A Timeline for Applying to Law School
January before application year
- Prepare for the LSAT by reading thoroughly the LSAT & LSDAS Information Book. Take the sample test on a timed basis. Additional practice materials may be ordered from the LSAC. Most applicants take a preparatory course. Allow six months time to study for the LSAT.
May before application year
- Be sure to review Law School Overview and Preparation and Law School Application Process FAQs.
- Pick up the Law School Admissions Council’s LSAT & LSDAS Information Book in the CWS or visit www.LSAC.org to learn how to register for the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) and the Law School Data Assembly Service (LSDAS).
- Register for late spring/summer LSAT or begin studying for the fall LSAT.
- If you are taking the fall LSAT, prepare by reading thoroughly the LSAT & LSDAS Information Book. Take the sample test on a timed basis. Additional practice materials may be ordered from the LSAC online.
June before application year
- Take the LSAT.
August before application year
- If you have not already taken the LSAT, register online or by telephone for the late September/early October LSAT. Late registration with an additional fee has a receipt deadline of approximately one week later. If you cannot register online, call the LSAC's Candidate Service Representative at 215.968.1001.
- Order LSAT and LSDAS services at www.LSAC.org.
- Visit www.LSAC.org to view law school Web sites or write to law schools for catalogs and applications. Printed materials may also be found in the CWS Library.
September/October of application year
- Order Wellesley College transcript from Registrar. Also order transcripts from all other undergraduate or graduate schools you may have attended. Have transcript(s) sent to LSDAS using the online forms. Refer to the www.LSAC.org or LSAT & LSDAS Information Book for more information.
- Continue to study for the LSAT.
- Don’t wait for your scores to start reading catalogs and the ABA·LSAC Official Guide to ABA-Approved Law Schools available in the Center for Work and Service Library. You may order your own copy of this publication by going online at www.LSAC.org
- Attend on-campus law school informational meetings and law school forums throughout the fall.
- Work on your application and your essay; request references, and give recommenders a copy of Guidelines for Faculty Writing Law School References.
- Check each application and determine what references are required. Some law schools require a dean’s form (college questionnaire or certification). Determine if you must provide a dean's form for each educational institution attended (undergraduate and graduate) or from your degree-granting undergraduate institution only. If you are an undergraduate, the Senior Class Dean provides this for all schools requiring one (except Harvard Law, which requires the signature of the Dean of Students on its form). For alumnae, the prelaw advisor in the Center for Work and Service prepares the college’s response. Be sure to read Explanation of Dean's or College Certification or Questionnaire for Law School Applicants.
- Review the LSDAS Letters of Reference section to learn your options regarding general and/or school specific, targeted letters.
- Allow your recommenders ample time to complete their evaluations by the deadline. Note the directions for submitting letters of reference to the the LSAC.
November
- Approximately three weeks after you take the LSAT, the LSDAS will e-mail your LSAT report to you, indicating your current test results and the results of any previous tests for which you registered in the last five years.
- Complete and submit applications by Thanksgiving. Those who took the June LSAT should be able to submit even earlier. Many schools have rolling admissions and it is always better to apply early.
- Check the status of your LSDAS file online to be sure that all of your undergraduate transcripts have been received and the LSDAS summary has been completed. Check the biographical and academic information carefully and report any inaccuracies to the LSDAS.
- If you were unable to take the late September/early October test, register for the December exam in November. Note that the time between the October and the December test administrations probably will not permit you to receive October scores before December registration deadlines. If you have to wait for December test
scores to select your schools, note carefully the application deadlines.
November/December
- Many law schools send acknowledgments when your file is complete. If you have not received an acknowledgement within nine or ten weeks from the time the application should have been received, inquire about its status. Follow up on any problems.
January
- Undergraduates should send seventh semester grades to the LSDAS. If your file is active, LSDAS will send an updated report to the law schools (see LSAT
& LSDAS Information Book).
February - April
- Acceptances and rejections begin to arrive, although some schools with rolling admissions will notify you of your status earlier. As soon as you are admitted to the law school of your choice, notify all other law schools that you are withdrawing your application. When you begin to receive your decisions, please keep Elizabeth O'Connell, Prelaw Advisor in the Center for Work and Service, informed. This information helps us to help you and other applicants, now and in the future.