Am I doing the Right Thing?

[sbn98xo]

Hello, im a senior in high school and is soon going to attend college this fall. Im really obsessed about going to law school & just started to study for the lsat. I want to study right now and take my lsat earlier than most people such as in the beginning of my junor year or in my sophomore year. Is this being wise or stupid? I heard that you'll be more smarter and likely to test better on it as your brain matures or something. So, would studyin for a year in my freshman year be as effective as studying for a year in my junior year??? Moreover, what kind of extracurricular activities look good in ur application? for example, volunteer work, study abroad, work experience, clubs, awards, etc.. which one should i emphasize the most?

[jgruber]

You are far enough away from applying to law school that you should wait on the LSAT.  If you want, you can download a previous test from www.lsac.org and test yourself. 

Your college GPA will be the other critical piece of the puzzle.  Do whatever you can to keep that up.  That's something you can't do over like you can the LSAT or put off while you study up for it.

[dta]

Instead of worrying about the LSAT right now, if you really want to get into law school focus on getting a terriffic GPA with a double major in challenging, disparate fields (i.e not weenie majors). Since you will be applying to law school straight from college w/ no work experience you will want to do your best to showcase a breadth of educational experience (the admission boards like that). So choose 2 hard majors in 2 different colleges from your university. For example, choose a hard major from the Humanities (e.g. philosophy) and a hard major from the Sciences (e.g physics or math).

You will come out of that with a lot of excellent writing/reading experience from your Humanities major and excellent critical thinking skills from your Sciences major. Not only will you indeed have a significant breadth of education from the experience but the admissions board will know it too. (of course, all assuming you work hard and get a good gpa).

The point is, if you have energy to burn there are a lot better ways to use that energy than studying for the LSAT at this premature stage.

[hookem law]

You should go to college and drink yourself silly and sleep with a lot of women.  I am not kidding.  If you do otherwise, you will regret it.  Keep your gpa up and do not even think about the LSAT until your junior year.  After all, there is a finite amount of material to study that is worth a *&^%.

Go have fun and don't worry about LSAT for a few years.

[L1]

Although you should worry about your GPA, taking the LSAT early is always better. The beginning of your junior yr is too early. June of your junior yr is usually fine. However, just make sure that you feel prepared to do well and have been taking enough practice exams so that you don't get any surprises. It won't help you to take the LSAT early and do poorly since they avg your LSATs.

Also, an added benefit of taking it early is that you law schools will send you app fee waivers just to apply. This will help in keeping costs down when you do apply.

Just remember that some schools will feel that your UGPA is more reflective of your abilities over the long-run and the LSAT is a rushed exam.

[dta]

are we sure sbn98xo is male? 

Not that hookem's recommendation is bad advice, but I certainly am a counter-example. Slept monogomously w/ one woman through college and don't regret it a bit. But to each his/her own. 

[blizzard of ozz]

You should go to college and drink yourself silly and sleep with a lot of women.  I am not kidding.  If you do otherwise, you will regret it.  Keep your gpa up and do not even think about the LSAT until your junior year.  After all, there is a finite amount of material to study that is worth a *&^%.

Go have fun and don't worry about LSAT for a few years.

I agree strongly with this statement (well not with the being a slut part, but the having fun part). Have fun in college. I did. Just try and be a well-balanced person. In the long run, hanging out with some buddies turns into valuable networking opportunities down the road, though you shouldn't neglect academics either.

If I wasn't going to LS, 2 of my drinking buddies were gung-ho about getting me jobs in their companies (3 others would've put in a good word for me, but lived in other states). If people like you, you'll have more opportunities. If you're a dork and have your nose in a book all day, you're not going to have that network. Work hard, but play hard too.

No GPA can give you that type of pull. Seriously though, just have fun and enjoy college however you choose to (drinking or whatever might not be your thing). I had a great experience. I'd study about 6 months prior, for the LSAT (I started studying 3 mos prior and regret not studying a month or two longer). If you study too early you'll probably burn out.

DON'T double-major. It'll kill your social life, make it difficult to graduate in 4 years (at least it did at my school) plus no one in admissions cares. Pick any major you like (other than pre-law, criminal justice or phys ed which are frowned upon) and do well in it.

[sbn98xo]

Thanks for replying guys. But I have another question..is government considered a hard major because I'm planning to choose that as my major. & is it possible for a college student to get a job as a paralegal or do we need like work experience or prerequisite for it?

[zpops]

Dude, you just need to relax   

I see a few of you guy shere on the pre pre law board, and I think you've all got the wrong idea.  College is whatever you make of it, but if you make it into nothing for a 4 year chore before law school, you'll regret it.  Choose a major because you like it, not because it's viewed as "hard" by law school admissions people.  Take a minor in literature, or pottery, or whatever interests you.  And DO NOT worry about the LSAT yet, it's much to early.  There are only three things law school related you should do, until your junior year: 
1)  Get good grades.  Your grades are number 2 after LSAT for admissions.  Getting good grades does not have to mean being a big nerd either.  I have a 3.99 gpa (I got one A-) and I have an active social life, you succeed by working well, not by putting in extra useless hours. 

2)  Develop relationships with profs.  You'll need them to get good letters of reccomendation.  When you find a prof you like, particually a JD Phd, then take as many classes with them as you can.  Go to their office hours, try and do research with them.  In short, develop a social as well as an academic relationship with your profs.  I didn't even ask anyone to write me a letter, my profs just told me they were going to do it, and they each wrote me GREAT letters.

3)  Take a law class.  You should really take a class where you have to read some casess, to make sure you don't HATE it.  Crim Law or a legal writing class would both be good choices.

Other than these things, just have fun as an undergrad.  Take a practice LSAT during the spring of your sophmore year, then take that as a guide to how much study you'll need, and then take the real test either during the spring of your junior year or the fall of your senior year.

I can't guarantee this will all work out for you, but it worked well for me.  Above all, good luck, and have fun.

[Ivy_Hopeful]

Work Hard, and take some time off every now and then. If you work hard enough you will be fine but none of this is of concern right now, live a little. I do commend you for being so ahead of the game. GOOD LUCK!