<p>Hi, I'm a current high school senior student. I will be going to Brown next year and majoring in Political Science. From there, I'd like to go to a top law school, preferably Harvard. I now know and understand the importance of starting early. I'm considering taking an LSAT course this summer. Does anybody have any suggestions on what else I could start working on now? What do top law schools look for? What's a good LSAT score? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.</p>
<p>Also, what are considered good hooks?</p>
<p>It's good you are starting early! Now, you have enough time to research all those basic questions!!:D</p>
<p>Go to B&N 'College Guides' section and read about law school; that should be very helpful. Then, come back with more esoteric questions;)</p>
<p>Good Luck</p>
<p>Lucy, </p>
<p>Forget about studying for the LSAT for now, enjoy your summer, and hit the books and get great grades at Brown, beginning in the fall. Enjoy Brown. Don't go in with the idea that you are certain what you will major in--explore a bit. Pursue a couple of ECs you enjoyed in high school or pursue one you enjoyed and try one new one. The ECs are unlikely to matter much in admissions, so just do them for the experience and fun. </p>
<p>You might want to take a LSAT prep course down the road, but the earliest I'd recommend doing it is after your sophomore year in college--if you are still interested in law school by then. That's because the earliest you should take the LSAT is June after your junior year, and taking a prep course more than a year before you take the test is probably inadvisable. You'll forget too much. Most schools average LSAT scores, so it's best to take it once and only once. Moreover, your score is only good for five years. It's too early to predict now whether you will want to go straight to law school from college.</p>
<p>I would urge you to make the effort to get to know a couple of profs well. Good letters of recommendation are important at some law schools. More importantly, they are also important for jobs , graduate school and fellowships. So, make the effort to get to know a few profs well. </p>
<pre><code> Law school admissions isn't like college admissions. First, there isn't the need to balance the class by having students interested in a broad spectrum of subjects--everyone's going to study law. There's some emphasis on diversity, but that's pretty much beyond your control. There aren't competitive sports teams and there's no need to assure that there are enough oboe players. Law school admissions is mostly about your gpa and LSAT. Harvard, from what I've seen, is especially numbers focused. The rest of your app doesn't matter that much there.
</code></pre>
<p>It's hard to explain, but to the extent that the other stuff matters, it's about what you bring to the table in terms of perspective. There's really not some magic to be done list, which, when completed guarantees admission. </p>
<p>Seriously, forget about law school for at least two years. Do well in college academically and have a great time. Make friends. Get to know a couple of profs well. Two years from now, start thinking about law school. Start prepping for the LSAT THEN if you still want to go to law school.</p>
<p>There's no harm in taking the course and studying now though is there? Even if I change my mind later down the road, won't it be good for me anyways? And also, I don't want to make the same mistake I made with my SATs. I ignored my parents when they started pestering me in grade 8 to study, and when I started studying seriously, it was too late. And now I'm paying for it. I don't want to make the same mistake again.</p>
<p>Lucy, you were accepted at Brown, and you are suffering from a late start on the SAT's? Care to explain that one?</p>
<p>Even though I think grade 8 is too early to start studying for the SAT, this is different. Your parents 'basically' knew you were going to college then. You don't 'know' that you want to go to law school now.</p>
<p>I was in a similar situation - I thought I prepared far too late for undergraduate. But I didn't, really. It cost me a few scholarships, probably, to not have such a pretty resume as other people, but I'm more of a person for it, I think.</p>
<p>If you want to know about law school, fine. Read the Princeton Review advice book. Hang out on this board. Talk to Wildflower. Listen to the ariesathena/greybeard/concerneddad/joev. It's fun. But you are really putting a burden on yourself right now by thinking of prepping specifically for HLS. Thinking about law school is kind of fun, and reading stuff on this board is actually kind of therapeutic to me. I think there's a difference between being aware and conscious, and stressed and in 'diploma hunting' mode.</p>
<p>"stressed and in 'diploma hunting' mode."</p>
<p>LOL!</p>
<p>"Lucy, you were accepted at Brown, and you are suffering from a late start on the SAT's? Care to explain that one?"</p>
<p>What's worse is that she got a 1420...the same score as mine, haha
(Cornell '09 here).</p>
<p>"What's worse is that she got a 1420..."</p>
<p>Oh yeah! That completely STINKS! Is she ..... ? <em>rolls eyes</em> </p>
<p>:D</p>
<p>Well I think I could've done better.. and I didn't get into my first choice university.. I don't want to repeat that all over again for grad school</p>
<p>Is there any correlation between SAT scores and LSAT scores?</p>
<p>roll eyes.</p>
<p>LucyS - how would you feel if you spend all your time trying to get into Harvard Law, and we tell you that Harvard law is not number 1 ? It's one thing to be prepared, and plan ahead, and all those other good things. But you have to have a little perspective here. You're going to Brown, not Catawba County CC, for pete's sake ! Enjoy going to one of the finest schools. And if you still want to go into law, you'll have plenty of time to prepare. Listen to the professionals on this board - they know what they're doing.</p>
<p>I think everybody's misunderstanding me.. it's not that I'm unhappy to be going to Brown. Sure it's a great university, I'll have an awesome time.. Except I feel like.. something's missing now.. when I got in, I was so excited.. I knew I'd be going there.. and I didn't care about all the places I was rejected from, I was just happy I got into Brown.. it's just that lately, I'm thinking.. okay well if I could have gotten into Brown, why wasn't I able to get into my first choice? Why didn't I do better? I know, I'm never satisfied.. I don't know why I feel like this now.. I was so happy before! I was so happy I got into Brown! And now it's like, could I have done better? What if my SAT scores had been better? I didn't let all those rejection letters get to me before! I was just so happy to have gotten into Brown and Cornell.. and now.. I don't know anymore.. I feel like I've let myself down.. let my family down.. why are all those rejection letters getting to me now? I figure I can just take from this experience and make sure I get exactly what I want for next time.. I guess I'm not really appreciating what I have, and just want more.. I guess I just have to learn to be satisfied with what I have..</p>
<p>Looks like I'm one of those bitter rejectees after all..</p>
<p>Maybe you've just gotten used to being accepted into Brown, so you're starting to take it for granted. Maybe it's how the Oscar winners feel - the next year, as they're sitting in the seats and watching other people win. Yes, they're glad they won, but all they can think about is that they're not winning now. From what I hear, this "end of senior year" let-down is a lot more common than most people think. </p>
<p>You'll get over it, I think. Imagine yourself arriving on campus, at such an awesome school. You'll be with tons of people, all of whom chose Brown over other really terrific schools, just as you did. And you'll all have a great time together. Congratulations!</p>
<p>Lucy S - To tell the truth, I had thoughts exactly like you did, too. I'm sorry for saying 'roll eyes,' but I just wanted to show you the futility of these kind of thoughts! There really is no limit to success in the head, but there is to success as a human being.</p>
<p>Lucy,</p>
<p>You'll have educational opportunities at Brown every bit as good as the ones you would have had at your first choice school.</p>
<p>Time heals all wounds. (It also wounds all heals, but that's a topic for another day.) If you're like most people, you'll develop a fierce loyalty for what was once your second, third, or fourth choice school, and be offended at the very notion that your life could possibility have been improved by going elsewhere.</p>
<p>Don't pin too many of your hopes on Harvard, specifically. In 2003 (the last year for which I have the figures at hand) it accepted only 12.6% of the select group that bothered to apply. (Yale, Stanford and Boalt accepted even fewer: 7.1%, 9.1%, and 11.5%, respectively.) </p>
<p>Work hard, and aim high. But don't invest too much psychic energy on admission to a particular school. And by all means, wait a couple of years before you start worrying about the LSAT</p>
<p>Hi ya, I also need advice on getting into law school. However, unlike Lucy, I just finished my first year of college at UC Berkeley. I am currently a double major in economics and English. I scored about the same as her on my SATs (without studying) and I heard that there is a correlation between the SATs and the LSATs. Is this true?</p>
<p>I feel that I do need to prep for the LSAT, and like Lucy, I regret not studying for the SATs. (Even though my parents told me 2 years prior to study, hahaha).</p>
<p>I do have a question though: Exactly how much emphasis do law schools place on EC? May I have a percentage please, so I can get a clearer image in my head?</p>
<p>And also, what ECs would you recommend or would you recommend focusing simply on academics? </p>
<p>I forgot to mention that I am also a music minor, as music is one of my passions, and would only having ECs in music suffice? </p>
<p>Or do I need to join the "Debate Team," etc.? I did Mock Trial in high school, but I did not join in college because I did art-related ECs--including music and dance--instead. </p>
<p>Should I commit myself to law-related activities, or just stick with what I am doing?</p>
<p>(Oh, and FYI I am striving for corporate law, just in case you guys wanted to know.)</p>
<p>Any advice would be appreciated----</p>