<p>I am a college freshman and I plan on attending Law school.<br>
1. When should I start preparing for the LSAT? Does it take a year of preparation or would a summer of hardcore preparation be sufficient?
2. Does everyone take the expensive prep classes? Or it is better to just buy a lot of the previous exams and take them and review what you do wrong?
3. It seems as though the LSAT score and the GPA are the most important elements in law school admissions. So are extracurriculers not very important?
4. Do I need to get prestigious internships and summer jobs throughout college? I planned on working for this coming summer and spending the summer before junior year preparing for the LSAT.
5. I plan on double majoring in English and Political Science. Will this be frowned upon since they are such common majors?</p>
<p>Many take the prep courses, usually beginning a few months before you intend to take the test. Probably biggest advantage of a prep course is that it puts you in a situation where you are required to prepare, while going it alone provides far more temptation to procrastinate. Either way, starting prep a few months before taking a test is recommended. Best time to take the test is June or Sep/Oct (varies among years as to whether it is late Sep or early Oct) of the year before you intend to enter since both those dates assure you will meet early decision application dates for those that have early decision. </p>
<p>LSAT score and GPA are the most important factors and for most law schools LSAT is the more important of the two. Extracurriculars and work history (internships) are a factor and there are a number of law schools that actually give preference to those that have a work history -- particularly one after college, i.e., they like to get students who have 2 or more years of work after college (e.g., Northwestern). Do not assume a "prestigious" internship is a key because law schools seldom consider any internship to be "prestigious." </p>
<p>English or political science are as good as virtually any major. Note, however, if you are intending to double major to impress law school admissions officers, you are acting under a misconception. Double major really does not mean you will be considered better than someone with a single major.</p>