Pre-Law Journey

Pre-Law Journey

As I approach the end of the semester, I find myself faced with a question that many high school
seniors most likely can relate to: where on Earth am I going after this. I came to UAF four years ago,
knowing that this time would come, the time for me to transition from my undergraduate career, to the
world of Law. I thought this would be an easy transition, but in reality nothing in life worth attaining is
necessarily easy.

As a freshman I knew that I wanted to pursue a career in the legal field. I also knew that my
desired career option left my decided undergraduate major wide open. It is a common misconception
that in order to be a lawyer one must major in political science, philosophy, pre-law, justice, or english
as an undergraduate. In reality you can major in basket weaving, as long as you have a decent GPA, a
Bachelors degree, and do well on the LSAT, in theory you can get into Law School somewhere. I chose to major in psychology, as in the legal field the ability to work with people is a must, and convenientlyI happen to love psychology. I would not recommend picking a major that doesn’t interest you; otherwise you are going to spend four years of your life incredibly bored.

Another important aspect in an applicant that Law Schools value is leadership and community
service experience. I would recommend participation in service to any student, whether this be through
a school club, a church, or a community center. Yes, service looks good on a resume, but there is more
to service than developing a resume. Personally I feel very blessed to have had the opportunities I have
had in my life, and feel it is important to give back to the community that supports me. The problem
that I have found in my journey of trying to give back is that I always walk away from “giving back”
having learned more from those I was “giving back” too, than I think I gave back to them. Case in point, I would recommend getting involved in service to any student, no matter what major or background. Believe me you will grow from it.

If you make through your junior year, and still want to be a lawyer, I have four letters that
should rule your life L S A T. The Law School Admissions Test (LSAT). My advice for the LSAT is that it is never too soon to start studying. I think this is where philosophy classes would help a pre-law student, as this is simply a test of logic. Learn how to identify argument structures, flaws in reasoning, and pick up a logic games book. When it comes to the LSAT the key is accuracy and speed, the sooner you start practicing the skills tested on the exam, the better you will do.

So now here I am, I have finished my LSAT, have a decent GPA, and am trying to figure out
where to go to school. The state of Alaska does not have a Law School, so the sky is pretty much the
limit. Law schools can be very persistent in convincing you to apply. Given the massive media age we live in, expect to get emails from schools encouraging you to apply to their school, some of which include fee waivers. I have a whole folder in my email devoted to the emails I have received from different schools, presently there are 62 messages in it. In the end I will probably apply to schools who sent me fee waivers, as well as to a few schools I have narrowed down as places I would like to go while considering the probability of getting accepted given my GPA and LSAT score. And I will continue to sit in limbo while I wait to hear back from all of the schools I have applied to.