John Jay College Of Criminal Justice | The City University of New York

Law School Application Timeline

Freshman Year

• Make an appointment with a Pre Law Advisor early in the year to discuss course selection, majors, minors and extracurricular activities
• Join the John Jay College Law Society
• READ, READ, READ: Newspapers such as The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal are especially instructive and an excellent way to build vocabulary and hone reading skills
• Concentrate on maintaining a strong GPA: Ideally it should be 3.5 or above.  It is extremely difficult to get into law school with a GPA below 3.00.
• Register with www.DiscoverLaw.org
• Attend Pre Law Boot Camp I
• Apply to Pre Law Preparatory Programs

Sophomore Year

• Start the year by making an appointment with your Pre Law Advisor to review your first year experience and plan for the upcoming academic year
• Take the practice LSAT exams administered at the college twice each semester
• Explore summer internships
• Develop relationships with professors who will be able to write substantive recommendations in support of your law school application
• Keep working on your GPA
• Start working on your personal statement
• Apply to Pre Law Preparatory Programs

Junior Year

• Work very closely with your Pre Law Advisor throughout your junior year
• Go online to www.lsac.org and access the registration packet www.lsac.org.
• Register online with LSAC Credential Assembly Service by November
• Prepare for the LSAT and sign up for a prep course.  Devise a weekly study schedule which allows you to study 20 to 30 hours each week.
• Research law schools you are interested in
• Attend the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) Forum in the fall
• Ask faculty for letters of recommendation
• Register in February for the June LSAT or make a decision to take the October LSAT (register in May)
• Attend Pre Law Boot Camp II
• Complete your personal statement and have it reviewed by a Pre Law Advisor

Senior Year

• Make an appointment with a Pre Law Advisor to make sure that all your application material is complete and ready for review by your advisor
• If necessary, take the October LSAT
• Attend the LSAC Law School Forum
• Submit completed faculty letters of recommendation to LSAC by October
• Complete your applications online by November 15th at the latest
• Send an updated transcript with fall semester grades to LSAC