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EIUPre-Law Program

Law School Admission Facts

Criteria For Admission Into Law School:

(in order of importance)

  1. LSAT (Law School Admission Test) Score
  2. Undergraduate GPA
  3. Personal Statement
  4. Letters of Recommendation

 

LSAT Preparation

    • Register for the LSAT on line with the Law School Admission Council at www.LSAC.org.
    • LSAT exams are offered at EIU several times each year: June, September, November, and January. Additional test dates are available elsewhere.
    • Register to take the test early. If you hope to attend law school the fall following your graduation, consider taking the June exam prior to your senior year. September-October of your senior year is also a good choice; the December exam is cutting it very close, and the February exam is too late for some law schools.
    • Study hard for the LSAT: plan to take it once and only once, and do well. If you do poorly, do retake the LSAT; many law schools accept the best of two or even three LSAT scores.
    • For many students, taking multiple practice LSATs is the most effective way to study for the real LSAT.
    • Booth Library has free LSAT practice tests at https://booth.library.eiu.edu/subjectsPlus/subjects/guide.php?subject=TestPrep
    • LSAC has free LSAT prep materials at https://www.lsac.org/jd/lsat/preparing-for-the-lsat
    • Preparatory material can be purchased from bookstores, or borrowed from the Pre-Law Advisor in 2321 Coleman Hall. Great products offered by the LSAC (Law School Admission Council) include the SuperPrep II and an interactive computer-based study tool, "Itemwise."
    • Take the Mock LSAT offered periodically by the Pre-Law Society.
    • Consider taking a commercial LSAT prep course, especially if you are not a self-motivated studier.
    • LSAC offers a fee waiver for the LSAT and the LSCAS (Law School Credentials Assembly Service) for qualifying low income students.

Deciding Where To Apply For Law School:

    • Consult the ABA-LSAC Official Guide to ABA-Approved Law Schools (copy available in the pre-law advisor's office, or online at http://www.LSAC.org) To determine where you have a realistic chance of being admitted, consult the grids based on LSAT and GPA.
    • Attend a Law School Fair and meet with law school admissions representatives and learn about what their universities have to offer. The 2018 Law School Caravan at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign will take place on Wednesday, September 26 from 10-2 in the Illini Union. Illinois Law School Fair will be on the EIU campus on Wednesday, November 14. The LSAC Law School Forum in Chicago is on September 29.
    • Think about the region of the country where you would prefer to practice law.
    • Arrange to visit the law schools that interest you the most; attend some classes, talk with students and professors. The Pre-Law Society takes some group trips to regional law schools.

 

Gaining Experience Before Attending Law School:

  • Legal Internship - Deciding whether or not the legal profession is for you is a difficult decision. A legal internship at EIU will give you the legal experience and fulfill credit hours.
  • Moot Court - Moot Court is an excellent way to learn the rules of court procedure in an exciting environment.
  • Phi Alpha Delta/Pre-Law Society - This is Eastern's pre-law fraternity, which offers a variety of benefits to pre-law students at EIU.
  • Take at least one public law class to see if you like reading appellate court cases; this is most of what you will do in law school.
  • Consider the Pre-Law Minor.

Related Pages

Contact Information

Karen Swenson

Department of Political Science
Eastern Illinois University
600 Lincoln Avenue
Charleston, IL 61920
(217) 581-2523
Fax: (217) 581-2926
kbswenson@eiu.edu


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