It seems a bit early to discuss Law school applications for an 2020-21 L1 student, but I’m both concerned as well as focusing on what is needed for my LHS to get into UT Austin Law. (He’ll apply to others, but right now UT Law is his #1 Law School). He is a Junior at UT, Econ/Humanities, LAH with a greater than the UT Law median GPA. He is just now starting his LSAT Prep and plans to take his first LSAT late Summer, early Fall. So LSAT target of >167. I just thought I would start this thread for my own collection of others knowledge, opinions and experience, as well as anyone anyone else considering UT Law, and quite frankly any Law school. If you have any thoughts or ideas on how best to get into UT Law, please share them here. Thank you.
Our LHS just started his LSAT Prep class and is planning on taking the July LSAT. Is that giving him enough time? Also, any thoughts about taking a gap year prior to entering Law School? We think it best to continue directly to Law school.
I think he should be the one to decide. If he’s feeling burnt out, it might be a good idea to take off a year and work.
We’ve had lawyer friends tell him to take a gap year, but he doesn’t want to. He’s really involved at UT and doesn’t want it to end.
I went straight to UT Law School directly from COLA. The one thing I can tell you is that there was a general consensus among my law school colleagues that those students who had either taken a gap year and/or came from the workforce rather than straight from undergrad were better prepared for law school.
Besides the rigor of the coursework, there’s a huge cultural difference between being a COLA undergrad at UT to being a law student. In retrospect, that was one of the more difficult parts of the transition for me. The law school is its own world completely isolated from the rest of campus. A lot of what makes UT great for an undergrad in all honesty is removed from the law school experience where, on average, the other students are a bit older and very focused in a somewhat competitive setting.
I think having the mental break, as well as the increased maturity from having to deal with the real world, can be a very helpful experience overall for a law student. My eldest son who attends Ohio State and is applying to law school independently told me that’s the same thing he has heard from participation in his pre-law fraternity at OSU. However, as with many things, its really an individual determination.
Good luck to your son either way.