<p>I had no idea about anything related to college applications in high school, i just sort of crossed my fingers and hoped it'd turn out okay. As a future law school hopeful, this time around, I'd like to try entering this phase of schooling as informed and focused and prepared as possible!</p>
<p>So it would be very helpful if any pre-law students had advice on what to study, what realistic law schools there would be, and how this process works. Like I've read things about how GPA and LSAT score are the most important for the application, but I'm most interested in finding out what needs to be done before it's even time to apply.</p>
<p>Thanks so much!</p>
<p>Not sure why you thought the Cornell forum (or even CC, in general) would be the best place for this thread, but in general you’re right about GPA and LSAT scores being the most important factors by far. Study what you like, law schools aren’t particularly concerned about what you major/minor in - Googling ‘pre-law’ would’ve told you as much - but make sure you don’t make unrealistic academic decisions that will excessively damage your GPA. By this I don’t mean to parrot the oft-shared (and in my opinion, ■■■■■■■■) ‘advice’ that you should chase a 4.0 even if it means taking underwater basketweaving or its equivalents throughout college. Anyone who finds it challenging to pursue a sound undergraduate academic experience in a subject of their choosing probably wouldn’t make a very good law student in any case. That said, don’t expect to manage quadruple majors, tackle a handful of graduate classes, work two on-campus jobs, take six classes a term and expect to make HYS without losing your sanity or burning out. If you’re a Cornell student, there are a couple of classes here that might interest prospective lawyers - including several in the law school that’re open exclusively to undergraduates. Consider those, but don’t make the mistake of seeing them as some sort of a ‘pre-law’ curriculum.</p>
<p>Okay, thanks. I posted here because I’ve been doing a lot of research recently and I’ve seen evidence of everything you’ve said in other places, but sometimes it’s nice to hear other peoples’ stories as examples. Like I know, studying for the LSAT and keeping a high GPA without sacrificing a rigorous course load is desirable but I was most interested, I guess, in how people did it, and that’s information that I haven’t been able to find after googling pre-law.</p>