
Steps to Take Before Your Score Releases
- If you haven’t already, put together a list of 15 or so law schools that you’d like to apply to. You should have a good mix of safeties, targets, and reaches. Of course, which schools you ultimately apply to will depend on your score, but you can probably predict, within a margin of +/- 3 points, where you will be on the scale.
- Log into your LSAC account and make sure all of your transcripts are in. If not, get in touch with the Registrar’s Office at your undergraduate institution and any graduate schools you have attended ASAP.
- Talk to your recommenders and make sure they are done with your letters of recommendation. Give them the required CAS LOR forms and have them send in your letters to LSAC for processing if they haven’t already. It takes some time for your LOR’s to get processed by the LSAC, so get the ball rolling immediately!
- Have you been procrastinating with your personal statement? We thought so. After your LSAT and GPA, your statement will be the third most important component of your application. It’s also the one piece you still have complete control over. Don’t blow it! Assuming you already have a working draft, make sure to subject as many people as possible to the humbling (or humiliating) task of reading it. Don’t be shy: this is the sort of feedback you want. Want professional help with this? We’ve got you covered.
- Are you planning to write a “Diversity Statement”? Although not all schools ask for one, many do and it’s always good to have one on hand. The diversity statement basically answers the question, “What will you bring to XYZ Law School?” Many students believe that the diversity statement is reserved for those applicants of a specific racial or ethnic background or who are members of an underrepresented minority. Not so! When law schools say “diversity,” they’re not just talking about race, they’re talking about diversity of experience.
What to As Soon As You Get Your Score
- Decide whether or not you need to re-take the test. If you’re happy with your test score, use it to narrow down the range of schools you wish to apply to approximately 12 (4 safeties, 4 targets, 4 reaches).
- Log into your LSAC account, pull up the applications to the schools you selected, and check them over carefully for any “supplemental essay” opportunities. I.e., “optional” essays or long-answer questions that you can use to present another aspect of your candidacy or of your personality. If you feel that your background and/or experiences merit writing any of these essays, do so.
- Go over the applications to the schools you’re applying to with a fine-tooth comb. If you decide not to re-take the LSAT, press that submit button once you’ve thoroughly evaluated your apps.
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